“You don’t need any more beer right now. Pace yourself.” Dom drops a kiss on her cheek. “What are you guys talking about anyway?”
“How cute they are.” Tori waves a hand at me and Addie.
“They are pretty cute,” Dom agrees, which earns him an eye roll from me. “You know what’s not cute? How Marcus and Emma are fighting in the kitchen.”
Addie frowns. So does Tori.
“What do you mean they’re fighting?” Addie asks.
“It’s just a little argument. Nothing too major. But it’s over Monique, who just showed up.” Dom makes a face. “I guess homeboy invited her.”
“Oh shit.” Tori’s eyes go wide.
Addie groans. “I do not need the drama tonight.”
“What do you mean?” I ask her.
“Emma will get drunk and she’ll cry and I’ll have to console her while she complains about Marcus and what an asshole he is for the rest of the night. All while I’ll have to hold back saying to her, ‘I told you so,’ which a person never wants to hear,” Addie explains.
“You just described that nightmare scenario perfectly,” Tori says.
“Let’s get out of here then,” I say to Addie.
“What do you mean? You just showed up,” she protests.
“I don’t mean we’ll actually leave. Let’s go sit in my car for a while. Away from all the noise and people.” I glance to my right to find Tori and Dom already wandering off, lost in conversation with each other. “What do you think?”
“I think that sounds nice.” Addie smiles at me and I swear to God, my heart just skipped a beat.
I’ve got it so damn bad for this girl.
“That way Emma won’t find you if shit really blows up between her and Marcus.” I pause, realizing I sound like an asshole. “Unless you want her to find you. Because she’s your best friend and all that.”
“No, actually, I really don’t want to be found by Emma,” she admits with a wince. “Not tonight.”
“Perfect.” I smile and take her hand, interlacing her fingers with mine. “Then let’s go.”
FOURTEEN
ADDIE
Beck grabs himself two bottles of beer and a cherry flavored Truly for me from the fridge in the garage before we escape Marcus’ house. The air outside is still warm, but definitely cooler than inside, which is already packed with way too many people.
“Much better outside,” Beck says as we walk toward his brand-new 4Runner. It gleams from the moon shining above it, and I’m about to go to the passenger side door when Beck slowly shakes his head. “Let’s sit in the back.”
“Okay.”
I follow him to the back of the vehicle and he pulls out his key fob, hitting a button so the rear door slowly lifts up, revealing the back of his car. “This is nice,” I tell him.
He sets his beer bottles on the floor before he pulls out the sliding deck and then leans inside, grabbing what turns out to be a blanket. He shakes it out and drapes it over the car’s interior before he turns to me and holds his hand out toward the back end of his vehicle. “Have a seat.”
“Why thank you.” I settle on the edge, my feet dangling as I grab my Truly and crack it open. Beck settles in right next to me, the car dipping from his weight, his shoulder brushing against mine. “I like your car.”
“Thanks. My dad wants to steal it from me.” He twists the cap off the first beer and brings the bottle to his lips, taking a long pull from it.
I watch him drink in open fascination, not hiding my interest like I usually do. Something must be seriously wrong with me when I find the way a guy drinks is sexy.
But of course, it’s not just any guy—it’s Beck.
“What do you mean, your dad wants to steal it from you?” I ask, trying to focus on something else. Not the way Beck’s neck looks with his head tipped back. Or how tempted I am to kiss him there. Breathe in his spicy cologne. Touch his soft hair…
“He wishes it belonged to him. We took it up a few trails over the summer and it handles great. Mom went with us once, but she clutched the grab handle the entire time, screaming how we were going to tip the 4Runner over.” Beck shakes his head. “It sucked.”
I laugh. “I’d probably do the same thing.”
He glances over at me. “You don’t like driving off-road? Going four-wheeling?”
“I’ve never done it before,” I admit.
“I’ll have to take you sometime,” he says, his voice full of promise.
“Okay.” I take another sip from my Truly to hide my giddiness.
We’re quiet for a moment, both of us drinking, a warm breeze washing over us, ruffling his hair, so it falls across his forehead. My fingers itch to push it back, but I contain myself. Barely.
“I’m sorry Liam was bugging you earlier,” Beck finally says.
“It’s not your fault. I’m the one who went out to dinner with him,” I say, the memories of last night hitting me all over again. “It was so awful, with Danny tagging along and Liam barely talking to me. I don’t understand him.”
“I don’t either. I wouldn’t want anyone else with us if we went on a date.” Beck glances over at me, his gaze serious. “I’d want to keep you all to myself.”
The longer he looks at me, the warmer my skin gets, until I have to look away first, a secret smile curling my lips.
When I chance another look at him, I see he’s got the same little smile on his face too.
“What’s up with you and Emma anyway?” Beck asks when I remain quiet.
I frown at his change of subject. “What are you talking about?”
“Like you wanting to hide from her just now,” he says. “Are you guys not getting along?”
“We always get along, it’s just…” My voice drifts and I shrug then take another drink to stall for time as I think of how to put my feelings into words. “She can be very—self-absorbed sometimes, especially when she’s in a relationship. And she’s a little mean toward us when we don’t give her the attention she wants. But I find her relationship with Marcus exhausting. They tried being together last year and it didn’t work. Why do they think it’s going to work now? He treats her terribly, and you know he’s still hooking up with Monique. Or if he’s not at the moment, he will be.”
“Yeah. This is where I admit Marcus isn’t so loyal when it comes to girlfriends,” Beck says. “I don’t know why he tries to be in a relationship when he always fails. He should just stay single and do what he normally does. Hook up with a variety of girls and not commit to any of them.”
I wonder if that’s Beck’s mode this year, after being in a serious relationship for most of our junior year with Sasha. Crap, he only just broke up with her a few days ago. Maybe he thinks being in a serious relationship is stifling and he’d prefer to be single.
“I don’t think Emma ever got over him when they broke up the first time,” I continue. “She’s still in love with him, and pretty sure he knows it. She’ll do anything to get back together with him. Maybe even tolerate him cheating on her. God, I hope not.”