Page 46 of Changing Lanes

“Say something. It’s obvious you’re thinking it. Even feeling it. Goddamn it, say something.” I raise my voice with each word.

Her hands ball into fists at her side. “Say what? What the fuck is there to say, Brannon? Yes, you broke me. Fuck. I still love you. No matter what I’ve done or who I’ve fucked. It’s you. I see you, feel you, want you. I hate what you did to us. Who you are, why you’re here. I hate you.” Her face distorts, I barely recognize who she is.

“Good. At least you feel something. I’ve been empty since the day I left. Why the fuck do you think you’re the only one hurt?” I growl.

Her head pops up like she can’t believe my words. “You’re hurt? Did you not get paid? Am I wrong in what I saw? You have no right to be hurt, it was your choice. You didn’t choose me.”

“That’s all you care about, isn’t it? The money. You don’t want the story. You could care less what I’ve been through, it’s about the money. Tell me this, Torrie. Are you running Harrington Holdings?” She glares at me as if she could take my head off. “So, it wasn’t worth it after all, was it?”

I race down her steps, running to my car to get away from her. She knows nothing, she refuses to listen. Driving away from her house, I look in the mirror. She’s standing there in the same place. I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me. For the first time in a long time, I cry as I drive the longest thirty minutes of my life.

Once again, sleep is not my friend. I fight for it all night but all that comes are memories of her. Thinking about what I should have done differently but I didn’t. We can’t go back, and moving forward is proving to be even harder.

I drop by the office the next day to sign a few inspection applications for One. I haul ass around the corner to the door, hoping to get in and out, but there’s no fucking chance of that. I practically run Torrie over walking through the door.

“Shit. I’m sorry,” I apologize quickly. “I didn’t see you standing there.”

She brushes her clothes off like I’m disgusting. As if she wasn’t straddling my cock last night. “Sure, it’s not like people walk in and out of here or anything.” She leers at me.

“I said I was I sorry.” Rolling my eyes at her dramatic acting.

“It’s okay, I shouldn’t be snotty.” Before I can see how she’s doing, Ava walks in the door. Shit.

“Is this her? Torrie, is it?” Ava’s hostility is ridiculous as she stands at the corner of the room.

“Yes, I’m Torrie Harrington.” Torrie squares her shoulders, she’s a different kind of tough than Ava.

“Ava, you need to leave. Now.” Taking her by the arm, I start walking her to her car.

“Wait. Ava? You’re still with Ava? The ex-girlfriend back home, the one you didn’t love,” Torrie spits her words at me.

“You’re damn right he’s still with me. After what you and your father did to him, of course, he’d come back home to me,” Ava yells.

“Hold up. I’m not with Ava. And I’m not with Torrie.” I glare at both of them for the show in the parking lot.

“If you’re not with her, who were you seen kissing last night?” Ava jerks her arm from me.

“I need to be going. Excuse me.” Torrie rushes past us.