Page 101 of The Recovery Coach
He finished his last set in the gym and checked in with his physical therapist before leaving the practice facility.
Relief filled him upon seeing Lover’s car in the driveway.He threw his car into park and jogged into the house.
“Hey!”he yelled in greeting.
He was welcomed home by the sight of his two best friends canoodling on the couch.His ears rang and vision narrowed.Lover had Livy laid out in a way he hated to admit he’d daydreamed about.Legs wrapped around Lover’s hips, hair splayed above her head, eyes closed, lips parted, cheeks pink enough to match her hair.Lover’s hips were nestled between hers, one hand up her shirt, his lips pressed to the soft skin of her neck.
Fuck.He might be sick.
Lover ceased his movement against Livy at the sound of Hazy barging in.He dropped his head onto Livy’s shoulder and let out an irritated sigh.Pressure built in Hazy’s sinuses.Lover sat up, dragging Livy with him.He smirked at the dumbstruck expression Hazy failed to hide.
“Hey,” he said.
He stood and crossed the room to give Hazy a hug.Hazy sniffed to clear his sinuses, trying to hide any tell of his emotions while he hugged his best friend.
“I’m going out,” he said.“You guys can go back to...whatever it is you were doing.”
Lover let him go and said, “It’s pretty clear what we were doing.”
“Yeah.I got it.”It was a miracle his voice didn’t break.
Livy still sat on the couch, rearranging her clothing and running fingers through her mussed hair.He’d fixed her bangs earlier, and they were a mess again.Not his problem.
“Where are you going?”Livy asked.“I thought we had plans.”
“Change in plans,” Hazy said.“I’m going to meet Tiffany.”
Lover furrowed his brow.“Tiffany?”
“She’s one of his fuck buddies,” Livy provided context.
“You’re bailing on us to go get laid?”Lover asked, crestfallen.
“You’ll do fine on your own.”Hazy brushed past him toward his room.
“But I wanted cuddles,” Lover called after him.
“Cuddle your girlfriend,” Hazy answered.
He got dressed in jeans and a button-down, resigning himself to being uncomfortable.Then he left the house with nowhere to go.
Hazy drove listlessly for a long time before he remembered a lookout spot in his favorite park right outside the city.As he stared at the water sparkling in the dark, it hit him that he deserved this.How he was feeling now probably paled in comparison to how Livy had felt about him as a teenager.Teenagers felt their feelings so much harder than adults who had years to learn how to cope.And when she told him, he treated her like shit.
He was getting what he’d earned.And Livy was getting what she’d earned.A kind, funny, beautiful boyfriend who treated her like a princess.Lover would give her a happy life.He could take care of her as well as–if not better than–Hazy could.He could give her as many kids as she wanted.She would be able to have whatever career path she desired.
Hazy hadn’t had a full-blown meltdown in years, but he let himself cry.He let himself sob, and scream in frustration, and seethe with self-hatred until snot dripped faster than he could wipe it away.A dull ache formed in his temples, and still he cried.Until his tears ran out, he cried.
Then he called Tiffany.
Chapter 34
Olivia
ConnorleftValentinelookinglike a kicked puppy, and Olivia a disheveled mess.They listened to him drive away before Valentine sank onto the couch.
“That did not go to plan,” he said.
“It went exactly how I expected.”
