He was wearing a white polo with red shorts. His shirt was drenched with sweat from the beach volleyball game. The sweat glistened on his forehead like glitter one of those '90s notebooks everyone had in middle school.
"You," he whispered angrily. "I should have known you'd be here."
"Jean-Paul!" Courtney gasped. "It's not what it looks like!"
"What it looks like? I'll tell you what it looks like, Courtney Craig. It looks like you're trying to run away with my Wendy's Berry Cherry Fruit Tea!" he snarled angrily.
"No, I was just admiring it! I just wanted to... wanted to taste it," she said quietly. "Just one sip."
"Put it back," Jean-Paul said.
Courtney shook her head and took a step back. Jean-Paul took a step forward.
"Put. It. Back," he repeated.
Courtney slowly put the Fruit Tea back on the vanity. She looked down, a single tear streaming down her face as if it were a bead of condensation dripping down the side of the Berry Cherry Fruit Tea. Tension filled the room. Sadness filled the air.
"After all this time," Courtney said, "I thought you would have forgiven me."
"You broke my heart, Courtney." said Jean-Paul.
Courtney looked up, her eyes wide like two shining stars in the dark night sky.
"You were my old roommate's sister's boyfriend, Jean-Paul! That's a bond too sacred to be broken! And you asked me to share a Wendy's beverage with you. That's... that feels wrong. I couldn't go behind Jessica's back like that. And I couldn't do that to Emily."
"I loved you, Courtney."
Courtney froze. The room was as silent as the midnight hour on a snowy night.
"That's why I wanted to share a Wendy's beverage with you," Jean-Paul said softly.
"I should probably go," murmured the staff member.
YOU ARE READING
The Forbidden Fruit Tea
RomanceCourtney Craig is done with dating. Done, that is, until she goes on a weekend trip to Tampa and meets the love of her life. Unfortunately for her, the love of her life is also the love of someone else's life... her old roommate's sister's ex-boyfri...
