Secrets Unveiled

Lily's and Logan's parents were a lovely couple. They were kind and caring and wanted Kate and me to feel comfortable. I liked them from the start.

As Logan left soon with Melanie to hang out with Drew and Phoebe, I was calm. Kate and I had a delicious lunch together with Lily and her parents.

Lily and Logan looked just like their mom if we were talking about facial features, but they had their father's hair color.

Their mom was witty and had a sharp tongue, while their dad was a real softy. They apologized to us because they had received an invitation to have dinner at their friend's house in the nearest city.

They were planning to come back home tomorrow near lunchtime and promised to bring us to some 'charming places'.

As they left the house, I went to my room and called my parents.

They didn't pick up and only texted me back, saying that they were already in Paris, but their jet lag was massive, so they wanted to sleep before starting on their adventure. Okay. I guessed I could be on my own.

There was a knock on my door and Kate's head popped in from behind the door.

“Hey. We're planning a girls' night with movies and some alcohol. What do you say?”

I saw that she was nervous. Maybe she was even regretting what she had said to me on the way here. I sighed. I wanted to make things right. I nodded my head, and Kate jumped up and down.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! We will wait for you in the living room.”

I changed my clothes: just jean shorts and a white T-shirt. I tied my hair in a ponytail and headed to the living room.

Kate and Lily were there, with two bottles of red wine and some cheese and olives as snacks.

“How did we get the opportunity to do this? Where is Tim? And your brother?” I asked.

“I called Logan, and he said they are planning to stay the night at Drew’s house. There are also some people from our high school, their friends, who wanted to see them. Tim is also staying there.”

“Okay.”

I sat near Kate and took a glass of wine from the table. It was a good wine with a rich flavor and pleasant scent. We decided to watch ~Titanic~.

I guess it was a terrible idea because at the end of the evening at 11 p.m., we were drunk and crying. I think I was the soberest person among them.

I took the used glasses and brought them to the kitchen sink. Then, two empty bottles of wine went into the garbage. I looked at my reflection in the window and smiled at the view of myself.

My cheeks were red and my hair was a total mess. I redid my ponytail and went back to the living room. Kate was on the phone with Tim, while Lily stared blankly at the TV screen.

We switched channels until we ended up on MTV, and now she was looking at some clips, but I was sure that she wasn’t paying much attention to them.

“I can’t believe it!” Kate tossed her phone on the couch.

“What happened?” Lily tried to focus on Kate.

“Tim is drunk and having fun with some girls!”

Lily tried to reassure Kate, but she had already started crying.

~Oh God, not again. Not this boyfriend drama.~ I giggled at my thought, and they both stared at me.

“What is so funny? Do you enjoy seeing me like this?” Kate raised her voice.

“Don’t be that dumb, Kate! Of course not!” I still stung from the words Kate had spoken in the car that morning.

“Then what?! Tell us! Tell us, why did you fall in love with Drew after one hookup? Did he ever promise you anything? Because you’re acting as if he did. And there is also Logan… Where does that come from?”

I glared at Kate. Lily was silent, but I was sure that I saw horror in her eyes. She was afraid of my argument with Kate.

“When did my best friend become such a bitch?” I shot back. “You’re acting like I am nothing to you. Like my feelings are the most annoying thing in the world! But you should know me better than anyone, you even know me better than my mom!”

“Becca…I want you to become yourself! You were a self-confident, stunning girl with a hot body. Now you’re just a smarty pants, a pale copy of yourself!” Kate was not letting this go. “I haven’t even seen glimpses of the real you. I just want my Becca back! How could you be in love with a guy after one night? How?”

“It wasn’t only one night!” ~Fuck~!

“What?” Kate’s eyes widened. “When?”

“At the dorm. In your room. When Lily and you were drunk and passed out, we had sex for hours.”

“Wait…” Lily stared at me. “Is Drew the same guy you were meeting the week after the disastrous party where I’d fought with Mel?”

“What are you talking about?” Kate looked back and forth between Lily and me. I forgot that she didn’t know about that.

“Yep. He had been coming to see me that week,” I admitted sheepishly. “We ate food, we watched a movie at the open-air cinema, we talked, and I also had sex with him almost every night. I never was so greedy, but with Drew… God, it was just natural!”

“Then… that means…that at the party after the win…” Kate was speechless, which was rare. “You said it was your first time with him…”

“I didn’t want you to know. After the lunch, where he took Lil and me…I just knew…that all of it was ending there. That he wouldn’t be in a relationship with me. I…I was ashamed that I started liking him more than I should. I knew where it was going and still…”

“But Drew doesn’t sleep with someone more than once. I was sure that it was only Phoebe…” Lily shook her head in disbelief.

“Yeah... like your brother never cheats...” Shit! Why couldn’t I stop?

“What does that mean? He only kissed your neck while he was wasted.” Lily stood up and stared at me indignantly. I stared back. I noticed Kate moving closer to us.

“What do you think? Your brother fucked his precious Melanie, and minutes after that, he caught me in the hallway of their fraternity house…”

“When? What did he do?” they both whispered, stunned by my revelations.

“The day we met at the dorm for the first time, Lil... Logan kissed me, and I am sure that if it wasn’t for Melanie searching for him, I would have had sex with him.”

I was tired of keeping secrets.

“After that, he just went back to bed, to his girlfriend, as if nothing happened. So, your brother is a cheater. And yeah, I cheated on Rob with Drew, but I was a fool, thinking that maybe... that maybe our sex meant something to him. Because, for me it did, I wanted to spend time with him. I was enjoying his company.

“We started to open up to each other. I was hoping that he would want to attempt a relationship because we were having sex... It never went like that for me before, obviously not with Adam, and also not with Chase. Chase is an experienced guy, and he knows how to make you feel good.

“I even gave Drew a blowjob, like some slut. So now you know the whole story without any secrets. I hope you’re happy.”

It felt like there wasn’t anything more to be said, so I told Lily, “I will wait for your parents to come back, and then I will drive home. It will be better that way. For everyone.”

I turned around and went to my room. I didn’t undress; I just lay on the bed and pulled the covers over me. I didn’t even notice that tears were pouring from my eyes. My body started shaking.

My crying was silent, and I buried my face in the pillow. Suddenly, I felt an arm wrapping around my waist from behind. Then someone lay down on the other half of the bed, placing a hand on my cheek.

I opened my eyes and saw Kate’s face before me. Then I heard Lily’s voice whispering in my ear.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner? We were thinking that you were acting stupid. We thought you made it up, your feelings for Drew.”

“Nina told me what happened at the bonfire, what she saw in Drew’s eyes, the way he was looking at you… I just shrugged her off. I honestly thought that she was wrong because I thought that… that he just felt sorry for you…”

“And... I saw how my brother looked at you a few times, and his behavior at the party; it shouldn’t leave any doubts. But I wanted to believe that it was only platonic for him…”

“Oh God, Becca, I am so sorry! We were so blind... Fuck! I am such a shitty friend…”

They were both crying now, but they still wanted to comfort me. I appreciated it. Lily’s grip on my waist tightened, I placed my hand on hers and gave it a little squeeze.

Kate’s tear-streaked face leaned closer until it was just inches away from my face. I softened up completely.

“It was just so embarrassing... I didn’t want you to know what a whore I was,” I confessed. “I answered Logan’s kiss the second day after I met him, knowing that he had a girlfriend. And Drew... His proposal that night was so out of the blue, and still, I went with him.

“I was confused about Logan’s behavior and his sudden appearance at the parking lot, so I think it was the reason why I agreed to sleep with Drew in the first place. But when he touched me for real, everything just disappeared.” The memories that I kept replaying, that I had tried so hard to push aside the past weeks, all came back to me at once.

“We barely slept that night... I guess I had four or even five orgasms in a row... We continued to see each other the week after, and I was okay with it, thinking that I could manage to be with him without any strings attached.

“On the third night, I realized that I had started to have feelings for him, for the real him. When I saw how he acted toward me on campus and with Phoebe at the party, I was hurt. But then he found me after the game... Our sex in his room... it felt different, like I meant something to him.”

“He was gentle and passionate at the same time... Fucking hell, that’s why I had hopes about him. I was so glad that he chose me over Phoebe that night. And it felt so damn good when he hugged me in his sleep.”

“He went to my room and waited for me to finish my studies, he kissed me like he never had before. It was so tender and full of warmth... But when you came into the room, Lil, he changed. He acted coldly, he became indifferent to me. So, I cracked and went for a walk after lunch...”

“Did you know that he waited for me? Of course, you know... He wanted to find out what happened. He hugged me and tried to reassure me, and I saw something in his eyes... but I guess it was nothing after all, since he then went to Phoebe, and now he’s dating her.” When I ended my story, there was a distinctly bitter taste left over in my mouth.

“Becca... I am so sorry for all my words and”—Kate sobbed— “why did you hide it?”

“I dunno. I was afraid to tell you this because it would have meant that it was real. I myself had been cheated on before and still, I kissed the guy that was already taken.”

“I knew that Drew is the sluttiest boy of our college and still, I managed to fall for him. I was ashamed of myself. I was stupid that I let the situation come to this… Admitting it to myself wasn’t easy, saying it aloud was frightening.”

“Well, we were shitty friends, and we just need to accept it,” Lily said. “Becca, please, stay… We will make it up to you… I won’t let Drew or Logan hurt you. They are both jerks and deserve their bitchy girlfriends. Has Logan ever apologized to you?”

“Kind of…”

“I will give him hell!” Lily exclaimed. But when she saw me stiffen, she softened. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t tell him that I know something…”

“No. It will turn the Christmas holidays into a disaster…and your parents don’t deserve that. I would be grateful if we could spend some time without Logan and Drew. As much time as possible… That would make me feel good.”

“Promise.” Lily loosened her grip on my waist and turned to lie on her back. Kate laid on her back too, so I was in the middle.

“Promise. The only thing…,” Kate murmured.

“Tim. I know.” I looked at Kate.

“You can be with him, and I will keep Becca company. I will show her my hometown, my favorite places…” Lily offered.

“I will be with you as much as I can. I promise. I want to earn your faith in me again,” Kate muttered quietly.

“I love you, guys. I should have come to you sooner,” I whispered.

“Does Nina know about all of that?” Kate asked in a strangled voice.

“No, Kate. Nina is my harbor of calm in this hell of a storm. I just like to spend time with her.”

“Okay, but still, I am jealous…”

“I know… The three of you are my friends, and you all matter to me. So, maybe you could go to your rooms, and we will get some sleep?”

“What? There is plenty of space for all of us. We’re not leaving you,” Lily said it so severely, I was sure they intended to do precisely that.

“Yeah. What if you change your mind and leave? Like you did after the bonfire party… Nah, we will sleep with you.”

“Gosh... goodnight, then,” I said as I closed my eyes. Soon, we were sound asleep on my bed.