Page 49 of Covet (The Red #3)

Chapter Forty-Nine

Coop

Listen to Twilight Zone

by Arianna Grande

I ’d lost her.

Time passed in a blur. I drank with Max while he let me talk, patient when I went over and over each detail of my relationship with Elle.

Yes, I knew things had been strained. I knew we fought a lot.

But this sense of betrayal was like an electrical shock to my body.

The emotions were a rollercoaster ride from rage, grief, pain, depression, and back again. It was like I was in the Twilight Zone.

My brain kept flashing on strange details from our break-up.

The way my espresso had burnt my tongue when she said Noah’s name.

Elle’s sad, wide eyes; the same ones that used to fog with lust during sex.

Her shaky voice and trembling hands while she explained she’d fallen in love with Noah; that they’d both tried hard to get over it; and they were both sickened by the hurt they were causing us.

I tried to understand but it was like there was a roaring in my ears blurring her words. I denied, accused, and demanded details. She gave me more than I wanted to hear. Enough to make me want to beat the shit out of Noah and then numb out so I never had to feel this way again.

Instead, I’d listened to all of it while I sat across from her at a dirty table. While the barista shouted out names and orders, and the world still turned, my heart broke.

At first, I wondered if she’d heard I cheated. Or suspected I knew about the planned assault on Landon Max set up.

But it was neither. My sins had been covered up with no apology tour needed. As I sat in the Irish pub where we loved to gather together after our legendary club nights, I realized this may be my punishment. I’d lied. I’d cheated. And now, I’d lost Elle because she’d done the same damn thing.

What a fucked up irony.

Finally, I was able to drag my ass back home with Max as my babysitter. I planned to confront Noah. I deserved to be faced while he told me how he fucked my girlfriend and pretended to be my friend. I’m sure he’d have excuses and apologies. I didn’t give a shit. I wanted him to pay.

But Max was right. Hadn’t my temper already lost me Elle? Our constant bickering and my inability to stop pushing for what I wanted from her. Beating the crap out of Noah would only make things worse, though I hated to hear the rationalization.

So, I locked myself in my room. I slept. I drank too much. And when I felt like I’d gotten my control back, I went to see Noah.

He opened the door to his place with a calm expression but I knew he was shitting bricks. I pushed past him and stared at the endless recording equipment packed into the space.

Elle had been here. Writing and recording songs. Laughing and touching him. Falling in love while she came home to me. Had she been thinking about him when I fucked her?

The torture was too much to handle.

“Why’d you do it, asshole?” I shot out, fists clenched. I made sure my stance was in a fighting position so he’d worry about getting punched. My gaze raked over his slimmer build. I’d knock him out in seconds.

“I didn’t want to do anything, Coop,” he said.

Noah kept his hands at his sides, in plain sight.

His face reflected a pain I didn’t want to care about.

And I didn’t. The fall-out was too big to have a flicker of understanding toward my so-called friend.

“How this happened feels unforgivable. I can only say when we began creating music together, I fell in love with her. I planned to smother it. I refused to hurt anyone. I thought I could live with it and move on after the album was finished. But Elle felt the same—so we decided no one deserved to live with both of our lies.”

I hated the way I trembled. I hated the neat explanation he wanted me to believe.

“No. It wasn’t that simple. You don’t blow up all of us because you have a crush due to music.

Elle used to say how it happened with actors but it was a mirage.

It was the film and characters they were playing—not the real thing. ”

“I wanted that to be the case. Honestly, Coop, I’ve always had feelings for Elle but I swore nothing would happen about it. This caught me off guard—the way we fell so hard for each other.”

“Did you fuck her?”

He shook his head. “No. We kissed. Talked. That’s it.”

“You betrayed Daisy and me because of some fake idea you have about Elle?” My laugh came out harsh. “Unfuckingbelievable. Elle likes rough, dirty sex. You ready to give it to her like that?”

His wince gave me a sense of satisfaction. “It’s not about the sex, Coop. I love her. I don’t think I was complete before her.”

I took a step forward and raised my hand. Noah never flinched.

“Do it. I deserve it.”

I paused, shaking, but managed to step back. “You don’t deserve it.”

“I’m sorry.” Naked pain flashed in his eyes. “I tried to walk and not do this to all of us. But my heart was too weak. I realized I’d burn the world down to have her—even if it was one day.”

In that instant, I wondered if I ever felt like that about Elle. I loved her. She was my partner and my friend. I easily saw a future with her. But that type of love?

No. Maybe I didn’t have that type of emotion in me. Not that it mattered. They’d lied and cheated. “You gave Max so much shit yet here you are. How does it feel to be a fucking hypocrite?”

Noah remained quiet. The adrenalin rush slowly died, leaving me with only grief. Maybe I would never want to love someone like that—the way Noah spoke about Elle. Because right now? The pain was sharp enough to cut me to pieces. That was bad enough. I’d never survive anything deeper.

“I never want to see you again,” I finally said. I squared my shoulders and met his gaze. “Go make your music and take my girlfriend. Be a big star. But you’re the one who’s going to have to live with it. How it all happened. You just lost the best friends you ever had, asshole. Good luck.”

I walked out and refused to look back.

It was done.

I was done.