“No.” I shook my head. “No. I need to talk to her. I’ll explain it.”
I pushed my hand against the door to slide past Kinsley, and I shoved it harder than I’d meant to. It whipped out of Kinsley’s hand and slammed against the wall, hard. Kinsley’s eyes went round as saucers and Becca stepped closer, protecting her. From me.
Fuck, this was going wrong.
“Andie!” I shouted, trying to get her to come out and talk to me.
“Stop it, you lunatic!” Kinsley stepped forward and held her hand up to my chest. “Jesus, she’s had the worst day of her life. Don’t make this harder for her.”
I stepped back and slid my hands through my hair, feeling powerless on the threshold of their flat.
“Look, I wasn’t lying about ending my betrothal.” I raised my voice. “ANDIE! I WASN’T LYING.”
Kinsley winced. “Stop! Jesus, Freddie. You’re making a scene.”
She had the door in her hand again and she was trying to close it, to push me out of the flat and out of Andie’s life. I wouldn’t let her do it.
“Kinsley, you have to tell her I didn’t invite Caroline here. I didn’t know she’d be in that limo with Georgie. This is all a jumbled mess, but I’ll figure it out. I’ll…”
Kinsley was shaking her head and staring up at me with a mixture of pity and—worse—hatred. I sounded crazy, and she didn’t believe me. Bloody hell.
I wasn’t going to let them speak for me. I wasn’t going to let them muddle the facts and confuse Andie. I already looked crazy, so I shoved past them. I didn’t know which bedroom was Andie’s, but two of the doors off the living room were open and empty, so the one closest to me, the one with the closed door had to be hers. I knew she was in there, but I wasn’t going to barge in. I’d give her that much. I stood outside the door as Kinsley and Becca shouted at me that they were going to call whatever the Brazilian 911 was. God, I was causing a scene. I knew I was being a prick, but I couldn’t let this get any further out of hand. I was falling for Andie. I was falling for her so bloody hard and so bloody fast that the idea of losing her over a misunderstanding seemed unfathomable.
“Andie, please come talk to me,” I begged.
Kinsley gripped my arm with surprising strength, trying to tug me back. I hardly recognized this version of myself, this lovesick dog.
“Andie, please,” I begged again, pressing my hand up to the door as if she could see it through the cheap particle board. “Last night was the best night of my life. I need you to know that…”
There were no sounds coming from her room, nothing to indicate my pleas were even reaching her. I was pouring my heart out to a white door.
“Freddie, you need to go…” Kinsley said, holding up her phone. “My husband Liam is on his way.”
I squeezed my eyes closed and fisted my hand against her door. I had to leave. I had practice and I wasn’t about to get escorted out like a psychopath. I turned away from her door and brushed past Kinsley and Becca without another word. I walked up to my flat and gathered my swimming gear. I was late for practice and Coach was going to chew me out…but I couldn’t seem to care.
A heavy fog lingered around me, even in the pool. The water was usually my escape, but that day, my heart wasn’t in it. I swam slow, ignored my coach, and left right after practice, not even bothering to wait for Thom.
I tried to reach out to her one last time before bed.
Freddie: Please give me a few days to get this sorted. I never lied to you. I’m ending my betrothal.
She responded right away.
Andie: Of course you are. Is that before or after your “winter wedding”?
Freddie: Where are you? Can we meet somewhere? We need to talk.
Andie: Save it for your fiancée.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Andie
THE ANGER I felt toward Freddie paled in comparison to the self-loathing that had settled in the pit of my stomach since the day before. I had known Freddie was betrothed. He’d been perfectly honest about that from the start. I’d been the one to fall into a fairytale. I’d let my fantasies get the better of me, until reality sank in like a hot sharp knife.
The harshest reality?
That I was stupid enough to fall for a man who’d been unavailable from the start. I was surrounded by a fucking all-you-can-eat buffet of sexy single athletes, yet I’d chosen one of the few that were off limits.
That’s stupidity at its finest.