Текст книги "Somewhere in Between"

Автор книги: Samatha Harris

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Chapter 19

 

 

Drew (Then)

“Can you believe this shit?” I said, gesturing to my open laptop.

Red leaned over to look at the screen. “What?”

“They’re selling kits on how to write a best man speech.”

Red looked at me and shrugged. “So?”

“So? That’s ridiculous. Whatever happened to just giving advice for the hell of it? Now people want to sell you some bullshit kit.”

“Why are you researching this anyway? Can’t you just write from the heart?”

“I needed a place to start.”

“What do you have so far?”

I sat up straight, cleared my throat, and read dramatically from the legal pad in my lap. “Good evening, friends and family.” I sat there, watching her face for a reaction.

“That’s it?” she asked.

“Hey, this is harder than it looks.”

“Don’t you have some funny story from when you were kids or something?”

“Yeah,” I sighed, “but isn’t that kind of cheesy?”

She folded her legs up under her on the couch and pulled her hair into a ponytail. “Not if it’s something personal,” she said.

Things had gotten a little easier between us since the day we spent at the park. I made it my mission to make her feel like she wasn’t so alone anymore and we had grown a lot closer since that day. We settled into a rhythm, spending almost all of our free time together.

Tonight, we ordered a pizza and she was helping me with my best man speech for David’s wedding, which was approaching fast.

“When is the wedding anyway?”

“Saturday.”

“Saturday? Like, four days from now?”

“Yeah.”

“Why so soon? Wait!” She sat up and grabbed my arm. “Is Millie pregnant?” she whispered as her eyes widened.

I laughed. “No, but I said the same thing. They want to be sure that mom can be there.”

She dropped her head “Oh.” Her voice was soft and sad. “How is she doing?”

“Not bad, but not great either.”

“I’m so sorry, Drew.” She rubbed my shoulder.

I nodded. I never knew what to say when people said they were sorry. It felt wrong to say thanks. I was anything but thankful for watching my mom waste away.

“I wanted to talk to you about the wedding, actually,” I said. “What do you think about going with me?”

“Me? Don’t you have a rolodex of girls chomping at the bit to go out with you?”

“None that I want to go with. Come on, Red. It will be fun and my family loves you.”

“I don’t know.” She sounded more than a little reluctant.

“Hey, if anything it gets you off campus and away from Kerri. Plus, there’s cake.”

“Well, if there’s cake…” she said with a smile.

“So, you’re in?” I tried not to sound too eager.

“Yeah, I’m in.”

“Great!” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “We leave tomorrow,” I said quickly and turned back to my laptop.

“Tomorrow? Jesus, Drew. Could you give me any less notice? I need to pack. Shit, I hope I have something to wear.” She hopped up from the couch and grabbed her bag.

“Wear whatever you want.” I shrugged. I watched her flit about the room, gathering her books into her bag and slipping into her shoes.

“You really don’t understand women, do you?” She laughed.

“That’s just one of the many things you love about me.” I shot her a cheesy smile. Red just shook her head and tossed a pillow at me.

***

The next day, we pulled into my parents’ driveway just as the sun was setting. I grabbed our bags from the trunk and headed toward the house with Red in tow.

When we stepped inside, the house was crazy. The dining room table was covered in trays of little white boxes tied with a blue ribbon. Mom and my Aunt Evelyn were on the phone talking to different relatives who were coming in. Papa Jack had most likely escaped to the bar. I couldn’t blame him.

I set our stuff down by the door, walked up behind mom, and wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

“I have to go, Rachel. Drew just got here. Okay, see you there. Bye.” She hung up the phone and turned to hug me. She wore a light pink scarf and a gray cardigan sweater. Her eyes were a little more sunk into her face and she was nothing but skin and bone. She was deteriorating faster than I thought. Maybe David was right to move up the wedding.

“Alex,” Mom said, stepping out of my arms to give her a hug.

“Hey there, Mrs. Coll—I mean, Emma,” Red said, gently wrapping her arms around Mom’s frail body.

I leaned down and whispered into her ear, “Nice save, Red.” She rolled her eyes at me, but couldn’t hide the smile spreading across her face.

“I didn’t know you were coming, but I’m so glad you did. You can help me keep this one in line,” Mom said, looking up at me.

“Hey, I’m not the trouble maker in this family,” I said. “If I recall, at Rachel’s wedding, it was Aunt Jean who had one too many whiskey sours and ended the night on top of a table.”

Mom giggled. “Well, that’s true.”

“So, where is everyone?” I asked.

“Your father is at the bar.” See, smart man. “Millie and David are doing a walkthrough of the hall and the rest of the family is descending tonight. Oh, speaking of which, the hotel lost Evelyn’s reservation and now they’re full, so you and Alex will have to bunk together.”

I swallowed. Sharing a room with Red was going to seriously test my newly acquired willpower.

“I put some extra blankets and pillows in there and you can make up a pallet on the floor, Drew.” Mom met my eyes and winked at me.

“I can take the floor,” Red said. “I don’t mind.”

“No way, Red. Mom’s orders.”

She nodded.

“Well, I’m going drop our stuff and then I gotta go meet David for a tux fitting.” I looked at Red. “You going to be okay here?” She nodded again.

***

I walked into the tux rental place. David was already in his tux and the tailor was taking measurements. I laughed at the sight of a guy on his knees in front of my brother.

“I didn’t realize this was a happy endings sort of place,” I said as I approached.

David just shot me an irritated look.

“Whoa! Someone’s tense.” I held my hands up in surrender.

“This wedding is killing me. I swear to God, if it wasn’t for mom I would grab Millie and be on a plane to Vegas tonight,” David said, shaking his arms out to the side, earning him a glare from the tailor hemming his pants.

“That bad, huh?”

“You don’t know the half of it. I had no idea all the shit that goes into this. Millie is freaking out because her cousins from Arkansas said they couldn’t make it at first, but now they are coming, so she is frantically redoing the seating chart.”

The tension was rolling off of him in waves. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s not funny!” He whipped his head around, glaring at me.

“It kind of is.” I chuckled and crossed my arms across my chest.

“Where’s Alex?” he asked, wincing as the tailor stuck him with a pin.

“Oh, I left her back at the house. Mom was putting her to work making some kind of tissue ball thing.”

“How is that going?” he asked, pulling at his sleeve.

“I don’t know. It looked complicated to me. I got out before they asked me to help.”

“Not the tissue thing. The Alex thing.” He scoffed.

“Oh, it’s not,” I said, pretending to inspect a rack of ties.

“Why not?”

“Because right now she needs a friend more than she needs anything else.” I sighed.

“Why can’t you be both?”

“Because I will fuck it up and then she will hate me and be on her own again.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, I do. She deserves someone so much better than me.”

“You know what mom says.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that I want her to be happy, and right now the best way I can make that happen is to be her friend. She needs to belong to someone, to be a part of a family without the fear of it all being ripped away. So that’s what I’m going to be for her.” I leaned my shoulder against the wall and focused on my shoes.

I looked up and David was studying me, his eyes narrowed.

“What?” I asked.

He stepped down from the platform. “You really love her, don’t you?”

“Yeah, it fucking sucks.”

He dropped his head and nodded.

***

Later that night, I was getting ready for bed when Alex came into the room. She was staring at her fingers, which where stained a light blue color.

“What happened to you?” I chuckled.

“Damn tissue paper stained my hands. I can’t get it off. I scrubbed them raw in the shower and look at me,” she said, holding her hands up to me.

“You look like you gave a hand job to a Smurf.” I laughed.

She swatted at me. “It’s not funny. I have to get this off,” she said, scratching at her fingers.

“Hold that thought.” I headed into the bathroom and dug under the sink until I found some cotton balls and mom’s nail polish remover.

When I got back into the bedroom, Red was sitting on the bed, staring at her blue fingers. She looked up when she heard me coming. I took a seat next to her and wiggled the bottle at her. “Acetone,” I said.

I opened the bottle and held the cotton ball over the top, letting the purple liquid soak into it. I reached for her hand and gently wiped the cotton ball across her palm. The blue was coming off slowly, but it was coming off. I went through a few cotton balls, but it seemed to do the trick.

I reached for her other hand and she held it out to me. I could feel her staring at me, but I did my best to ignore it, focusing instead on removing the blue dye from her hand.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice quiet.

“No problem. Mom picked up a few tricks over the years. She says that raising two boys forced her to be creative.”

She laughed. “No, I mean, thank you for bringing me here.” I looked up, meeting her eyes as she continued. “It really means a lot.”

“Of course, Red.” I smiled. “I told you, we’re family and that comes with the motley Collins crew and Sean.”

Red laughed. “We can’t leave out Sean.”

“He wouldn’t stand for it,” I whispered, suddenly distracted by the light in her eyes.

I shook my head and finished cleaning her hand. “There, you’re all set.”

She held up her hands and smiled. “I’m gonna brush my teeth. Be right back.”

While she was in the bathroom, I finished making up my bed on the floor. When she came back in, she looked down at my makeshift bed with a frown. “I feel bad making you sleep on the floor.”

“It’s not a big deal, Red. I don’t mind. Besides, what kind of gentleman would I be if I made you sleep on the floor?”

“Well, we can just share the bed.” She shrugged.

I raised my eyebrows at her. “You sure?”

“Yeah, I mean it’s not a big deal. It’s not like anything would happen.” She pulled back the covers. “Unless you want to sleep on the floor?”

“No, I’m just…” I wasn’t sure what to do. The idea of spending the night with Red curled up beside me was definitely appealing, but very, very dangerous. “Okay then, but I have to warn you. I like to cuddle,” I joked. Well, sort of joked. “Wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea.” I raised my eyebrows at her.

She just laughed. “I think I can handle it.”

I just hoped that I could handle it.

I grabbed my pillow from the floor and walked around to the other side of the bed. I pulled back the covers and climbed in next to her. She settled under the covers, facing me. I relaxed onto my back and looked up at the ceiling.

“Good night, Drew,” she said. She already sounded sleepy.

“Night, Red.”

“You’re my best friend, you know that?” she whispered, her eyes closed. I could feel her body beginning to relax next to me.

“Yeah, I know.” I chuckled.

“I love you, Drew.”

I tensed. I knew she meant as a friend, but hearing her say the words was hard. I looked at her lying next to me, so peaceful and beautiful, her hair spread across the pillow, her face relaxed.

“I love you too, Alex,” I whispered. I wish I could tell her just how much.

Chapter 20

 

 

Alex (Now)

On Monday, work was pretty crazy. We were scrambling to put the finishing touches on a proposal for a new client meeting set up for tomorrow morning. Madeline was flying to New York and leaving me in charge of all our current projects in her absence. I was catching up on some e-mails when I heard a Ping, ping.

Drew: What are you wearing?

I smiled and sent a quick reply.

Alex: Nothing. I’m at work.

Drew: Really, nothing? Must be cold. I could come warm you up.

It was a little surreal to be flirting with Drew like this. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it, but it just seemed to fuel the burning questions I had about what, exactly, we were doing. I sent him a quick lol.

Drew: I can’t stop thinking about you .

I didn’t know how to respond to that. Was he just being flirty, or was he trying to tell me something? Damn, I was doing it again. I needed to stop analyzing things. He hasn’t said anything about how he feels about me. I was afraid to assume anything and find out later I was way off base.

Drew: Can I see you tonight?

Alex: I’m working late, but I can stop by when I get off.

Drew: Can’t wait to get you off.

I blushed. I couldn’t help myself from day dreaming about how many ways he could do just that.

“Someone is happy today.” I looked up just as Wiley came through the door. I must have been smiling like an idiot.

“Uh, yeah.” I cleared my throat. “I had a nice weekend.” Understatement of the century!

She perched on the end of my desk. “Really?”

“Yeah, it was fun. Went to the park and had brunch at Millie’s. It was nice.” I focused on my computer screen. I knew if I looked up at her, Wiley would see the truth written all over my face.

“Was Drew there?”

“Yes.” Too late. She was already hot on the trail.

“So, you are talking again?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” I bit my lip, trying to hide the huge smile threatening to spread across my lips.

She narrowed her eyes and studied my face. “Good,” she said. She turned to leave, walking slowly out of my office, waiting for me to break.

“Fine.” I broke down. I needed to tell someone or I would burst and Wiley was my only option at the moment.

She squealed. “I knew it! So?” She waved her hands excitedly, encouraging me to go on.

“I went over to find out why he had been avoiding me and he said he was just doing what I asked and giving me time.” She nodded. “He seemed really angry and I thought, this is it, his official rejection, but instead he kissed me.”

“Really? Oh my God, Alex, that’s awesome!”

“Yeah, it was like someone lit a match we just couldn’t stop. We spent the whole weekend together.”

“So, are you guys together?”

“Well,” I dragged out the word in an attempt to stall. I took a deep breath. “I have no idea.”

Wiley got to her feet. “So, did you guys talk at all?”

I shook my head. She let out a long breath and then got to her feet. “You need to talk to him, Alex,” she said. “You need to define what it is you two are doing. You can’t have casual sex with your best friend.”

I dropped my head into my hands. “I know.” She was right. I needed to know what this was, what he wanted this to be.

***

I was leaving work when my phone made that all too familiar ping, ping noise.

Drew: Papa Jack called. He needs help unloading a truck. It won’t take long. Key is under the mat. Wait for me?

Alex: I can just see you tomorrow.

Drew: No, I left you something. I promise, won’t take long.

Alex: Ok.

The key was right where he said it’d be. I flipped the lock and headed in. The apartment was dark except for a candle that flickered from the table by the door. I set down my bag and headed deeper into the apartment. I was curious to see what he left for me.

I saw another flicker of light down the hall. There was another candle lit on the kitchen counter and another on the table by the sofa. They formed a trail leading me to the bedroom. I followed the trail and pushed the door open.

The room was dark, except for the light from the street coming in through the window. I was a little disappointed and then I noticed another flicker coming from the bathroom. I followed the light, pushed open the door, and gasped.

He’d lit the entire room with candles. I was always jealous of Drew’s bathroom. It was huge with a standalone shower and the most amazing deep Jacuzzi bath. Drew had already drawn me a bath and the jets were running. The entire room smelled like my favorite passion fruit bubble bath. He had an MP3 player and a playlist of some of my favorite songs playing low set up with a small speaker by the sink.

It was insane. I was so overwhelmed that I felt lightheaded and had to grip the door handle. I never understood the concept of swooning. I thought it always made women seem weak, but it was oh so clear to me now.

I walked to the tub and dragged my fingers through the water. It was still deliciously warm. Next to the tub sat a bottle of my favorite wine with a glass and a note.

I thought this would keep you warm till I get back.

–Drew

I pressed the note to my chest and closed my eyes. God, I loved this man. I quickly undressed, poured a glass of wine, and sank down into the warm, soapy water. It felt amazing. I had been working hard all day and this was exactly what I needed.

I soaked for a while until my fingers were wrinkled. Drew still wasn’t back, so I got out and dried off. After blowing out the candles and putting away the wine, I crawled into bed to wait for Drew. I was so relaxed from the bath and the smell of his sheets that I quickly fell fast asleep.

I woke when I felt a kiss on the small of my back. Drew continued to kiss his way up my body. He tasted my skin with his tongue. I sighed as my body ignited. He kissed the sweet spot behind my ear and whispered, “Wake up, sleepy head.”

I turned on my side to face him. He ran his hand down my ribs, then rested them on my hip.

“Hey,” I said in a soft, sleepy voice.

He leaned in and softly touched his lips to mine. “You smell amazing. Can I come home to you like this every night?” He ran his nose softly up my cheek.

I seized the opportunity to get some answers. “Would you really want that?” I asked, searching his eyes for any doubt.

“Every. Single. Day.” He punctuated each word with a slow savory kiss to my neck. I wanted to give in. I really did. I wanted to just give myself over to the indescribable feeling of his hands, his skin, and my God, those lips, but I had to be strong. I had to keep him talking. I needed to know if this was real, or just sex.

I wanted it to be real. I wanted it to be real so desperately. I closed my eyes and willed myself to stop him. I sat up and pulled the sheet up to cover my chest. I needed him to focus and being naked was not going to help with that.

“Please, don’t say things like that if you don’t mean it.”

“Who said I didn’t mean it?” He smiled and leaned in to kiss me again.

I turned my face and he stopped short. “Hey.” He turned my chin so our eyes met. “What’s going on?”

“A lot has happened between us and we never really talked.”

He dropped his hand and looked down at the bed. “I know.”

I put my hand over his and he looked up at me. “When this first started, I wanted it so badly that I didn’t really think about what it would mean for us. I’m not trying to rush into anything. I just want to know if this is just sex, or…”

“Or. It is definitely or,” he said, cutting me off. “I don’t know what we are doing, Red. This is just as new for me. All I can say is that I want to see what happens. I don’t want to stop.” He reached up and cupped my cheek. “You could never be just anything.”

He kissed me, his tongue pushing into my mouth. This time I didn’t pull away or argue. I got lost in the sweet taste of him. He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine.

“So, are we…dating?” I asked breathlessly.

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess that’s a good place to start.” He pulled away from me and jumped up from the bed. “Be right back.”

He headed into the living room. What was he doing? Ping, ping. I picked up my phone.

Drew: Have dinner with me?

 

I laughed. He was texting me from the living room to ask me to dinner.

Alex: When?

 

Drew: Tomorrow night?

 

Alex: I don’t know. I might have plans.

 

Drew: I know you do, with me. Pick you up at 7?

 

I giggled and typed okay.

I heard Drew coming back down the hall. “Looks like I have a date tomorrow.”

He smirked and lifted his eyebrows. “Really? Is he good-looking?”

“Oh yeah. One might even say ruggedly sexy.” I got to my knees, letting the sheet slip from my body, and crawled my way over to the edge of the bed.

“Ruggedly sexy, huh?” He gripped my hips and pulled me tight against his chest.

“Yeah, I just hope he’s not the kind of guy who thinks I put out on the first date.” I ran a finger down the center of his chest.

He pulled off his t-shirt and threw it to the floor.

“Well,” he said as he undid his belt and stepped out of his shoes. “I guess we will just have to get it out of your system tonight then, won’t we. Just so you won’t be tempted.”

He slipped off his jeans and crawled up the bed, pulling me under him and giving me a deep, breathtaking kiss. I felt better. It wasn’t a declaration by any means, but now there was at least hope.

***

I was watching the clock the entire next day at work. I couldn’t focus on anything but our date that night, which made the day drag. When the clock finally hit five, I darted from the office and practically sprinted home.

I showered, did my hair and makeup in record time, and then stood in my closet, trying to figure out what I could wear. Drew had seen me in everything. I settled on a tight green halter dress. It was a little sexy and showed off all of my curves. It had a 1950s pinup feel to it. I paired it with a pair of sky high nude pumps and kept my jewelry to a minimum, only putting on the diamond studs Drew gave me.

I was just transferring my stuff into my clutch when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see Drew in slim dark gray slacks and a sleek black button-up shirt stretched tight across his broad shoulders. No tie. He left the top button of his shirt undone. He had one hand in his pocket and the other held my favorite, a rusty pink rose.

The man was beautiful. There was no other way to describe him. I could practically feel his eyes run the entire length of my body as he looked me over.

“You look incredible,” he said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. He offered me the rose and I took it, heading to the kitchen for a vase.

“Nice place you got here.”

I laughed. “Are you going to do that all night?”

He just smiled. “You ready?”

“Yep.” I followed him out the door and to his car, which was parked out front. He held my door open for me and waited for me to get in. He always was a gentleman, but this time it felt special. He got in and pulled away from the curb.

“So, where are we going?” I asked

“I can’t reveal all of my secrets. It’s only our first date,” he said with a grin.

We pulled up outside a posh hotel downtown. The valet opened my door and helped me out. Drew tossed the guy his keys and offered me his arm.

We went straight through the lobby, which was done in a light marble with modern sculptures and glass blown chandeliers. It was beautiful. I craned my neck, making note of the clever placement of the water.

Drew just shook his head as he led me through the lobby to the bank of elevators straight ahead. He knew how I got in places like this. Unless you dragged me out, I would be there for hours, or until security escorted me out for rearranging the furniture.

We stepped into the elevator and Drew hit the button for the eleventh floor. He slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me in close. He placed a small kiss behind my ear and whispered, “You are beautiful.”

I felt a smile split my face in half.

The elevator doors opened onto a gorgeous rooftop restaurant. The entire space was covered in dark wood paneling and glass. It was stunning. Drew gave the hostess his name and she took us through the huge glass doors and into the main dining room.

The restaurant was open air. Glass panels were all that separated us from plummeting to the sidewalk below. The view was worth dying for, though. We had a complete breathtaking view of the entire city and the harbor winking as it reflected the silvery light of the moon. Up here, the air was fresh and cool. It felt wonderful.

I was so mesmerized by the setting, I didn’t even notice that we had reached our table until I bumped into Drew’s back. He chuckled as he pulled my chair out for me. I was thankful the table was close enough to the edge to enjoy the view but far enough away that I wouldn’t be gripping it to keep from going over. I’m not afraid of heights, but I’m not so happy about the thought of a piece of glass being the only thing standing between me and falling eleven stories to my death.

“What do you think?” Drew asked.

“It’s unbelievable. How did you get reservations?”

He winked at me. “I have connections.”

I smiled. He did well. This place was amazing.

The waiter came over with the prefix menu and the suggested wine list to complement the food. I’m an amateur wine drinker. I know red and white and that’s about it. I like it sweet and a little fruity, kind of like me. I had no idea what went with what. Thankfully, Drew bypassed the suggested list and ordered a bottle of my favorite Moscato. The waiter looked at him like we told him to bring us the blood of a virgin, but nodded. When he walked away, Drew and I burst into laughter.

The conversation was easy. He told me about David trying and failing miserably to put the baby crib together. “Only he could manage to put it together not only backwards, but upside down,” he said as I laughed, holding my napkin to my lips to keep from spraying water in his face.

I talked about some of the new projects Madeline had me working on and he listened with genuine interest, asking questions and giving me his opinion.

“You know, I was really into you back then,” he said as he twirled the stem of his wine glass between his fingers.

I laughed and took a drink. “Yeah, sure you were.”

“I’m serious. You were funny, smart, not to mention gorgeous. How could I not be in to you?”

“Were?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

Drew just laughed and leaned back in his chair. “You aren’t going to make this easy on me, are you?”

“It’s hard to believe that playboy Drew Collins was into any one girl back then.” I shrugged.

He looked at me across the table for a moment. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I played with those other girls because the one that I wanted didn’t want me?”

I set my wine glass down and narrowed my eyes. Was he serious? I kept waiting for him to show me something, for him to give me some indication of what he wanted from me. Now here he was confessing to liking me back in college.

“Why didn’t you ever make a move?” I asked, calling his bluff.

“Because you needed me,” he said, his voice low as he took a sip from his wine glass.

“What?”

“You remember the day in the park near your hometown?” he asked, leaning across the table.

I nodded. I could never forget the day we scattered my parents’ ashes. I was a wreck and he was there. I knew, that day, that I could always count on him. Maybe I even loved him then, but I needed a friend more.

“I told you that day that you weren’t alone anymore, that I would be your family. That is what you needed, so…” He let the words hang in the air.

I was stunned. What can you say to that? I stared at him as tears welled in my eyes. The feminist in me wanted to say that I could take care of myself, but that was total bullshit. What Drew did for me that day saved me. I don’t know where I would have been if he hadn’t brought me back to life.

“For the record,” he took my hand, “you are still funny, smart, and even more beautiful than the first time you poured beer over my head.” He brought my hand to his lips and smiled.

I laughed as the tears spilled down my cheeks. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

This was, by far, the best first date I had been on in years. The food was amazing. We ate happily and offered forks full of food to each other when we found something particularly delicious.

When it was time for dessert, Drew pre-ordered a chocolate soufflé that was so decadent I moaned with every bite. I ate the whole thing. He was lucky to get the crumbs.

“You have some…” he said, leaning in close. “Here, let me.” He kissed the corner of my mouth, licking the chocolate from my lips. It was the sexiest thing anyone had ever done to me. Well, in public.

We finished our wine. Drew paid the check and we headed for the elevator. He hit the call button and just as the light lit up, the door opened and out stepped Peter and Bitchface? It figures. This night was too perfect. Of course, something crazy would have to happen.

Drew stared daggers at them. I was considering knocking Peter and Gwen to the ground and bolting for the elevator. Gwen clutched Peter’s arm, but pointed her cannons at Drew. To his credit, he pretended not to notice. Atta boy!

“Well, look who it is, babe,” Peter said with a grin.

Babe? Were they dating? Talk about a match made in hell. Oh, the beautiful, if not crazy and pretentious children they will have.

Peter raked his eyes over me and licked his lips. “Nice to see you, Alex.” I shivered and Drew’s grip tightened around my waist. I needed a shower after that. I felt dirty.

“We were just leaving,” Drew said, guiding me around them to the elevator.

Gwen grabbed a hold of his arm. “Can’t you stay for one drink?” she asked with a pout. She probably thought it made her look sexy, but she had so much collagen in those lips she ended up looking like a fish.

Drew pulled his arm from her grasp. “I already made that mistake,” he said. I bit my lip, trying not to smile. She was fuming. Her whole face turned bright red as Drew ushered me into the elevator.

“Hope you enjoy my cast off,” she called to me as the doors began to close.

I just looked her straight in her Botox frozen face. “Ditto.”

When the doors closed, Drew and I burst into a fit of laughter and high-fived.

***

We headed back and Drew pulled up outside his building. He came around, opened my door, and helped me out of the car. We walked hand in hand across the square, toward my apartment.

When we reached the bench between our homes, he stopped, pulled me tight against him, and kissed me. I instantly wrapped my arms around his neck. It never ceased to amaze me that we always fit so naturally together. We never had to think about where to put our hands or which spot to kiss to turn us on. With us, it was just instinct.