CHAPTER 19
Regrets
Dylan was sitting in his office when his personal line rang.
"Dylan Banning."
"It's Teresa."
There was a moment of awkward silence between them. Then he spoke.
"Are you feeling okay after last night?"
"A bit hung over, but I'll survive."
It was silent again.
"Look, Dylan...I want to meet you. We need to talk."
"Sure. Just tell me when and where and I'll be there."
"In front of the beach house in an hour?"
"Fine, I'll be there."
They both hung up and Dylan leaned his head on his hand while he turned his chair to face the window. He hadn't slept the night before feeling guilty about what happened to Teresa. At first, all he wanted was to get her in his bed, but last night as he drove home, he felt otherwise. He really liked Teresa. She was nice, genuine and sincere about the way she felt about things. He really cared for her and hated himself for what he had done to her and allowed to happen. He was completely heartless, he had acted like a jerk and knew very well that Fox would influence her decision of whether she would see him again or not. Wasn't Fox right after all?
"I'm not a choir boy and I certainly have done some pretty bad things, but I do care for her and I always have a good time with her."
He picked up his car keys from his desk and left his office. He wanted to clear his head before he met with Teresa.
**************************
"Are you ready to go?"
She looked up at him, and nodded.
"Yes, let's go."
"Do you want me to be there when you meet up with him or do you want me to wait for you elsewhere?"
"No, I think you should be there...if you don't mind."
They left the mansion and walked on the beach where they were supposed to meet Dylan. They got there and waited.
"Teresa, I'll go get us something to drink while we wait for him to show up."
She nodded at sat on the sand and stared into space. Someone sat beside her and she didn't notice.
"What are you thinking about?"
She was startled by the voice.
"You're early."
"I left when you called me. I thought I'd clear my head before I got here."
She looked back at the ocean.
"Look Teresa, I'm glad that you called me. I'm really sorry about last night. If you never want to see me again, I totally understand."
She looked at him, then looked over her shoulder. She could see that Fox was still at the stand buying their drinks. She got up and so did Dylan.
"I thought that all I wanted was to have a physical relationship with you. I mean look at you, you're magnificent. But last night when I was driving home, I realized that it was so much more than that. I really do care about you."
"Of course you do. The only person you care about is yourself, Dylan. Always was, always will be."
Fox handed Teresa a soda and kept glaring at Dylan.
"What you did last night was low, very low. Even for you."
"Please, why are you acting like some saint all of sudden, Fox. You're not above anything either."
"But I never resorted to games like that. I never got a woman drunk to get her in the sack."
Dylan didn't say anything, but he looked at Teresa.
"Look Teresa, if you want to cut me off your life then I will not stop you, but you must know that I truly care for about you and that last night was just an enormous mistake on my part. I hope you'll forgive me."
Teresa smiled at him.
"I guess we're friends then?"
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
She approached him and hugged him as Fox looked at her in disbelief.
"You have got to be kidding me."
"Fox, please don't."
"Don't what Teresa? Think that you're acting like an idiot?"
"You can be such a jerk when you want to be, Fox."
"Oh, now I'm the jerk. Well this jerk is the one who held your hair while you threw up last night. This jerk is the one who held you in his arms while you slept. I'm a jerk? I think you're an even bigger one, Teresa."
She glared at him, upset at what he was saying to her.
"I'm a big girl, Fox. I can take care of myself."
"How? By drowning a bottle of tequila? You sure proved that you were a big girl last night, one that doesn't use the brain she has. For once is your life, don't think with your heart but with your head. Haven't you gotten yourself in enough trouble?"
"If I listened to my head, Fox, you and I would never have been friends."
"It's no use talking to you."
He walked away from her and Dylan. She called his name but he didn't even turn his head to look at her. She saw him get in his car and leave.
"I've never seen him this upset and I've known him for a very long time."
Teresa shivered at Dylan's remark.
"Neither have I. I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid."
*********************
Fox drove around LA. He was still fuming with what happened with Teresa. He couldn't believe that she hadn't learned anything from what had happened the night before. The next thing he knew, he was ringing at someone's door bell. The door was answered and he walked inside.
"Is anyone here?"
"No."
"When is Chad coming back from New York?"
"In a couple of days."
"Good."
Fox took Whitney in his arms and started kissing her. She took his hand and led him to the bedroom. She had wanted that for a while now. She looked him in the eyes.
"I want you Fox, so badly."
He didn't answer, he just kissed her.
Later, he laid next to her staring at the ceiling. She was asleep. He looked at the time and saw that it was almost dawn. He got up and started getting dressed. Whitney stretched and opened her eyes.
"You're leaving?"
"Yes."
He looked at her as she smiled at him and felt bad.
"This night didn't mean anything to me. It should never have happened."
"Don't say that."
"You know as well as I do that this was a mistake."
"No. Don't you dare destroy this night for me. It was amazing."
"Maybe for you, but for me it was just sex, nothing more. I didn't feel anything at all."
"I can't believe you're saying that."
He didn't look at her, he just left the room. She heard him as he drove off. She didn't feel anything but emptiness inside.
********************
Teresa stayed up all night, worried about him. She called him on his cell phone many times and left many messages but he never called her back. She was scared that something might have happened to him. She was sitting in the living room when she finally heard the front door open. She went to meet him. She put her arms around him, feeling relief that he was finally home. She smelled perfume on his clothes.
"So that's what it is? You were with some cheap whore while I was sitting here worried about you?"
She walked up the stairs feeling like an idiot.
"I should have known."
He went after her.
"Teresa, we need to talk."
"No, Fox. There is nothing to talk about."
She closed her door and locked it. He stood there for a while hoping that she might unlock it or even come out, but she never did. He decided to go to bed, but everytime he closed his eyes, he remembered what had happened with Whitney. He couldn't believe what he had done.
He couldn't believe that something he had wanted for a long time would turn into such a disaster. He felt sick to his stomach and worried about the truth coming out.
"I betrayed 3 people. Whitney, Chad and mostly Teresa. She will never forgive me for this. If the truth comes out, I will have hurt the one person who never turned her back on me. What have I done?"
Dylan was sitting in his office when his personal line rang.
"Dylan Banning."
"It's Teresa."
There was a moment of awkward silence between them. Then he spoke.
"Are you feeling okay after last night?"
"A bit hung over, but I'll survive."
It was silent again.
"Look, Dylan...I want to meet you. We need to talk."
"Sure. Just tell me when and where and I'll be there."
"In front of the beach house in an hour?"
"Fine, I'll be there."
They both hung up and Dylan leaned his head on his hand while he turned his chair to face the window. He hadn't slept the night before feeling guilty about what happened to Teresa. At first, all he wanted was to get her in his bed, but last night as he drove home, he felt otherwise. He really liked Teresa. She was nice, genuine and sincere about the way she felt about things. He really cared for her and hated himself for what he had done to her and allowed to happen. He was completely heartless, he had acted like a jerk and knew very well that Fox would influence her decision of whether she would see him again or not. Wasn't Fox right after all?
"I'm not a choir boy and I certainly have done some pretty bad things, but I do care for her and I always have a good time with her."
He picked up his car keys from his desk and left his office. He wanted to clear his head before he met with Teresa.
**************************
"Are you ready to go?"
She looked up at him, and nodded.
"Yes, let's go."
"Do you want me to be there when you meet up with him or do you want me to wait for you elsewhere?"
"No, I think you should be there...if you don't mind."
They left the mansion and walked on the beach where they were supposed to meet Dylan. They got there and waited.
"Teresa, I'll go get us something to drink while we wait for him to show up."
She nodded at sat on the sand and stared into space. Someone sat beside her and she didn't notice.
"What are you thinking about?"
She was startled by the voice.
"You're early."
"I left when you called me. I thought I'd clear my head before I got here."
She looked back at the ocean.
"Look Teresa, I'm glad that you called me. I'm really sorry about last night. If you never want to see me again, I totally understand."
She looked at him, then looked over her shoulder. She could see that Fox was still at the stand buying their drinks. She got up and so did Dylan.
"I thought that all I wanted was to have a physical relationship with you. I mean look at you, you're magnificent. But last night when I was driving home, I realized that it was so much more than that. I really do care about you."
"Of course you do. The only person you care about is yourself, Dylan. Always was, always will be."
Fox handed Teresa a soda and kept glaring at Dylan.
"What you did last night was low, very low. Even for you."
"Please, why are you acting like some saint all of sudden, Fox. You're not above anything either."
"But I never resorted to games like that. I never got a woman drunk to get her in the sack."
Dylan didn't say anything, but he looked at Teresa.
"Look Teresa, if you want to cut me off your life then I will not stop you, but you must know that I truly care for about you and that last night was just an enormous mistake on my part. I hope you'll forgive me."
Teresa smiled at him.
"I guess we're friends then?"
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
She approached him and hugged him as Fox looked at her in disbelief.
"You have got to be kidding me."
"Fox, please don't."
"Don't what Teresa? Think that you're acting like an idiot?"
"You can be such a jerk when you want to be, Fox."
"Oh, now I'm the jerk. Well this jerk is the one who held your hair while you threw up last night. This jerk is the one who held you in his arms while you slept. I'm a jerk? I think you're an even bigger one, Teresa."
She glared at him, upset at what he was saying to her.
"I'm a big girl, Fox. I can take care of myself."
"How? By drowning a bottle of tequila? You sure proved that you were a big girl last night, one that doesn't use the brain she has. For once is your life, don't think with your heart but with your head. Haven't you gotten yourself in enough trouble?"
"If I listened to my head, Fox, you and I would never have been friends."
"It's no use talking to you."
He walked away from her and Dylan. She called his name but he didn't even turn his head to look at her. She saw him get in his car and leave.
"I've never seen him this upset and I've known him for a very long time."
Teresa shivered at Dylan's remark.
"Neither have I. I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid."
*********************
Fox drove around LA. He was still fuming with what happened with Teresa. He couldn't believe that she hadn't learned anything from what had happened the night before. The next thing he knew, he was ringing at someone's door bell. The door was answered and he walked inside.
"Is anyone here?"
"No."
"When is Chad coming back from New York?"
"In a couple of days."
"Good."
Fox took Whitney in his arms and started kissing her. She took his hand and led him to the bedroom. She had wanted that for a while now. She looked him in the eyes.
"I want you Fox, so badly."
He didn't answer, he just kissed her.
Later, he laid next to her staring at the ceiling. She was asleep. He looked at the time and saw that it was almost dawn. He got up and started getting dressed. Whitney stretched and opened her eyes.
"You're leaving?"
"Yes."
He looked at her as she smiled at him and felt bad.
"This night didn't mean anything to me. It should never have happened."
"Don't say that."
"You know as well as I do that this was a mistake."
"No. Don't you dare destroy this night for me. It was amazing."
"Maybe for you, but for me it was just sex, nothing more. I didn't feel anything at all."
"I can't believe you're saying that."
He didn't look at her, he just left the room. She heard him as he drove off. She didn't feel anything but emptiness inside.
********************
Teresa stayed up all night, worried about him. She called him on his cell phone many times and left many messages but he never called her back. She was scared that something might have happened to him. She was sitting in the living room when she finally heard the front door open. She went to meet him. She put her arms around him, feeling relief that he was finally home. She smelled perfume on his clothes.
"So that's what it is? You were with some cheap whore while I was sitting here worried about you?"
She walked up the stairs feeling like an idiot.
"I should have known."
He went after her.
"Teresa, we need to talk."
"No, Fox. There is nothing to talk about."
She closed her door and locked it. He stood there for a while hoping that she might unlock it or even come out, but she never did. He decided to go to bed, but everytime he closed his eyes, he remembered what had happened with Whitney. He couldn't believe what he had done.
He couldn't believe that something he had wanted for a long time would turn into such a disaster. He felt sick to his stomach and worried about the truth coming out.
"I betrayed 3 people. Whitney, Chad and mostly Teresa. She will never forgive me for this. If the truth comes out, I will have hurt the one person who never turned her back on me. What have I done?"
