Page 80
Story: Never Kiss Your Neighbors
I frown as a little memory pings in my brain. Cam mentioned a video the morning after I found out about them and Trish. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The video that was way over the top.” Something about Wyatt’s tone gives me the idea that he thinks I’m playing dumb.
“The one that was lewd and obnoxious,” Cam adds.
“I haven’t watched any of your videos in weeks, and I don’t care what goes on in your videos.”
Wyatt squints at me. “I’m talking about the video you saw that made you break up with us.”
Now I’m squinting back at him. We must look like two people trying to decipher a code printed in four-point type. “I broke up with you,” I say, looking at both him and Cam, “because you fucked Trish.”
CHAPTER60
STELLA
From one extreme to another, their eyes go from narrow to wide as saucers. They also suddenly become hard of hearing. “What?!” they both say at the same time, raising their voices so much that I worry they’ll wake Jessie.
“I guess you didn’t realize I knew, but I did. You told me you didn’t want any other women, then you fucked your editor, and who knows how many other women.”
“We did not!” Wyatt says with conviction, though his voice is lower after seeing me glance toward Jessie’s bedroom window.
Cam’s on his feet now, and has disturbed Goldfish from his sleep. “Stella, where did you get an idea like that?”
I fold my arms over my chest and sit back against the cushion. “Directly from Trish herself. Why? Did you tell her to keep it a secret?”
“My god, Stella. We didn’t do that. We would never do that!” Wyatt’s at the edge of his seat, looking at me like I’m speaking a foreign language.
“Trish told you that?” Cam asks, incredulous. They’re both pretty convincing. Maybe they should try to use their internet fame to get acting jobs.
“She did. Was it just a one-time thing, or have you kept on fucking her?”
Cam falls to his knees and reaches for my hand, but I avoid his grasp. “Stella, it’s not true. We’ve never had sex with Trish. We haven’t so much as looked at another woman since we met you.”
Wyatt’s head is in his hands. When he looks up, he asks, “How could you have believed that?”
Cam looks between me and Wyatt. “Why would Trish have said that? She’s never been anything but a friend and coworker. Even flirting with her would be inappropriate.”
Wyatt comes to kneel in front of me, too. “Stella, it’s a lie. You have to believe us.”
They both look so heartbroken that I can’t believe they’re lying to me, but I’m still wary. “I’m usually inclined to believe women,” I say in nearly a whisper. I’m so confused.
Cam rubs my knee. “I understand that, and I know women are not believed as often as they should be, but in this case, Trish is lying, Stella.”
“Didn’t you say that Trish also told you we messed around with our followers? Something about revolving doors in our bedrooms?” Wyatt asks.
I give a small nod. “Something to that effect.”
“At the time, we thought she was making assumptions from online comments, but maybe there’s a pattern here.”
Cam pulls his phone out. “I’m going to call her.”
As he taps her number, I decide that I’m pretty sure I believe the men. What follows makes me certain.
“Hellooo,” she answers. Cam has her on speaker, and as soon as I hear her voice, I’m right back at their house with her, basket of muffins in my hand, my world being upended.
“I’m putting you on FaceTime,” Cam tells her. “Wyatt and Stella are here, and we all want to talk to you.”
“Okay …” Her tone changes completely after she hears my name.
“The video that was way over the top.” Something about Wyatt’s tone gives me the idea that he thinks I’m playing dumb.
“The one that was lewd and obnoxious,” Cam adds.
“I haven’t watched any of your videos in weeks, and I don’t care what goes on in your videos.”
Wyatt squints at me. “I’m talking about the video you saw that made you break up with us.”
Now I’m squinting back at him. We must look like two people trying to decipher a code printed in four-point type. “I broke up with you,” I say, looking at both him and Cam, “because you fucked Trish.”
CHAPTER60
STELLA
From one extreme to another, their eyes go from narrow to wide as saucers. They also suddenly become hard of hearing. “What?!” they both say at the same time, raising their voices so much that I worry they’ll wake Jessie.
“I guess you didn’t realize I knew, but I did. You told me you didn’t want any other women, then you fucked your editor, and who knows how many other women.”
“We did not!” Wyatt says with conviction, though his voice is lower after seeing me glance toward Jessie’s bedroom window.
Cam’s on his feet now, and has disturbed Goldfish from his sleep. “Stella, where did you get an idea like that?”
I fold my arms over my chest and sit back against the cushion. “Directly from Trish herself. Why? Did you tell her to keep it a secret?”
“My god, Stella. We didn’t do that. We would never do that!” Wyatt’s at the edge of his seat, looking at me like I’m speaking a foreign language.
“Trish told you that?” Cam asks, incredulous. They’re both pretty convincing. Maybe they should try to use their internet fame to get acting jobs.
“She did. Was it just a one-time thing, or have you kept on fucking her?”
Cam falls to his knees and reaches for my hand, but I avoid his grasp. “Stella, it’s not true. We’ve never had sex with Trish. We haven’t so much as looked at another woman since we met you.”
Wyatt’s head is in his hands. When he looks up, he asks, “How could you have believed that?”
Cam looks between me and Wyatt. “Why would Trish have said that? She’s never been anything but a friend and coworker. Even flirting with her would be inappropriate.”
Wyatt comes to kneel in front of me, too. “Stella, it’s a lie. You have to believe us.”
They both look so heartbroken that I can’t believe they’re lying to me, but I’m still wary. “I’m usually inclined to believe women,” I say in nearly a whisper. I’m so confused.
Cam rubs my knee. “I understand that, and I know women are not believed as often as they should be, but in this case, Trish is lying, Stella.”
“Didn’t you say that Trish also told you we messed around with our followers? Something about revolving doors in our bedrooms?” Wyatt asks.
I give a small nod. “Something to that effect.”
“At the time, we thought she was making assumptions from online comments, but maybe there’s a pattern here.”
Cam pulls his phone out. “I’m going to call her.”
As he taps her number, I decide that I’m pretty sure I believe the men. What follows makes me certain.
“Hellooo,” she answers. Cam has her on speaker, and as soon as I hear her voice, I’m right back at their house with her, basket of muffins in my hand, my world being upended.
“I’m putting you on FaceTime,” Cam tells her. “Wyatt and Stella are here, and we all want to talk to you.”
“Okay …” Her tone changes completely after she hears my name.
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