The Storm In Their Hearts - Aching Hearts Series #3

Accidentally in love

CHAPTER 25 - ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE

WILL'S POV

I forced another smile on my face when she introduced me to some posh friend of hers, who ogled me as if I were fresh meat in front of a lion. Ugh, I hate this job. But it pays damn well. I make the triple of the money I made at the bar, and here I work only on commission. Also, if you count the tips, it's even better.

I feel like I'm selling myself, though. It's disgusting.

If the guys knew what I do when I vaguely say I'm working tonight, they wouldn't let me see the end of it. If Rebecca knew, she'd tease me nonstop. Then again, I'm not quite sure she cares that much about whatever I do.

I thought sharing my story would push her into opening up as well. I thought we could get closer, because of what we both suffered with of our families. I feared she'd pity me.

What I didn't expect, was her detaching so abruptly, not only leaving me there, but also ignoring me for a whole week.

Because that's what she did. She acted as if I didn't even exist. Every time we were in the same room, she fled, as if she owed me money or feared me.

When that night I went to her, willing to share my story, I did it for two reasons.

I wanted, needed to unburden myself, after so many years, I needed someone to tell my story to, and somehow I felt Rebecca could be that one person, because she could understand me better. I mean, the guys know the concrete side of it, they know what I've been through, because they were there, especially Byron, but they don't know about the emotional outcome.

They don't know what I felt because I never showed them, I just pretended. On and on and on. Ever since I realized there was no chance for a change, I put on a poker face that served to hide all the hurt.

It came out natural because I'd been used to pretending for years already, I had to, because my family is pretty known in our town, and it was mandatory that we kept the façade, so yeah, everything was perfect in the Foster family, nothing out of the ordinary ... this way my father was able to hide his true self to the community for years, at least till he got completely wasted and crashed his car into the police building.

Of course, he got away with it, but well, since then, rumors spread, and that's why Wyatt took the reins of the company once for all, just so clients would be comforted. My brother is one hell of a pretender, too, though. He's very calculative, studies everything in depth, so that he can be as vicious as he wants without anybody noticing nor questioning him.

The point is, I've learnt very early to keep my poker face, so that the guys only know the concrete part of my story, they don't know what all of that did to me on a psychological and emotional level.

One learns to defend himself after all those blows, you know. When everyone you meet turns out to be only mean and nasty to you, you learn not to trust people anymore, but more importantly, you learn not to ever show your weaknesses.

That's why not even my best friends know how deeply rooted the psychological damage was. Shrinks have that whole confidentiality thing, so that even though the man was friends with Byron's mom, none of them knew what I told him ... ah, if anything slipped out of his mouth ...

I confessed everything to Rebecca, though. And I mean everything. As in, every single thought I had in that period, every single emotion ... goddamn, I freaking bared my heart to her, something I've never done with anyone, not even my ex, neither Al or Byron.

I shared all I had with Rebecca, and she ... she just threw it back into my face. If I were still seeing Dr. Schmidt, I'd have to tell him how much this hurts. And it doesn't help that my stupid heart tells me the pain is doubled specifically because it's Rebecca.