under her breath, as was her habit. “I was the first one done with it, so I don’t know if that means I aced it, or I mistook all the questions and answered everything wrong.”
I smiled to myself. No light was on in my room; the only light that lingered came in through the window, showing a city in dying daylight. “I’m sure you didn’t answer everything wrong. You’re smart, Bree.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.” I knew she wouldn’t believe me, but that wasn’t going to stop me from telling her what I thought. “You’re smart, kind, and beautiful. I don’t know why you don’t give yourself more credit.”
I heard her breath out a long exhale on the other line before whispering, “Stop.”
“I mean it.”
“Calum—” She said more, but whatever she said next was drowned out by a sudden knocking on the apartment door.
Immediately, I sat up, glancing at my room’s door. Couldn’t be Trent in the hall outside, because he had a key. Unless he lost it during the day? But still, he would have to go to the property manager and ask for another copy—
“Hold on,” I told her, slowly getting off my bed and heading out of my room, through the hall to the front living room. “Someone’s at the door.” I held the phone against my ear as I went for the door, peeking through the peephole to see who it was, due to the fact I wasn’t expecting anyone.
My heart nearly stopped in my chest, and whatever good mood I’d had while talking with Bree faded instantly.
“I’m going to have to call you back,” I said, not waiting for her response before hanging up and sliding the phone into my back pocket. This was the last thing I wanted to do tonight, but I figured, since the opportunity presented itself, I might as well make it crystal fucking clear, in case it wasn’t already before.
I threw open the door, frowning at the beautiful blonde standing in the hallway. She was bundled up in a thin fur coat, her hair pulled into a low ponytail on her right shoulder. Her brown eyes bore into me, wordlessly pleading, and those lips I knew all too well started to part as she spoke.
“Calum,” Hilary said, rushing to me, practically throwing herself onto me and pushing us both into the apartment. Her action caught me off-guard, and it was all I could do to catch her and stay upright.
My hands fit perfectly around her waist, but I pushed her off all the same, quickly taking a step back from her, putting distance between us. “What the hell are you doing here, Hilary?” It was difficult to even say her name. I flung it at her like a curse word, my blood boiling.
Maybe some people could get over an episode of cheating, but not me. Never me. There were a few automatic deal breakers for me, and cheating was one of them. Hilary and I were exclusive, she was my girlfriend, and yet she saw fit to find herself in the arms of my roommate and my best friend.
There was no coming back from that. Surely she had to realize this.
“I came to talk to you,” she said. “You can’t ignore me forever.” She was right, in a way. Even though this city was big, fate had a habit of tossing you with the people you least wanted to see. For me, that was definitely Hilary.
I looked at her like she was crazy, because she was. Absolutely, one hundred percent crazy. “What is there to talk about? You fucked Trent. We’re over. That’s pretty much all there is to it.” My words were blunt; there really was nothing left to say. Whatever Hilary hoped she’d get here, she would get nothing of the sort.
There was no coming back from what she did, and she needed to realize it. It’d been weeks. Hilary needed to face the fact that she’d fucked up, and move on, like I was.
“It was a mistake,” she said, stepping toward me, pleading with those big, brown eyes. Those eyes that had weakened my resolve on more than one occasion. Those eyes that I was so used to seeing under me, or above me. For so long, it’d been only her.
And now? Now I couldn’t imagine it. Now every single memory was tainted, and I wanted nothing more to do with her. Why the hell couldn’t she see that?
“Please, Calum, give me another chance,” she went on,