I wasn’t sure about the gay couple part. In fact, I didn’t know what to believe about Kurt and Bernie. They could’ve been Navy SEALs or trained killers for all I knew. “Yeah.”

“No way.” She put her hand up to my forehead to check my temperature.

“Yes way. They restrained Marty and Vincent showed up and beat the shit out of him. I thought Vincent was going to kill him.”

Riley gasped. “Wow! I’m sure he was just protecting you though, right?”

“Yeah, but it was way overboard. Marty wasn’t even doing anything threatening. We were just talking outside my door when he was tackled.”

Her voice lowered. “But he could have done something. It can happen in a split second.”

I shook my head. “Still. You don’t go as far as Vincent did. He was punching and kicking Marty so hard I thought he was going to die. Plus, he lied to me. He asked me before if I wanted a security team and I told him no and he ignored my answer completely. It makes me feel so small and powerless!” I began to cry.

Riley pulled me to her and hugged me. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

I sobbed into her shoulder. “I don’t know what to do, Riley.”

“Are you afraid Vincent’s going to hurt you?” Her words were careful.

“No, I don’t think he’ll hurt me. But then again I didn’t know he was capable of what he did to Marty. I don’t know if I can trust him. I don’t know what to think.”

“You said he cheated on you with that chick Ariel, right? Then fuck him. Let him go surfing with sharks and have his dick get bitten off.”

“I saw a text from Ariel saying she enjoyed riding his cock—and I freaked out. But Vincent explained that she was referring to his company’s new surfboard called the Shuttlecock.”

She pulled back and looked at me. “Are you serious? You have to be kidding.” She laughed. “That’s hilarious. What a clever name.”

“No it’s not! It’s stupid.”

“A shuttlecock in badminton moves back and forth through the air—kind of like how a surfboard moves across a wave. Plus it has the word ‘cock’ in it. You have to admit that’s pretty genius marketing.”

Apparently I wasn’t the target audience. “You’re the worst.”

She laughed. “Aw, I’m sorry Kris. I’m listening.” She led me by the hand and we took a seat on the couch.

Riley whipped out her phone and began pecking at it. “Looks like there really is a surfboard named that. It’s got rave reviews already. People are saying they love the handling but the best part is the name. So I don’t think he was lying to you. It was just an innocent misunderstanding.”

“He lied about the security team though. And he acted like a psycho. He told me it was because his younger sister Giselle had an abusive boyfriend and he beat that guy up.”

“Sounds like he’s a knight with shining abs.”

Her tone was starting to piss me off. I needed my best friend to take me seriously. “Or a guy with a temper problem. I never knew Vincent had that side to him.”

That wiped the smile off her face. “Stop it. Vincent’s totally different from Marty. He had a good reason for doing what he did. Marty hurt you before and I can see why Vincent reacted the way he did. Hell, if I was here when Marty showed up, I’d probably mace first, ask questions later.”

She put her phone back in her pocket and rested her hand on my knee. “Give Vincent a chance. He’s not perfect. You showed him your baggage, now he’s shown you his. Take some time to think about it.”

That was a good point about baggage. “I get where Vincent’s coming from, but I don’t know if we’re going to work out. There’s so much drama in my life—Vincent, Marty, work stuff. I really wish things were simpler. I don’t know if I can handle all the chaos right now. I’m pretty close to a total breakdown.”

Riley looked at me searchingly. “Are you thinking of breaking up with Vincent?”

I sighed. “Maybe. Or at least taking a break from our relationship.”

She took my hand gently in hers. “To me it sounds like Vincent really cares about you. And I mean really. He got you a freaking security team. And from what you’ve told me over the past few weeks, you really care about him too. Am I right?”

“Of course I care about him.”

“This is only your first fight as a couple, right?”

“Well, it’s our second. The first one happened after I met Ariel. This one is much bigger.”

“So it’s your first major fight. That’s pretty normal considering how long you’ve been seeing each other. I usually have major fights in the first few weeks.”

“The circumstances aren’t normal at all. Lying about security teams and mauling exes isn’t normal.”

“Lies are pretty common, Kris. People have been forgiven for far worse lies than covering up an attempt to be overprotective against a psycho ex-boyfriend.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s a strong case.”

Her blue eyes became serious. “Kristen, you’ve always been afraid of consequences since I’ve known you. You’re afraid of getting hurt and that makes perfect sense given what you’ve been through. Your relationship with Vincent is a risk for sure. He could hurt you emotionally but you could also hurt him. But what relationship isn’t a risk? Sometimes you have to take a risk because the reward is worth it.”

I groaned. “You sound like Vincent talking about risk-taking.”

She smiled. “Do I? Have you considered that maybe Vincent sounds like me?”

A grin spread on my lips. I didn’t know how she did it, but Riley always knew how to make me smile in the worst circumstances. “He definitely does not sound like you. You’ve got a dirtier mind.”

Her smile turned wicked. “And proud of it. So are you going to be okay? Or do we need to go to Savage Hunks to cheer you up? They’re still open at this hour you know.”

The last thing I needed right now was to see more muscled men causing a commotion. I needed peace tonight. “As tempting as that sounds, I think I’m okay now. At least a lot better than before.”

She squeezed my hand. “I’ll be here for you, whatever you need.”

I squeezed her hand back. “Thanks Riley.”

***

I didn’t have work the next day since it was Saturday. Thank goodness because I didn’t think I’d be able to get any work done with everything spinning in my mind. Although I had been exhausted the previous night, I still had difficulty falling asleep.

Unfortunately, that didn’t stop me from waking up at the usual seven. Habit can be a bitch sometimes.

I immediately checked my phone and realized I had turned it off the previous night. Remembering why I had done so, I chose to leave it off. Still groggy but unusually hungry, I decided to start the morning with a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausage, hoping the meal would help me fall back asleep.

Fortunately it did the trick. I ended up sleeping well into the afternoon. I woke up and immediately went to the couch to veg out in front of the TV. There was a lot on my mind and I wanted to drown it out, which is why I tuned into Bridezillas—my guilty pleasure. Except I felt no guilt watching it, only pure unadulterated pleasure.

Just when a bride’s grandmother said she looked like a slut in her chosen wedding gown, I heard a rustling across the hall. I looked out my peephole and saw Kurt and Bernie moving boxes from their apartment. I’d barely gotten to know them and they were already moving out. Bernie’s face was looking a lot better without all the blood, although it was a bit swollen. His deep tan made it less noticeable, though.

I thought about stepping out to say something to them but everything I could think of sounded awkward: “Thanks for beating up my ex-boyfriend yesterday . . . I think? How do you two know Vincent? So . . . do you guys tan together?”

I ended up watching them for a few minutes then returning to my show.

They didn’t have much stuff, so after a few hours, I heard them finish and lock up. I spent the rest of the day vegging out on the couch, thinking about my situation.

I was still upset with Vincent even though I knew he cared about me and I cared about him. It only made it that much more painful that he lied to me. There were trust issues Vincent and I had to work out and that would take time and effort.

Then there was the issue of work. Carl was feeding me opportunities and I’d been snapping them up, which made me busier and busier. Vincent seemed to be in a similar situation with his company occupying most of his time the past few weeks.

Even though my employers hadn’t found out about my relationship with Vincent, it was still becoming a problem. It needed work and neither of us had the time to do it—at least not without making significant sacrifices.

When the latest episode ended with the bride literally pulling chunks of her own hair out, I came to the conclusion that I was going to take a break from my relationship with Vincent. I couldn’t keep going with things the way they were. If I didn’t make a change, I would lose my mind.

***

On Sunday afternoon I finally gave in to turning on my phone. I was going to call Vincent and tell him we should take a break. Closing my bedroom door, I picked up my phone from the nightstand and turned it on. There were a bunch of unread text messages—some of them new and some of them from Friday when I ran out of the restaurant.

I ignored the messages and called him.

He answered on the first ring. “Kristen?”

His silky voice had its usual effect on me even though I knew to prepare for it. “Vincent . . .”

He released an audible exhale and I could picture his chest lowering from the release of air. “I’m so glad to hear your voice. I thought I wasn’t going to hear from you again and that scared me.”

“Hey Vincent. Listen . . . I need to tell you something.” I had to push this conversation forward before Vincent’s persuasive hold took effect. Otherwise, I’d begin doubting my decision. Fortunately, it was much easier to resist him on the phone than in person.