Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 47854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
All I had thought about for the past week, and really for the past 10 years, was how much of an ass Luke was, but thinking back on it, I’d seen part of his wonderful side too. I watched him take his job as best man to Kent very seriously, I’d seen the way he cared for all of the guys when we were over in Puerto Rico, and I even overheard him telling Cody how he really felt about me when we were on the plane on the way over.
“Yeah,” I said. “He’s pretty great. I mean, he can be a dick.”
“What man isn’t?” Cece replied and I laughed. “If he’s that great, and obviously all those guys are great, why wouldn’t you go back to them?”
“Do I have to retell you the scorecard story?” I said.
“No, I heard it, but guess what? Men do stupid shit. They think with the heads below their waists before they think with the ones above it. They all admitted that none of them actually kept track of the points, it was only Luke, and he probably did it to boost his own ego. Guys do dumb stuff when they want to feel better about themselves. And with you walking around, it’s hard to feel like the top dog. You’re hot stuff.” I laughed. I knew that the guys would agree. “Besides, are you really comfortable with being the reason their friendship falls apart? He’s clearly what holds them together, and if you don’t go home, he’s gonna leave and they’ll completely unwind.”
I hadn’t thought about it that way. I didn’t want to be the reason that they stopped being friends, and even if it was their actions that led to their downfall, I could get over the scorecard, but they would never recover from Luke leaving for Miami. If the scorecard didn’t exist, they may not have ever even made a move.
“So, what are you gonna do?” Cece asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
I clicked out of the video and saw the single notification still hanging at the corner of my voicemail app. I still hadn’t listened to Luke’s voicemail. I clicked the app and pressed play on Luke’s voicemail and brought my phone to my ear.
It started with a huge sigh and then silence. I could hear Luke breathing, maybe even sniffling, but then he finally took a deep breath and started. “Khloe, listen. I’m not going to apologize for the scorecard anymore. Not because you don’t deserve an apology, but because no amount of sorry that I could say could make up for how demeaning and stupid that was. You mean the world to me and all of the guys, and we knew that you were different from the beginning. I forgot it even existed until I fell out and then I filled it out, for what? Did I expect it to make my dick grow?” He let out a little growl. “You know, it was partly your fault too. You’re so fucking sexy that we all started dreaming up these fantastical things to do with you. We didn’t honestly think we’d get to, but then you came out the gate a complete freak, and it was kind of hot for me to see all the things we’d already done.” He grumbled again. “That’s no excuse, and I’m not actually blaming you. I’m not even asking you to forgive me, but don’t drag the guys into my stupidity. Mason, Brett, Christian, David, Cody, and Bram; those are good guys. They’ll take amazing care of you, and I know you’ll be happy with them. Don’t let me ruin this for them. Go be with them, and I’ll step back. That’s what they deserve, and so do you.” He sniffled. “I love you, Khloe. I just want you to be happy.”
Tears started to streak down my face. He’d done the exact same thing the other guys had done. He defended them. They really loved each other, and I loved them too. The line went dead from Luke’s voicemail, but I kept the phone pressed to my ear. Part of me was hoping that if I kept it there, I would hear Luke’s voice again, saying wonderful things to me, and assuring me that the scorecard meant nothing.
“I’m so loved,” I whimpered to Cece.
“Seems like it,” she said. “So what the fuck are you doing here?”
I jumped up from the couch, dropping my phone in the process, and bolted into the spare bedroom I’d been staying in. “I gotta go!”
Cece ran in after me. “Wait, call them! Tell them so that they can stop Luke!”
“Right!” I said. I turned around to head back for my phone.
“Wait!” Cece said. “You need to book a flight! Every second you wait, could be another second wasted.”