Page 26
Story: The Christmas Bet
We pull up to the outside of her building. I throw a hundred his way and run out of the taxi. As I make my way up the stairs, I nod to the doorman as he opens the glass doors for me.
I run over to the elevators and hit Allison’s floor. It’s the longest elevator ride of my life. Everything inside me is twisting, my head is pounding, and my heart is racing with nerves.
Please be home, please.
When I finally do reach her floor, I bolt out of the elevator and run up to her door. Taking a deep breath, I knock.
I listen for any tiny bit of sound coming from inside, but there’s nothing.
“Allison, if you’re in there, please let me in. Or … or please just open the door and let me explain. I’ll stay right here, outside your door. Please, Allie, let me explain.” I lean forward, putting my head on the door. “I’m so sorry.” My voice comes out in a whisper, emotion creeping up my throat as I try to hold back myself from completely losing it. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
Nothing. Nothing stirs beyond that door. Either she’s in there, as quiet as a mouse, or she went somewhere else.
I turn around and sink down to the floor. I have never felt so low. I’m a horrible person for making that fucking bet. For hurting Allison. She didn’t deserve it. Tears start to form in the corners of my eyes. I don’t deserve her.
Wiping the tears away, I push myself up off the floor. I take a deep breath and slowly exhale. There’s no way I can let this be the end of us. Thirty minutes or fucking thirty years, I’ll get her back.
Then I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her.
I’m not giving up on us.
Chapter 15
Allison
Awarm feeling on my face makes me stir. As I slowly open my eyes, I can see a bright light shining through opened curtains beaming down on me. Goddamn it, why aren’t my curtains closed? It’s at that moment I realize the reason. I take a look around, finding I’m not in my own bed.
Running my hands under my eyes, I feel the roughness of the dried-on makeup I didn’t take off from last night.
Last night.
My stomach rolls as I remember what happened. The horrid sounds of their laughter, the comments, and the fucking bet. Then there’s the look of being caught, the very look that Conner had when he turned and saw me standing there. The reality of what he did slammed in his face.
My heart, my feelings for him were all based on a bet. That man buttered me up and got me to be head over heels in love with him just to turn around and throw it all in my face. All to win a fucking car.
A fucking car!
Looking around at Lacy’s place, I let out a groan. When I left the hotel last night, I immediately came here to her apartment. I called her from the cab in tears, and she rushed home from her date to meet me here.
More tears start pooling in my eyes again as I replay all this in my mind.
When she got me up to her apartment last night, she made me some tea, and I explained to Lacy everything that went down. How betrayed I felt, how my heart hurt. She was livid. But then she told me she felt awful because she felt she forced us to go on a date. I tried to explain that it wasn’t her fault, that it was one hundred percent Conner and his band of assholes who were to blame. We eventually graduated from tea to the adult drinks and then proceeded to drink and stuff our faces with pizza.
Now I sit here on her lumpy ass couch unsure of what to think or do.
Damnit. It’s Christmas Eve.
Tears fall down my cheeks as I silently let myself cry. My chest shakes as I sob into my hands. I was supposed to go with him to his family’s holiday get together for dinner tonight. Get to know his mother, his family. Get to know more about him.
How heartless do you need to be to play with a person like that? Make them feel things for you for the sake of a game? I’ve never felt more used in my life, more hurt.
I throw the blanket off and swing my legs over the cushions, placing them on the floor. I pick up my phone that I had turned off last night once I called Lacy. I knew I would have voicemails or text messages, and I wasn’t strong enough in that moment to just ignore them if they came in.
I knew my heart would cave at the sound of the first ring, wanting to ask him why. There was no doubt I would have lost my cool and yelled obscenities like a crazy person until I broke down again. No, I needed to be stronger, stand taller. I needed the night to find my inner bitch and reconstruct the wall around my heart.
After I turn my phone on, it immediately lights up with missed voicemails and messages. I click on the voicemails and see one from him. Bringing the phone up to ear, I brace myself for the sick feeling I’ll get when I hear him.
“Allison, please. Just listen. Please pick up the phone and let me talk to you. This was such a mistake. I—” I quickly delete the message.
I run over to the elevators and hit Allison’s floor. It’s the longest elevator ride of my life. Everything inside me is twisting, my head is pounding, and my heart is racing with nerves.
Please be home, please.
When I finally do reach her floor, I bolt out of the elevator and run up to her door. Taking a deep breath, I knock.
I listen for any tiny bit of sound coming from inside, but there’s nothing.
“Allison, if you’re in there, please let me in. Or … or please just open the door and let me explain. I’ll stay right here, outside your door. Please, Allie, let me explain.” I lean forward, putting my head on the door. “I’m so sorry.” My voice comes out in a whisper, emotion creeping up my throat as I try to hold back myself from completely losing it. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
Nothing. Nothing stirs beyond that door. Either she’s in there, as quiet as a mouse, or she went somewhere else.
I turn around and sink down to the floor. I have never felt so low. I’m a horrible person for making that fucking bet. For hurting Allison. She didn’t deserve it. Tears start to form in the corners of my eyes. I don’t deserve her.
Wiping the tears away, I push myself up off the floor. I take a deep breath and slowly exhale. There’s no way I can let this be the end of us. Thirty minutes or fucking thirty years, I’ll get her back.
Then I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her.
I’m not giving up on us.
Chapter 15
Allison
Awarm feeling on my face makes me stir. As I slowly open my eyes, I can see a bright light shining through opened curtains beaming down on me. Goddamn it, why aren’t my curtains closed? It’s at that moment I realize the reason. I take a look around, finding I’m not in my own bed.
Running my hands under my eyes, I feel the roughness of the dried-on makeup I didn’t take off from last night.
Last night.
My stomach rolls as I remember what happened. The horrid sounds of their laughter, the comments, and the fucking bet. Then there’s the look of being caught, the very look that Conner had when he turned and saw me standing there. The reality of what he did slammed in his face.
My heart, my feelings for him were all based on a bet. That man buttered me up and got me to be head over heels in love with him just to turn around and throw it all in my face. All to win a fucking car.
A fucking car!
Looking around at Lacy’s place, I let out a groan. When I left the hotel last night, I immediately came here to her apartment. I called her from the cab in tears, and she rushed home from her date to meet me here.
More tears start pooling in my eyes again as I replay all this in my mind.
When she got me up to her apartment last night, she made me some tea, and I explained to Lacy everything that went down. How betrayed I felt, how my heart hurt. She was livid. But then she told me she felt awful because she felt she forced us to go on a date. I tried to explain that it wasn’t her fault, that it was one hundred percent Conner and his band of assholes who were to blame. We eventually graduated from tea to the adult drinks and then proceeded to drink and stuff our faces with pizza.
Now I sit here on her lumpy ass couch unsure of what to think or do.
Damnit. It’s Christmas Eve.
Tears fall down my cheeks as I silently let myself cry. My chest shakes as I sob into my hands. I was supposed to go with him to his family’s holiday get together for dinner tonight. Get to know his mother, his family. Get to know more about him.
How heartless do you need to be to play with a person like that? Make them feel things for you for the sake of a game? I’ve never felt more used in my life, more hurt.
I throw the blanket off and swing my legs over the cushions, placing them on the floor. I pick up my phone that I had turned off last night once I called Lacy. I knew I would have voicemails or text messages, and I wasn’t strong enough in that moment to just ignore them if they came in.
I knew my heart would cave at the sound of the first ring, wanting to ask him why. There was no doubt I would have lost my cool and yelled obscenities like a crazy person until I broke down again. No, I needed to be stronger, stand taller. I needed the night to find my inner bitch and reconstruct the wall around my heart.
After I turn my phone on, it immediately lights up with missed voicemails and messages. I click on the voicemails and see one from him. Bringing the phone up to ear, I brace myself for the sick feeling I’ll get when I hear him.
“Allison, please. Just listen. Please pick up the phone and let me talk to you. This was such a mistake. I—” I quickly delete the message.