Pretending Hearts (9 page)

Wyatt was a disappointment in bed. The first couple of times we slept together, I chalked the boredom up to an anomaly. We were starting out and finding our rhythm. When sex didn’t improve, I wondered if I was to blame. I wasn’t a virgin, but I’d been only with high school guys who botched their attempts to get me off. Maybe I needed to allow the older and more experienced Wyatt to take the lead.

But the sex hadn’t gotten better. Wyatt wanted sex hard and fast and hadn’t picked up on my cues on what I liked and what I didn’t like. I never got women who faked an orgasm. How did pretending to get off in bed benefit either person? I didn’t want to hurt Wyatt’s feelings, but I also felt like he should be making sure I was satisfied too.

I set my purse down and plopped down on his couch. Wyatt opened up his mouth to start a conversation, but I reached for the remote and turned on the TV. I set the volume high enough to hopefully drown out Wyatt’s voice. Wyatt removed the remote from my hand and muted the TV. I shot him a dark look.

“Okay, I’m a complete fuck-up and I probably don’t deserve you. But I’d like another chance,” he said in a rush.

I leveled him with an even look. “Why? I don’t get the sense you want a girlfriend and I’m sure I can’t be the only freshman girl willing to help get your rocks off—”

He broke in. “Delia, I want more from you. Maybe you don’t believe me and I probably need to make more of an effort to show you how I feel.” He drew a long breath. “But I’m serious enough that I want you to meet my parents when they come up for a visit in two weeks. Will you have dinner with us?”

I leaned back against the couch cushions and stared open-mouthed at him. I was thrown for a loop. Wyatt seemed of two minds and I had no idea how he really felt toward me. And it hadn’t escaped my notice how Wyatt’s interest in an exclusive relationship peaked when he found out my brother was in the NFL. Wyatt had casually mentioned more than once about going to see one of Blake’s games. I hadn’t cemented plans with my brother because I didn’t know how long things with Wyatt would last. Planning to visit Blake in Maryland was a big step. Since I was hesitant about introducing Wyatt to my brother, I figured he would be leery over introducing me to his parents.

I took my time answering. I tried not to get pulled in by the way he smiled as if I were the only person in the universe who truly mattered. Or the way his brown eyes seemed to darken with desire each time he looked my way. What would his parents see when they saw us together? Would they consider me another conquest of their wayward son? Or would they see the way he responded to me and believe I could be the one to change him for the better?

Early on, Wyatt had explained how he never had a serious girlfriend. I always thought the reason was because he wasn’t interested in anything long-term. But maybe the reason was because not many girls would put up with his baggage.

“I’ll go to dinner with you and your parents,” I said reluctantly. This could be a make or break dinner. Seeing the way Wyatt interacted with his family could give me more insight into his character. On paper, Wyatt and I made sense, but my heart wasn’t convinced.

“Great, I’ll set it up,” he said and scooted closer on the couch. I felt him playing with a loose strand of my hair. After a pause, he mused, “Guess I’ll have to meet your parents soon.”

My body reacted as if he had tossed me into an ice cold bath. My spine stiffened and my teeth gritted together.
What a truly god-awful idea
. A dinner with my parents would mean my mom grilling Wyatt on his family’s annual net worth and my father trying to conceal the fact he had a starring role on our neighborhood’s sex offender registry.

“Well… maybe. My parents are going through an ugly divorce now and dinner with them would be very awkward.” I covered for them and hoped Wyatt would leave the topic alone. Meeting Blake was going to be an ordeal as it was. I’d have to make Blake promise not to bring along Autumn. Wyatt could ask all sorts of questions—eventually leading him to open a Pandora’s box that would never be shut. Even simple questions like how did Blake and Autumn meet could uncover the ugly truth about my family. I could only guess at how thrilled my brother was going to be over my insistence on keeping his fiancée far away from my boyfriend. But his relationship with Autumn was Blake’s mess—not mine.

“All right, but we’ll go to a Warriors game soon?”

“Yes,” I replied and nodded enthusiastically, glad for the subject change. “I’ll call my brother about the upcoming home games.”

Wyatt seemed satisfied with my answer and didn’t mention again about meeting my parents. Telling him the truth wasn’t possible—at least, not yet. I needed a strong foundation to be in place—for a mutual trust to exist. Because the guy I told about my family would have to see past my family’s mistakes and not allow their skeletons to affect the way he felt about me. Wyatt hadn’t earned that distinction yet.

Three days later, I was sitting in the stands watching Wyatt dominate in his soccer game. Surprisingly, I loved going to his games. I’d been raised to believe there was only one type of “football” that mattered, but after being a spectator at several games, soccer was gaining more appeal. I loved how fast the game moved and how easily control of the scoreboard could change in a match. Also, Wyatt was breathtaking in his uniform. The muscles in his arms and legs strained against the snug fit of his uniform. His features were resolute as he out-maneuvered the opposing team and scored again and again.

Wyatt was a natural athlete and he seemed the most relaxed on the field. I found out the qualms I had about our relationship usually melted away in the span of an hour game. I saw glimpses of the Wyatt I was most attracted to and I had renewed hope for what the future could bring.

After the game concluded and Cook won, Wyatt met me at the sidelines for a sweaty kiss. I scrunched up my nose in mock distaste as I pulled away. “You did amazing job and I’ll give you a better kiss once you’re showered.”

“Hmmm… I can’t wait,” he said and rested his forehead against mine. “Want to go to my place?”

“Mind meeting at the dorm? I have a paper due in philosophy tomorrow,” I replied.

“Just hand in a paper that says your philosophy is term papers suck ass,” he said.

I shook my head. “I’m sure that will go over well.”

“Did Georgia come with you to the game?”

“No, she said all the cute guys are on the football team.”

He put a hand over his heart. “That really stings. I hope you defended my team’s reputation.”

“Of course I did,” I said. “I told her soccer boys were the way to go if you were looking for guys with stamina.”

“Good. If you get your paper done early enough, we should test out that theory,” he suggested and waggled his eyebrows up and down.

“Don’t distract me then by arguing with Georgie when you come by.”

The pair fought like siblings and their bickering brought on the urge to keep them sequestered. Wyatt got along much better with his actual sister Fallon. Too bad Fallon was sort of crazy. She was into name-dropping D-list celebs she had slept with and showing off the extravagant gifts the conquests had apparently given her. Georgie would mouth the word “klepto” behind her back in the middle of her tangents. Fallon hadn’t completely warmed to me yet, but I wasn’t too concerned. I guessed the problem was I couldn’t keep a straight face during her story of how she turned a well-known gay actor “straight” for the night. I was dating her brother and roommates with one of her so-called best friends. She was stuck with me, so she’d have to find a way for us to be civil.

“I’ll play nice.” He pecked me on the lips. “I’ll be over in about thirty.” He waved before jogging over to rejoin his team and head into the locker rooms. A few of the players acknowledged me with nods. I was slowly becoming known around campus as Wyatt’s girlfriend.

Since our talk at his apartment, I had felt Wyatt’s attitude change. He had been more considerate and I could see the effort he was putting into wooing me. The last couple times we had sex, he hadn’t slammed into me until I couldn’t feel my pelvis anymore. He was sweet and hadn’t rushed to his climax. I was hoping we were finally in sync.

I vowed to tell my brother about Wyatt—as soon as I gathered up the nerve. I was afraid of my brother’s reaction which was why Wyatt had been nonexistent from our conversations. The reasons for my reluctance to tell Blake were simple. I didn’t want him to tell me not to date Wyatt. I pictured Blake hearing the name Wyatt Johnston and having the same reaction as Autumn. Even if Blake didn’t freak at first, I could visualize Autumn getting into my brother’s head and poisoning him against Wyatt before they had a chance to meet.

Wyatt was a year younger than Blake and although he had known of my brother (much like any living and breathing Cook University alum) they hadn’t traveled in the same social circles. Wyatt had nothing but praise for my brother and I was going to kill Blake if he didn’t play nice with a guy I really liked.

On my way back from Wyatt’s game, I passed beside the football field. I hadn’t gone to a game yet, but Georgie said the team wasn’t doing poorly despite losing their star player. I had attended a few games last year for Blake’s final year at Cook, but an internal conflict started each time I entered the stadium. I felt like I was betraying my mom and dad because they weren’t welcome in Blake’s life. Also, if I sat with Autumn to watch the game and tried to be friendly with her, wasn’t that a slap in the face to my mom and dad? Instead, I would hang near the exit and watch my brother play undetected. My brother never knew I was there to support him, but I still got the chance to see him play.

The walk back to the dorms took less than fifteen minutes. I opted to climb the stairs again, my way of avoiding the “freshman fifteen.” After a month of cafeteria food and takeout, my stomach lining likely had the consistency of grease. Cook had a gym as well and I tried to log miles on the treadmill. I found running helped me clear my head when I felt at odds with Wyatt.

When I came upon my dorm room, I was surprised to find the door locked. Georgie had planned to catch up on her favorite reality shows for the rest of the afternoon. Rarely, she locked the door when she was in our room.

After unlocking and pushing open the door, I heard harsh whispers carry through the doorway. The whispers stopped as I opened the door fully and stepped inside. Georgie and Fallon stood in the middle of the room. Both girls were staring at me with matching uneasy expressions.

“Hi, what’s going on?” I asked, immediately sensing tension.

Georgie’s cheeks flushed and she turned to Fallon with a helpless look on her face. Fallon shrugged in response to Georgie’s unspoken question. I played with the keys in my hand as I watched the exchange. My confusion was compounded with each passing minute.

Finally, Georgie looked back at me. I didn’t expect the daggers she flung in my direction. She stomped over to her desk and snatched off a magazine resting on top. She curled the magazine in her hand before marching up to me. She swatted the magazine against my chest.

I recoiled and kept my hands motionless at my sides. I had no clue what had transpired in the couple of hours since leaving the room. Before I left for the game, Georgie and I had been having a silly debate over the merits of preppy guys versus edgy guys. I had no idea what changed and caused Georgie to stare me down as if I killed her puppy.

“Take it,” Georgie sneered and swatted me again. My hands transformed into fists at my sides and I swore if she hit me with the damn magazine one more time, I was going to knock her out. I snatched the magazine out of her hands and unfurled the paper in my hands. Before I could read the headline, my heart sunk and I felt all of my words get tied up in my throat. Printed in the magazine was a picture of Autumn and Blake cuddling on a sofa—starting at each other as if no one else in the world existed. Next to their photo was a smaller and grainier black and white photo of my father.

“Is that story fucking true?” Georgie spat in my direction.

I didn’t look up at her, but the venom in her tone wrapped around my core. My vision became hazy, but I blinked back the tears.
I was untouchable
. I wouldn’t break down ever again because of Autumn Dorey.

I scanned the headline:
Twisted Triangle: Sex Assault Victim Engaged to Perp’s NFL Son
. The headline alone was enough to make me vomit. I couldn’t bear to read any of the accompanying text—because honestly I didn’t need to. I knew the story all too well. And because my brother was in the public eye, I should’ve figured it wouldn’t be long before the rest of the world knew all the dirty details.

Fallon walked over to stand next to Georgie in an obvious show of solidarity. Her expression was almost gleeful as I stared at them both—stunned silent.

Georgie drew up to her full height. “I asked you a question. Is… the… story… true?” she enunciated every word slowly, lacing each syllable with as much disgust as possible.

I tore my eyes away from the photos splayed across the magazine. I had no idea when the photo of Autumn and Blake were taken, but I guessed they were attending an NFL function. They were both perfectly coiffed with huge smiles and sparkling eyes. My father’s photo was unflattering and taken during the time of his arrest. The magazine might as well have printed the words “GUILTY” in big bold letters above his picture.