Chapter 154

Her best friend didn't seem to mind or care about the accusation since it was true, “I called Tyler, you know?”

Usually Lexi would try to end the conversation or change the topic whenever Tyler's name was mentioned, but now Lily's revelation piqued her interest, “You did? Why?”

“Oh look who suddenly wants to talk about Tyler…”

“Lily please. You didn't talk to him about me, did you?” If she did then her friend had definitely crossed a line.

“Relax. I'm getting married next week, remember? And Tyler is still my friend. I called to make sure he got the invitation and was going to honor it,”

The thought of seeing Tyler again sent a chill down Lexi's spine. She would never be able to face him again after she'd literally thrown herself and bore her heart to him, only to get rejected. He didn't want to be in her life anymore. Those had been his words, and judging from the silence on his part since she she left Olkfield, he'd meant every word.

But there was nothing she could do about it. Seeing as Lily had decided that she was going to marry Daniel, a friend of Victor who she'd been dating for about six months now. She seemed to be really into him, and just one week after he'd proposed, they were already planning their hasty wedding.

“He said he won't be attending,” Lily supplied the information although Lexi hadn't asked, “Apparently he's going to be very busy to attend but I'm sure he'll send over a generous gift,”

Oh boo hoo, Lexi thought bitterly. Knowing Tyler, she knew his reason for not showing up wasn't because he was going to be too busy. He simply didn't want to see her. The thought shouldn't have broken her heart even more, given as she didn't really want to see him either, but it still hurt.

Her life was a mess. Her engagement had ended. She'd fallen in love with her best friend, a man who didn't want her anymore. She'd lost her best friend and her father was still furious with her over this thing with Victor.

It was probably a good thing Tyler wouldn't show. The last thing she wanted was for him to see how terrible she felt and looked, but this was just another brutal reminder of all she'd lost, and it hurt like hell.

“I always knew there was something between you and Tyler,” Lily told her, “You might not have noticed it all these years, but a part of me did, and truth be told, I think the both of you make a lot more sense together than you and my brother ever did. I honestly hope you sort things out,”

—------------

Lexi was not a violent person, but as the man she was currently looking at —the one who looked disturbingly similar to her ex best friend—unfolded his long, lean body from the backseat of the limo, she quietly began plotting Lily's murder.

No, it couldn’t possibly be him.

Lily had told her that he wasn't coming to the wedding. Assured her even. There was no way that her wedding day surprise Lily had repeatedly enticed her with was Tyler! Now could Lily expect her to stand up in a wedding, much less spend a few days before the ceremony in the villa, with the biggest mistake who had ever walked out of her life.

The on and off sickness she'd been feeling for a while now came back in full force as Tyler slipped off his glasses, revealing a familiar pair of heavy-lidded, come-hither, green bedroom eyes. Eyes that had melted her with a mere glance, reduced her knees to mashed potatoes and her head to scrambled eggs.

Oh shi— A blast of emotions tore through her insides with the velocity of a tropical storm, misfiring the synapses in her brain and tangling her intestines into knots.

She turned from the front window and looked to her friend for an explanation. For an assurance that there was no way that this was actually happening.

Lily flashed her a look seeped in guilt and offered a weak, “Surprise.”

Oh, no.

Lexi's heart slid down from her chest, weaved around her internal organs and settled just north of her ovaries. Her knees felt as if they might give out, and the bagel she’d had for breakfast was in danger of making a repeat performance all over the rug. This could not be happening.

Feeling woozy, she lowered herself onto the couch. She glanced out the window and saw that men were at the back of the limo now, collecting Tyler's luggage. Soon they would be coming inside. Her stomach launched into an Olympic-caliber backflip with a triple twist.

Lily sat down on the opposite end of the couch, far enough away to hopefully avoid any flying fists. “I know you probably want to kill me right now, but I can explain.” She said.

Oh, yeah, she definitely had to die. And it would be slow and painful. Stung to death by African bees, or drained by a million leeches. “Lily, what did you do?”

“I have a very good explanation.”

There was no good explanation. And there was only one thing Lexi could do. She needed to grab her things, slip out the back, and leave. She made a mental list of her belongings and tried to estimate how long it would take to shove them back into her bag. Oh, to hell with her clothes. She had plenty more back home. All she really needed was her laptop and purse. She could grab them both and be out the back door in two minutes. Tyler would never have to see her. She was still too embarrassed to face him, plus she'd be doing exactly what he asked her to do since he didn't want her as a friend or in his life in any form.

“This was a surprise for him, too, right? Does he know I'm here?”

Lily clamped her bottom lip between her teeth, eyes pinned in her lap, and Lexi felt the bagel creeping farther up her throat.

“He knows.”

Wonderful. Just freaking fantastic. Now if she ran, Tyler would know he’d scared her off. Even worse, he’d had time to prepare for this. He would do and say all the right things. Oh, who was she kidding? Tyler was not the type of guy who needed to prepare.

Oh boy, she was in big trouble.