Chapter 413

“Um, hey, Lucy,” you said. “Fancy running into you here...”

“Fuck you,” she hissed again, not letting her voice raise but putting just about as much venom as she could imagine into it. She raised her phone and thrust it at you screen first and you could see the photo you’d taken was on it. “Which one of you sent this to Eric?”

“Lucy-” Gemma started, wanting to defend you, but you cut in.

“I did, Lucy,” you said. “Because Eric is a good guy, and I owe him a lot for being a friend this summer, and I don’t owe you anything.”

“So you figure you should just blow up my relationship? What, are you jealous or something that he gets to fuck me and you never did?” Lucy sneered, still keeping her voice quiet. She turned, her face changing from vitriolic to a sweet smile as she looked over her shoulder and waved to the older guy she’d come in with, then snapped back to pissed off as she looked back at you.

“That’s literally the opposite of what he just said,” Gemma pointed out.

“Shut the hell up and stay out of it, Gemma,” Lucy scowled.

“How about you dig the wax out of your ears, Lucy,” you said. “Listen to me when I say this - back in high school, you were datable because all a teenage boy like me understood was that you were pretty and took an interest in me. And maybe I didn’t deserve what you did, but I’m way over it. I didn’t think about you for three years, and when I’ve got girlfriends like Gemma and Sabrina, why would I ever bother feeling anything towards someone with such an empty, vapid life like yours? Eric actually seems to like you, and here you are with a guy twice our age, getting pissed that you’re doing something you know you should feel guilty about. But you’re so devoid of empathy for anyone, and so self-centred, that the only thing you can think of is that I’m jealous?”

“Stay the fuck away from me,” she snarled, taking a step towards you and pointing a finger almost like she wanted to jab you in the heart with it. “Stay out of my fucking life. You’re the worst thing that’s ever happened to me and I’m glad I cheated on you.”

“If you even think of mucking about and laying hands on my man, I’ll fucking send you arse over tits you fucking scag,” Gemma said, stepping slightly between you and Lucy and uttering what might have been the most Australian thing you’d ever head her say, and in the thickest you’d ever heard her accent.

“Not necessary, love,” you said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back to you. Then you pressed your lips to her ear and whispered, “We don’t need you and Sabrina both potentially getting sued for assault.”

That made Gemma snort and smirk, which just seemed to piss off Lucy all the more. Your ex growled in her chest, which wasn’t nearly as fierce as she might have thought it was, and she actually showed her teeth in some sort of a primal display of anger before standing up straight, taking a breath and making her face blank. “Don’t ever speak to me again,” she said coldly, and you weren’t sure if it was to you or Gemma. Then she turned on her heel and strutted back to her date, skipping the last few steps and dancing into his arms as she laughed, loud and fake.

“Je-sus,” Gemma sighed, turning to you while your hand slid to her hip. “Things just got even colder at the apartment.”

“Maybe that’s a sugar daddy and she’ll move out soon,” you mumbled quietly with a smirk.