Chapter 16

Brandon

T onight was the night. I was finally going to get to be with Andrew. That was if he got his test results. There was no way that he hadn’t. Something crazy would have to had to have happened with the mail if not.

I paced around in my living room, waiting for my cell phone to go off with a message that he was heading home from work. My phone went off, but it was a number I didn’t recognize, so I let it go to voicemail. If it was important enough, they’d leave a message.

When the little voicemail icon appeared, I pressed the button to listen to it.

“Hello Mr. Davis, this is Haven Health Center calling regarding your test results. We’d like to discuss them with you. If you could call us back at your earliest convenience, it would be greatly appreciated.”

My heart stopped.

I never got a call about my results. I always just received the letter showing that everything was clear. What was different this time?

With shaking fingers, I looked up the number for the clinic and called them back. They connected me to a nurse almost immediately, which did nothing to settle my anxiety.

“Good afternoon, can I have you please verify your name and date of birth?”

My throat closed off, and I wanted to cry. This could be nothing, but it didn’t feel like nothing. I gave the nurse the information she needed and waited while I listened to her type through the phone.

“Here we are, Mr. Davis. Your results came back, and it appears we need to make an appointment for you and any of your recent partners.”

My stomach dropped out. “What?”

“Well, sir, as far as STDs go, it’s not that bad. Not that it’s ever good to hear...”

My ears were ringing. The room spun around me. This hadn’t ever happened before. I’d been so damn careful, which meant that my ex hadn’t. The asshole had given me test results that were all negative. Which meant he might not have been faithful while we’d been together. We’d only been dating for three months.

“Sir?”

“Yes, sorry.” I cleared my throat. “Can you say that again?” I’d missed what she’d been saying while I’d spiraled.

“Chlamydia? It’s completely treatable with a dose of antibiotics. ”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. The words wouldn’t form on my tongue, but there was something important I needed to ask, especially since I was seeing Andrew. “Can it—can it be transmitted orally?”

“It can, although it’s unlikely. If you’ve had oral sex since your last partner, your new partner might want to be treated as well to be on the safe side.”

This woman was making a big assumption about me having a new partner, but I let it slide as I thanked her and hung up the phone after she apologized for mailing the results before they’d called me. I was shaking so badly that it nearly fell out of my hands. There was a text waiting. Andrew was off of work and my eyes burned as I tried to wrap my head around how the hell I was going to tell him that things wouldn’t happen tonight, though I was glad I’d had the forethought to get tested to begin with.

I collapsed on the couch and ran my fingers through my hair. This was such a mess. Not only did I have to talk to Andrew, but it meant contacting my ex and asking him if he knew.

That should be my first step. I scrolled my contact list until I landed on his name, fighting back the anger that bubbled to the surface. Not only had he accused me of using him to make Andrew jealous, but he’d not been faithful during the few months we were together.

As the phone rang, my entire body vibrated with nerves. What if he knew and had chosen not to tell me? Were there legal consequences for that? It was just Chlamydia. It wasn’t like I’d need to be on medication for the rest of my life, but it was still embarrassing.

“Hello?”

My throat closed off the second he answered the phone. It was worse that he sounded like he didn’t know who was calling. There was the chance he’d deleted my number from his phone. I probably should have done the same, but at the moment, I was glad that I hadn’t.

“Did you know?” My voice shook as I tried not to sound too accusatory. But it was impossible. The anger festered, threatening to break free.

There was a sigh and a long pause. “Brandon? Did I know what?”

My eyes closed as I tried to steady my breathing. It was possible he didn’t. He could also be playing dumb. “I just...” my voice cracked as I tried to keep it together. “I just got off the phone with the clinic. Seems that I need to go pick up a prescription.”

The silence stretched before my ex let out another sigh. “To be honest, I just found out myself, but I thought I got it after we split, so I didn’t think about calling you.”

I wanted to laugh. “It’s barely been two weeks. What do you mean you thought you got it after we split?”

“I’m sorry. ”

That wasn’t enough, even if he sounded remorseful. It didn’t excuse that he’d been dishonest. “So, was it all an excuse to get rid of me? You’d been seeing someone else?”

He laughed. “It’s not like you were completely there with me. Not emotionally, anyway. You can deny your feelings for your friend all you want, but I never stood a chance next to him.”

I’d never meant to make him feel that way, but it didn’t excuse him for being unfaithful. “I need to let you go. I guess I’m glad you know you need to get treated.” As fast as I could, my thumb smashed the button to end the call. Now I just needed to figure out how the hell I was going to tell Andrew.

G od, why was this so hard? After lifting my fist to knock for the fifth time, I was ready to give up and go home. Knowing Andrew wouldn’t judge me didn’t make this any easier.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and when I pulled it out, I let out an audible sigh at the message.

Andrew: Are you still coming over?

I’d been there for the last twenty minutes, just standing there. It was time to get the balls and just knock .

Turned out that I didn’t need to knock when it swung open. And there was Andrew in a pair of low-slung sweats and a button-up opened to expose strong, tanned abs and a dusting of dark hair on his chest. My mouth ran dry at the sight and my eyes burned to see the candles and bottle of wine sitting on the counter. He’d wanted to make tonight special, and I was about to shit all over it.

“You’re here?”

“Yeah?” Jesus, the squeak in my voice was pathetic. If I continued, he’d think I was nervous, but it wasn’t about sex. Okay, I was totally nervous about that as well.

Andrew moved out of the doorway, leaning against the frame to let me in. I swallowed thickly as I entered his space, my hands growing slick with sweat as I took in his tiny apartment. The lights were dimmed, and he not only had candles in the kitchen, but they were on the coffee table and nightstand. It set the romantic mood that I was about to ruin. The envelopes that contained our results were leaning against the wine bottle and I finally gave into the stinging sensation behind my eyes. I quickly wiped at the tear that streaked its way down my cheek and prayed that Andrew didn’t see it.