Page 29 of Tight Ends & Tiaras
SIENNA
A loud bangingwakes me up.
And it won’t stop.
I crawl out of bed and drag myself to the front door, where I find Ben with a fierce scowl on his face.
“You’re supposed to text me back every day to let me know you didn’t die of a brain aneurism.”
It takes a second to process what he’s saying. Since I spent most of the weekend convalescing on his couch, this is the first day I’ve been on my own, and I already blew it. But before I can open my mouth to apologize, he hands me a bag of food, stalks into my house, and heads for the kitchen where he sets down a tray of drinks.
“I mean, yeah, come in.” I probably shouldn’t be joking, as he does not look like he’s in the mood.
He pauses while he reaches for a plate. “Sorry. Shit.” When he turns to face me, that anger in his eyes is replaced with embarrassment... and concern? “Hi, Sienna. I brought an early dinner. Can I come in so we can talk?”
My lips twitch as I try not to smile. I open the giant bag and take a whiff. “Did you really bring me a po’ boy sandwich from the Yellow Rose? Those are my favorite.”
The furrow in his brow smooths. “I might have had a clue. Rider was always grabbing these for Gabby, so I took a gamble and figured you might like them too.”
“She and I always shared because one is too big for either of us.”
I smile. He grins in response before his eyes take a slow travel down my body and quickly dart up again. He coughs and turns around to finish grabbing plates.
Glancing down, I realize I’m only wearing a t-shirt and undies, but the t-shirt goes past my thighs.
“Don’t be shy. You’ve seen more at those pool parties you guys host,” I tease.
“Yeah, but you’re Gabby’s best friend, and I don’t wanna make things weird.”
“With Gabby or me?”
“Either.”
I’m mildly disappointed he doesn’t want to check me out, but I understand. I hold up a finger as I head back to my bedroom and toss on some baggy shorts.
When I come back, he has his hands braced on the kitchen sink.
“What’s wrong?”
He’s quiet for a moment. “Do you ever feel like life is humming along perfectly, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, everything goes to shit?”
“Yeah. I do.” I move next to him at the sink and look out the window. Like when I found Penelope in bed with my father, riding him like her life depended on it. If I could get a shrink to knock me unconscious and replace that memory, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Ben doesn’t need to hear about my rich girl problems. But it sounds like he could use a friend. I could too.
I lean my head on his shoulder. “I was supposed to join Cal at the coast later this week, and now I hate him with the force of a thousand suns, and I cry all the time. I can’t tell if it’s because I have a head injury or if I’m genuinely upset.”
Ben’s arm comes around my shoulder in a quasi-hug. “I’m sorry he’s an asshole. I... I should’ve said something to you about his... nocturnal activities. I regret that I didn’t. I wasn’t completely sure, but still, I could’ve given you a heads-up.”
“You and I barely spoke before last weekend. I don’t blame you for minding your own business. I just hate that I was so blind. The whole damn campus probably knew, but I didn’t see the warning signs, or maybe I didn’t believe them. It reminds me of my mother.”
He shifts, and I can tell he’s looking at me. “Did your dad cheat on your mom?”
“She’s never outright told me anything, but the older I get, the more I start to wonder if he did.” The gossip rags say he did. And maybe I need to give the gossip more credence. “But I used to worship my father. I still do in a lot of ways, only now I know he makes mistakes. Big ones. I used to never want to hear anything negative about my dad, but now that I see I’m capable of being blind to so much stuff, I feel like I need to wake up and smell the coffee.”
Ben squeezes me, and his other arm comes around, and I drop my head to his chest and close my eyes where I sniffle. “I hate being needy,” I admit.
“You’re awesome, Sienna. A ray of fucking sunshine, and I hate seeing you upset. And you’re not needy—you’re human.”
