Wyatt
THORNE

"I can't keep doing this," I said to myself as I paced in my room.

It felt like everything was spiraling out of control. When I moved back here from California, I didn't expect any of this. I didn't expect to confess to Lia how I felt. I didn't expect to kiss her. I definitely didn't expect to get a little sample of the passion we had once upon a time.

Kissing her and touching her only made me want her more. Every time I saw her-- hell, even when I was alone-- I could hear her moaning my name. I could feel her clutching my shoulders as she begged me for more. Fuck. I wanted to give her more. I wanted everything with her. That was the problem.

I still couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that she was engaged to my brother. I had a nagging feeling that there was something more going on there but I couldn't put my finger on it. Whenever I asked Logan about how he felt about her, and their future, he seemed to get a little nervous and he clammed up.

I don't know. It just felt like he was hiding something. If he was, did Lia know about it? She was too good of a person to be betrayed in anyway. Even though something happened between the two of us the other night, she wasn't a bad person. I knew she felt incredibly guilty about it. I did, too.

So where do we go from here? How do we do this? Even though I told her the truth about that night at graduation, I didn't tell her everything. Yes, she knows that I had, and still have, feelings for her; but it was more than that. It was more than lust and it sure as hell wasn't a fling or a meaningless affair. But I wasn't ready to admit that to her or myself.

I ran my hand over my face as the image of her in that wedding dress flashed through my mind. God, he was breathtaking. Not only that, seeing her in that white dress only made me regret what had happened four years ago even more than I already did.

Then there was the night of her surprise birthday party. I had no idea Logan was going to do that. As soon as I saw all those people downstairs, I knew it was going to bring on one of her panic attacks. I saw her flee to her bedroom and I couldn't help myself from going after her.

That seemed to be the common denominator in this whole issue. I couldn't seem to help myself. Not where she was concerned.

Knock-knock-knock

"Hey, it's me. Do you mind keeping Amelia company tonight? I'm heading out to hang out with some friends for a little while."

I frowned when I heard Logan's question come through my bedroom door. Where was he going? And what friends?

Deciding I was too tired to get into it with him right now, I pushed my own questions aside. "Yeah. Of course I will." 

"Thanks, man!" 

After I heard Logan leave, I changed my clothes into something more comfortable before I walked to Lia's room. I knocked on the door a few times. 

"Lia? You in here?" 

When she didn't answer, I opened her door and peaked inside. Her room was empty. She must be downstairs already. I shut her door and headed down the hallway before I descended the stairs. Maybe she would be up for a movie tonight. Or we could go somewhere. Nah-- she was out of the house all day today. Movie was probably a good idea. 

I walked into the dining room and saw my parents and Lia sitting at the table. I grabbed some wine from the kitchen before I sat beside her. 

"Hey, I went by your room. Wine?" 

She didn't look at me when she answered. "Yes, please. Leave the bottle, too." 

There was an odd catch in her voice and a shiver went down my spine. Something was wrong. Really wrong. "Lia, are you okay?" 

"I'm fine, Wyatt." She threw me a quick smile before looking back to her plate. 

I didn't miss the flush in her cheeks or the red rim around her eyes. She'd been crying. Something really upset her. A pit in my stomach told me it might be related to me, or what happened between us. I wanted so badly to ask her what was wrong, but my parents were sitting at the end of the table. Now wasn't the time. 

"Why don't we go for a walk after dinner? Or watch a movie?" 

She kept her eyes away from me as she took a sip- okay, a gulp- of her wine. "Let's just get through dinner, okay?" 

"Yeah," I frowned. "Okay." 

I stood outside Lia's door for ten minutes. She was quiet all through dinner. Then she said she would be right back. She didn't come back. I tried texting her phone and that didn't work. I was really worried about her. I knew something was wrong at dinner. I shouldn't have waited to see what it was. But I couldn't change what I did or didn't do. 

So, here I was. Standing outside her door trying to decide if I should knock or not. If she wanted her privacy, I wanted her to have it. If she needed to talk, I wanted to be there for her. I guess this is what people call 'a rock and a hard place'.

"Screw it," I muttered. If she wanted to be alone, then she was going to be alone with her best friend.

I knocked on the door and frowned when all I heard was silence. I tried again. Nothing. I opened the door and stepped inside.

"Lia?" I called into the empty space.

"In here!" she answered from the bathroom.

I walked over to the door and leaned close. "Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm-- I'm fine, Wyatt. Thanks."

She was definitely not fine. Not only that, I could tell she was crying.

"I don't believe you. I'm coming in."

I opened the unlocked door and froze when I saw her. She was sitting in the bathtub. The empty bathtub. And she still had her clothes on. Mascara ran down her face as she clutched the wine bottle.

"Lia, what happened?"

I walked over to her and knelt down next to the tub. Her bottom lip trembled as she looked at me. She was trying her best not to break down. Something was very wrong.

"I can't tell you." She spoke so low I barely heard her.

"Of course you can. You can tell me anything."

She took a drink from the wine bottle and shook her head. "No. I can't." 

That's when it hit me. It was about Logan. It had to be. The only time she was uncomfortable telling me about something bothering her, it was about my brother. She didn't need Logan's brother right now. She needed her best friend. I sat down and leaned my back against the tub. I opened one of the bottles of red wine and took a few big gulps. 

"Okay, Lia. It's just me and you. I'm here as your best friend. Like always. Tell me what's wrong." 

Silence hung between us for several moments. I wasn't going to rush her. She could tell me whenever she was ready. I drank more of the sweet red wine. It got down to about half a bottle before she finally spoke. 

"Do you know where Logan is?" 

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. "Yeah. He said he was meeting up with friends tonight." 

I heard her suck her teeth behind me. "Yeah, right. He's not with a friend. He's-- he's having sex with someone." 

My heart sank and I closed my eyes tight for a moment. Goddammit, Logan. What the hell are you thinking? "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she answered quietly. "He was in the shower earlier and I was in his room. His phone went off and it lit up. I saw a message that basically said 'can't wait to see you'."

"Do you know who it's from?" I knew the person wasn't important. But maybe if I knew who it was I could clear this up for her. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. Because if it wasn't, that meant my brother wasn't who I thought he was. 

"No. There wasn't a name. Just the letter G." She drank a little more. So did I. I felt myself getting tipsy and I welcomed the effects. "I couldn't help myself. I opened his phone and read the messages." 

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Lia." She was so upset and I didn't want to make it worse. 

"I read them because I wanted to make sure I wasn't jumping to conclusions." She sniffed and I knew she was crying harder now. Her voice cracked when she added, "The messages were intimate. She asked for Logan to meet at a hotel. Then it said they wanted it to last longer than just dinner this time." 

"Christ. I'm so sorry, Lia." I tried to get over the disbelief of what my brother was doing right at this very moment. 

"I feel like it's a little bit my fault. I wouldn't sleep with him. He kept asking me. I know guys have needs, but I didn't--"

"No." I didn't face her as I continued talking. "Don't you dare say that. None of this is your fault. Just because you weren't ready, doesn't give him the right to cheat." I let out a long breath. "I know you and I have made a few mistakes and we aren't one hundred percent innocent, but we agreed to not let it go any further. Especially not like Logan is doing. He lied to your face to go and betray you. It's unforgiveable, Lia. You don't deserve that. None of it."

I got to my feet and held my hand out to her. "Come here." She took my hand and stood up in the tub. I helped her out of it and she stood before me. "You're amazing, Lia. There's nothing wrong with you. There's no excuse for what he did. He's a fucking idiot." 

She held my stare for several moments. I had no idea what she was thinking. I couldn't imagine what she was feeling. I just wanted to help her.

"What are you thinking?" I asked her quietly. The silence was killing me. 

She took another step towards me and rested her hand on my chest. "I'm thinking...I want you to make love to me. Tonight."