“Skylar.”
Of course, it was Robert fucking Jenkins. Just my luck when I was trying to forget him, he appeared.
The way he said my name made me want to scream. And cry. And push him into the bathroom and screw his brains out.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded as if he were doing something wrong.
Robert pushed his glasses up his nose. Ugh, why did he have to be so adorable?
“I was working late and decided to stop in to get a drink. I didn’t know you were here.”
“Oh, you were ‘working late’ huh?” I drunkenly made quote marks with my fingers. I sounded sloppy. I’d be embarrassed when I remembered this in the morning.
Robert’s brows drew together. “Yes, I was working late. No air quotes required.”
“Sorry, didn’t know if that was a euphemism for something.” I rolled my eyes when really I just wanted to cry.
“You’re wasted,” he observed shortly.
I attempted to put my hand on my hip and missed, so I crossed my arms over my chest instead. “What of it? You got something to say about it?” I was being belligerent and nasty. I wanted to shut up, but I couldn’t. I was hurting. And the source of all that pain was standing less than two feet in front of me looking gorgeous and I wanted to lick his face.
He sighed. “I don’t want to fight with you. Especially when you’re like this. Can I walk you back to your table?”
“I can make it back just fine. I don’t need some big, fat liar to help me with anything.”
Stop it, Skylar!
Robert looked as if I had slapped him. “I’m sorry, I’ll get out of your way.”
“You do that really well, don’t you?” I shouted at his retreating back.
He paused and turned back around. “What the hell does that mean?”
“You’ve been awfully quiet this past week,” I huffed. “Seems you couldn’t wait to get away from me.” I was being ridiculous. I knew I was being ridiculous. Why couldn’t I stop?
“Skylar, I’ve been trying to give you space. My god, you have no idea how many times I’ve picked up the phone to call you. To text you. I’ve had to stop myself from driving out to your house a dozen times a day.” He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “I’m a fucking mess. Can’t you see that?”
My throat was so tight I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to run to him, tell him I was being a prideful moron. That I needed him so badly I could hardly stand it.
But I didn’t.
“I’m doing what I thought you wanted me to do. But if I was wrong, please tell me.” His eyes met mine. “Please, Sky. Tell me I’m wrong.” He was pleading with me. Begging me to let him back in.
But my mouth wouldn’t move. And when I didn’t say anything, something in his face crumpled. He dropped his head. “I understand.” Then he turned and walked straight for the door, not stopping to say anything to our mutual friends still drinking nearby.
I was done. All of my drunken bravadoes dissipated like a popped soap bubble. I stumbled back out to the bar and grabbed Meg’s arm. She looked up at me in alarm when she saw my face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, getting to her feet.
“I just saw him.” I was having a hard time keeping it together. I didn’t have to explain who he was.
“Oh no. Where is he?” Meg looked around the bar.
“He left. Meg, it was awful,” I cried, covering my face with my hands. “I need to get out of here. I can’t be here anymore.”
Web and Whitney, realizing I was upset, immediately gathered around me.
“What’s wrong, Murphy? Tell me,” Web demanded.
Meg wrapped an arm around me. “I’m going to get her out of her. Tell Lena and the girls Sky isn’t feeling well.”
Whitney’s face was pinched with concern. “I can drive you guys. I haven’t been drinking.”
Meg shook her head. “That’s okay. It’s not far and I think Skylar could use the fresh air.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. It was all I could get out.
“Let’s go back to my place. Tyler will be in bed. We can eat brownies and watch a bunch of episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. How does that sound?” Meg was trying so hard. I didn’t want to tell her that all I wanted to do was to crawl into bed and sleep the next few months away. I wanted to wake up when I didn’t hurt so much.
Instead, I nodded. “Sounds good.”
So, I let my best friend take care of me while my heart shattered to pieces.
Chapter Sixteen
Robert
Life sucked.
I was miserable.
I wanted to hit something really badly and I wasn’t a violent kind of guy. But that was before Skylar Murphy had blown my whole world apart.
And I only had myself to blame for how things turned out.
I berated myself constantly for keeping such a huge thing from her. How in the end I let Tiffany win. But I couldn’t blame this on her. This was all on me.
It had been two weeks since Skylar had kicked me out of her house. Two, long, hellish weeks. I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t get my head around work. All I wanted to do was see Skylar. Be with Skylar. Losing her had ruined me.
I knew Adam and Jeremy were worried about me. They talked in hushed whispers that quickly stopped once I entered a room. I knew when I was the source of conversation. But I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything except how much pain I was feeling.
But after I had been given a warning by Judge Rinder for questioning his ruling in a deposition, they must have decided to intercede.
“Grab your coat, we’re getting out of here,” Adam announced, coming into my office. I hadn’t really been doing anything but staring at my laptop screen for the past hour. My phone had
