Mistake (B.S.)

E I G H T

In the weeks that passed following the day Bill told me he loved me, you'd think I'd gave the galls to leave Adam. If you thought that, you thought wrong.

We spoke of Lindsay that night, then never spoke of her again. Adam told me what happened—he said that he had been unfaithful, but that he knew it was a mistake; one that didn't need mentioning because it was only going to hurt me. The truth was, Lindsay Martel was Adam's ex-girlfriend. She was his long before I had ever came along.

Did I buy it?

Did I really believe that he regretted his unfaithfulness?

No... Fuck. No.

I believe he was sorry... sorry that he got caught.

But after the confrontation, Bill left. He didn't even say where he was going, he left without saying goodbye. To everyone. He didn't even tell Adam where he had gone, or that he was even leaving.

I never told Adam what happened on the night of my birthday—I never told him that Bill and I had slept together. What was the point?

I found myself alone again, stranded in sunny LA. I was trapped; stuck in a loveless relationship with an untrustworthy shit of a man. Somewhere out there, Bill probably wasn't even thinking about me. It's not like I actually believed he loved me. But his sudden departure made me reconsider just how quickly I had brushed off his admission.

Why had Bill left so quickly? Was he embarrassed that I had called him out on his bullshit? Was he scared I'd tell Adam about what had happened? There was no way of knowing for sure, he had left—I couldn't just ask him. Not that I even would, considering how big of an idiot I had made of myself.

Even though Adam and I didn't speak of Lindsay, the tension of her lingered. We slept in separate beds. I went out of my way to avoid him, moving to another room if he entered the one I was in.

I had already made arrangements to fly back to New York, but honesty... I wasn't looking forward to the move. To face my family—to admit how foolish I had been by moving clear across the country with someone I barely knew. Which was why I wasn't in a rush to flee the great land of California.

Adam had been giving me space—I deserved it, after all. After everything he had done, the least he could offer me was some self solace. But as the weeks wore on, he was itching to break the tension.

Placing return items back on the rack, I froze in my tracks when hearing the bell chime above the door. I kept my eyes on the burgundy plaid crop top, idly trailing my fingers along the rack to look busy.

Adam had never unexpectedly shown up at my work before. Either something was really wrong or he was trying to suck up a little. I couldn't seem to get away from him. Not only was I stuck sharing a house with him, he was barging into my job unannounced.

"Charlotte." Adam spoke by my side.

I forced a look of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I just stopped by the bank, saw you were still here and wanted to surprise you." Adam smiled; it quickly faded when seeing I didn't return it.

"What do you want?" I asked, pulling two black tunics off the metal rod before marching toward the back of the shop.

"I was gonna see if maybe you wanted to get dinner tonight. I made reservations and..." Adam trailed—I noticed him bracing his arms on the counter near the register; his silence causing my eyes to shift in his direction. "Will you just talk to me... please?"

My eyes widened—he was begging me to "talk."

"Talk about what?"

"You've been a ghost the past month, since all this happened. I love you and... I really wanna make this work. I don't wanna lose you, Charlotte. You wanted space, I gave it to you. But now I think it's time we start making time for each other. The longer we go without communicating, the farther we're gonna grow apart."

I looked to Adam with a deadpan stare—I didn't want him to see just how annoyed I was by his suggestion. To be honest, whenever I looked at Adam, Bill's voice spoke in my head: "he's not telling you everything."

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. Tell me what I have to do to make it up to you. I'll do anything at this point, just to get you to talk to me again."

One month—that's how long it took for Adam to come begging for my attention—my affections. I suppose that I cared for Adam, but in an intimate sense?... not at all. The way I felt about Bill was how I should've felt about Adam. I thought back to all those times Bill had been there for me when Adam wasn't. But he had only been there for me because he knew what Adam was doing behind my back... he felt sorry for me.

"Adam," I started; trying to think of the best way to approach this topic without conflict. "I don't think talking is going to help. You did what you did and I'm still upset about it. No amount of talking is going to make it better for me. It is what it is." I stated simply, carrying on as if his presence wasn't there. Although I wasn't annoyed, I was... indifferent. I didn't care he was there, or if he wasn't.

"Just let me take you to dinner. Please, that's all I'm asking."

My phone went off; the buzz vibrating my backside. "I'll think about it." Was all I could offer as I slid my phone out of my back pocket.

I was sure it was Angie, my boss—the owner of "Has Been Thrifts." As much as I liked Angie, I didn't particularly like her long lunch breaks. I let out a heavy breath at the thought of her. I almost knew she was asking me to work late—another eight hours turning into ten. Most of the time, I was opposed to working longer hours, but as for the past month, I welcomed it. And standing there before Adam... I needed a reason to decline his dinner offer.

My eyes widened and it felt like my heart plummeted into my stomach. My blood ran cold at the name saved in my contacts.

Bill_____________
I'm in town for a couple
weeks. I think we should
talk.
________________

"You okay?... Babe, it's just dinner, it's-"

"I can't. Angie just texted me, she needs me to work late." I lied—I lied through my fucking teeth. I slid my phone in my back pocket again quickly, trying to seem casual. Actually, I was trying to look busy so that Adam would go away and I could respond back to Bill.

One month. For an entire month, I hadn't heard anything from Bill and now suddenly, he was wanting to talk. Seeing as how Adam was standing there like an idiot, gave me the notion he had no idea Bill was even in town. What could he possibly want to talk about? The fact he betrayed me as a friend? Was he going to tell me everything—the things Adam had omitted from in his admission? Doubtful.

"You've been working late every fucking day. She'll understand if you tell her you can't do it-"

"Wendy just had a baby, I'm the only person able to cover Angie right now. It just happened to be around the same time your whoring behavior came to light... it's just a coincidence." I snapped a little too snidely. I immediately regretted it upon seeing that dumbfounded expression etched on his face. "Sorry. I'm just... I'm still mad." I admitted. But to be perfectly honest, it wasn't the truth. I didn't really care that Adam had cheated. I had in the beginning, but not since the night of my party.

"You're really not gonna have dinner with me tonight?" Adam asked, pushing himself off the counter. He ran his hand through his hair, looking down at the register between us as if contemplating something. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything, Charlotte. I wish I could take it back- I'd give anything just to take it back... but I can't. And I have to live with that. I'm just asking you- no, I'm begging you... please, just... give me another chance. Let me prove to you that you're my girl."

I didn't speak—I simply couldn't.

I watched as he trailed out of the shop, sulking on his way out in slow strides. The bell chimed again as I watched Adam make his way out of view. I held my breath for a moment, letting my cheeks fill with air before releasing a heavily winded sigh. I quickly pulled out my phone, reading Bill's text again. Without a hitch, I responded the first thing that came to mind.

_________
Bill____________
I'm in town for a couple
weeks. I think we should
talk.
_________________
When and where?