Still the One (Book 2 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

3 | Something Isn't Right

Once there was this spider in my bed
I got caught up in her web
Of love and lies

-Dwight Yoakam, "Ain't That Lonely Yet"

Luke

I showed Miles the screen and his eyes widened. "What the hell?" he mouthed as I slid to answer, putting it on speaker and holding my finger to my lips.

"Hello?" I answered, doing my best to sound uninterested.

"Luke," she greeted me, and her voice was bright. "What's going on?" she asked, as if she hadn't broken my heart in the week prior. Miles and I shared a perplexed glance.

"Uh, I'm registering for classes at Florida State, actually," I said, actually annoyed at the happy tone of her voice.

"You're doing what?" she asked, sounding shocked. "You left Panama City?"

I scoffed. "Yeah, Brooke. I did. There wasn't really any reason for me to stay, was there?"

I heard her sigh. "Come on, Luke, don't be like that."

"Be like what? Pissed off that you dumped me for seemingly no reason after being together for two years?" I blurted, letting out the hurt that had been trapped inside me for days. "Do you expect me to be happy about it? I mean, maybe you do, considering you sound like you've just won the damn lottery," I spat.

She laughed, a tinkling sound that used to warm my heart. Now it made me sick. "Luke, I really just wanted to tell you I was sorry. I was feeling – " She stopped suddenly, and I laughed bitterly.

"What? Feeling guilty?" I felt traitorous tears start to sting my eyes. "I don't need your pity, Brooke."

"That's not what I – "

"I don't have time for this right now, Brooke. I have to go. But I'll be back in town on Friday to get some things from the house. I'll make sure to give you your stuff back," I said bitingly.

"Wait, Luke – "

But I had already disconnected the call.

Miles scoffed. "Is she fucking for real? Why did she call you in the first place, and why did she sound so damn happy?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea." I was trying really, really hard not to care, but I did.

I knew it, Miles knew it... and Brooke probably did too.

Rachel

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why Brooke had broken up with Luke. It didn't make any sense. And I was also incredibly confused about her career choices.

Brooke had always wanted to be an interior designer, ever since we were old enough to know what a job was. For her to have completed the Associate's program and want to just keep working at Sephora? It was strange to say the least.

I wondered what Katherine had to say about it.

I puckered my lips and picked up my phone.

"Hello?" Katherine's voice rang through the phone.

"Hey, Kat, it's Rachel," I said.

"Hey, Rachel! How are you?" she asked, genuinely sounding happy to hear from me.

"I'm good, you?"

"Doing okay," she said, and I detected a note of something in her tone – sadness? worry?

"Katherine, how is Brooke?" I asked bluntly.

"I – Why do you ask?"

"Because Luke showed up on our doorstep last night completely devastated," I said, wondering if she even knew.