Between The Lines

Chapter 45: 'Candy Crush'

Rebecca's POV (1st Person):

As the morning light filtered through the curtains, I couldn't shake the nauseating hangover that clung to me. My head throbbed, and the taste of regret lingered in my mouth. Every movement felt like it was accompanied by a wave of nausea. I sat at the table, picking at my breakfast, while Lane cleaned up the kitchen.

"Are you feeling okay?" Lane asked, concern evident in his voice.

I nodded, though the truth was far from it. "I'll be fine," I muttered, but inside, I was a whirlwind of emotions. The events of last night replayed in my mind, a blur of poor decisions and misplaced trust.

I felt an intense anger building up inside me—anger directed at Jack. This was all his fault. If he hadn't pushed me to drink, if he hadn't abandoned me when I needed him the most, I wouldn't be in this mess. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as the anger bubbled to the surface.

And then there was the overwhelming embarrassment. God knows what I had told Mr. Montgomery—Lane—last night. What had I revealed in my drunken state? What had I done? The memory of waking up with my hand on him made me cringe with shame. I couldn't bear to think about the implications, the lines that had been crossed.

"Rebecca," Lane's voice broke through my spiraling thoughts. "Do you want to talk about what happened last night?"

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes. "I don't even remember everything, Lane. I just... I feel so stupid."

He walked over and sat down across from me, his expression gentle but serious. "You're not stupid. You're going through a tough time, and you made a mistake. But beating yourself up over it won't help."

"I'm so angry," I admitted, my voice breaking. "At Jack. At myself. I feel like everything is falling apart, and I don't know how to fix it."

"Jack?" Lane's brow furrowed. "What happened with Jack?"

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "He told me to drink, and then he just left me. I don't even remember how I got here."

Lane's jaw tightened, a flash of anger in his eyes. "He left you alone like that? That's not okay, Rebecca."

"I know," I whispered, feeling the tears spill over. "I thought he cared about me, but he just..."

Lane reached across the table, taking my hand in his. "Rebecca, you deserve better than that. You deserve someone who actually cares about your well-being, not someone who abandons you when things get tough."

I nodded, trying to take comfort in his words, but the shame and anger were still overwhelming. He was the only one I actually wanted.  "I don't even know what I told you last night, or what I did. I'm so embarrassed."

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Lane said softly. "You were upset and vulnerable. You didn't do anything wrong. We just need to make sure you're safe and that you have the support you need."

"I don't know what I'd do without you," I admitted, my voice shaking. "You've been so kind to me, and I don't want to make things harder for you."

Lane squeezed my hand gently. "You're not making things harder for me, Rebecca. I'm here to help you, no matter what. We'll figure this out together."

I looked into his eyes, feeling a mix of gratitude and guilt. He was right—I needed to lean on him, to let him help me through this. But I also needed to find my own strength, to confront the mess I had made and start making better choices.

"Thank you," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't deserve your kindness, but thank you."

"You do deserve it," Lane said firmly. "And I'll keep reminding you of that until you believe it yourself."