Looking at Monika next to the truck is like seeing a butterfly next to an old beat-up shoe. The two don’t mix, but there’s beauty to be found in both. She turns around and catches me watching her.

“Just be honest with me,” she says.

Honestly I want to hold her in my arms.

But right now the only honest thing I can share is: “Honestly, I hate cheese when it’s in block form but don’t mind it when it’s melted.”

Her mouth quirks up into a smile and she nods. “I was talking about Trey cheating on me.”

“I know nothin’ about that. I’m talkin’ about cheese.”

The light shines on her hands, which are clenched tight. “I don’t want to talk about your weird cheese issues. I want to talk about Trey, because you and I can’t move forward unless you know the truth. Trey cheated on me with a girl named Zara Hughes. Do you know her?”

“Zara Hughes?”

She stands up straight and takes a deep breath, as if she’s bracing herself for all the bad news I’ll give her about Zara and Trey. “Tell me everything. Don’t hold back.”

“Okay,” I finally say. “I know her. Trey texted her a bunch, but he said they were just friends. She goes to Fairfield.”

“Where did they meet?”

“Don’t know. Lollapalooza, I think.”

She nods as she takes in all the information.

“He was in love with her, Vic,” she finally says. “I found pictures of the two of them from a while ago. He was looking at her like… well, let’s just say he hadn’t looked at me that way for a long time.”

I focus on the tool chest. Hell, I don’t want her analyzing the way I look at her.

All this is just playing with my head. Trey was in love with Monika. I mean, yeah, he talked to Zara and maybe hung out with her a few times, but…

I don’t want to think that Trey was fucking around on Monika. How could he? Why would he? Monika is the most loyal, dedicated girl who gave Trey everything a guy would want. She’s supportive and funny and smart, not to mention beautiful.

She’s the girl that dreams and fantasies are made of.

“He wasn’t perfect, you know,” she whispers in a soft, vulnerable voice.

He was in my eyes. He had the life I always wanted. Parents who cared, natural athletic talent, and a brain that could rival Einstein’s. To top it off, he had the perfect girl.

“I’d know if he was screwin’ around on you, Monika,” I say confidently. “There’s no way he’d be able to hide that fact from me.”

“You’re wrong.” She tilts her head to the side, and a stream of light shines on her curious eyes.

I can’t do this. Not here, not now, when I have the urge to comfort her.

Her eyes are filled with tears and frustration now. Oh, man, I can’t stand watching her break down. It’s killing me. “We broke up before he died, Vic. He wanted me to keep it a secret from everyone until after homecoming.”

“No.” I walk up to her and cup her chin tenderly in my hand, urging her to look up at me. “Trey wanted to make you happy. He loved you.”

Her soft, warm hand reaches up and grabs my wrist. “Maybe he tried to make me happy, but it wasn’t real. He gave me the relationship he thought I wanted, but it was just a façade. He was cheating on me for a long time. Since Christmas or maybe even earlier.”

I mask my inner struggle by stepping away and creating distance between us. “You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, Monika. Trey loved—”

“Stop!” she screams. “Trey Matthews was not the saint everyone thought he was.” Her hands ball at her sides. “He manipulated me into thinking he was faithful, but he wasn’t. He made me promise to keep his secrets, but kept a big one from both of us. Yes, he was smart and seemed to have it all. But it was fake as hell. And now I’m having these feelings for you, and I want to act on them.”

“My world is a dark place, Monika. You don’t want to go there with me.”

“Maybe I do.” Desire shines in her expressive eyes. “Take me away from reality, Vic. Make me forget that I’m drowning in the questions and lies and deceit.”

“I’m not the guy to do that.” I’ll be too wrapped up in her softness and beauty. I won’t want to let her go.

She closes the distance between us. “Let me escape and enter your world. Please. No drama, I promise.”

Oh, hell.

She’s watching me intently, waiting for my response. “Make love to me, Vic. Show me that I’m not alone. I feel so alone.”