LOGIN~~Indigo~~It had been several minutes of me just standing in front of the mirror, thinking about what I was going to say to Slade this evening.“Slade, look, I just—” I muttered under my breath, then groaned. No. That sounded pathetic.I stared at my reflection. “Look, Slade. I need to tell you something very important.”God, I sounded like I was about to confess to murder.The night that passed had been torture. Emily had stayed over, curled up beside me on my bed, doing her best to make me feel less like the emotional trainwreck I was. But none of it worked. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. About Slade.Was he asleep? Was he home? Was he thinking about me the way I was thinking about him—restless and pacing, replaying every damn word from the night before?I was going to tell him what I’d done today. He’d be proud. Hell, I was proud. I had made a decision—a real one. I had moved on from Braxton.Now, I looked down at the dress that hung off my body. Something simple, but it felt
~~Slade~~ The whiskey burned down my throat as I just toyed with the glass, swallowing heavily. The TV in the background hummed with a movie that I wasn't paying any attention to and my house felt like it was closing in on meㅡ like the whole universe was against me. It wasn't a pretty feeling. I hated it. “Congrats man,” I muttered under my breath, a bitter chuckle escaping my lips as I chugged down another gulp of my drink. “You drove away the one girl you liked. You're ruining your career. Your life is a mess and you managed to get drunk before dinner. Wow.” I chuckled againㅡ the sound devoid of any warmth or mirth. It was hard. Staring out the window at her house that I had walked away from a few hours ago. A part of me hoped that she would come over. Cross the lawn and knock. Maybe she would tell me that it was a lie and she was just bluffing. She never did. Her door opened only twice todayㅡ I knew even Emily came. I saw her get out of the cab, holding a large box of what
~~Indigo~~My heart was thudding heavily in my chest. I waited with bated breath for whatever he wanted to say.“What? Whatever it is, just say it,” I bit out.He took a deep breath, then blurted it out.“I’m moving.”That made me freeze — like the air had been knocked right out of my lungs.For a second, I just sat there, waiting for him to say something that would make sense. The phone remained silent though — pressed against my ear like a loaded gun aimed straight at me.Moving?“Excuse me?” I whispered, my voice small, shaky.“Just for a while,” he rushed to say, as if that would somehow soften the blow.It didn’t. It made it worse. My heart hollowed out in my chest. “I just… I need time to sort things out with Bianca. I can’t just leave her and go with you — that’d look suspicious. People would talk.”People would talk?That’s what he was worried about?My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles ached. “So you’re saying you’re not leaving her — you were just pretending to?”
~~Indigo~~Morning came way too early. The harsh lights bled through the blinds, reflecting through my closed lids.I groaned slightly, rolling in bed before my eyes fluttered open and I turned to the side, my heart catching in my throat.Slade lay there, his eyes shut close and the blanket rolled down to his hips, revealing a bit of his V-line.My gaze travelled around the spread of ink over his body and I resisted the urge to trace my fingers around his body.Guilt and shame washed over meㅡ I had made a promise to Braxton and in just a night, I had used my own hands to break it.Why did I have sex with Slade? Why did I do that?“Keep staring, Princess… I might start charging you for it.” His words floated into the air, the sound teasing and low.I froze, my eyes widening as I stared at him. He hadn't opened his eyes yet. But his lips were curled into a smirk. Like he knew that I was looking at him.My cheeks heated up and I flushed red, looking away as I swung my legs off the bed. “
~~Braxton~~“Bianca, waitㅡ” I called out after her, my hand reaching out to grab her arm, hallway across the parking lot.I yanked her back softly, my arms wrapping around her body that kept wracking with sobs. “Bianca, wait…just listen.”She suddenly pushed me away, her touch feeling like a brand into my skinㅡ burning into my chest. “Don't fucking touch me!” She yelled, a stray of spit flying into the air, her finger jabbing at my chest.My lips parted and I raised my hands in surrender, feeling cold breeze brush past my face, scattering goosebumps across my skin. “What did I do?”She took a step back, heels scraping against the pavement. “You embarrassed me!” She hissed at me.Jesus fucking Christ.I rubbed a hand down my face, feeling irritation bubble up within me. “You embarrassed yourself, Bianca. You didn't have to say all that at dinner but you did. You were the one who embarrassed us both!”Her eyes flashed with anger and before I could blink, her eyes filled with tears. “So
~~Indigo~~The room went deathly still after Bianca's outburst.I hadn't seen her lose her cool like that in a long time. Braxton looked pale and his fingers gripped the sheets of the dining table so tightly that I thought he was trying to become one with it.No one moved. No one said anything. No one even dared to breathe.Guilt flooded my chest in a rush. Why did I feel guilty for the hurt in her voice? I hadn't done anythingㅡ Wrong. I had done everything.And that was what haunted me right now.Bianca looked around the table, her face drawn into one of hurt before she huffed, muttering a curse under her breath and walked out, the chair scraping against the marble floor on her hasty departure. Braxton stood up, giving a shaky smile to the rest of us who were watching the scene unfold with a dumbfounded look in our eyes.“Excuse me,” He apologized before dashing out after Bianca.The rest of us just stared long at the door after they were already gone.Teresa's sister laughed awkward







