Chapter 42

     Chapter 42: Broken hearted

    LYRIC SPENCER POV

    I lay in bed, feeling empty and hollow. I couldn't believe Gavin had left me like that, without even a proper explanation.

    As I lay there, I couldn't help but think about Emilia's words. Had I been foolish to believe Gavin truly cared for me? Was I just another conquest to him?

    A wave of sadness washed over me, and I let out a sob. I had given Gavin my virginity, and he had thrown it back in my face.

    Slowly, I got out of bed, my body aching from the night's activities. I looked around my room, taking in the messy sheets and discarded clothes. It was a mess, just like my heart.

    Taking a deep breath, I began to clean up the room. I wasn't going to let Gavin Hawkins break me. I would pick myself up, dust myself off, and move on. I had been through worse.

    When I finished cleaning, I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were puffy from crying, and my skin was pale. Hickeys were scattered across my body, especially in more private areas. I felt myself blush at the thought.

    The next few days passed in a blur. Soon, it was time to face Gavin Hawkins again—not as his silly conquest, but as his tutor.

    ---

    Gavin's POV

    I messed up.

    "What's with that face? Did you bet on the wrong horse?" Iris teased, her voice light and mocking.

    "Worse," I muttered, following her into the kitchen. The smell of her famous spaghetti and meatballs filled the air, making my stomach grumble.

    "Worse?" she echoed, raising an eyebrow as she stirred the pot. "What could be worse?"

    "I overslept and missed practice," I admitted, biting into an apple from the fruit basket. It tasted sour.

    She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Shocker."

    "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

    "Ever since you slept with that girl, you've been all over the place. You've lost your focus, Gavin," she said, her tone matter-of-fact.

    "I haven't lost my focus," I argued defensively. "I'm just busy with my personal issues, that's all."

    "You literally just glanced at your phone," she pointed out.

    "I got a notification!" I protested, waving the phone in her general direction.

    Iris smirked knowingly. "Were you disappointed?"

    "I wasn't," I said with a shrug, feigning nonchalance. Of course I was! The notification was about practice and not Lyric. 

Why did she not text me?

    "Uh-huh." She didn't sound convinced.

    I took another bite of the apple, trying to ignore her smug expression.

    "Are you okay?" she asked, softening her tone.

    "I'm fine," I snapped, a little more forcefully than I intended.

    Iris crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. "No, you're not."

    "I said I'm fine," I repeated.

    "Sure you are. You've been checking your phone every five seconds. Look, you're doing it again," she said, pointing as I glanced at my phone.

    Caught in the act, I set the phone down with a sigh. "I'll get over her."

    "Sure," she mocked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You keep waiting for her to text you when you could just text her first. Phones work both ways, you know."

    "I don't want to look desperate," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. I usually did not care about my other conquest but Lyric was different. She was the best I ever had. I could not get her out of my mind, no matter how hard I tried. 

It was lost cause. 

    Iris narrowed her eyes. "You're eating an apple without obsessively washing it first. No, you're not fine."

    I hesitated, the insecurity bubbling to the surface. "What if... What if I was bad? What if I disappointed her, and that's why she hasn't called me?"

    Iris blinked in surprise. "What are you even talking about?"

    The crippling doubt felt like bullets on my skin. I couldn't help it. "What if I didn't satisfy her? What if I made things worse instead of better?"

    Normally, this was the period when the girls I slept with bombarded me with messages about when we should meet again or showered me with praise. Some sent their nudes to entice me. But with Lyric, I didn't even receive a "hi?" or a "did you get home safely?"

    Absolutely nothing. As if whatever happened that night, which haunted my sleep and my life as a whole, didn't mean a thing to her.

    She stared at me like I'd grown a second head. "Gavin, you? No way."

    "I've never slept with a virgin before," I admitted reluctantly. This was different. Every other girl had other men to compare me to. Their compliments stroked my ego every time. Now, I just felt lost.

    "You lost your virginity to me," she pointed out with a smirk.

    "That doesn't count. It was a pity fuck, and we still had our clothes on," I shot back, groaning at the memory.

    We were both stupid thirteen-year-olds back then, curious after sneaking a look at some DVDs in her parents' bedroom. Turned out the DVDs were blank, and we were just innocent kids who'd gotten carried away. When we tried "it" a week later, it was so awkward that I still cringed thinking about it.

    Iris let out a loud laugh. "Sure, Gavin."

    "Help me," I begged, clasping my hands together in a dramatic plea.

    "And do what?" she asked, looking at me like I was ridiculous.

    "You could talk to her," I suggested, taking another bite of the apple.

    "No," she said firmly.

    "Why not?"

    She folded her arms. "Do you hear yourself? You want me to walk up to this chick and be like, 'Did my best friend do a good job fucking you, or were you disappointed and needed a dildo?'"

    I shook my head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "That last part is not needed."

    "It was for my amusement," she said with a grin.

    Crossing my arms, I tilted my head, mimicking an annoyed teenager. "You're evil. Ew... Mom!"

    Iris doubled over, laughing so hard she held her stomach. Her laughter was infectious; despite my sour mood, I felt my lips twitch into a smile.

    "Yes?" Aunt Liza interrupted, her voice warm. She walked into the kitchen, holding a vase with a small plant inside.

    "Nothing, Mom," Iris and I said in unison. We looked at each other and burst into a fit of laughter.

    Aunt Liza chuckled softly. "You two will never change." She turned to Iris. "Aren't you done with the spaghetti yet?"

    Aunt Liza shook her head, a hint of amusement on her face, and left us to our own devices.

    As I placed the plates on a tray, I glanced at Iris. "Your mom still gardens?"

    "Those plants are her babies. I'm just the adopted child," Iris replied with a shrug, stirring the pot of spaghetti.

    I smiled, remembering the story behind Iris's birth. Both of her parents had fertility issues, so she was made in a lab and didn't spend a day in a uterus. In the past, she would compare herself to the plants Aunt Liza took care of.

 "She and my mom could be best friends."

    Iris's expression turned cold, and she stared at me like I was stupid. "They hate each other."

    The situation turned awkward, and I quickly glanced at my phone, which had buzzed on the counter. It was a message from Coach, asking why I hadn't attended practice.

    I sighed, feeling a bit guilty. How could I have attended practice when I couldn't stop thinking about her? I thought having sex with her would end this, but I think it only made it worse.

    During breakfast, I found my finger hovering over the dial button of my phone, but I couldn't do it. I needed to end whatever it was I was feeling for this chick. It was going to end badly for me.

    I had done what I wanted; now I needed to focus on my life.

    The only terrifying part was that we had a tutor class tomorrow. As much as I wanted to avoid her, my entire being got excited at the thought of her. Especially the tool that was stuck in her for an hour.