I whipped around, shoving open the door as quickly as I could manage. This time, I didn’t bother being quiet. Kayla was on top, gyrating until she heard the door slam against the opposite wall. “What the hell!”
She turned, giving those of us in the doorway a full shot of her naked breasts, which were easily two sizes larger than mine. I looked past to see the one thing I didn’t want to.
Riley was underneath her. Inside her.
My breath left me in a defeated rush, and Josh caught me as I stumbled out of the door backward, desperate to get away. Pain, raw and gaping, clawed its way through me, ripping what was left of my heart open to bleed out. I stifled the scream that was frantic to escape, to make my agony known.
“Ember?” Riley scrambled from the bed, and I saw him naked for the first time in our three-year relationship.
I thrust my hand out in front of me, like that could ward him off. This. Was. Not. Happening.
“Ember!” Kayla shouted, wrapping herself in the thousand-thread-count sheets I’d bought Riley last summer.
The shock waned, replaced by boiling hot anger that welled beneath my eyes, flushing my skin with rage and betrayal. “Oh, you do remember me?” I stayed as calm as I could manage as they furiously threw on clothes. “Good to know, because as of this moment, I forget both of you.”
I shut the door and backed into the hallway, taking a deep breath. I closed my eyes and counted. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
Over.
I opened my eyes and nodded my head. This was done. I would not cry, or break down, not where they could see me. I wouldn’t be that girl.
“Can I get you out of here?” Josh asked. “Before I destroy that asshole?”
I turned around and smiled. “Yes, please, if you wouldn’t mind.”
His eyes narrowed as he examined my face, as if he was waiting for a crack to shatter my facade. It wasn’t going to happen. He took my hand and led me down the hall, people moving out of our way this time.
Greg stepped in front of him. “Hey, Ember, I’m sorry—”
Josh pushed him into the wall with his right hand in one smooth motion, not even pausing in our exit. I kept my chin up and focused on the lines of Josh’s shirt, left untucked but rolled at the sleeves. Greg didn’t bother to say anything else.
My focus drifted over to the balcony, where a crowd of Riley’s frat brothers overlooked the great room. Pity wafted from them in waves. Did they all know? Was I the stupid one? Music filled the house from the system downstairs, and “#41” came on. My heart broke to the soundtrack of my favorite Dave Matthews song.
But Dave was right as always. I will go in this way, and find my own way out.
Charlotte rushed toward me once we hit the bottom of the stairs. “Oh my God, Ember.” Her pity only served to fuel the rage burning deep in my chest.
“How long?” I demanded. She dared to stare back at me with this dumbfounded expression that made me want to throttle her. “How long have they been sleeping together?” My voice raised to an embarrassing level before I could stop it.
She blinked repeatedly, her eyes growing larger and larger. “I don’t know. I guess a little over a year? That Thanksgiving when you went away with your parents.”
“And you all knew?”
She shook her head quickly. “No, only a few of us. They tried to keep it quiet.”
Tried to keep it quiet in a giant house party? Yeah.
Josh’s hand tightened around mine, and he turned in unspoken question. “Right,” I responded, feeling a chill come over me. “We’re done here.”
Josh slid through the crowd, which parted easily for him. It didn’t hurt that the guy was majorly built. I followed in his wake until the frigid night air hit my flaming cheeks. The snowflakes should have sizzled as they hit me. He marched through the partiers who had gathered to smoke outside, gently pulling me behind him. Once we reached the boulder, he turned to me with upraised eyebrows. “May I?”
Gone was the physical playfulness he’d shown when we’d arrived. Now his manners were courteous and careful, restrained. “Please get me out of here,” I whispered, nearly broken. There wasn’t too much of my composure left, but I’d be damned if I let any of those onlookers see me cry, let alone break down into hysterical sobs like I wanted.
Josh swung me up into his arms, and I buried my face in his neck, breathing in his subtle cologne that smelled like sandalwood and safety. He leaned in the open door, placing me on the seat. The fabric was still warm from the drive in. My life had fallen apart in less time than it took the windshield to freeze over.
Riley flew out of the house in jeans and the sweater I bought him last Christmas, jumping over the railing to bypass the crowd. I hoped his feet were bare so they’d freeze to the pavement. “Ember!” he shouted, running down the sidewalk.
Josh cursed under his breath. He balanced on my doorframe, bending over me to turn on the car. “Wouldn’t want you to be cold.” He stroked the side of my face, buckled my seat belt, and shut the door. I unrolled the window, knowing Riley would want a word.
Josh didn’t come around the car, didn’t hop in and drive us away. Instead, he casually leaned against the Jeep, his arms folded across his chest, the only sign of the temperature being the visible breath he expelled.
Riley stopped a few feet in front of him, his chest heaving from exertion. Well, yeah, pausing mid-thrust to speed-dress and chase your now ex-girlfriend out of your house probably took a little energy. “Josh, man, let me talk to Ember.”