Page 12 of Petals of Blue, Part One (Wilted Duet #1)

Seven

BLUE

No, no, no! This can't be happening!

That wasn't the plan. Not at all. I was maybe going to get a few orgasms before leaving him high and dry like he did to me. Now it's all ruined. I can't believe I caved so fast, but as soon as he spouted that shit about loyalty being his best quality, I snapped.

The only time I ever raise my voice is when I'm being threatened or when someone else is, which does happen frequently at the club here. I'm usually swinging a steel fucking water bottle at them too.

How could I have been so stupid as to leave with Felix while being defenseless? I should have known he would break me before I was ready. And, oh my God, do I feel fucking shattered right now.

Bethany and Janine are about to lose their shit.

"What happened?!" Bethany screeches, running up to me and immediately wiping the tears from my cheeks.

I shake my head, my lip wobbling. Words don't come out, but having my water bottle clutched in my grip helps calm me.

Then Janine sees me. Anger and fear morph her features into something I've never seen from her. "Tell me," she demands.

I have to appreciate the new layers we're allowing each other to see. These girls have never seen me about to have a meltdown, nor have they needed to come running to my rescue. It's always the other way around.

Shaking my head again, I hiccup and glance over my shoulder. "Not now. I have to go."

Bethany hesitates, but Janine nods and grabs my purse. "Go. But please keep us in the loop."

Grateful, I hug them both tight and fast, then I'm fucking gone. I can't wait around for Felix to pull his pants up and come after me. He didn't then, so why would he now?

My tears flow freely as I rush through the crowd. Why the hell is he here?! Oh fuck, are all four of them in town?

Just as a frustrated scream builds in the back of my throat, a familiar broad back enters my line of sight. A rush of air escapes me as I whisper my friend's name and scurry behind his big frame.

The voice that acts as a balm to my wounds isn't Kevin's like I anticipated. "Blue? Oh shit, are you crying?!" Levi, Kevin's husband and my personal trainer, gasps as he reaches for me.

Kevin stiffens beside Levi, registering the anguish probably written all over my face. Both of them make the perfect buff protective wall. Is he looking for me?

I choke, relieved to have both him and Kev surrounding me. Gathering the courage to tell them what's wrong isn't as hard as I thought it would be, but it helps that they already know most of what's happened to me growing up.

"One of them...Felix. He-He's here," I stutter and curl in on myself. The chill of my Stanley water bottle shocks me out of the incoming panic attack.

Before I realize what's happening, Levi and Kevin each have one arm wrapped around me. I follow along mindlessly as they direct me to the security room and onto the leather couch.

Sweat makes the back of my neck itch, and the leather skirt is a fucking nuisance at this point. Sexy, fun, and carefree no longer fit my mental state.

"I'll drive her home," Levi's voice breaks through the sound of music thumping through the walls. "She shouldn't drive like this." Kevin agrees with a grunt.

My answer is instinctual, even though they weren't asking. "I'm fine."

"Shut up," Kevin scolds as he crouches in front of me. "You look like shit. You're going home, resting this off, and coming up with a plan if this jackass is sticking around."

If it were anyone else saying this shit to me, I'd be offended and pissed off. But Kevin has always been abrasive and rude—that's just his charm.

"And," Levi chimes in with a pointed look. "Scheduling a time to have a legit chat about this."

I stiffen. "There's nothing much to say. I brought him to the employee lounge to get some O’s, then he pissed me off. Unfortunately for him, he realized who I was far too late to redeem himself."

"In my fucking opinion," Kevin growls, "the four of them don't deserve redemption."

Smirking, even though it's sad, I tease the couple. "You sure you don't swing my way? Because I'd love this kind of devotion in a relationship."

Levi snorts. "Been there, almost done you, Blue."

At that, I really do laugh. Seven years ago, Levi and I messed around for like two weeks. We never had sex because he was shying away from it. Enter Kevin, the new broody guy at the gym, then finally everything made sense. Levi preferred men, and it just so happened Kevin was exactly his type.

Was I shocked when Levi broke things off with me because he was more interested in a man? Not really. I could literally feel their connection.

Kev chuckles good-naturedly. "I'm still glad your last fling was Blue. Best thing that came out of your uncertainty was our friendship and you waiting for me."

Levi blushes, and I swear to shit I swoon for them. It's a cliché to say they are goals, but there's nothing else to say. Both are big, strong, steely men, but for each other they melt like chocolate on a nipple for Valentine's Day.

Yes, that can happen.

My heart constricts when they kiss. Not because I want either of them in that way but because I want what they have. It's hard to find that when I'm closed off to relationships and anything more than a one-night stand, though.

"Blue's getting blue..." Levi whispers.

That observation of my mood and weeping eyes makes me curl into a ball on the couch. What he just said...Blue's getting blue...is the exact reason I legally changed my name to this when I was eighteen.

What I told Felix about happy Erica being gone was the truth. Instead of yellow sunflowers, I became wilted blue petals with no stem to survive off of. Blue as in melancholy. Blue as in sadness.

Because no matter how much I party or adventure with the people who love me, I'm still really fucking sad.

"Come on, Blue," Levi coos, pulling me from the security room couch. "Let's get you home."

On the ride home with Levi, all I can think about is that I don't think I'll ever stop being sad for the girl who came before this hardened version of myself.

Even wilted and dead, I still feel pain. Felix proved that tonight when he so casually forgot about his betrayal.

Where was his loyalty when I needed it the most?