The Heartless Billionaire (TBB 2)

I Was Drunk

Chapter 24 - I Was Drunk

TESSA COLE 

Tessa was scared out of her mind. She didn't want to talk about anything much less relive anything about what happened at Dave's house.

She wanted to run but Dave had her trapped. She knew that he could see her trembling but at that moment she didn't care. If he saw how scared she was, he might let her go. She'd flee the country if it meant not seeing Dave. At all.

She was okay with not seeing him ever.

"I know how you feel, Tess and I really don't like it but you've got to tell me what I did."

Tess wanted to scream. And scream she did.

She screamed and screamed and screamed as she pounded her fist on his chest.

Dave didn't let her go. He sat there taking in everything.

She collapsed in his arms, her head falling on his shoulder, as the fight left her body.

"You left me." She said between sobs.

"I did."

"I didn't want you to go." She said before she could stop herself.

"I know."

She relaxed as Dave rubbed her back soothingly. Tessa didn't understand anything. She was so confused that at that moment she forget all about Dave. It felt so good to be in his arms, to be surrounded by his presence that she just stayed right there.

"What happened after that?"

"Huh?"

"After your father kicked Martha out."

Tess heard a smile in his voice as he said, "You sure do change subjects swiftly."

"Just... Start." She said, her voice muffled, her face pressed in the crook of his neck as she snuggled against him.

His arm wound around her and they both let out an audible sigh. It felt relaxing. She had dreamt a lot of snuggling on the sofa with Dave as he told her about his day. Or he'd come home and wrap an arm around her as she cooked for him.

Damn domestic life.

"After dad kicked Martha out, he married another. And then another. My father was married to Sabrina when I was 17."

"Sabrina." She repeated. "American?"

He shook his head "French."

When she raised an eyebrow, Dave answered "Yeah. My father's taste in women was..... exotic."

"Hmm."

"Sabrina tried seducing me and failed every single time. I could've slept with her you know. But damn i wouldn't touch that thing with a ten foot pole."
She felt him shudder so she pressed a hand to his chest and Dave relaxed. His heart beat a little faster. As if he didn't wanna talk about it. But he did. Tess left her hand right there.

"I went for a party that night. Sneaked out the backdoor. My dad was supposed to be meeting Cassandra and George but that day  comes home. Two days early. Now my dad likes to surprise people. Me especially. He'd never call out and say, "Dave I'm home." No. He'd sneak in my room. When I'd see him, I'd jump off the bed and he would lean against the doorway with a plastic bag in his hand saying, "I got something for you"

"That day he came in and saw Sabrina lying on my bed, naked. At first he thought that I really did sleep with her. He had a heart attack. Sabrina called me and I came home running since I was just two houses down. My dad saw me and even though he was going through the pain, relief spread on his face."

"Did he..."

"No. It was just a minor attack."

"What happened then?"

"He married another. She was great. Really great. He married her but Dad died three years after he found her."

"He used to tell me ,"Dave, don't follow on my footsteps. When you find that one person in your life. Dont let her go. I let your mother go and look where I am."

"Your mother..." She trailed off.

"She died. Dad used to think that he was the reason she died. That if he had just seen the symptoms or that if he had just poured some more money into her care, she would've lived."

"Would she have? She asked softly.

"She had a Stage IV lymphoma. If she'd told us long before, it could've been curable. But when we came to know, she was beyond that stage."

"But you didn't believe in marriages anymore."

"Yeah."

"Why did you leave me without any notice."

"Because you were supposed to be just a fling. You weren't supposed to mean anything to me. But with you I forgot the problems back there, Tess. I forgot and I could be myself. You liked me for me and not because I was David Miles, the business man and the doctor.

"I started to fall for you. Whenever something happened I couldn't wait to come home to you and tell you. I just could see myself waking up next to you every damn morning. But sweetheart, my father set an example for me and I don't want to end up like him.

"All those things I felt, my dad would say them to me too, 'I think she's the one' he'd say. So I ran. I ran because it was too muh for me. I was falling for you Tess."

"I loved you."

"I know. I think I did too. Couldn't forget you at all. I kept thinking about you all the time. All the fucking time. I thought of coming back here. To you. But then things happened at the hospital and you know the rest. "

Tess stiffened at the mention of the hospital and 'back home'. The memories of that night rushed in and  she pushed up from his arms and maintained some distance.

"Tess."

"Shut up"

She stood up and paced and paced.

"You really don't remember what happened?"

"No Tess."

"How can you not? You said all that shit. It cut so deep. It hurts. It still does. It still makes me feel so... small."

"I didn't mean it. I swear. It sounds bad-"

"Bad? It sounds bad to you. Just that. No regrets? No apology? Just an excuse that you don't remember."

"I was drunk, for God's sake."

"Don't you yell at me. You've no right to come back after one hellish year and then act like you give a shit about it. You can't come here saying that you didn't mean it because you were drunk. As if that gives you a pass to everything. You expect me to just be okay with that. Your words still ring in my ear and I loved you, dammit.

And I'm so fucking stupid to believe that you'd have more than an excuse. I look at Logan and I feel that I deserve someone like him too. As soon as that thought crosses my mind. Your words ring in my ear and I'm back to being someone I don't really like. You made me like this. I didn't choose it. Neither did I choose a druggie whore for a mother but you had to astutely point it out. You had to point out that I had her blood in my veins. That I'm just as fucking useless as she was. "

She let out a bitter laugh.

"And you know what's worse, Dave.

I still fucking love you."

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- Nami