All The Wrong Reason episode 17
đ¸ALL THE WRONG REASONSđ¸
đšEPISODE SEVENTEENđš
Adrienne took out a pair of two-piece suit from the bag
she brought with her when she first went to her friendsâ
room. Now that sheâd relieved herself of Troyâs chains, and
Kimberly had just shown her that she is not entirely prudent
like she appeared to be, Adrienne thought that thereâs no
harm in wearing a perfectly decent two-piece suit. If her
parents arrived in the evening and if her mother lectured
her on the virtues of being prudent, she must remember to
point out that her favorite daughter did more than wear a
piece of revealing clothing.
When she finished dressing, she was happy to see
that her suit highlighted her flat tummy, her curves and her
long legs. Jill lent her a pair of very sheer white capri p-nts.
The outfit looked decent, but showed a hint of her bikini
underneath. She felt sâŹĂy and stylish. She thought that if
she was still with Justin, she knew exactly what he would
say to her.
Her phone rang. It was her father.
âSweetheart,â he started. âWe canât make it. Your
mother and I both have emergency surgeries. We just canât
get out of this. Troyâs parents decided not to go too. We
figured you kids can have some fun without us.â
âAll right, Dad,â she answered.
Kim is already having more fun than I am.
âTake care, okay?â
She looked at Jill and Yuan. âOne problem out of the
way. My parents arenât coming anymore.â
âGood. At least you didnât have to pretend to be civil
to Troy and Kim in front of them.â
They went down to the restaurant to have dinner. She
chose a table in a secluded corner outside. She sat with her
back on the crowd. If Kimberly, Troy or Justin walked in, she
didnât want to see any of them.
Fortunately, none of them showed up and she was
able to eat a full meal in peace. All Jill and Yuan talked about
were their latest dates and escapades. They also planned a
night out the following week, where they would go bar
hopping.
âThe best way to meet guys!â Jill said.
âBoth straight or not,â Yuan agreed.
After dinner, they hung out by the beach front. Yuan
got them some beers.
âAll right, Adrienne, whatever pain you feel, letâs talk
about it. Now. With spirits! Donât go Miss Prude on me,
darling.â Yuan handed her a bottle of beer.
She took a gulp. It was very cold, thus, she didnât
mind the strong taste.
âWill you ever forgive Kim?â Jill asked.
She shrugged. âI donât know. Iâm aware that she hated
me, but I never expected her to sleep with my boyfriend,
either. I mean, sure, Troy is barely a boyfriend, but still, if
she had the decency, she wouldnât do it with him. Or at
least wait until we break up before she did something like
that. Itâs disgusting!â
âHave you ever thought about seeing somebody else
aside from Troy?â Jill asked.
She stared at them. Has the time to be honest finally
come? She did promise herself she would come clean to her
friends once she broke up with Troy. Well, she and Troy are
history now!
She nodded. âYes, of course. My relationshÂĄp with Troy
was absolutely less than perfect and I did⌠feel the need to
be with someone who lights up my fire.â
âDuring those dry spells, didnât it even cross your
mind to explore⌠you know⌠other horizons? Or were you just⌠so resigned to the fact that youâre gonna marry a
vegetable?â Yuan tried to put it mildly. But Adrienne knew
that what he really meant was, âDidnât you even think about
sleeping with somebody else while you were with Troy?â
She sighed and took a gulp of her bear, for liquid
courage. Then she replied, âYes. YesâŚI did.â
I slept with somebody else. I cheated on Troy. She
wanted to add those sentences but the words never came
out.
âWhy did you wait this long to break up with that
loser?â Jill asked.
âTroy was the only guy she went out with,â Yuan told
Jill. âCould you blame her for not having anybody else to
compare him to? She wouldnât know that Troy was the
sorriest excuse for a boyfriend because she didnât know any
better.â
Adrienne took a deep breath again and mustered all
the courage she could. âActuallyâŚI know that. I was able to
compare my relationshÂĄp with Troy with someone who
wasâŚâ She took a deep breath. âPure perfection. The
relationshÂĄp was an absolute bliss.â Again, she felt her heart
break a hundred more times.
Her friends blinked back at her. âWhat?â
âSometimes, I couldnât believe what I was doing. Like
one time, I went to Gypsys. I dressed up in this very sâŹĂy
outfit that Jacob picked for me. I went to that bar like a vixen
in search for my latest prey. AndâŚsometimes, I still think I
just imagined it. Like it was a dream.â
âAdrienne, what the f-ck are you talking about?â Yuan
asked.
She smiled at them bitterly. âIâm sorry, I didnât tell you
earlier, guys. I hope you can forgive me.â
âWhat?â
âThere was somebody else. Troy was the official
boyfriend. But he wasnât the guy I was in love with. There
was someone else. I know what youâre saying about sharing passion and intimacy with a guy. And youâre right. It was
perfect. It was pure bliss.â
Yuan and Jill went silent for a moment. Adrienne
looked at them and realized that they werenât even looking
at her. They were staring at somebody behind her.
She turned around and found Troy staring down at her.
She stood up and faced him. âWhat do you want?â she
asked.
âWhat did you just say?â he asked angrily. âThere was
somebody else?â
âThatâs beside the point, Troy. We were done a long
time ago, you know that!â
âAdrienneâŚwe can still fix this!â
âWe were nothing before, Troy! You were⌠a ghost of
a boyfriend! You were not even a friend most of the time!
Where did you think our relationshÂĄp was going? And then
you screwed my sister? That just made it so impossible for
me to even think good thoughts about you!â
Troyâs face turned red. He took deep breaths. Then
without warning, he took hold of her wrist and pulled her to
him.
âLet me go!â Adrienne said, yanking her arm away.
âWe lacked intimacy! Thatâs why it went downhill for
us!â he said. âBut it didnât have to be like that, Adrienne. I
planned this weekend so we could finally cross that line!â
âAnd you decided to be intimate with my sister as
well? Thatâs beyond thinkable!â
âItâs you I love, Adrienne! Kim was a mistake! She
was⌠she was always there! And I always missed you. It
killed me to have to be so far away from you. Itâs you I really
want! What Kim and I had was just sâŹĂ. And it wonât happen
again!â
Adrienne shook her head. âBut I donât love you, Troy.
There had been nothing between us for a long time. It didnât
matter whether you were screwing my sister behind my
back. I was going to break up with you anyway.â
âBecause there was someone else?â he asked in a
grave tone. âWho was he?â
âIt doesnât matter, Troy. Itâs not about him. Itâs about
you. I donât love you.â
Adrienne saw the anger in Troyâs face turn to fury.
Then without warning, he took her by the forearm and
pulled her away, this time with so much more force.
âDamn it, Troy! Let me go!â she cried, struggling to
pull away from him.
He started dragging her, not listening to her pleas.
âTroy, please, let her go!â Jill said.
âLet her go or weâre calling security!â Yuan said.
âYou two stay out of this!â Troy fired back at them.
He turned to Adrienne and grabbed her other forearm.
He was bruising her arms now.
âI waited for so long and got nothing! And somebody
else got to enjoy your body, you slut!â
His face had gotten within only a few inches away
from hers and he smelled of beer. Adrienne realized that
Troy was drunk! She panicked when she realized that he was
leaning forward to k-ss her on the l-ips. She struggled but he
was too strong for her.
She could hear Yuan and Jill scre-ming. With all her
might, she launched a slap on Troyâs face that made him fall
back.
âYou bitch!â he roared. And before she could see what
was coming, she felt a sharp pain on her cheek, so strong
that it made her fall to the ground.
Yuan launched a punch at Troy, but he jabbed him in
the ribs and he, too, fell to the ground.
Jill scre-med again. âHelp! Help us!â
Adrienne started to get up. She saw what could be the
scariest thing she had seen in her entire life: Troyâs face,
filled with fury, as he started for her again.
Just when he was about a meter away from her,
somehow he got pulled back. The next thing she saw was Troy, on the ground being beaten up.
There were two other guys. They had pulled on Troyâs
assailant to stop him.
âShit man, stop it!â one blonde guy said. âYou could
kill the guy! Heâs down already.â
It took her a moment to realize that it was Justin. He
had mounted Troy and punched him to the core. His face
was red and Adrienne realized that she had never seen him
raging like this before. When he finally stopped attacking
Troy, his friends had to hold him back to make sure that he
didnât go for him again. Troy sat up from the ground, holding
his jaw in pain, and looked like he didnât know what had hit
him or why.
Justin bent to pick up his shades that fell to the sand.
âWhat the f-ck?â Troy shouted at him, when he found
the voice to speak. âWhatâs your freaking problem? Mind
your own damn business!â
Justin didnât answer. He turned to Adrienne. The
minute their eyes met, she knew he saw the terror on her
face. She had turned pale. He went to her.
âJustin,â she whispered.
He didnât say anything. Instead, he put an arm around
her wa-ist and tilted her chin up to see the damage that
Troyâs slap did to her. Troy had hit her h-rder on her lower
lip, and it had started bleeding lightly.
âOh, honeyâŚâ he said very softly. Amidst all the terror
that she had just gone through, Adrienne wanted to break
down and cry. Not because of the fear she just felt, but
because of the gentleness in Justinâs voice. And because she
heard him call her honey again.
Justin bent down to touch her l-ips with his, on the part
that it was bleeding. She realized that he s-cked the blood
that was coming out of it.
âWhat the f-ckâŚâ Troy cursed when he saw what
Justin did.
Justin turned to him again. Fury and rage returned to
his face.
âDidnât your mother tell you not to raise your hand to
a girl, Troy?â Justin asked coldly. Justin still obviously fumed.
He released Adrienne and started for Troy again. âAnd guess
what? You picked the wrong girl to mess with, assh-le!â
Then he punched him on the jaw one more time. Troy fell to
the ground again.
âJustin, please?â Adrienne pleaded softly. He looked at
her and nodded slightly.
He went to her again and seeing how terrified she
was, he enclosed her in his embrace, as if telling her that
everything was going to be okay. She could feel safe with
him now.
âIâm sorry, honey. Iâm sorry, I didnât come soon
enough,â he said to her as he car-ssed her head. âI wouldnât
have let him hurt you.â
She shook her head, as tears rolled down her cheeks.
She didnât know whether it came out of relief, or because of
the fear she felt, or because she was so happy being in his
arms again.
She felt him k-ss her temple. She closed her eyes and
prayed that it wasnât a dream. That he was here for real.
That she was back in his arms again.
âJustin, manâŚâ one of his friends called him. âCan we
have a word?â
Justin nodded and pulled away slightly from Adrienne.
He stared at her for a moment and then k-ssed her
forehead. âWait a second, hon.â
She nodded and Justin went to talk to his friends.
Yuan and Jill went to her in obvious awe. She realized
that the moment of revelation had come. Fifteen minutes
ago, she considered being honest with them. She planned to
take it slow, and offer explanationsâŚto break it to them
gently. But now, they were staring at her as if they had just
been bitch-slapped with the truth.
Troy had gone to sit on the sand. Kim had magically
appeared at his side. Adrienne turned to Yuan and Jill again.
She felt lost for words now. She knew that thereâs
nothing she could say that would make them not hate her at
all.
Finally, Jill was able to find her voice. ââHoney?â Justin
Adams just called you âhoney?ââ
She opened her mouth to say something in her
defense but no words came out.
âWhat is going on, Yen?â Yuan asked. âI mean, clearly,
Justin Adams came here to rescue you from your lunatic ex.
That part we get. ButâŚhim hugging you, k-ssing you, and
calling you honey, with so much familiarityâŚit makes no
sense!â
âAnd you were right. His eyes are blue. That wasnât a
guess, was it? You knew that before. I remembered you
saying crystal blue. The exact color of his eyes. We barely
see him without the shades. But it looks like youâve looked
into his eyes more often than anyone else.â Jill shook her
head.
âAdrienneâŚwere you the girl that Justin was referring
to in the interview?â Yuan asked. âThe one that he said he
was involved with?â
Adrienne whimpered. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Then she nodded slightly.
âOh my God!â Jill breathed.
Yuan threw his hands in the air. âI canât believe this!â
âI tried to tell you before,â Adrienne said. âBut you
laughed at me. You thought I was joking.â
âThen you should have slapped both of us and told us
you were serious!â Yuan said in a frustrated voice.
âI was about to tell you before Troy came to us,â
Adrienne said in a quiet voice. âAnd I will tell you everything.
Iâll explain everything from the beginning. But I canât do that
now, not after what just happened. I hope you can
understand me and give me some time to sort things out.â
They didnât say anything. They stared at the figure
standing behind her. Justin reappeared at her side and
wrapped an arm around her wa-ist.
âHey, Jill, Yuan,â he greeted them casually. Finally, he
met them. And this was not the way Adrienne imagined
introducing Justin to her friends.
Jill and Yuan nodded at him, but they still gave
Adrienne a cold, murderous look.
Justin turned to Adrienne. âWe better get you in,side,
honey,â he told her. âYouâre cold, and we need to attend to
that wound.â
Adrienne nodded. She turned to her friends. âIâll talk
to you guys, later. Iâm really sorry.â
Justin put an arm around her shoulders and walked
her back towards the hotel silently.
She felt too shaken and too confused. But she was
also happy. In her mind, she kept asking if he was real. If
this was real. Did he really walk with her? Are his arms really
around her once again?
When they entered the elevator she said, âJustin, I
canât go back to my room. Iâm sharing it with Kim, and I
canât stand to be in the same room as her now. I just canât.â
Justin stared at her for a moment. âI never said weâre
going to your room,â he said. His voice was serious and a
little cold. The look that he gave her was distant. âYou and I
need to talk, too. And Iâm not taking no for an answer this
time.â
Her heart pounded in her chest. Justin stood next to
her, but didnât touch her. It seemed like forever before the
elevator stopped on his floor.
Justin led her to his room. He rented the suite, with a
king-sized bed and a big balcony. The room she shared with
Kim was even smaller than Justinâs living room.
He closed the door behind him. She stared at him
nervously. He looked back at her.
âThank you,â she said quietly.
âFor what?â he asked.
She shrugged. âRescuing me from Troy. I realized Yuan
couldnât do much to him.â
âI would have done more to him had you not pleaded
with me to stop,â he stated coldly.
âJustin, you could get into trouble for that. What if Troy
sues you for damages? You gave him the beating of his life.â
Justin shook his head. âI donât care. He shouldnât have
touched you! He deserved what he got.â
Tears were shining on Adrienneâs eyes as she looked
up at him. âThank you,â she whispered. âIâm so glad youâre
here!â
He didnât move. He just kept looking at her, studying
her, waiting for her to say something. In his eyes, she could
still see how deeply she hurt him. How small she made him
feel.
âOh God, Justin, Iâm so sorry,â she whispered. Tears
rolled down her cheeks.
âFor what?â he asked.
âForâŚnot listening to you. For not giving you a chance
to explain.â She continued weeping.
He raised a brow at her. âAnd?â
âForâŚlying about you to my friends. For making you
feel like Iâm ashamed of youâŚof what we had.â
When he still kept silent, she stared back at him,
wondering what was going on in his mind. âGo on,â he
urged.
She smiled bitterly. âFor not fighting for you. For giving
you up. For not believing in you in spite of all the things you
showed me. For not trusting youâŚeven though I should
know better. For thinking⌠that you were cheating on me.â
âDo you still think I slept with her?â he asked in a
steady voice.
Adrienne looked down on her feet, feeling ashamed of
herself. She shook her head. âNo.â
She felt Justin tilt her chin up so she could look at him.
âDo you still think I would cheat on you?â
She bit her lip. âWould you?â
Justin gro-ned. Suddenly, he snatched her by her
wa-ist and crushed her into his arms. âYou are unbelievable!
You drive me crazy sometimes.â His voice was gentle, his
arms tight and warm around her. Then he pulled away and
looked into her eyes. âI know you lived your life around
inconsiderate people who did nothing but crush your spirit
and made you feel that everything that you are, and
everything that you do⌠is mediocre.
Theyâre wrong, Adrienne! I am here in front of you,
and Iâm telling you now⌠that youâre the most beautiful
woman in my eyes. Youâre amazing. Youâre beautiful, in,side
and out. And I am absolutely, undoubtedly crazy about you.
And no! I would never ever cheat on you.â
Adrienne smiled in spite of her tears. She couldnât
believe that she heard these words from Justin. That finally
he spelled it loud and clear that heâs crazy about her.
Justin looked into her eyes and wiped the tears from
her cheeks. âSo now⌠Troy is history?â
She nodded.
âSure? You told him itâs over? Finito?â
âI did,â she replied. âI wished I said it to him before I
found him in between Kimberlyâs legs though. But
nevertheless, I told him.â
Justin raised a brow at her. âHe was sleeping with your
sister?â he asked, obviously finding that hĂŚrd to believe.
âYup. I wish they just told me, you know. I didnât need
to see the evidence.â She let out a little shiver.
Justin grinned. âSo, the position of current and official
boyfriend is finally open?â he asked, his eyes dancing.
She smiled at him, her heart pounding in,side her
chest.
âYes,â she replied.
âIf you donât mind, Miss Miller, I would like to apply.â
She grinned at him. âWell, Iâll have to see if you pass
the audition first,â she teased.
Justinâs eyes gleamed and he smiled at her
mischievously. Adrienne realized then how naughty and
kinky she sounded.
Justin pulled her to him just a little roughly. She
shrieked. âJustin, wait! I didnât meanâŚâ she started
protesting.
He lifted her off her feet, his hands cupping her thighs,
making her wrap her legs around his wa-ist and he started
carrying her to the couch.
âDonât worry, Miss Miller. I know exactly what you
mean!â Her laughter died in her throat as he crushed his l-ips
to hers as soon as she landed on the soft cushions. A few
minutes later, she was scre-ming his name as he took her
to the edge of oblivion, and soon after he met her at the
gates of Nirvana.