Текст книги "Somewhere in Between"

Автор книги: Samatha Harris

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

“What was that for?” I asked when we broke the kiss.

“I just couldn’t hold it back anymore,” Drew said, softly touching his lips to mine.

“You have me quickly reconsidering my no sex on the first date rule,” I said against his lips.

A lazy smile spread across his face. “Wouldn’t want that, now would we,” he whispered as he kissed me in our place.

Chapter 21

 

 

Drew (Then)

I walked into the back room of the church to find David pacing the floor and biting his nails. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me. “Is it time?”

“No. Dude, you need to chill.”

I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket for the flask I hid there. I held it out to him and he paused for a moment before finally grabbing it and taking a long swig.

He handed me back the flask and dropped into a chair next to the door. “Fuck, this is torture.”

“What is with you? Cold feet?” I asked, taking a pull from the flask.

“Fuck no,” he said, his head snapping up to face me.

“Then what is your deal?” I leaned against the desk behind me.

“There are a lot of people out there. What if I mess up the vows? What if I say awful instead of lawful?” He ran a hand over his face.

“Millie will marry you awfully or lawfully, dude. Besides, that’s just a funny story you can tell your kids one day.”

David smiled. “Yeah.” His eyes glazed over as he thought about their future together.

“Come on, you lucky son of a bitch. Stand up.”

He did as I said and got to his feet. I brushed off his shoulders and straightened his tie.

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” I called.

The door pushed open and Mom came in. She wore a light blue suit with a white rose corsage pinned over her heart. Her short brown wig made her look like Jackie Kennedy. She looked beautiful, but her eyes were tired. The stress of the day was already taking its toll.

A smiled spread across her face when she saw us together. “Look at you,” she said as tears filled her eyes. “My boys are all grown up. You both look so handsome.”

“You look pretty good yourself, Mom. Taking Jackie out for a spin?” I asked, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

She patted her wig, looking a little self-conscious. “Does it look okay?”

“Are you kidding? You’re a knock out!” I said.

She giggled.

She stepped toward David and held out her small, delicate hands to him. “You chose well, David. Millie is everything I could have ever wanted for you. Take care of her and remember…”

“You don’t deserve her,” we chorused.

She smiled. “I’m so proud of you both. My boys have grown into such amazing young men.”

“Some of us more than others,” David said, shooting me a look. I let out a small, silent laugh and focused on the floor.

The door opened and Papa Jack stuck his head in. “You ready? It’s time.”

David stood up straight and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Let’s go.”

The music started and David started down the aisle with Mom and Papa Jack on either side of him. I waited for my cue and followed. I walked down the aisle, nodding to friends and family I recognized and hadn’t seen in a while. I saw Red sitting in the second row. I winked at her as I passed and she just shook her head.

I stood next to David at the end of the aisle as we watched the bridesmaids make their way down. He kept shifting his weight as he nervously waited for Millie to appear. I dropped a hand to his shoulder to calm him down. He looked back at me and took a deep breath.

The wedding march started and the doors at the back of the church opened. Millie took her first step toward us, her hand in the crook of her father’s arm, and David instantly relaxed. His face lit up. It was like watching him fall in love with her all over again. Everyone in the church was on their feet, but to look at Millie and David, you would have thought they were the only people in the room.

I looked over and saw Red watching Millie as she made her way to the altar. All eyes in the church were on the bride, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Red.

Millie reached the end of the aisle and kissed her father’s cheek. Alex met my eyes and smiled as she wiped a tear from her eye. I smiled and turned my attention back to the ceremony. I had a job to do.

The ceremony was thankfully short. David did great. He got all the way through his vows and even remembered to say lawfully. Before long, the pastor pronounced them husband and wife and the crowd erupted in applause as David kissed his wife for the first time.

I made my way into the reception hall, grabbing a glass of champagne from a tray by the door, and scanned the crowd for Red. Pictures had taken forever and my cheeks were sore from smiling.

I spotted Red talking to Uncle Charlie and I headed in their direction.

“There you are,” I said, slipping my arm around her waist.

“Hey,” she said, smiling up at me.

“Well, I’m going to go find my seat,” Uncle Charlie said. “You save me a dance later, young lady.”

“You bet.” She nodded, giving the old man a sweet smile.

“You have to watch out for him, Red,” I said, pointing in Charlie’s direction. “He gets a little handsy.” I mimicked him by grabbing her butt. Red scoffed, playfully slapping my arm.

“We’re up there.” I pointed toward the head table upfront.

Mom and Papa Jack were already seated and talking to Millie’s parents. Alex took a seat next to me as the DJ announced, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. David Collins. We all clapped as David and Millie came in to the roar of the crowd.

Dinner was served and it was actually pretty good. They got our favorite Italian place to cater. We watched as David and Millie danced their first dance and laughed as Millie shoved cake in David’s face. Millie’s sister, Sara, the maid of honor, got up and barely made it through her speech as she blubbered through almost every word.

Then it was my turn.

I leaned over to Red and whispered, “Wish me luck.” I picked up my glass of champagne and headed toward the stage.

Sara handed me the mic and I turned to face the crowd with a smile. “Good evening. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Drew Collins. I am the best man and the younger, if not better looking, brother of the groom.” I winked in David’s direction and he flipped me the bird.

“Keep it classy, Dave,” I said before moving on with my speech. “After David asked me to be his best man, I started to do some research on epic best man speeches, but I didn’t find much. Just a lot of advertisements for speech writing kits that, for the low, low price of $14.95, plus shipping and handling, you can write the ultimate speech for your friend or loved one.” The crowd chuckled and I went on. “All of them gave the same cookie cutter advice. Start with a story about the groom. Then say something nice about the bride, which, with Millie, could take all night.” That got me a laugh and Millie blushed. “Then offer some words of wisdom, to which I have none. See, these kits are a sham. They’re basically just ripping off poor schmucks like me who have no idea what to say when they get up here. Lucky for me, I have mom.” I turned to face her and she beamed back at me from our table. “A wise woman who, throughout the years, has told my brother and me one thing over and over. When you fall in love, never stop fighting to be the man that she deserves. So, my parting piece of wisdom for you, bro, is to always remember that you, my friend, don’t deserve her.” I raised my glass in the air. “To David and Millie.”

“To David and Millie,” the crowd repeated. Everyone clapped as I made my way back to the table to give my brother and my new sister a hug.

I took my seat beside Red. She looked at me, still clapping. “Nice speech.”

“Well, I had help.” I smiled. “Thank you, by the way.”

“I was more moral support than help,” she said.

“Well, thank you anyway.”

After that, the party kicked into high gear as everyone hit the dance floor. I looked at Mom, who was watching the couples as they moved across the floor, a smile stretching across her face from ear to ear.

“What do you say, Mom? Want to give it a go?” I nodded my head toward the dance floor. She smiled up at me and nodded.

I held out my hand, helped her to her feet, and led her onto the dance floor. Mom was radiating happiness. With everything she’d been through lately it was so good to see her smile. I looked toward our table as Papa Jack offered his hand to Red.

Soon they joined us on the dance floor. Red’s laugh filled my ears as my dad whirled her around the dance floor.

“You did good, kid,” Mom said, bringing my focus back to her.

“With what?” She glanced over at Red and Papa Jack as I followed her gaze. “No. Mom, you have the wrong idea,” I protested. “Red and I are just friends.”

“I see how you look at her,” she said. “You can’t fool your mother.”

I sighed. “Am I that obvious?”

“Only to me.” She smiled and rested a cold hand on my cheek. I smiled and spun her around before bringing her back against me. I looked down as her face got serious.

“You okay? Do you need to sit down?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She gave me a small smile. “You need to tell her.”

“I can’t. She needs me to be her friend.”

“Just promise me that one day, you will. She may need a friend right now, but trust me, you belong together. Soon enough, you will both run out of excuses.”

I looked at Red and met her beautiful green eyes. She smiled at me and I felt my lips turning up in response. “I promise,” I said without taking my eyes off Red.

As the song came to an end, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Papa Jack smiled at me. “Trade ya.”

He took Mom’s hand and led her away. I looked at Red and offered her my hand. She stepped toward me as I wrapped my arms around her.

The opening bars to “La Vie en Rose” began to play. Red sighed and I pulled her closer against me.

“I love this song.” I smiled, remembering the first time we heard it together, when we sat in Madison Square Park and discussed our plans for the future. She felt so good in my arms, her skin warm against my fingertips. I was hopeful that her prediction would come true, that we would be together after graduation, even if it meant that I was still just her friend.

“Thank you for coming with me,” I said, pulling away slightly to look at her.

She smiled. “Thank you for inviting me.”

I pulled her in close and she rested her head on my shoulder. This is where she belonged, with me, in my arms. I would keep my promise to Mom. One day, maybe I won’t have to let go.

***

After saying goodbye to the bride and groom, we headed back to the house. We were all exhausted and went straight to bed.

I took a quick shower and headed back into the bedroom. I walked into the room with a towel wrapped around my waist. Alex was sitting on the bed, digging through her bag. She looked up at me when I came in, her eyes raking across my body. I chuckled, enjoying her appraisal, maybe a little too much.

“I’m just gonna go brush my teeth,” she said, getting to her feet and hurrying out the door.

I pulled a t-shirt from my bag and tugged it over my head.

“Emma!” I heard my dad yell. I raced down the hall to their room, almost colliding with Red as she came out of the bathroom.

I opened the door and Papa Jack was there, holding my mother’s unconscious body in his arms. I froze. I heard Red gasp behind me and Papa Jack’s head snapped up. His eyes were full of panic. “Call nine one one!” he yelled.

Red took off down the hall to call for an ambulance. I could hear her talking to the operator, but all I could do was stare at Mom.

Chapter 22

 

 

Alex (Now)

As I walked into The Den for trivia, I didn’t know what to expect from Drew. Were we still keeping things between us? I decided to let him take the lead even though I wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

I was the first one there, so I said hello to Papa Jack and headed for our table. Bridget met me there with a beer and quickly took off to put in my food order. I dropped my bag and shrugged out of my jacket.

I was just about to take my seat when a meaty paw landed on my shoulder. I jumped and turned to see that Papa Jack had come up behind me. “Jesus!” I breathed, pressing a hand to my chest.

“Nope, just me.” I rolled my eyes at him. So funny.

“What’s up, Pop?”

“I was gonna ask you the same thing,” he said, crossing his beefy arms across his broad chest.

“I’m good.” I was confused. What was he getting at?

“You’re like one of my own, Alex, and I have to tell ya, you have been a bit of a mess the past few weeks.”

He was right. I’ve been a total mess. I’ve been running around like a freaked out Chihuahua.

I sank down into my chair. “I know,” I said.

“If this is about my bonehead son, you need to tell me. I will straighten him out for ya.” He stood up straighter and I looked up at him, my eyes wide in panic. He put his hand on my shoulder again. “I saw that kiss he planted on you. If ya ask me, it’s about damn time he came to his senses.” He shot me a wink.

“That was just one of Sean’s games. Drew and I aren’t together.” I was scrambling, trying to throw him off the trail. As far as I knew, Drew still didn’t want people to know.

“Ya should be. That fool boy of mine needs to get his head out of his ass. Finding a girl like you only happens once in a lifetime. I should know,” he said, his eyes going misty. He pressed a calloused hand to my cheek. “You remind me so much of Emma. She was just as stubborn and never could take a compliment.” He took a breath and dropped his hand. “If he doesn’t see that in you, then he’s dumber than he looks.”

I hadn’t realized I’d started to cry until he wiped a tear from my cheek and pulled me into a hug. He released me and looked into my face. “He doesn’t deserve you.” I laughed, reaching for a napkin to wipe my face as Drew came in.

Papa Jack headed back to the bar. When he passed by Drew, he playfully smacked him in the back of the head. “Ow! What was that for, Pop?” Drew said, rubbing the back of his head. Papa Jack didn’t respond. He just shook his head and went back behind the bar.

As Drew got closer to me, he saw my face and his brows drew together. “You okay?”

I wiped at my face and smiled up at him. “Yeah, I’m fine. We were just talking about your mom.”

He gave me a sad smile and took a seat. He reached out and wiped a tear from my face with his thumb. I looked at Papa Jack, who was standing behind the bar. He smiled and kept cleaning the glasses.

Everybody else filed in a little later. We had a great time. It seemed to be business, as usual. Drew draped his arm over the back of my chair, but it really wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

I waved to Bridget to bring me another beer when Sean said, “I think Bridget wants me.”

We all burst into laughter and Sean looked around the table “What? She does. All the ladies want me. Right, Alex?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

“Oh yeah, it’s taking everything I have not to crawl into your lap right now,” I deadpanned.

Sean scooted back his chair to show me his lap was free. I just shook my head at him and he leaned in, putting his elbows on the table.

“I’m telling you, she’s been vibing me for weeks.” He watched as Bridget placed drinks on her tray across the bar.

David raised his eyebrows and lifted his beer. “Go for it, then.”

Millie swatted at David. “Don’t encourage him.”

Sean sat back in his chair with a smirk. He looked up and saw that Bridget was approaching our table with my beer on her tray. She grabbed the bottle and leaned over him to hand it to me. Before I could take it from her, Sean grabbed her waist, spun her around, and pulled her down into his lap. “Hey there, gorgeous.”

Bridget scowled at him and reared back, slapping him hard across his face. Millie’s eyes widened. Drew and David started to laugh, trying not to spit beer on each other. Bridget scrambled from Sean’s lap, spilling my beer all over me and the table in the process. She gave me a small smile to say sorry and glared at Sean before stomping away.

Millie quickly grabbed some napkins to clean up the mess and I attempted to dry my shirt. She handed me a handful of napkins and gestured toward the bathroom. I smacked Sean on the back of the head as I got up and went to the bathroom to clean the beer from my chest.

I managed to clean and dry my blouse enough for it to no longer be transparent, but there was nothing to be done about the beer smell. I opened the door and started heading back to our table when an arm pulled me to the side hallway.

I was pressed against the wall and Drew was pressed against me. We were in the back hallway that led the keg closet, next to the payphone no one used any more. He smiled and leaned in close.

“Thank god Sean is an idiot,” he said, his lips against my neck. “I didn’t think I would have a chance to get you alone.” He pressed his lips to the spot behind my ear and I moaned.

“Drew, we can’t,” I said unconvincingly. “Not here.”

“They won’t find us back here.”

He ran a hand down my chest and cupped my breast. He gently rubbed his thumb over my nipple through my damp shirt and it instantly pebbled in response. He smiled and leaned in, kissing me hard. He thrust his tongue into my mouth. I moaned and gave in, kissing him back and pulling him closer as he hiked my leg up on his hip, grinding into me.

Every kiss from Drew was better than the last. The soft touch of his lips, the hard sweep of his tongue, and the growl that escaped from the back of his throat as his fingers dug into my hips was indescribable. When he broke the kiss, we were both breathing heavily. He leaned his forehead against mine.

“We need to get out of here. My place?” he asked. I nodded.

He released me and handed me his keys as I straightened up and fixed my clothes.

“You go first,” he said. “I’m gonna need a minute.” He adjusted himself and gave me a shy smile.

I kissed his cheek and headed back to the table, putting a little more sway in my hips than I usually did.

Papa Jack had Sean backed into a corner. He was giving him a lecture about the appropriate way to treat a woman. That would take a while.

I got to the table and said goodbye to Millie. She waved at me and shot a nervous glance at Sean. I patted her shoulder. “He deserves it.”

She nodded and turned to ask David to intervene.

***

I got to Drew’s place and had just turned the key when, all of a sudden, Drew was behind me, pushing us quickly through the door, his lips on my neck.

He turned me to face him and tugged at my damp blouse, pulling the tail from my skirt and up over my head as he walked me backward into the apartment. We kissed, stumbling out of our clothes until my back hit the kitchen island. He moved from my mouth to my neck and down my chest. When I opened my eyes, he was on his knees, running his hands up under my skirt, pushing it slowly up my thighs.

Oh my God, those hands. Just the thought of Drew touching me had me soaked. When his fingers reached the thin lace of my panties, he pulled them down, letting them fall to the floor as he pushed my skirt up until it caught around my hips.

He lifted me onto the counter and looked up at me through his thick lashes, his eyes dark with desire, causing me to shudder. He kissed just inside my knee, then moved up, slowly nipping and licking his way to the apex of my thighs. I felt every kiss in every nerve of my body. I was desperate for those lips, desperate to feel him worship me with that glorious tongue.

When he got to where I wanted him, he spread my knees wider and jerked my hips to the edge of the counter. His tongue flicked out, just barely touching me, and my body jerked. I whimpered, thrusting my hands into his hair. He flicked his tongue out again, stroking and teasing me slowly. I ran my hands through his hair, moaning. I threw my head back as he brought me to my breaking point.

“Mmm, my girl tastes good,” he said against my clit. The vibration from his deep voice caused me to cry out and tighten my grip in his hair. He picked up the pace, slipping a long finger inside me. The swift motion caused my eyes to fly open and lock on David, who was standing, frozen, in the living room.

“Oh my God!” I yelled. Drew misunderstood, gripping my hips tighter as I tried to squirm away from him. I pulled hard on his hair to get him to look up at me. When our eyes met, I flicked my head toward where David stood and scrambled to cover myself. It felt like getting caught by parents. I was completely humiliated.

Drew got to his feet and whirled around. “Fuck,” he said, trying to shield me while I jumped down from the counter.

“I’m gonna just…” I stammered and booked it for the bedroom. I ran through the door, closing it behind me, but it bounced back open a crack. I pressed my back to the wall. Holy Shit! I was starting my internal freak out when I heard them talking.

“What the hell? You don’t knock?” Drew asked. He sounded angry.

“You left the front door open, asshole. I just came to drop off your wallet. You left it at the bar. What the hell are you doing, man?”

“It’s none of your business!”

I didn’t want to listen. Every instinct told me to head to the bathroom, where I couldn’t hear them, but I wanted to know if Drew was going to come clean and tell David about us.

“How long?” David asked.

“What?”

“How long, Drew?”

“A while.”

“Are you kidding me?” David yelled.

“It was just sex, man! Let it go!” Drew yelled.

My heart shattered. I knew this would happen and I let myself believe that we could have more. I was furious at him and mostly at myself for buying into his bullshit. How could I have been so stupid?

I was so upset that I had stopped listening, tuning back in when I heard David’s voice. “…for years. I can’t believe this! You are unbelievable! You need to get your shit together, little bro.” With that, he stormed from the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

I finally moved to the bed when I heard the door slam. I sat at the edge, feeling numb, my body running cold from both the lack of clothing and Drew’s dismissal.

He pushed the door open and froze when he saw my expression. I refused to cry. I already proved how weak and stupid I could be. No need to add to my humiliation.

“You bastard,” I said quietly. I lifted my head to look at him.

“No. Red,” he pleaded. “You don’t understand.”

“Understand what, Drew?” I shouted, getting to my feet. “That you used me? That I told you that I loved you and you took it as an opportunity to fuck me?”

“It’s not like that Red, I…”

“The fuck it isn’t! I gave you an out. I asked you if this was just sex and you said you wanted to see what could happen between us.” I grabbed the sides of my head in frustration. “I can’t believe I was so stupid to believe you changed.”

A traitor tear slipped from my eye and rolled down my cheek. He watched it fall as he swallowed hard. I was sure the panic in his eyes was from being caught in his little scheme. Drew never wanted me. I was just the girl who said no.

“Well, it took you six years, but you finally got that notch you wanted. Congratulations!” I pushed past him toward the door. He reached for my arm to stop me and I whirled on him. “Don’t touch me! Don’t fucking touch me!” I headed for the door, grabbing my shirt on my way out.

I was pulling it over my head when Drew came after me. “Please, Red! I didn’t mean…”

I stopped and held a hand up to his face. “Don’t. I don’t want to hear it. I heard enough already!”

Tears welled in my eyes as I grabbed my bag and headed to the door. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I jabbed the call button to the elevator until the doors finally slid open.

I stepped into the elevator and jabbed the button for the lobby as Drew came running down the hall. “Alex! Please, I… ”

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the cold, metal wall as the doors to the elevator closed in his face.

***

I didn’t sleep at all that night. I had to drag myself into work the next day. With Madeline in New York for the rest of the week, I had to be on point. So, armed with my best fake smile, I did what I could to make it through the day, even though I was dying inside.

I was still so angry at Drew, at myself. How did I end up here? This was my fault. I let him in against all of my better judgment. All of my instincts told me he didn’t love me, but I went with it anyway.

I had lunch with Wiley at my desk and told her everything, from our date, the bar, to David walking in, right up to when I stormed out. Her face was a kaleidoscope of reactions. When it was all said and done, she put her hand over mine.

“I’m so sorry, Lexie,” she said. I didn’t even care that she used that stupid name.

She pulled her hand back and shook her head. “I feel like this is all my fault. I encouraged you to tell him.”

“Wiley, seriously? This was not your fault. Drew has always been a player. I fell for all the same bullshit I have seen him pull on girls for years.” I wiped a tear from my face and cleared my throat “Why would I be any different?”

“Because you are his best friend.”

I looked up at her as tears filled my eyes. “He’s my world, Wiley. I know that sounds stupid, but he came into my life when I had no one. He made me a part of his life, his family.” The tears flooded down my cheeks. “He’s my family. Without him, I’m alone again.”

“Aww honey,” she said, pulling me into a hug.

I wanted Drew. I was hurting so badly that I wanted him to make it better, like he used to, but that just wasn’t an option for me anymore.

***

I made it through the rest of the day, but just barely. I had a minor catastrophe at the Lawford penthouse. I had to locate a wingback chair and get it refinished and upholstered in a day. Luckily I found a vintage shop downtown that had two. I got everything done and the chair was set to be delivered in the morning ahead of schedule and under budget. I was kicking ass with work. I should’ve wanted to celebrate, but at the end of the day, I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.

After work, I decided to walk the long way home to clear my head. It was a nice day, warmer than usual this time of year. I watched the happy couples as they passed me. What is it about when you’re single or going through a break up that everyone seems to be a couple except for you?

When I reached the square, I heard music. A jazz band was playing a song I recognized: “La Vie en Rose.” I closed my eyes and let the notes run over me. The memory of dancing with Drew as this song played from his phone was so clear in my mind, I could still feel his arms around me.

I kept walking toward my building, listening to the notes rise and fall, wishing I could just go back to that moment when we were happy and our relationship was uncomplicated, when he was still Drew. I stopped and closed my eyes, just listening to the lyrics.

“They’re playing our song.”

I opened my eyes to see Drew leaning against my building.

“You need to leave,” I said, proud that my voice sounded calm and in control.

“I can’t.”

He pushed off of the building and came toward me. When he was about two feet from me, I stepped back, not wanting him to get any closer. If he touched me, I wouldn’t be able to resist him. I took a step toward the front entrance and Drew stepped in my way, blocking my exit.

“Alex, please.” He looked so hurt and so beautiful. I wanted to hug him and then slap him.

“Drew, get out of my way,” I said through clenched teeth.

“I can’t leave things like this. I need you, Alex. Please.” He reached out, his fingers brushing against my elbow.

“Don’t you get it? There‘s nothing left.” I wrenched my arm away. “It’s done. You can’t fix this with an apology and a charming smile. You broke my heart, Drew!” I took a breath and shook my head as the tears welled in my eyes. “The worst part?” I said. “I shouldn’t have expected anything more.”

He winced and took a step back, looking like he had been shot. I took the opportunity to bail. I ran through the front doors and straight up to my apartment, slamming and locking the door behind me.

I set down my stuff and poured a glass of wine. In the living room, I set my glass on the coffee table and opened all the windows. I leaned against the window frame, listening to the sweet melodic jazz that floated through my window, letting the tears stream down my face.

***

It had been almost two weeks since Drew had shown up at my place. He continued to call and text, but I couldn’t bring myself to listen, so I just deleted all the texts. I didn’t want to see him. I went out of my way to avoid places he would go, which included The Den.

After the second time I skipped trivia, Sean called. “Hey, beautiful. How ya doin’?” he said in a sing-song voice.

“Okay, I guess.”

“Liar.”

I smiled. “You got me. So, what’s going on? Has Papa Jack let you back in the bar yet?”

He laughed. “Yeah. He says I am on probation.”

“That’ll teach you to grab a waitress.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, by the way,” he said. I knew he never meant any harm. “Look, Alex. You know I didn’t call about that.”

“Yeah, I know.” I let out a long breath.

“He’s pretty messed up.”

“Yeah. Well, so am I.” I was having a hard time keeping the anger from seeping into my voice.

“I’m just playing the devil’s advocate here. I love you both, you know that. He fucked up. He fucked up big, but Alex, you should at least try to hear him out. Give him a chance to explain.”

“Sean, I heard everything he told David. I heard it loud and clear.”

He was quiet for moment. “Alex, you mean the world to him. I don’t know what he said to David, or why he said it, but I think you should listen to him.” I didn’t say anything. After a long silence, he said. “Can you at least promise me you will think about it?

“Fine.”

“Thanks. We’re still good, right?”

“Of course.” Sean was still my family. I may have inherited him, but he still meant a lot to me.

“Great. Well, just think about what I said, okay?

“Okay.”

“And please call Millie. She’s really worried about you. We all are.”

“I will. Talk to you later. Bye, Sean.”

I hung up. I promised to consider hearing Drew out, but I don’t think I could take it. Only time would tell.

***

Another week went by and I was still not talking to Drew. I checked in with Sean and Millie, as promised, but continued to stay away from anywhere I thought I could run into him, which included Down the Street. I had to settle for the generic weak brew at the office. The lack of good coffee was making me hate him more.