SEEKING 7 | boys of tommen

c h e a t

"I need to tell you something," Gibsie said in a shaky voice, striding into my room with an envelope clutched in his hand. "Actually, I need to show you something..."

"Don't bother," I groaned, burying my face in the pillow. "I already heard and saw everything."

"What?" he asked, panic creeping into his tone. "Aurora? Jesus, are you crying?"

My heart broke all over again when he sat down on my bed, brushing my hair away from my tear-streaked face.

How could he?

"Princess, what's wrong?"

"How could you, Gibsie!" I sobbed, my chest heaving as the tears fell harder. "How could you?"

"I would answer if I knew what you were talking about," he said, clearly panicked. "What happened?"

"You happened, Gibsie." I turned away from him, pulling the pillow tightly against my chest. "You happened."

Never in a million years did I think I'd be crying over a boy.

Well, there's a first for everything.

"Okay, you need to talk to me," he coaxed, his hand rubbing gentle circles on my arm. "Because I seriously have no clue what's going on here, princess."

Feeling like the ground had been pulled from under me, I reached under my pillow for my phone. "Check the message from Helen," I mumbled.

He took my phone, quickly unlocking it, and I felt the exact moment he saw the picture. His entire body went rigid beside me.

"Please don't tell me it's not what it looks like," I cried through my sobs, my voice shaky. "Because she's sitting on your lap, and her hand is on your dick then you had the nerve to crawl into bed with me afterward."

"Aurora, it's not what it looks like," he said, his voice laced with desperation. "I swear it's not."

"I told you not to say that."

"But it's the truth!" he argued, pacing around the room. "You have to believe me."

"I don't believe you!" I shouted, my voice hoarse from crying.

Gibsie flinched as if I'd slapped him. "Aurora, you have to believe me," he said, his voice breaking.

I broke down again, covering my face with my hands.

"No, no, no, don't do this." He knelt beside the bed, taking my hands in his. "I didn't do anything, Aurora. I swear I didn't touch her." He wiped away my tears, but they just kept coming. "I would never hurt you like that."

"I want to believe you," I whispered, trying to steady my breathing.

"Then believe me," he begged. "Because I love you. You know I do."

"You swear?" My chest tightened as I tried to suppress the wave of panic threatening to take over. "You promise you've never been with her?"

He hesitated before answering, "I promise I wasn't with her that night."

My heart splintered once more. "Who is she?" I demanded. He looked down, avoiding my eyes.

"Who is she, Gibsie?" I sniffled, my voice barely audible. "Catwoman—who is she?"

Silence.

"I didn't cheat on you," he said quietly.

"Then who is she?"

"Aurora, she means nothing," he pleaded. "I promise you that. You're the only girl who's ever meant anything to me."

"Then why wouldn't you tell me who she is?" I asked, my voice trembling. "If she means nothing, why keep her a secret?"

"I can't tell you," he mumbled.

"Why not?"

"Because I just can't, okay?" he replied, frustration clear in his voice.

"She clearly means something if you're refusing to tell me her name."

"She doesn't," he insisted, his voice breaking. "She means nothing to me, Aurora. I swear. You're the only one that matters."

"Then why would you do this?" I whispered, my heart aching. "Why would you let other girls get close to you like that?"

"I haven't," he said, but his voice faltered. "Not now. I don't know... I don't know what's wrong with me."

I looked at him, feeling utterly drained. "You should go."

"What?" He looked up, startled. "Go? Aurora, no—"

"Go." I sighed, not able to handle any more. "Please, just go."

He stood there for a moment, staring at me, before finally getting up and walking to the door.

_____________________

"And then he had the nerve not to even tell me her name! He's my man, not hers," I sighed, flopping back onto the couch in frustration. "What if he doesn't love me anymore? What if he's been seeing someone else this whole time, I mean—"

"Aurora, that lad would marry you right now if he could," Katie cut in, trying to calm me down. "It's probably just some creepy lass he hooked up with years ago. Nothing serious."

"Hopefully," I muttered, feeling the weight of it all still pressing down. I turned to Katie, desperate for a change of subject, even though part of me knew it wouldn't make things any better. "How're you and Hughie now?"

Katie sighed, her shoulders slumping as she leaned back against the headboard. "We talked yesterday afternoon when we got back to his," she began, the uncertainty in her voice clear. "But I just don't know anymore."

I frowned, turning on my side to face her. "What do you mean? What happened?"

She hesitated, picking at the edge of her sleeve, her eyes avoiding mine. "It's like he's distracted or... distant. I don't know if I'm overthinking it, but he's been acting weird ever since his party."

I raised an eyebrow, trying to connect the dots. "Weird how?"

Katie sighed again, her voice dropping to a whisper. "He's been on his phone a lot. And not just regular texting—like, hiding it. Plus, Lizzie's been hanging around him more lately, and every time I ask, he brushes it off like I'm being paranoid."

Lizzie.

That made my stomach twist.

"You think he's... cheating? With Lizzie?" I couldn't believe the words as they left my mouth, but the pit forming in my stomach told me it wasn't as far-fetched as I wanted it to be.

Katie shrugged, her eyes glistening with frustration. "I don't know. I mean, they've been friends for a long time, but lately, it feels like there's something more going on. And every time I bring it up, he gets defensive. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but..." She trailed off, her voice trembling.

I sat up, my heart racing. "But Lizzie? They dated obviously but.."

Katie shook her head, looking conflicted. "Yeah, but she's with someone else now, isn't she? Or at least, she was."

"Was is the key word there," I muttered darkly, sitting up fully. "She's never liked me, and I've always thought she acted a bit too friendly with Hughie."

Katie bit her lip, her eyes filling with doubt. "I just don't know what to believe anymore. I don't want to accuse him of something if it's all in my head, but at the same time, it's hard not to see the signs."

I felt a pang of sympathy for Katie, but anger for Hughie began to bubble up inside of me. If he was playing her like this... I couldn't just sit here and do nothing.