Glancing back at the apartment that was once my home, tears well within my eyes. I should’ve made more effort to try and talk to Lazaro about what I felt was wrong. My stomach twists into knots as the feeling of regret deepens. I should never have kissed Sebastian; I started the chain of events. Lazaro didn’t deserve to be treated like that.
I unlock my car and start packing the boxes in the best I can. I don’t know what I’m going to do or where I’m going to go. The tears begin again as the thought of my life being in shambles hits me like a tidal wave. I hear a car pull in on the other side of my car and I glance up to see Gloria, a woman that Lazaro works with.
“Hey. What are you doing here?” I ask, quickly wiping the tears away.
Before she can answer, I hear Lazaro’s voice. “Hey babe.”
I spin around to face him, thinking he’s had a change of heart when I see he isn’t looking at me. He’s looking at her. I watch as he walks towards her and pulls her into him as he kisses her. “What the fuck?”
Lazaro laughs. “I told you earlier you made things easier for me. I do feel bad for breaking your heart, but it is what it is. So, run back to Sebastian if you think he’s so great.”
Suddenly everything makes sense. The distance between us. Why he was always working late. Was he doing her the whole time?
“All those nights you were working late…”
“Not in the beginning, but eventually, yes.” He admits. “So, thank you, for kissing another man and making my life easier.”
Bile rises in my throat and I feel sick.
I watch as Gloria grabs a duffle bag from the backseat of her car and walks hand in hand with Lazaro as they make their way up to what used to be our apartment. I finish packing my boxes into the car and climb into the driver's seat, unsure where I’m going to go. I don’t want to burden my brothers with my problem, not to mention they’ll want to kill Lazaro if they find out what happened. Remembering Arianna’s text from earlier, I decide to message her.
Me: Hey Ari. I’m sorry to message you so late, but Laz and I just broke up and I rather not burden Jax and Evan with my problems. Do you happen to have a spare room where I could stay for the night until I figure something out?
Arianna: There’s an apartment building on the corner of Fifth and Main called The Towers. Go there to apartment 306. That’s Landon’s old apartment that we rent out. It’s empty right now but it's furnished. You can stay there as long as you need to. The key is in the lockbox on the door and the code to open it is our wedding date.
Me: Okay. Thank you so much!
Arianna: No problem. See you tomorrow.
I’ve never been more thankful for a job and a boss than I am for Arianna and Angels for Heroes. Backing out of the assigned parking spot to the apartment and my life with Lazaro, I pull away and head towards Fifth and Main to my temporary new life. I pull into the parking garage as everything hits me all at once.
My undeniable attraction to Sebastian. Finding out Lazaro has been cheating on me for god knows how long and then him kicking me out of the apartment we’ve shared for the last five years. My chest heaves and tears spring from my eyes as the wave of emotions comes over me. I lay my head back against the headrest, allowing my tears to flow freely. My life was nearly perfect and now everything has gone to shit.
I do my best to pull myself together and grab some necessities out of my car before locking it up and heading upstairs to Landon’s old apartment. I type their wedding date into the keypad on the lockbox and it pops open, revealing the key. Unlocking the door, I explore the apartment until I find the bedroom, tossing my bag on the dresser. I stare at myself in the mirror on the back of the dresser. My hair is a mess, my cheeks stained by tears. Bringing my hand up, I touch my swollen lips and the feeling of Sebastian's lips on mine fills my mind. I curse myself at the thought. That’s what got me into this fucking mess.
A knock at the door causes me to jump. Who could that be? No one knows I’m here except Arianna.
I walk to the door, looking through the peephole. Both Arianna and Ashlan stand on the other side of the door, wiggling a bottle of wine with grins on their faces. I roll my eyes and unlock the door, letting them in.
“What are you two doing here?”
“We came to cheer you up, duh,” Ashlan says as she wraps her arms around me, giving me a tight squeeze before releasing me.
Following Ashlan into the living room while Arianna grabs glasses for the three of us, I plop down onto the couch. Arianna pours wine into each glass, handing one to both Ashlan and me.
We sit there quietly staring at each other for a moment.
“So, what happened?” Arianna asks, as I take a sip of my wine.
I inhale. “Well, so I’ve had doubts about things between myself and Laz for a while. Then there’s Sebastian, the guy who called me sugar tits.” I throw Arianna a grin. “Anyway, he and I keep bumping into each other. So, when he showed me around the building we kissed, and it was the best kiss of my life. I haven’t felt that connection with Laz in I don’t know how long.” Pausing I take another gulp of wine. “Anyway, fast forward, I told Sebastian I needed distance from him as I wanted to work things out with Laz, my car breaks down and then Laz fixed it then went back to work. So, I went to Beck’s, then who’s there, but Sebastian. And we kissed again. Laz saw it and when I got home, he kicked me out before inviting his side piece into what was our home.”
They both gasp. “How long has Laz been cheating?” Ashlan asks.
I sip my wine. “I don’t know, and I don’t care to know.”
“You know you’re better off without him, right?” Ashlan says.
“Yea but…” Arianna quickly cuts me off.
“No, none of that business. After that shit Laz pulled tonight, he’s lucky I don’t send this crazy bitch over there to handle him,” Arianna says, nodding towards Ashlan and we all laugh.
“It can be arranged,” Ashlan says with a shrug. “Just say the word and I’ll be on his ass like flies on shit.”
I down the last of my wine, and Arianna immediately picks up the bottle to pour me another glass while I contemplate releasing the wrath of Ashlan on Lazaro.
“No.” I sigh. “Like you two said, I’m better off. He isn’t worth any more energy or time I’ve already wasted on him.”
They both shake their heads in agreement. I smile at them, thankful to have them both in my corner. I’ve never been so thankful to have decided to apply to be Arianna’s assistant after two years in college. The salary she was offering was more than generous for a girl that was struggling to put herself through school. Who knew not only would I end up with a job I absolutely love and a boss that I adore, but I also ended up with some incredible friends and a little family that I chose to be a part of.
“Well, I think our job is done here. We’re going to go so you can get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning?” Arianna phrases the last part more of a question than a statement.
“Yea, I’ll be there. Thank you both for coming to cheer me up.”
They both give me a tight hug before leaving me to the deafening silence of an empty apartment.
Chapter Thirteen