Liar, Liar

Chapter 18 - How About That Crap Laced with Animal Abuse?

It feels like my heart stops.

"W-What?"

Ashley chuckles gleefully over the line. "Isn't it surreal? I can't believe it!"

"No, me either."

A heavy feeling settles over me, and if I wasn't drunk right now, I don't know if I would be able to keep my thoughts in order – even though drinking is supposed to have the opposite effect.

Ashley's giggles die out. "Why aren't you being happy with me?" she questions, hurt lacing her voice. I mentally smack myself. Have I reached the point where I can't even let my friend be happy? I refuse to go that far.

"I'm so sorry, I was just...surprised. I'm so happy for you, Ash!" I throw on the best happy voice I can, but apparently I can only pretend to be so many things, and I slur my words excessively.

"Are you drunk? You sound drunk, Beth."

I decide it's no use trying to lie myself out of it, and tell her the truth. "Yeah, I'm... yeah." I drop my head onto the head rest behind me in exasperation and sigh lowly. "Anyways, I'm over the moon and so happy for you! I'll let you go back to Adam. Have a lovely night!" I try to put a cheeky tone to it but I only end up sounding bitter, something that pretty accurately represents how I actually feel.

"Well, I'm not with him right now," she states in that duh tone of voice. "I'm on my way though. He's making my favorite dinner and we're just having a night in." She pauses to scoff at herself. "Would you even listen to me? 'A night in' on the day of my engagement? Who even am I anymore? I guess love changes you, am I right?"

"Yeah," I scoff with her, but the actual truth rings in my voice.

A second goes by before Ashley sighs annoyedly. "I guess I'll call you another time when you're sober so you can be a little more enthusiastic..." The line goes dead. I listen to the few beeps following before I'm just sitting with a phone stupidly pressed to my ear.

I feel the tears pressing on but I force them down. Instead of sadness I feel anger. Who the fuck does Adam think he is?

I am dialing his number before I can think it through and press the phone to my ear again. He answers on the thirteenth ring (I counted), right before I thought he would ignore me.

"Hey," he exhales.

"You are a dick, do you know that?" I spit out, feeling my hand itch to stand in front of him and slap him across the face.

"What do you mean-"

"Is this a regular thing for you? Professing your love for two different girls in the span of twenty-four hours? You're such a fucking dick."

Adam inhales sharply. "Are you drunk?"

"That's not what's important right now! You proposed to her?!"

"So? It's none of your business," he defends himself curtly.

I scoff. "Yes. Yes, it is! Have you forgotten yesterday?"

Adam quiets down on the other side for a second before he replies bitterly, "No, I haven't, Elisabeth. I followed your advice-"

"I never told you to propose to her. I told you to love her, Adam. If you actually did, you wouldn't have said what you did yesterday."

"I said that because I was desperate!"

I stop mid-breath. My jaw clenches and fury races through my veins at the pace of a speeding car. "You said that because you love me," I spit boldly. "Admit it, Adam: you're not over me! You proposed because you couldn't deal with the fact that you love someone else than you're own fiancée!"