Vi Keeland - Worth the Chance

Half an hour later, a knock at the door wakes me back out of my semiconscious state. Grabbing Vinny’s shirt from the night before and wrapping the sheet around me, I pad to the door, the floor cold beneath my bare feet.

Opening the door, I expect to find Vinny, instead a vaguely familiar face greets me on the other side of the doorway. One that’s wearing a short skirt and has more cleavage popping out of her scant top than breast underneath.

“Can I help you?” Please tell me you’re at the wrong apartment. I try to remain hopeful, but deep down I know she’s looking for Vinny.

The bottle blonde sizes me up and down, a look of annoyance on her face as she responds, “Is Vince here?”

“No.”

“Who are you?” Attitude and all.

“Considering I’m the person wearing his shirt from last night, I think I should be asking you that question,” I give it back as good as she gives.

“I’m Krissy. Tell Vince I have what he needs and to call me.”

“I don’t think you have anything he needs anymore.” I respond curtly, barely holding my temper.

With an irritating smile that I know is about to deliver news I won’t like, she says, “That’s not what he said the other night.”

I deliberate staying and calmly asking for an explanation when he gets back from his run, but then my mind starts to question things. Maybe we’ve never defined our relationship, but holding himself out as my boyfriend and telling me he wants us to make love sure sounds like exclusivity to me. I go from talking myself into there being a valid explanation to thinking I’m a naïve idiot all within the span of ten minutes.

The need to clear my head wins out and I decide to get dressed and talk to Vinny later. Only I’m not quick enough. Sitting on the bed, I’m in the middle of putting on my shoes when Vinny strides into the bedroom.

“You’re supposed to be naked in bed.” He flirts as he takes off his sweaty t-shirt. His shorts hang low on his hips, the sight of his defined abs a distraction I don’t need.

“I was. Until you had a visitor.” Standing, I look around for my bag, I must have left it in the kitchen last night when we came in.

Catching on that something is awry from my icy tone, Vinny stops, arching one eyebrow and has the nerve to look like he has no idea what I’m talking about.

“What visitor?”

“Krissy. She said she has what you wanted the other night.” I push past him as he stands in the doorway.

He follows. “It’s not what you think, Liv.”

“Really?” I turn to finally face him. Not even the sight of his ridiculously sexy sweaty body can cool my anger. “Were you with her the other night?”

His jaw clenches. “Yes, but…”

“Get out of my way, Vinny.” He blocks the front door so that I can’t leave.

“No.” Seemingly calm, he folds his hands over his chest and settles in.

“No?” My voice rises higher.

“Give me a break, Liv. I didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t you trust me at all?” Really? He’s annoyed with me? What’s that old saying…fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…

“How would you feel if it were you opening the door to a man who said he was with me the other night?”

He flinches. His jaw tenses and the answer to my question is clear without words.

“Fine. But hear me out. Nothing happened. I was looking for someone and ran into her and her friend. I asked her to get in touch with me if she saw the guy. I didn’t think she would come here.”

I try, I really try, to accept what he’s telling me, his voice even sounds so sincere. But history and my own self-doubt overshadow his words. Then I suddenly realize why she looked so familiar. She was the girl from the gym. The one that Vinny had waiting in the car for him the day we reconnected. It makes me feel nauseous to even think about.

“Did you sleep with her?”

Remorse on his face, words not necessary. “It was before I met you.”

“Let me go, Vinny.”

Taking two steps from the door toward me, he stands before me. “I haven’t been with anyone since the day I saw you in the gym, Liv. I’m a lot of shitty things, but a liar isn’t one of them.”

It takes all my willpower to step around him and walk out the door.

Vince

I don’t even have a number for Krissy. Guess I should have thought things through before asking her to get in touch with me if she hears from Jason. I’m pissed that she came by my place, but even more pissed that Liv doesn’t seem to believe me when I tell her nothing happened.

Two minutes after I walk into the bar, Krissy walks in with her head giving friend. “Hey Vince,” she coos in her nasally voice.

“Krissy,” I nod my head. She really didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not her fault that I have no interest. For the first time, I feel badly for the way I’ve treated her…and maybe a fuck of a lot of other women too.

“Guess you got my message.” She grins. Any remorse I felt wanes as I realize she enjoyed upsetting Liv.

“Don’t fuck with Liv, Krissy.”

“I didn’t fuck with her. But you’re gonna have trouble with that one, she thinks she owns you.”

Like running straight into a Mack truck, I realize for the first time, she fucking does.

Fifteen minutes later, I have an address for Jason. Asshole ran clear across the state, rather than man up for the shit he’s got himself into. Tomorrow I’m gonna have to take a whole day from training, a long road trip to find the fucker. Pisses me off, but tonight, I’ve got more important shit to deal with anyway.

Ally answers the door and is surprised to see me. Guess I’m surprised I’m here too. It’s almost eleven o’clock and I didn’t bother to call first. What’s the point, if she tried to blow me off, I was coming anyway.

“Ummm…” She opens the door, but doesn’t invite me in.

“I need to talk to her, Ally.”

Hesitantly, she steps to the side, allowing me to pass. I look around, finding the apartment quiet.

“She’s in the shower.”

I nod.

“And she’s pretty drunk.”

“Drunk?”

“Yeah.” She motions to the empty wine bottle on the counter. “I came home, she was slurring her words and rambling on about you and Missy.”

“Krissy,” I correct her, not that it matters.

“Nope, it was Missy. Trust me. I spent two years listening to her go on about Missy. That’s who she was talking about.”

I nod as if it all makes sense to me, but I’m actually pretty lost. What the hell does Missy have to do with any of this?

“I’m going to go over to Andrea’s. She lives two buildings over. We’re going to drink mojitos, watch a movie with a lot of naked men, curse like sailors, and wind up stalking the internet. I’ll be gone at least a few hours, so you’ll have privacy.” She smiles on her way to the door, but then stops and turns to me, a serious face replacing her smile, “Please, don’t hurt her again, Vince.”

The gnawing unsettled feeling I’ve had in my gut all day today getting the best of me, I don’t wait till she’s done. Opening the bathroom door, my voice intentionally low to not scare her, I speak quietly, “Liv?”

“Vinny?” She pulls back the shower curtain.

“Yeah, Babe.”

“Why did you pick Missy over me?” With no curtain to deflect the water, a hard stream of water hits her body and splashes onto the bathroom floor.

“I don’t understand?”

“Neither do I. I…I…I loved you.” Her words are a bit slurred, but she’s very much in control of her mind. “And you picked Missy over me.” Tears stream down her face, every inch of her body soaked with water dripping everywhere.

Reaching in, I turn off the spray of water, drenching myself in the process. Wrapping a towel around her body, I hastily dry her off before lifting her and cradling her in my arms. Carrying her to the bed, I gently lay her down and crawl into bed next to her.

Brushing her wet hair from her face, I lift her chin and force her eyes to meet mine. “I didn’t choose Missy over you. You were so young and sweet and innocent.” I pause, thinking of the right words. Although I’m not sure any words are right, since I don’t truly understand my own actions still to this day. “And I was a fucked up loser who’d just got expelled. I didn’t want to hurt you, Liv. You trusted me, and all I’d ever done is ruin things. I didn’t want to ruin you.”

Sadness etched on her face, it breaks my heart to know how badly I must have hurt her. “I didn’t touch Krissy either.”

“I know.” A lone tear slips from her face.

I hold her tight until I eventually hear her breathing slow and I know she’s asleep. And then, I just keep holding on.

Liv

I wake to a throb in my head that reminds me of how much I drank the night before. I’m content, a warm body holding me tight, but then I remember the night before. Drunk. Shower. A whole conversation about Missy. And Krissy. Ughh…the thought makes my head pound louder.

A full bottle of wine presses on my bladder and I slip from the bed, still wrapped in the damp towel from the night before. Looking in the mirror, I scare myself, wet bed head and streaks of makeup dried down my face. It’s not fixable without a shower.

I wash the makeup off my face and I’m just about to put the conditioner in my hair, when the shower curtain opens, revealing a naked, and very erect, Vinny.

He grins and steps in behind me. “Morning.” He kisses my wet shoulder.