Stars Landing [Book 3]

Chapter 3 - Broken

Whole Foods smelled musky. Tegan batted her dull eyes at a glass incasing small packets of organic spices. Her reflection was dusty, but she could see enough to conclude the worst about herself. At what point did she stop giving a shit? Oh yeah. It was right after Christian Lu called her a fragile little girl and said that she wasn't capable of handling a one night stand. What was a person supposed to do after that? Shower? Put on some make up? Dress up and go on with their day as if nothing happened? That wasn't possible. Tegan's hair was left oily, bunched up over her head and her lenses replaced by a pair of polka-doted Hello Kitty glasses. Her trousers and hooded sweater were too comfortable to change out of and she liked to think her ugly crocs complimented her haggard look.

Tegan tapped on the glass casing and watched some of the dust slip off. It was so easy to let her heart take control. It was so easy to let her brain deteriorate and malfunction. Logic wasn't a thing anymore. Tegan was slowly yielding to depression. This was her life, she told herself. This was her single-forever-alone-life. It was time she accepted it. All that talk about sleeping with Christian Lu a second time was just that: talk. Things she said to convince herself that she could do it if she wanted to. The truth was much crueler. The truth let Christian win.

Tegan picked up a packet of garlic and rosemary and moved to the frozen foods aisle. She opened one of the fridge doors and picked up a carton of two percent milk. As she turned to grab eggs from the adjacent door, she saw a familiar figure staring in her direction. It took her a second to acknowledge them because they were so tall. It couldn't be. It—just—couldn't be. He was the last person she wanted to see. The absolute last person she waned to deal with looking so worn-out.

"Fuck," Tegan breathed as her heart shrivelled up. He had already seen her. There was no point running away. It would just give him more power. It would just make her look more fragile and scared. Tegan held her ground when her nightmares approached her with company.

"What are you doing here?" Christian asked, shaking her world around. Tegan hated herself for thinking he was so attractive. So, what if his deep voice melted her insides? So, what if his face made her remember that amazing one nightstand they had? It meant nothing to him. She was just a conquest, a trophy, and he was done curing his curiosity.

"What do you think?" Tegan had no idea how the words came so easily to her but she wasn't going to fight a good thing. "Why are you in this neighbourhood?"

"Lance's brother lives near here," came the calm reply.

"Oh," Tegan acknowledged his friend. She had definitely seen him somewhere before but what did that matter? If she didn't get out of Whole Foods in the next thirty seconds, she was going to throw up all over the floor.

Lance waved. Tegan smiled at him, trying to figure out an escape route. This was too hard. How the hell was she supposed to stand there and have a conversation with him when all she wanted to do break down and scream at him for breaking her heart? Her fists clenched to suppress the sudden urge she had to punch Christian in his face.

"You were at the gala, " Lance recalled. He looked at Christian for confirmation. "She was at the gala with you, right?"

"Not with me but yes, she was there."

"I was definitely not with him," Tegan said, playing along. If this was the sort of insensitive game he wanted to play then fine.

"How is your friend doing? I heard she got punched in the face, courtesy of Warren Biel."

"She's fine," Tegan informed. "It knocked some sense into her and now they're dating."

"Oh, nice." Lance nudged Christian. "You didn't tell me that."