"I'm the one who told him he had feelings for you. He always denied it but I knew. And I fucked up and caught feelings for him anyway." Sammy sniffed.
It was the first thing she said to me. I held her as she cried; I'd never seen her cry like this. I've seen tears of frustration, anger, and beer tears, but never tears of a broken heart. It made me cry with her. She explained the sordid tale to me. Back when we were working at Dave and Buster's together, Sammy teased Trevor saying that the reason none of his relationships lasted was that the girls he dated weren't me. Trevor not only denied it but said he could prove he didn't like me like that by sleeping with her. He said I was too loyal to ever want anything to do with him if he and Sammy slept together. What better way for him to prove he had no feelings for me than to kill his chances by sleeping with one of my close friends?
They slept together and Sammy developed feelings for him around the same time I started sleeping with Ethan. When Sammy saw how bothered Trevor was that I wasn't hanging out with them as often, she purposely let it slip to Trevor that I was sleeping with Ethan. He refused to believe it at first until Sammy went into details about Ethan's and my secret "fuck buddy" arrangement. Trevor flipped out, called her a slut, and kicked her out of his apartment. I was blissfully unaware of everything that transpired between them when they broke up. I couldn't believe she told Trevor about Ethan. I always thought it was bad fucking luck that Trevor showed up at my house that day. A part of me was upset, but I let it go. Especially after knowing the depth of feelings she had for Trevor and how he treated her.
"After I told him I had feelings for him, he told me he loved you. That you were it for him." Sammy finished, sniffling.
Fuck. My head hurt. This was more fucking complicated than I thought. Part of me wished it was about Jake- I didn't know how to fix this.
"Do you have feelings for Trevor?" She asked, softly.
"I used to. I felt the same way. That we were meant to be together." I started. She shrank into herself. "But since I met Jake, I know it was just a crush. Trevor makes me feel comfortable, but Jake makes me feel... everything. Jake knows me better than anyone now. I only want to be with him." I explained.
"I didn't know it was that serious between you two." Sammy said to the floor.
"Yeah, I mean, I asked him to be my boyfriend. He wants to slow down and date first, but it doesn't change how I feel about him." I confessed. "Maybe I am insecure because he's been with my roommate."
"I'm sorry for the things I said about him. I don't know him, so I can't judge." Sammy finally looked up at me. "Maybe we should make them off limits. Trevor for you. Jake for me."
"Does it count if you've already been with mine?".
"You've never been with Trevor? Not even a kiss?" Sammy looked surprised.
I shook my head. "Never. Nothing. "
Sammy sighed. "Well, effective right now, they're off limits."
"Do we shake on it?" I grinned.
"How bout drink to it?"
"Works for me." I got up and grabbed a couple of beers, tequila, and shot glasses.
I sat cross-legged on the ground across from her and poured us shots.
"So what happened Friday night with y'all?" I asked.
She drank her shot. "A stupid mistake. He came over, he wanted to talk to you. I rubbed it in his face that you were out with Jake. He rubbed it in my face that I couldn't keep a boyfriend. We ended up drinking and fucking, but you walked in on that part. It didn't mean anything." Sammy explained, chasing the shot with her beer.
"You know what I think? Trevor only wanted us when we were a challenge. I crushed on him hard while in college and he never gave me a second glance. As soon as you gave into him, he bailed. That kid has major commitment issues." I finished, sipping my shot.
"He wouldn't with you. He said you're his heart." Sammy replied, emotionlessly.
"We'll never know." I said, standing up. "C'mon. Let's eat."
I set up the table and Sammy joined me.
"You did all this for Jake? Call him. I'll disappear." Sammy offered.
I shook my head. "No. He already ruined it..." I explained to her his attitude and how he got upset with me as I made our plates.
"Lily, he was pissed at Philip and me. Don't take it personal." Sammy said.
"I get that, but this is not the first time he has ordered me around when he's upset. I hate it." I explained, handing her her plate.
"You gotta show him that you're not gonna put up with that shit." Sammy informed me.
"How do I do that?" I asked.
"Friend me on Facebook and I'll show you." Sammy said. I smiled.
I did. She took pictures of the food and drinks. She posted the pictures and captioned it:
To my beautiful, fun loving roommate. So glad we're friends again. #DinnerAndDeepTalks #SurfAndTurf #HoesOverBros4Ever
I shook my head. "Ok?"
"That's phase one. Let him sit on that for a couple of days. Then we'll start phase 2." Sammy smiled.
"We need to start the grieving process for you." I said, leaving the table. I came back with the strawberry cheesecake.
"We already cried. Now let's pig out and talk shit about Trevor." I smiled.
"He has no game at all..." Sammy started. We went back and forth while eating and drinking. We laughed so hard we cried.
I didn't know how I was going to proceed with Trevor, but at least I knew my roommate situation was intact. After a good amount of tequila, Sammy called Philip on speaker phone. Turns out, Sammy took Jackie to get a tattoo redone. Philip thought he was giving the boyfriend discount, only Sammy didn't want him as her boyfriend. He got pissed and wanted the money for the work. Sammy blew him off.
When Philip picked up, Sammy went off on him. She told him if he ever showed his face around here again, she would get her cousins to burn down his shop. I could barely hold in my laughter.
"Whatever bitch. Your roommate's boyfriend already paid me. Watch who you're fucking with next time." He threatened.
"I see who I'm fucking with. A bitch. That's why I didn't want you." She hung up the phone and we laughed out loud.
After cleaning up, I went to bed. I looked at my phone. The urge to call Jake was strong, especially after learning he paid Philip but I didn't. I was too worn out and tipsy for that conversation. I turned over and went to sleep instead.
-------------------------------------
The next day, I spent the evening with Sammy. We got our nails done and went out to dinner. Things were returning back to normal. I asked her if she felt like she and Trevor could be friends again. She answered she didn't know. She asked me the same. I told her I didn't know how we couldn't be friends. He was like family. He was my brother's and Rocky's close friend as well. I didn't know how to move forward, but I knew I was going to have to try. I was disgusted by his actions, but that didn't mean I could write him off. I just didn't know what to do.
My last appointment of the day was canceled on Thursday, so I decided to check out Darren, Forrest's student and my patient, at his second football practice of the day. His team was doing two-a-days; running to build up endurance in the morning and then going through drills in the afternoon. While I sat in the stands, I gave Rocky a call. I told her everything that happened and my conflicting feelings about Trevor.
"Ultimately it's your choice about what you want to do. I feel like if you can forgive Sammy, why not Trevor?" Rocky asked as I explained how I felt.
"Trevor was such a dick." I said, quietly into the phone so no high school kid overheard me.
"I know, but they both played a role. Sammy forced him to confront his feelings and she sold you out to do it. Who knows what would have happened if he discovered it on his own? And I know for a fact he is trying to get over you." Rocky defended Trevor.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask how, but Darren got clipped at the knees while getting tackled. He was slow getting up.
"Oh shit! Rocky, I gotta let you go!" I said, hanging up.
I stood, but Forrest waved me off, jogging on the field to assist him. I watched Darren get up, a little gingerly. Forrest walked him off, but after talking to him and checking out his knee, he let him get back into rotation.
Darren looked great. After practice, I told him so. He grinned and said thanks while his teammates teased him. Boys.
After the practice ended, Forrest asked if I wanted to grab some food before he headed home to Fort Worth.
I did, and since we were close to Carrollton, and I hadn't had anything besides take-out pizza from there, I chose Italian Villa. I headed to the restaurant, freshened up in the bathroom, and was gulping water when Forrest finally showed up from after-practice treatments.
"All those boys have a crush on you now." Forrest said after we decided what we were going to order.
"Teenage boys aren't that particular, but I gotta tell you, I have a crush on Rachel." I admitted.
Forrest laughed. "I think the feeling is mutual. She couldn't stop talking about you."
"Really?" I smiled.
"Really. She said not only did she have a conversation not pertaining to the wedding, but she felt like y'all have been friends forever." Forrest explained.
"I knew I felt something! I was going to go the whole jump in the DMs route, but now that I know she feels the same, I'm gonna go for it!" I smiled.
"Go for what exactly?" Forrest questioned.
"Friends first. Whatever happens after that is fine with me..." I shrugged, playfully.
"And how does Jake feel about that?" Forrest asked after the waiter took our order.
I winced. I had gone the last two days without talking to him. Sammy said we started phase 2 this weekend of going out and making him jealous, but I was over it. I missed him too much already.
"Uh oh. What did you do?" Forrest asked, noticing my face.
"Nothing... it's what he's making me do." I explained the whole Philip drama to him.
"So let me get this straight. He defended you, paid off the dude, and you're mad why?" Forrest asked.
"It's the way he talked to me. Like it was my fault and I got all dressed up for that asshole to see me like that." I explained.
"Ok... Describe what you were wearing again?" Forrest asked.
I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Just go with it. I'm trying to get in his frame of mind." He smiled.
I laughed and pulled up a picture on my phone of something similar to what I was wearing. I slid into the booth next to him.
"Wheeeew." He whistled once he saw the picture. "Ok. That's worse than what I was imagining."
"Why does it matter?" I rolled my eyes.
"He pulls up, early, thinking he's taking his girl on a date. He sees his girl, half-naked, talking to a man outside her door..." Forrest laid it out for me.
Ok. That did sound bad...
"His adrenaline is already pumping, then he sees him grab you?" Forrest shook his head. "I don't even know what I would do if it was Rachel. I don't think there would be much talkin' involved."
I grinned. "You would round up the posse?"
"You know it. Cowboy justice requires no talkin'" Forrest nodded.
