Page 131 of Unfiltered
“Oh,” Blythe said. “Well, that makes one of us.”
“What?”
Under different circumstances, the incredulity on Ricki’s face would have made Blythe laugh. But she didn’t laugh. Instead, she said, “You heard me. That makes one of us.”
“You’re not in love with Abby?”
“She’s a great girl, but I don’t fall in love that easy.” Blythe grinned. “But apparently, you do. Geez. Have sex with someone once and you fall in love. Good thing I didn’t let you touch me.”
Ricki stared at her in disbelief.
Blythe laughed. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Lighten up. It was a joke, but I see you’ve lost your sense of humor, too.”
“What is wrong with you? I just told you I’m in love with Abby.”
“I heard you the first time.”
“Don’t you want to punch me? Beat the shit out of me? At least tell me to go fuck myself?”
“Why would I do that?”
Ricki pushed Blythe’s shoulder. “Come on, Blythe. Tell me off. Scream at me. Tell me I’m the worst friend in the entire world. Punch me.”
“Did you sleep with her?” Blythe grinned. “Oh, right, you did, with my blessing.”
“Is this a joke to you?” Ricki’s brow furrowed.
No.It was no joke, but Blythe had no intention of losing Ricki. They’d relied on humor to get through everything, but maybe this situation required more. “No. But I don’t see how you’re an awful friend. Obviously, you’ve been agonizing over this for weeks. Spending the weekend in your office, eating tunaand popcorn. It doesn’t sound like someone trying to steal my woman.”
“But I fucking fell in love with your girlfriend.”
“Jesus. If you say that one more time, I’m gonna film it and blast it all over TikTok.”
“Sorry,” Ricki mumbled.
“You can’t help who you fall in love with.” Blythe put her hand on Ricki’s shoulder. “All you can do is handle it the best way you know how. And you, my friend, have been trying to fall out of love with Abby by any means possible, including throwing yourself into the hands of that demon spawn. For the smart one, you sure are dumb. Did you really think someone like Missy could make you forget a woman like Abby?”
Ricki looked at Blythe with pain-filled eyes. “It was the only thing I could think of to do.”
“Well, you’re an idiot.” Blythe looked into Ricki’s eyes. “I don’t want that for you. She nearly destroyed you last time.”
Ricki’s shoulders relaxed. “But how will you ever trust me again?”
“What? I trust you with my life. Still do. It’s just something we’ll have to work through. Together.”
“That’s it? Just like that. You’re fine with it?”
Blythe grinned. “Not quite. You will have to do one thing for me to forgive you.”
“Anything.”
Blythe walked over to Ricki’s bed and picked up her cellphone. “Cancel your date with Satan’s daughter.”
CHAPTER 40
Blythe paced the livingroom, waiting for Ricki to return home from work. With Ricki’s boss back, her days had gotten much longer again. It proved a blessing, giving Ricki something else to focus on other than what happened Sunday night.
Now four days later, they’d not seen much of each other. But with the weekend approaching, they needed to talk. While she assumed Ricki had kept her promise and canceled her date with Missy, for Blythe’s peace of mind, she needed Ricki’s confirmation. More importantly, they needed to talk about Abby.
