Page 70 of Drive Me Wild
She briefly pauses her massage. “Christina Avery?”
“Yep.”
“Oh.” She presses her lips against my shoulder. “You can tell me what happened, you know. I’m aware that you’ve slept with most of the female population, so it’s not that big of a deal. Ican handle it. And I’ve already stalked Christina on social media, so I know what she looks like. I won’t be jealous or anything. Not that she’s not gorgeous, because she is. Her hair is Pantene-commercial worthy, so I’m jealous of that. I just meant I’m not, like, worried you’ll rekindle anything and run off with her or whatever. I trust you.”
“Good, because what I have with you, I don’t want with anyone else. You’re it for me, baby.” I pause as the full impact of her words hit me. “Wait, how did you stalk her? Do you follow one another?”
Christina’s profile is private. Trust me, I’ve checked.
“Oh, uh, no. She has a public TikTok account, and I watched some videos,” Josie admits, her cheeks flushing. “Are you upset with me? I didn’t mean to overstep or?—”
Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, I reassure her I’m not. I don’t blame Josie for being curious; I’ve visited Andrew’s profile quite a few times since they broke up just to keep tabs. Josie’s way out of his league: looks, personality, humor, all of it. He’s a decent-looking guy, but my girlfriend’s a knockout. She said herself that’s she’s the full kit and caboodle.
“We started seeing each other during my last season with Ithaca,” I reveal with a resigned sigh. “We were both in Milan, and a mutual friend in the party circuit introduced us. She knew I wasn’t looking for anything serious when we got together.”
Josie flicks up a brow. “And she was okay with that?”
They always said they’re okay with it, but they never really were.
“Or so she said, but after a month or two, it was clear she wasn’t. Things started getting intense. She’d show up at Ithaca’s headquarters to bring me lunch. She texted me all the time and would freak out if I didn’t answer, despite knowing how busy I am. Every time she noticed I liked something, she took it to another level. She saw I used citrus-scented shampoo andconditioner, so she changed her perfume to a similar fragrance. I showed off my AC/DC album collection and the next time we hung out, she was wearing one of their concert shirts. If I made an off-handed remark about craving a cookie, the next day there’d be an entire basket full of every type of cookie at my front door—chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodle, sugar cookie. It was a lot.
“I should’ve ended it before I did, but I was traveling all the time and ignored how invested she was in me. I thought it was a girlish crush she’d get over, but then she told me she would move to London to be closer to me when I moved there for McAllister. I knew I had to end it then, but when I did, she told me she was pregnant. Five weeks.”
Josie’s face blanches and her eyebrows pinch together, slowly shaking her head as she processes my words. I can tell she’s too shocked to say anything, so I keep going. I want to tell her the full story. Ineedto tell her everything.
“When James found out I got his daughter pregnant,” I point to my scar, “shit got ugly. I told her I’d support whatever she wanted to do, but a baby wouldn’t change my feelings about being in a relationship with her. It wouldn’t fix anything because nothing was broken; we just weren’t compatible. I didn’t even know who she was because she was too busy trying to be who she thought I wanted.”
I draw in a shaky breath, surprised by how emotional I’m getting. Josie sits up and brushes her lips against mine, momentarily calming my nerves. She’s like an inhalation of oxygen, warming the icy memories of what happened in Milan.
“Turns out she wasn’t pregnant,” I say wryly. “I went to an appointment with her. No signs or traces of a pregnancy. She made the whole thing up. I honestly have no idea what her plan was or how she thought things would play out because you can’t come back from something like that.”
I feel Josie’s eyes on me, searching my face for answers I don’t have. Maybe Christina was hoping a baby could convince me we were meant to be? That I wouldn’t care that she manipulated me? I don’t know. Lying is one of the few things I don’t tolerate, ever. It’s a breach of trust in the highest regard.
“I cut off all communication, and I thought that’d be the end of it. When she wouldn’t stop calling and texting and showing up wherever I was, I filed a restraining order. Didn’t know what else to do, you know? From what I heard, she took some time off from school and checked into a Swiss wellness center afterward.”
“Bloody hell,” Josie murmurs pensively, almost to herself.
“Mm-hmm.”
I focus on her dresser, which is filled with perfume bottles and a few framed photos: her and Ella in Barcelona, a McAllister team photo from the Austrian Grand Prix, her parents grinning next to her at university graduation. I make a mental note to frame a photo of us to add to the collection.
Josie rests her palm against my chest. “You should talk to her. Say hi.”
Shock bolts down my spine. “What—and I mean this in the nicest way—in the actual fuck?”
She bites her lip in a valiant attempt to not laugh at my flustered response. “I’m not saying take her out to drinks and have a heart-to-heart, but if you see her, I think it’d be good for you to clear the air. Get some closure.”
I stare blankly. “Did you not hear me the first time when I saidwhat in the actual fuck?”
She places a chaste kiss on my lips to settle me. “It’s just… God, this is so embarrassing to say, but I’ve been the girl in a relationship who’s insecure and loses who she is for a guy, okay? The girl who changes who she is without realizing how damaging it is.”
I stay quiet, wanting to know where she’s taking this. Besides Andrew, I don’t know much about Josie’s other exes. I can’t even think of their real names because I mostly refer to them asOfficer Fuck FaceandDeputy Dick Headin my thoughts.
Josie sits up and crosses her legs, her knees grazing against my side. “In Year 10, I auditioned for the school play. Keep in mind, I have no theatrical talent or background. The only reason I auditioned was because this Year 12 named Gregory was the student director, and he wassocute. My friends and I all had the biggest crush on him.”
“Ah,Sergeant Simpleton,” I mutter to myself. Forgot about him.
“Hmm?”
