I scolded myself relentlessly for holding myself back because I could see it was affecting my relationship. I was more reserved and in constant need of reassurance. Yet I couldn’t open up to Jaxon and tell him about my talk with his mother. He would have called her up and given her an earful and I didn’t want to betray her trust. But then I was betraying him too by not being open and honest. Fuck, how did I get myself caught in the middle? They both meant so much to me, and to have them at odds with one another by opening my mouth was the last thing I wanted. They had a great relationship, after all, and I didn’t want to be the reason for any falling-out.

I swallowed it down and plodded through the year. Exams were a bitch because I could hardly concentrate. I was caught up with my own insecurities, and my lack of sleep for having picked up more shifts at the bar was starting to hit me hard. I became a stress-ball, spending as much time at the library whenever I had any free time. I couldn’t afford to lose my scholarship on top of everything else.

I saw Jaxon less and less. It got to the point he would show up at the bar during my shifts, still in his messy work clothes, watching me contentedly while he sipped a few beers with Trevon.

Even filthy, he was irresistible, and every girl in the bar knew it. Of course there were times he would shower before showing up, and when that happened, they literally flocked to him like flies to a bulb, and I had to laugh at the way he brushed each and every one of them off, bluntly telling them he was taken.

Some of these girls were beautiful. Not in the fake sense either, but totally real and beautiful, and incredibly nice. When they’d hear he was taken they didn’t try and pursue, but rather took it like champs, wishing him the best.

Still. I hated it. My mind darkened and I’d wonder if he brushed them off because I was in the same room as him. He used to be such a player, flirting up a storm even if he had no intention of going further. This was before us, but just how did someone change in the blink of an eye? My mind answered. They don’t, Sara. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and Jaxon has always come off as the overnighter change.

Then one night, my worst fears came true during my shift. It was a Friday night, and the bar was packed. I was running like mad, serving drinks, taking orders, chatting with regulars who knew me well.

“Holy shit,” I heard a familiar voice exclaim. “Sara!”

I spun around and came face to chest with a really tall guy. I blinked up at his face and smiled wide. “Doug!”

Doug Mackenzie, holy shit. If it hadn’t been for that unchanging face, I wouldn’t have known who he was. He was huge now, same height: six foot five and rolling in muscle. I snickered to myself, remembering the awkward and lanky boy two years ago, and couldn’t wait to tell Jaxon when I got home.

“How are you?” I asked, noticing Lexi stop dead in her tracks to check him out.

“Great, yeah, just moved to Winthrop two weekends ago.”

“That’s great. What’re doing with yourself lately?”

“Got my fitness training certificate. Officially a training instructor, and best place to do that would be in the city, right?”

I nodded. “Absolutely. A lot of fat people here.”

He laughed. “Yeah, there are. How about you?”

“Yeah, good.”

“Is this your full time job?”

“No, I’m studying at UW. Law. Will be done second year in the next couple months.”

“Holy shit. That’s awesome.” He smiled genuinely at me, his brown eyes twinkling on his tanned face. “You still hanging around Jaxon Barlow? I remember how inseparable you guys used to be.”

“Inseparable? I wouldn’t say that.”

“I would, and so would everyone else. I was crushed when he took you to Prom.”

I snorted. “What a load of shit, you never showed me any interest!”

He gave me a confused look. “Yeah, I did. I was all over you.”

“No way. I waited for you to ask me to Prom and you didn’t. No one did, actually. That’s why Jaxon took me.” I flushed at embarrassingly admitting that no one batted me an eye.

He burst out laughing. “That’s because Jaxon threatened to beat the living shit out of anyone who came within a foot of you with intentions to take you out.”

I froze and stared wide eyed at him as my jaw dropped. “What?”

“Yeah, he did. He was stronger than me. Bet now he isn’t, right? Please tell me he’s turned into some hobo.”

“He’s my boyfriend.” The words came out quiet. I looked away as I tried to come to grips with this revelation. “Look, I gotta get back to work. Are you at a table?”

“Yeah, my boys are waiting in the back over there.” He motioned to a table where three large guys sat, staring at us. When they saw us look their way, they hooted, cheering Doug on. Idiots were making the wrong assumptions.

“I’ll be with you shortly.” I took off before he could respond and found a quiet corner in the kitchen, pretending to refill the straw and napkin containers.

I was angry. No. Livid. How could he? He was damn well aware how much being ignored before Prom had made me feel. What the fuck? This was one of those moments I was glad he wasn’t here and instead at home with Trevon. There would have been a scene along the lines of me kicking his ass. He lied to me!

I grabbed my cell phone from my purse in the back room and talked myself into writing a snide message. It was childish and I knew I’d regret it later on, but I was so angry at being lied to.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. As I swiped my finger across the screen, I saw an unread message in my inbox from a private number. When I opened the message, I nearly dropped the phone.

It read: So much for a faithful boyfriend. Jaxon isn’t as he seems, huh? Below the text was a blurry photo of Jaxon. Kissing a girl.

It was a side view, and the girl was tall, thin with red long hair, and her fists bunched in the collar of Jaxon’s shirt. Despite the blurriness, I knew it was him as clear as day. I could easily make out the chin length hair and the clothes he’d bought only a couple months ago – the black rocker shirt and deep blue denim jeans.

Tears fell from my eyes. I was breathing wildly and shaking. My teeth shuddered against one another as I stared in shock at my unfaithful boyfriend. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the image.