The Love of Lies

Boundaries

Ashton’s POV

I stretched, panicking a little as I realized that I’d fallen asleep. I shoot up, hoping to find Cori still lying next to me, but the girl is gone, and I just hope she’s okay. I wish she would have woken me up because I would have driven her home.

I find myself wondering if she tried to wake me; I’ve never been much of a light sleeper, so even if she did, I probably wouldn’t have budged. Still, she could have at least left me her phone number.

She and I have some things to discuss, starting with an apology that I hope she will accept.

I’m sober now, and what I did last night crossed a line. I knew she was drunk, so even though she didn’t say no, I shouldn’t have touched her.

Depression starts to sink in before I hear pots and pans in my kitchen, then glee overtakes me. I start thinking that Cori must have gotten hungry waiting for me to wake up, but when I see who it is, I’m instantly disappointed.

“Vanessa?”

“Hello babe.”

“Babe?” I raise a brow at the woman who I haven't seen in over a month. “What are you doing here?”

“Well… I thought you’d be happy to see me, but apparently you aren’t.” I feel a little bad about my attitude because on any other day I would have melted straight into bed with the woman but being with Cori changed that for me.

“I’m glad that you're back, and I’m sure your parents will be thrilled to have you home, but we need to set boundaries between us.” In truth, she and I have been broken up for a long time. We didn’t make it public because her parents adore me, and I’m worried her father will start s**t within the company by pulling out as a client.

“Boundaries?” Vanessa questions, giving me the same smirk that got me into her bed the first time.

She and I weren’t friends, nor were we close, but since we attended the same university, my father insisted that I take her under my wing. One thing led to another, and she and I ended up a couple, but within six months of us being together, I realized that it wouldn’t work.

Vanessa treated me like gold, always sweet and always kind, but toward my friends, she was a b***h, especially when it came to things she was passionate about.

I noticed it was getting out of hand around the same time I stopped getting invites to celebrations. In response, Vanessa got better, but the damage had already been done, and after a year, we parted ways.

She was the one who asked me to keep the breakup private, saying that her father believed we were getting married, and she was afraid to disappoint him. I know how her old man is, so I agreed, and since then, she and I have been friends with benefits, but I’m not sure I want that anymore.

“You shouldn’t just walk into my apartment without warning.”

“Where else would I go? My father would suspect something if I didn’t visit you first.”

“Fine, but you need to call in advance.” Vanessa agrees but brushes me off by offering me breakfast.

I wanted to ask if she saw Cori, but I’m not sure she would be so calm if she did, so I kept my mouth shut. I’ll just go to Syd’s tonight, and if she’s there, I will do whatever she asks of me.

The more I think about what happened between us, the more I feel like crap, and I don’t want the girl to hate me.

Cori’s POV

I don’t work tonight, which is good because I need time to process what happened to me. I don’t even have Ashton’s number to call and curse him out, so the only thing I can do is resent him in my mind.

I thought about doing something drastic, like cutting my hair into a pixie, but decided against that because my curls are the only thing I inherited from my mother. Besides, I probably will never see Ashton again, so all I’ll be doing is hurting myself.

The problem is that every time I close my eyes, I can hear him telling me how beautiful I am, how good I feel, and every other compliment he gave me. I must have really needed to hear those things because they resonated with me, and now I can’t sleep.

I take the opportunity to text Syd, telling him not to give Ashton my personal information, not that he would, and to tell the man that I quit. The man is old, but hip, and he replied with a frown and thumbs up emoji, giving me a much-needed chuckle.

It’s rare that I have a day to do nothing, so I want to take advantage of it by having a little me time. I prepared meals for the remainder of the week, baked a cake for comfort food, and took a nice hot bath.

It wasn’t long before my phone buzzed and I picked it up, thinking that maybe Syd was calling me in, but it's an email and it's good news from my school.

My grades are good enough to get me into the job placement program, and the fee for the licensing exam will be waived. I sit back in the tub, smiling up at the ceiling, hoping that heaven is real because I like the idea of my mother looking down on me with pride.

“I made one mistake,” I say aloud. “But I already know you forgive me."

My mother had an ADN, so she didn't make much money, but I will have a BSN and, if I work hard enough, I will later become a nurse practitioner, fulfilling her dream for her.

She abandoned the rest of her education because I was born. So, from little I wanted to give her the moment she couldn't get for herself.

"Two more months," I whisper, feeling tears well in my eyes because I really wish my mother were here.

I don't know why she didn't leave my father, because a part of me thinks she would still be alive if she did.

However, now is not the time to start reliving memories of years old emotional scars. Today, I deserve to be unapologetically happy.

Ashton's POV

Cori wasn't at Syds, which makes sense because she would not have gone out yesterday if she had to work the night after.

I'm relieved for her, but it's not a good thing for me because it means that I will spend another day without being able to explain myself.

In desperation, I ask Syd for Cori's contact information, but he denies my request, so I try to give him a 'tip,' hoping it would give him a little encouragement.

Rightfully so, he slid it back at me, scoffing as if he were disgusted by my actions

"I'm sorry I'm just a little desperate." The man shrugs, he isn't one for a lot of conversation, then walks away from me.

I take the hint, but I leave the money. It's embarrassing enough that I even tried to bribe him. It would be even more embarrassing to me if I actually picked up my own incentive and left with it.

Instead of going to my bachelor's pad, I went home, which surprised my brother.

There are three houses on our villa style Estate, and we moved out of the main house as soon as we could.

Troy only lives with me because my parents started decorating the third house with the intention of retiring there. He thinks they did it to stop Julia from moving in right away, which sounds right.

Our parents are in love with her, but they don't want her to have a baby before marriage, especially since they are still young, and anything can happen.

"You look like you need a hug," Troy says, flipping off the lights in the kitchen. It's late, and I wasn't expecting anyone to be awake, but today really isn't my day, so I don't want to talk.

"I'm going to bed."

"Bad day?" It suddenly occurs to me that Troy and Julia may be able to help me. So, I push aside my depression and cave.

"It's a long story, one I'd rather only tell once. Maybe we can talk about it when Julia is done with classes tomorrow?"

"Okay…?" My brother responded like a question, and I'm tempted to tell him, but I'd rather have the couple condemn me at once, not on two separate occasions.

I barely slept, and when I woke up, I didn't want to move.

Troy was the first person I saw, and only because he barged into my bedroom holding two cups of coffee.

"Julia is here."

"No class today?"

"She said the anxiety was too much and she couldn't wait." That sounds like something the girl would say, and after a few sips of coffee I get up and get dressed.

Someone catered breakfast, which is good because Julia can only cook for Troy. Simply put, you need love to keep it down.

"I want to start this conversation by saying, I know." My brother and his girlfriend look at each other in concern and I hang my head, already anticipating a strong reaction.

"Can you just say it?" I stare at Julia who looks scared, probably thinking the worst. She watches a lot of true crime, and I can only imagine what she may think.

"The night before last, I slept with Cori."

"But… she was drunk," Troy says, stating the obvious.

"That's not even the worst part."

"Oh goodness… you didn't force her, did you?"

"What? No; but It's just as bad."

"How bad?"

"Bad like… I'm almost positive she was a virgin before me." I'm responded to with a silence that makes me nervous.

"Are you sure? She's…. I mean, even I found her to be a beautiful girl."

"Honestly, I could feel it. So I asked, and she said yes. There was also… Well, my bed was stained."

"Maybe it was that time of the month?" I’ve experienced that before, but it wasn't the same. I don’t say it aloud, but Julia takes the hint and cringes.

"Does she hate you now, I mean, how is she?"

"That's the thing. I don't know, and I don't have her phone number, so I can’t even call."

"Wow, you're a real jerk.”

“I know.”

“It’s a shame because I think I liked her.”

“You're not helping.”

“Wasn’t trying. You know better than to touch a drunk woman, even if you were drinking, you know the implications.”

“You sound just like dad.”

My father has always drilled respect toward the opposite s*x toward my brother and I, saying that women control the fate of men, which I actually agree with. The right woman can change a man’s life, and while I don’t want to assume, I feel like Cori could be that woman for me.

“Do you know where she lives?

“No, and I never asked. She and I met at her job, so exchanging addresses wasn’t thought out.”

Fortunately, my brother and Julia aren’t as judgmental as I thought they’d be, and they help me list out what I know about Cori as we try to narrow down which nursing school she may attend.

I don’t want to use my connections to track her down, but I may have to, even if it's just to make sure the girl is okay. I don’t even know if she got home safe, which is stressful, especially since I don’t know when she left. For all I know, it could have still been dark outside.

“Well… At least you actually listened to the girl when she spoke.” That was an unnecessary jab, but Julia has never approved of my ways. She thinks that I’m cheating on Vanessa, and I suddenly feel the need to set the record straight with her, if only for the sake of pity.

“What I’m about to tell you stays between us.” Julia sits up, eagerly waiting for me to speak. “Vanessa and I haven’t been a couple in over a year. We haven’t made our breakup public because of her father.”

“WHAT?!” the woman shouts, looking over at my brother who has refused to meet her eyes. “YOU KNEW?!”

“Babe, listen to me; Ashton made me do it!” My mouth hangs open as I watch my brother throw me under the bus, but I really can’t blame him.

Julia isn’t just his girlfriend, she is his best friend, and they share everything, and I do mean everything with one another. My brother knows his girl like the back of his hand, and she knows him even better.

I’ve always envied their connection, but I’ve never experienced anything close. Vanessa and I were always bumping heads, which was actually kind of funny in the beginning. Eventually, it became frustrating, and if I’m being honest, it contributed to my resolve to end things.

“So, you haven’t been cheating on her?” I’m not going to lie to Julia; I absolutely have cheated on Vanessa, but it was at the beginning and end of our relationship.

“Let’s not get into that, I just want help with the Cori situation. I really like her, so I’m willing to do anything.”