Reject Me (Kin #5)(30)
Author: Jennifer Foor

Fine. I’ll take the blame. I did lie. In the beginning I cheated on you. However, I did not sleep with that chick like she said. I haven’t been with her in a long ass time. She was doing that to get to you. I swear on my life, Pey. – Jamey

Save your story for someone who cares. I’m over it. Move on with whomever you want. I’m not wasting anymore time on us. – Peyton

So I guess this means you don’t love me anymore? Is it that easy for you to move on, because I’m having a hard time thinking about anything besides you. – Jamey

You can’t do this to me. – Peyton

Do what? Care? I need you. – Jamey

You need to get your dick wet. I know you, Jamey. This isn’t about feelings. You’re too selfish to care about me the way I wanted you to. I know now that there are other men out there that can be real. – Peyton

Who? That Wayne guy? – Jamey

None of your business. Stop messaging me. I don’t want to talk to you. – Peyton

I’m not stopping until you answer me. I won’t give up until I know for sure that there’s no chance for us. I’m going to prove to you that I’ve changed. – Jamey

The answer is no. I don’t love you anymore, Jamey. In fact, I don’t know if it was ever love. Now leave me alone. – Peyton

I traced over her words and felt sick to my stomach. She’d given me the devastating blow that I was afraid of getting. She’d made it clear that we didn’t have a chance. I’d screwed up and lost out on being with her. My ego couldn’t take anymore negativity.

Since my brother and Lacey were spending a week at the beach I decided to drive the half hour and go hang out with them. After being rejected by Peyton the last thing I wanted to do was sit alone at my apartment thinking about what could have been.

Joey and Lacey were pretty cool about me staying with them. The place they were staying in was owned by her family, and it had plenty of room for me to stay out of their way. Ford and Sky showed up the next day, and once again I felt like the odd man out.

On the third night, which happened to be a Friday, we all went out to a local restaurant, which happened to have entertainment after nine. They’d planned to get a bite to eat and stick around until the band started.

I hadn’t been out in so long, and it wasn’t like I felt like going. Still, the girls convinced me that I needed to break out of my shell.

We’d been there for about an hour when I saw someone who literally made my head turn. First I spotted Shayne, his wife, and the twins, but at the same table as them was Peyton. She looked so beautiful. Her tan made her skin glow, and her blonde hair looked almost white. I sat there on a barstool staring at her, until Joey saw who I was looking at. “Did you know she was at the beach?”

“I’m not surprised. She likes it here. Her family comes a few times a year to stay at their place.”

“Are you goin’ to talk to her?” He was almost having to shout over the loud crowd of people that surrounded the bar.

“Probably not.”

“That’s your call, bro.”

Joey went back to talking to our group, while I sat there watching the woman I was in love with. She was smiling, laughing, and seemed happy. It was a surefire kick in the testicles. I could have been the one making her smile. Instead I was sitting at a bar creepily stalking her.

In a matter of minutes the situation changed. Peyton stood up from the table and started to walk toward the bathroom. I couldn’t help but get up to beat her there. She didn’t know it was me until it was too late for her to turn around. I didn’t smile, or say something to draw a reaction. Instead I stood there staring into her eyes.

“Jamey. What are you doin’ here?”

“I’m here for the week with my brother. What about you?”

She was talking to me normally, and I knew I couldn’t push it. We were being cordial for once. “Same. Shayne and Ash asked me to come. I told them I’d babysit if they wanted to go out a few nights alone.”

“That was nice of you.”

She got this disgusted look over her face as she replied. “I am a nice person, Jamey. I guess you were too busy when we were together to notice. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom.” She walked inside without waiting for me to respond.

For a few moments I stood wondering what I should do next. I surely didn’t want to stop talking to her, so I followed her into the restroom.

There were only two stalls, and I could see her feet under the door. I leaned against it as I spoke. “Pey, we need to talk.”

“Oh my God. Get out of here.”

I almost laughed. “I’m not leavin’ until you hear me out.”

“I’ll scream.”

“Please. Just listen to me.”

I heard the toilet flushing and moved away so that she could come out. I saw her feet approach the door, but she never opened it. “So talk.”

“You’re not goin’ to come out?”

“No. Just say what you need to say and then go.”

I leaned my head on the outside of the door and traced the paint as I spoke to her. This was my chance to make things right. She was listening, whether she wanted to or not.

“I’m sorry.”

“For which thing?”

She wasn’t going to make this easy. “For all of it. For lyin’ to you. For cheatin’ on you a long time ago. For takin’ you for granted, even when I knew you were the best thing about my life.”

“Did you rehearse that?”

“You don’t have to rehearse the truth. I mean every word.”

“I wish I could believe that, Jamey.” I could hear her voice cracking, as if she was getting emotional. If that was the case then it meant she didn’t hate me, not completely.

“It’s all true, baby.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“You’ll always be my baby, Pey. That name is yours forever.”

“How can you say the words forever to me? How dare you say that after all we’ve been through. I begged you to be with me, to want only me. You couldn’t do it. This conversation is a waste of time. You love yourself. Everything else is a game to you.”

“You’re wrong. I hate myself, especially for what I did to you, to us. You show me where there’s a time machine and I’d go back and make it right. I wouldn’t take you for granted, not a single day. I wouldn’t pick my friends over you, and I sure as hell wouldn’t even look at another woman, unless it was to compare how they would never be you. Don’t you get it. I want to be better, and the only way I see that happenin’ is bein’ with you. I made mistakes, I know that. I get that I hurt you, and I understand how you don’t trust me. All of that can be fixed with time. I can prove it to you, if you just give me the chance.” I was pleading, and I was okay with it. It was how I knew for certain that my feelings were real.