"So what'd you want to talk to Hailey for, anyway?" Darien asks as she finishes up her makeup. We had been at her apartment for about two hours now. We were both dressed and I had Harry's ring that he proposed to me with in the glove compartment of my car.

I definitely didn't need anyone else catching on. Besides, I didn't see Harry this morning. My guess? He made a run for it because he realized what he did.

Stop it, don't let Elija get to you. You knew this was a possibility way before Elija even knew about the last minute engagement. 

I shrug, trying not to seem to interested. "I just thought the first time we saw each other, I must've looked like a complete dick. I thought that maybe it'd be good to make it known that I'm a good person."

At this, Darien turns back to look at me with squinting eyes. "Really?" She says unamused.

"What? It's true."

"I mean, sure. If you say so." She stands up from her vanity and comes over to her bed where I am and sits next to me to put on her heels. I had suggested we had dinner here but apparently this was Nes and the guys hanging out spot.

We ended up waiting at the restaurant for about thirty minutes before Hailey decided to even show up. Darien was annoyed and I was nervous. I don't know why, I mean I've done nothing wrong but I just feel like I'm going to hear some things that I don't want to hear.

She wore a red dress, it hugged her curves and I could tell why Harry would agree to marry her. She's beautiful. Darien and Hailey both hug each other before she turns and looks at me, eyeing me up and down before she sits. "What's she doing here?" Hailey turns to Darien.

"I wanted to talk," I answer, beating Darien to it. All Darien does is drink from her glass.

Hailey looks at me. "And what makes you think I want to talk to you?" She retorts.

"That's fair," I nod. I mean, she is Harry's ex. "But I don't believe I've actually done anything to you. So I figured that we could talk about some things." She bites the inside of her cheek before she nods. I sigh, thankful that she agrees even if she's hesitant about it.

"Okay," she clears her throat. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to talk about you and Harry." At this, Darien looks from me to Hailey.

"Trouble in paradise?" Hailey mocks.

"Not necessarily," I say. "But Elija seems to think he knows a whole lot than what Harry is letting on."

At the mention of Elija's name, Hailey rolls her eyes and groans. "Ugh, Elija." She says annoyed. "Well I'll tell you this, Elija is a piece of shit." Oh I know that. I hum in agreement. "What made you so concerned you had to come talk to the ex?"

I look down at my hands, my ring finger bare.

"I just...I wanted to know how it all started between you two." I say. "From start to finish."

She nods. "Darien and I were roommates and I worked at his father's company as an intern for a time. Harry and I met when he was employed there, he had recently moved to New York from Seattle. I would get him coffee each morning, we flirted and eventually he asked me out."

"I'm sorry to ask," I say already feeling my face hot. "But the sex?"

"Oh you know," she sets her glass down. "He was really into the thrill of getting caught. Until he wasn't."

"What does that mean?"

Darien and her look at each other before she looks back at me. "We came to a point where we just had so much sex, I got the feeling he was bored of it. I was willing to do whatever to avoid us loosing each other. Toys, different partners, threesomes." She swallows back. "Movies."

"...She found out he has tapes of them two having sex." Elija's words circle my head.

"That seemed to please him for a time that we actually got engaged," Hailey says. "Until you moved in." There's hatred in her look but it goes away when she clears her throat. "I'm not saying I was perfect, we were both fucking around even though we were committed. I found out about Hailey Stewart about two months before you even moved in. I had already moved out from Darien's then so obviously I was unaware of it for a while."

"Was he ever on any medication?"

"He popped a lot of pills I don't even remember what they were for. Then he stopped taking them and he was a completely different person. I guess it gave him the guts to ghost me, the last time I saw him was when I saw the both of you leaving your apartment." I remember that day, clearly. "All I wanted was to ask him why he did it. Then when he mocked me, I wanted to get back at him where it hurt him."

"Okay, I think she got it." Darien does an awkward chuckle, my eyebrows furrow.

"What did you do?" I queried, clearly confused.

"We had Nes and Colson tape you." She says smugly, at this I back up on my chair.

What the fuck? "Who's 'we'?"

"Darien and I." When I turn to Darien, she looks at Hailey in disbelief.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Darien remarks, raising her voice. Darien then turns to me. "Beau, that's not true—"

"Oh please," Hailey rolls her eyes. "Don't try to stay on her good side, Harry has you on video as well."

"What the fuck is going on here?"

"Don't you get it? Darien only ever married Alec because her parents are rich people who hate gay's, if they were to see that they would disown her." Hailey says nonchalantly.

What the fuck did I walk in on?

"You are such a fucking bitch!" Darien stands up, as she does this, she grabs my hand and pulls me away from the table. Once outside the restaurant, I take a moment for myself.

How did this go south so quickly?

"It was you that had me taped?" I say in disbelief, Darien's eyes were red and teary. She looked afraid as she was a foot away from me.

"Beau..." she sniffs.

"Was it?" I raise my tone.

She stays silent for a while before she speaks. "I'm in love with you, Beau. All I wanted was for you to see how much of a piece of shit Harry was."

"By having me taped?" I exasperate, catching the attention from people around us. I then remember that night at Colson's club with Nes and Colson. Lots of alcohol and rounds of blowjob shots.

Nes had kissed me. "...Okay guys, this isn't a sex club." Darien remarks.

"Oh, come on Darien. You know you have a crush on Beau."

"Excuse me? I can't believe you'd say something like that."

"Sure you do, why else would you look for her all the time? You're just mad I'm kissing her and not you."

"Shut up, Nes."

"Oh my God," I breathe out. "It was that night, wasn't it? That's why you invited me over and then you disappeared." I felt sick to my stomach. "And then Harry showed up and Nes made me believe that Harry was actually there that night."

"Beau—" she gets closer and holds my hands but I snatch them back. Darien cries.

"You set me up." My face burned with anger. "It was you all along."

"I wouldn't have done it if Harry wasn't threatening to release the tape for everyone to see. Hailey was right on that. My parents are extremely homophobic—"

"Does Alec know about that?" I question.

"Yes, of course." She nods. "He's one of my best friends."

"Does he know you set me up?"

"No he doesn't. I don't want to lose you, Beau. Harry threatened to release that tape if I didn't stay away from you. I had to actually tell Luke where to find you that day so that I could stick around."

"Wait, what?" I look at her. "Harry told you to tell Luke where to find me?"

"Yes," She nods. "He's been trying to get rid of him since the day of the wedding." For fucks sake, Harry. Just as I begin to walk away, Darien stops me. "Please don't leave."

"I have no words left for you, Darien. I thought you were a friend. It hurts me that you actually set me up for your own benefit." Her tears fall. "Please just stay away from me." I was hurt. Darien was about the only friend I have in all of New York City.

I hadn't heard from Harry all day, still I try his phone and I am surprised when he answers on the second ring.

"Hey," I say once I'm inside my car. I rub my temple.

"Hello, Angel." He sounds...playful? "Coming to dinner?"

Confused, I look at the caller ID to make sure it's actually Harry's number. "What—"

"Hi, auntie Beau!" I hear Brooklyn on the other end and I am even more confused. How did he find my apartment? And what is he doing there? "I'm at your apartment, by the way."

"I got that," I say. "What are you doing there?"

"Well I was out picking up my new passport this morning when I recognized little Brooklyn and her mother. We talked, and I figured we should get together and have dinner. We are just waiting on you, love."

Why does he sound so...lively? He was so depressed last night. Maybe he's not taking his depression pills—Hailey did say he seemed like a different person when he stopped taking them.

I shake my head of all thoughts. "I'll be right there."