As it turns out, the man Andy fell in love with is more of a mystery than she first thought. When they give their relationship another chance, it's not long before Lex's secrets begin to unravel, threatening their happily ever after.
• - • - • - •...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When I returned to the dining room, I found everyone seated in their chairs. My parents and grandma gave me a suspiciously anxious side look, and I gritted my teeth.
"So I take it everyone knew but me?" I asked.
They all nodded while Lex frowned, confused by what was happening. "And you're all okay with it?" They nodded again.
"What's going on?" Lex wondered.
"Tyler and Kate are screwing each other."
"Andrea, watch your language," my mom warned.
"Sorry. Tyler and Kate are fucking each other."
"Andrea!"
"How are you guys so okay with this?!" I exploded.
"They are grown adults who can do whatever they want."
"But they can't! Tyler promised me he'd stay away from her."
"You more than anyone should know it doesn't work like this." I didn't respond to this, already knowing where my mom was going with it. "If we're okay with you dating your boss, you sure as hell can be okay with this. No offense, Alexander."
I had yet to answer when Ty and Kate arrived into the room. The sad, apologetic puppy eyes she gave me weren't enough to make any of this okay.
"I need to get some air," I let out, eager to get out of the room. Kate tried to get me to stay, but I ignored her, going toward the back door.
The cold air of the night felt good on my heated skin, and I walked to the few steps that led to the garden. Sitting on them, I crossed my arms in front of me, staring at the darkness. The fairy lights my dad had arranged on a few trees weren't enough to lighten up the rest of the backyard.
The door opened and closed behind me, and I held back a groan. I didn't want to see anyone right now. Heavy footsteps came closer to me, and without a word, a jacket was dropped on my shoulders. Lex sat next to me, and we both stared into the night for a moment, not saying anything.
"Why are you so opposed to this?" he eventually asked.
I didn't answer, because I wasn't even sure myself. It felt like a betrayal, like they'd stabbed me in the back. I wanted to be happy for Kate and my brother, but I knew them too much for that. Kate needed to ward off assholes, and as much as I loved Tyler, he was an asshole to women. Not in an abusive way, but in a refusing-to-commit way.
"You know I'm on your side, right? I'm just trying to understand what's going on. You can talk to me, Andrea."
I hesitated, not even sure how I could justify these feelings I was having. Maybe talking about it would help me get where this was all coming from.
"I've known Kate since I was eight. We've been friends ever since. As we grew up, it was clear that I was kind of an outcast while she was popular with everyone. She stayed my friend no matter what, though. When I started high school, I was officially a weird kid, but she never pushed me aside. Tyler was famous in our school because of basketball, but since she'd known him for a while, Kate was immune to his bullshit.
