I stared at my phone, intently waiting for Kacey’s reply, which came in less than a minute. Ha. I’m sorry I missed that. New York was great. We had an amazing time.
There was nothing special about her text, but it still had me smiling from ear to ear. I let out a sigh as I typed back my reply. I’m sorry you did too. I wish you were hereeeeeee. I thought for a moment, then sent a follow up text. Actually, I wish I was there. This is lame.
Doesn’t sound lame. Karaoke sounds like fun. Bailey and I do a mean rendition of Let It Go.
I smiled as I thought about Bailey and Kacey singing together.
“Texting your girlfriend?” Kylie asked as she snuggled up next to me on Bo’s couch.
I shook my head firmly. “Kacey’s not my girlfriend.”
Kylie groaned. “I don’t understand why she isn’t. Kacey is freaking sexy. Like ridiculously sexy.”
I looked at my sister’s half-lidded eyes and laughed. “And you’re ridiculously drunk.”
Kylie ran her hand over my face. “So are you, and I’m just saying, if I was gay, I’d be doing everything I could to get into Kacey Caldwell’s bed tonight. I’m not sure why you’re not.”
I shook my head again. “Nope. Can’t do that.” I pointed down toward my crotch. “This is a Kacey Caldwell free zone.”
Kylie laughed way too hard at my joke, throwing her head back as if it were the funniest thing she’d ever heard. “Okay, then. Keep that vagina lonely. But you have to agree that Kacey is sexy.”
Even I was surprised when I shook my head no. “She’s not. Okay she is, but sexy isn’t the right way to describe her. She’s beaaaauuuuutiful. God, Kylie, did you ever notice how beautiful she is? She radiates beauty. And not just on the outside. She’s… ugh… she’s perfect.”
“And you’re in lo—”
“Ladies and gentlemen! It’s almost midnight! Anyone partaking in the midnight shot needs to come to papa.” I was happy about Bo’s voice interrupting Kylie’s words, knowing I didn’t want to hear something I was so unsure I could deny.
Kylie jumped from the couch. “That’s my cue.”
She was the only person to stumble over to Bo, the other party goers clearly just as over drinking as I was at this point.
I cringed when I felt an arm come around my shoulder, immediately knowing who it was. Derek smiled over at me, his perfectly straight white teeth glowing. “So, what do you say, pretty lady? Want to be my midnight kiss?”
I not-so-subtly inched away from him. “Nope.”
He scooted closer to me. “Aw, come on. How many guys have you even kissed in your life?”
“Enough to know I don’t like it.”
Not deterred, Derek wiggled his eyebrows at me. “But you never kissed me.”
The conversation was interrupted by Bo starting a countdown. When midnight struck, I watched Bo and Kylie click their shot glasses together and throw them back. I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my head as Kylie pulled Bo close to her and started making out with him right there in the middle of the party. I shook my head as I made my way over to them and then pulled them apart. “Nope. Absolutely not. This. Nope. Not happening.”
Kylie simply laughed as she wiped at her lips and Bo stared at her with a goofy drunk grin. Two arms wrapped around my waist from behind and started to pull me away. “Come on, babe. Let them have a little fun.”
I whipped around to face Derek and removed his hands from my body. “Absolutely not. Not happening. This…” I pointed between the two of us. “Is also not happening. Not even if we were the last two people on this planet.”
To my surprise, Derek simply smiled and shrugged. “Luckily, I have a backup plan. Tell me about your friend Kacey. Bo tells me you knew each other back in the day.” The way he wiggled his eyebrows told me he knew about our past.
“Bo told you that?” I asked, becoming slightly annoyed that he would share my personal business with someone like Derek.
“Nope. Didn’t have to. He told me Kacey was off-limits because of bro code or some shit like that, so I put the pieces together. Now you confirmed it. Seriously, though, that just makes her even hotter.”
“You don’t deserve to even think about Kacey Caldwell,” I said firmly.
“Aw, come on. It’s all in good fun. She has a daughter. She obviously swings both ways. So, what do you say?” He elbowed me in the side playfully. “Will you put in a good word for me? It’s not like I’m looking for forever. Just a good time.”
“Never,” I said with a shaky voice. I couldn’t stand to hear him talk about Kacey this way. I could blow off his advances on me, but something about hearing him objectify Kacey had my blood boiling. “Kacey is smart and funny and dedicated and the most caring person I’ve ever met. She deserves someone who sees all of that. She deserves someone who does want forever, because getting to spend forever with Kacey would be a dream come true.”
I stormed away from him and was soon out the front door, slamming it shut so I didn’t have to listen to his asinine explanation of how it was all just a joke and I was being too uptight. Without thinking, I pulled out my phone and clicked on Kacey’s name.
After just three rings, she picked up. “Happy New Year!” she said cheerfully.
I scoffed. “What a start to the new year. First, Bo and my sister make out. Then, Derek tries to hit on me. Then, he has the audacity to ask about you.”
“What about me?”
“Just some bullshit about how hot you are, which is true, but I told him you’re so much more than that.”
“You… you did?” Kacey asked a little more quietly.
“Of course. You’re everything, Kacey. You’re the whole package. All the funny and smart and caring wrapped up in one super pretty package.”
Kacey laughed lightly, clearly becoming more aware of just how drunk I was. “Are you still at the party?”
I shook my head as if she could see me. “Nope. Walking home. Can’t be there.”
“You shouldn’t be walking alone when you’re wasted. Where are you?”
“Oh, come on. This is Bellman. Plus, I’m practically in the driveway.”
I watched Kacey’s door open down the street and saw her shake her head. “Practically in the driveway, huh?” she shouted.
I shrugged and continued to stumble down the street. Within a few seconds, Kacey was by my side with a hand around my waist, a touch I appreciated much more than Derek’s. I stared at her as we walked together. “You’re so pretty, like so so pretty. It’s not fair for one person to be so pretty. Nope. Especially when it’s the person I’m not supposed to be falling for. But, alas, you are. Your face should win an award. Most beautiful. Most kissable.” I turned in her arms when we reached our driveway and stared at her lips, any control I was normally able to have over my body completely gone. “I want to kiss you right now. Derek wanted a midnight kiss. I would never. One because he’s gross and two because I don’t want to kiss anyone in the world but you.”
I leaned in close and was surprised when Kacey pulled away. She cleared her throat and pointed toward her house. “We need to get you some water.”