Chapter 3

Three days after our talk, Ray texted me with the details of his arrival.

I walked into the airport and scanned the baggage claim area to see if Ray had arrived yet. Several people stood watching luggage tumble onto the conveyor.

I looked across the sea of people trying to keep my mind off the fact that Ray’d be spending the next months with me. Then, I spotted him. He still looked the same. His hair was pinned up with a few loose curls hanging down. He was wearing a navy T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans with tennis shoes.

Maybe it was me, but he had a dark cloud hanging over him. There were shadows under his eyes, and his skin was a bit pale.

I waved a hand in the air until I caught his attention.

“Ray! Over here!”

Something strange crossed his face, and I couldn’t read what it was. He crossed the airport to greet me. The closer he got, the harder my stomach twisted.

“Hey there, Supergirl,” Ray said, with a smile. But the smile didn’t bring any light to his eyes. He was carrying a black bag onto his shoulder. I reached to take it from him out of habit, but he gently pulled away.

“Thanks, it’s okay. I’ve got it.”

We walked toward the exit. “How was your flight?”

“It was good. I was tired, so I slept for most of the flight.”

“How has the weather been in Boston?”

“It has been pretty cold. It really seems much colder here than I anticipated.” There was something about Ray that just seemed ... absent.

I definitely had to talk with my friend and ask him what was going on.

“My car is parked not far away,” I said, taking his arm.

Ray gave me a nod in acknowledgment and walked with me, his mouth a thin line. We got into the car and drove back to Middletown.

“So, how come you’re coming alone, Ray? Last time we talked, you were in a very steady relationship with a rich chick ... Annie?”

“Amy. I even bought her a diamond ring, and she said yes,” Ray said, in a very sad voice.

“What went wrong?”

Ray swallowed and took his time preparing his next words.

“Amy clearly didn’t care about the commitment. I found out she had been cheating on me for the entire duration of our relationship with some of my co-workers and others.”

Whoa, no wonder he looked so gloomy. “Even while you were engaged?”

“Yep.”

“How did you find out?”

“Whenever we were together, Amy was constantly getting texts. When I asked her who was texting her, she didn’t tell me. I knew in my gut something was up. One day, my phone pinged with a text. So I picked it up. I honestly thought it was mine, we had the same phone.”

Ray closed his eyes and slumped back against his seat. His face was a mask of pain.

“It was a photo of Amy deepthroating a guy. At first, I was stunned; I just stood there and looked at the photo, unable to react. Then, the anger started to build and I began checking her gallery and messages.” Ray paused, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath trying to calm down. “It was worse than I expected. She had been sleeping around throughout our relationship. It wasn’t just a guy, but lots of them. Most of them from her father’s company. My workplace. It was like being hit by a truck. One moment I was well and happy, and the next I felt like dying.”

Tears started to fall from his eyes. I squeezed his hand and gave Ray a sympathetic smile.

“You don’t have to talk about this, Ray. I shouldn’t have asked.”