Happily Married To An Asshole

Chapter 23: Secrets and Smirks

Mira's P.O.V.

Skylar's fingers kept brushing through her hair as she tried to find the right words.

"So...what's wrong?" I gently asked, trying not to push too hard.

Skylar sighed, her gaze dropping to her lap. "Okay, you were right. Something is wrong," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

I waited for her to continue, and when she didn't, I furrowed my brows and leaned forward.

"Sky, you're scaring me. What is it? Are you in trouble?"

She let out a dry laugh. "Depends on how you define trouble. You see..." She paused, chewing on her bottom lip. "ImdatingXaviersex-bestfriendbuttheyrenottalkinganymorebecauseofafightthathappened threeyearsagoIvebeentellinghimtotellXavierhimselfsoitlllookgoodbuthekeepssayingitsnottherighttimeNowIthinkImpre—" 

"Okay, okay, calm down..."  "Now start over calmly."

She took a deep breath before starting again.

"I'm seeing someone." I was about to ask how that was a bad thing, but she placed a finger on my lips, shushing me.

"I'm seeing Rhys. Our relationship isn't public yet because we wanted to keep it low-key from our families and friends since we've been childhood friends. We don't know how they'll take it. I'm not worried about my parents because they've even been shipping us. I'm more worried about Xavier..." She paused for a bit. "We've been dating for a year and a half now, and I've been pushing him to make our relationship public, but he keeps telling me it's not the right time. I don't know what to do," she ended her rant, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

My initial relief was quickly replaced with worry—I didn't think it was this deep for her. I moved closer and wiped away the teardrop that escaped.

She moved away a bit and wiped her tears. "I'm sorry for ranting. I just—"

"Nonsense. It's totally fine. But who is Rhys, and why should you be worried if Xavier finds out about you guys?"

Skylar sighed heavily, brushing her hair back from her face. "It's complicated. Rhys and Xavier were best friends. They were inseparable since high school, like brothers. But then... about three years ago, things fell apart. Rhys used to be a bit of a playboy, and I've had a crush on him since high school. Xavier always warned me to stay away from him. He knew I had a crush on Rhys and kept telling me that he'd only hurt me."

When she paused, my curiosity piqued. "So, what changed?"

Skylar looked away, guilt flashing across her face. "Xavier was dating this girl, but they already broke up. To be honest, Xavier wasn't a good boyfriend—he just got tired of her and dumped her. So, to get revenge on him, she went to Rhys. Classic. She went to a club where he was, drugged him, slept with him, and then took pictures to send to Xavier."

My eyes widened. "That's..."

"Fucked up, I know. When Xavier saw the pictures, he was furious. I was heartbroken too because I was a teenager—what do you expect when I see my crush butt-naked with another girl? So, I cried my eyes out and refused to eat. But Rhys tried to explain that he didn't know what had happened, that he'd been drugged. Xavier wouldn't listen. He confronted Rhys, and things escalated. Rhys lashed out, accusing Xavier of letting a girl ruin their friendship. He even asked Xavier why he was so angry when they had already broken up."

My heart ached at the story. "So, that's why they stopped talking?"

Skylar nodded. "Rhys moved to Italy after that. But deep down, I think they both still care about each other. They're just too stubborn to admit it. Even though Rhys was originally meant to move a long time before that, he delayed it."