She does a shimmy and then adds, “Amanda will be there. And I’m not hanging around with this one all night. It’s a girls’ night tonight even if the guys will be there.”
Chad holds his hands up. “I promised I wouldn’t occupy all her time. Apparently, her roommate is getting jealous of how much time we spend together.”
“See!” Nicole walks out of the kitchen and grabs my hand. “The three of us can cause all kinds of mischief!”
I sway my head in contemplation. It would be nice to hang with the girls again. No, it would be great to hang with the girls tonight. “Sure. Why not? Let me get changed.”
I spend the thirty minutes blowing out my hair and then walk into my room and survey my closet. There’s fog rolling outside my window, so I pull on skinny jeans, tall boots, and an oversize sweater with a tank top underneath. I go dramatic on my eye makeup because a girls’ night calls for feeling a little glamorous even if I’m heading to the party with my brother as the chauffeur.
Thankfully, we pick up Amanda, so I don’t feel quite as neat, especially when she comes crashing into the backseat, wearing a denim miniskirt and holding three road sodas.
“Red Bull and vodka!” she declares as she hands one to me and another to Nicole.
Chad smiles as he watches Nicole chug half of hers from the passenger seat.
“This might be a girls’ night, but you girls are gonna need this guy to carry your drunk asses out at the end of the night.” Chad laughs as he pulls away from the curb.
After we arrive, I search around the frat house, telling myself that I’m not looking for Wes but even I don’t believe it. I just need to know what’s going on. I’m a practical person. Everything is lined up, made sense of, and categorized in my head where it belongs. This not knowing why he watched me or why it petrified him when I said his name is killing me.
Chad heads off in the direction of the baseball guys out back. Amanda, Nicole, and I follow him out as well, talking and laughing, but we go to the far end of the deck.
“Oh my God. See that guy over there?” Amanda points to someone. “I made out with him last year, and he was the best kisser in the world. It was so good; I was beyond turned on from just his lips.”
Nicole leans over to check him out. “You should try to get with him again.”
“Never. His mouth might have been magical, but his penis was …” Amanda curves a finger down in the limp position.
I laugh even though it feels wrong. Poor guy.
“Chad is a great kisser. And he does not have a problem with, you know.” Nicole giggles, and I close my eyes in mock disgust. Being friends with my brother’s girlfriend has its perks, but hearing about their sex life is a definite con. “What about you, Stacey? Who is the best guy you’ve ever kissed?”
My chest swells for a moment, and I have to run my hand over my forehead with how dizzy I just got for a second. No one’s ever asked me that before, and still, the answer is on the tip of my tongue.
“Junior year of high school. I was at a graduation party, and this guy kissed me. It was unexpected and yet …” I halt, remembering the way his lips felt on mine and how they clung to me with the perfect amount of suction and gentleness. It was the kind of kiss that made a seventeen-year-old think she was in love. And then he broke my heart. In a split second, I went from high on life to shattered. “It was a good kiss but a one-time thing. Typical high school.”
I haven’t allowed myself to remember that night in such detail in years. In an instant, the memory is vivid, and I have to push it away again.
Nathan makes his way toward us, wearing an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt and khakis.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he says as he swings his arm around me. “Whatcha been up to?”
Amanda laughs into her cup while Nicole holds out a hand. “Hi, Nathan. Good to see you too.”
He must be pretty inebriated because he continues to ignore them and talks directly to me, “I like your sweater.”
“Thanks. I like your shirt. The flamingos are a good look,” I kid, but he just nods because, clearly, he thinks his flamingo-themed Hawaiian shirt is amazing. “What have you been up to?”
“Oh, me? I’ve been in the gym a lot. Wes has been kicking my ass. We’ve always worked out together, but lately, he’s turned it up a notch. I’m sore as hell but it’s all worth it. I’m still shocked I convinced him to take the night off and drag his ass here.”
My breathing quickens at the mention of Wes being here. “Oh, yeah? I’ve been wondering where he’s been.” I try to play it off on the outside, but on the inside, my pulse is racing.
Nathan tightens his hold around me. “Yep. And I’m glad we came out. Seeing you here tonight is the icing on the cake. Do you want another drink?”
I glance down at my cup and then back to him when something catches my eye.
On the other side of the deck, past the swarm of people circulating in raucous laughter, is the searing hot gaze of the man in question. I feel his stare like I feel the sun radiating deep into my body on a summer day. Just like the sun’s rays, I know it feels so good but can also lead to something very bad if I’m not careful.
Nathan continues to talk, but I’m not listening.
My eyes stay locked on Wes. Leaning against the deck railing, he’s drinking a beer from the bottle. His jaw is tense, yet his posture seems relaxed.
Amanda clears her throat and grabs my hand. “How about that drink?”
I look down at my cup again. It’s full, but I nod anyway. “Sure.”
Nicole grabs Amanda’s arm, halting her from walking away. “Stacey, why don’t you go get us those drinks?”
I turn to her, confused. Maybe she’s doing me a favor by getting me out of here, so I don’t have to see Wes. “Sure.”
With their empty Solo cups in hand, I walk into the kitchen. Nathan is behind me. I’m not sure if that was part of Nicole’s intention, but it doesn’t seem right.
I’m standing by the keg while Nathan is rambling on about this paper he’s working on. I’m listening, not as intently as I should, when Wes walks in the room.
He’s standing by the doorway, staring at Nathan and me. It’s now my turn to use the keg, but I don’t move. Nathan stops talking and looks at me with confusion and then over to where I’m staring at Wes.
The music is blaring, the people are swearing, and still, I can’t hear a thing. I can only see Wes and that searing hazel stare that’s screaming at me from the other side of the room.
Nathan shakes his head and leans into my ear. “I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but suddenly, the past few weeks makes more sense.” His words get my attention, so I look up at him, surprised. “Just make sure your brother doesn’t find out.”
Nathan turns to leave but not before giving Wes the bro-code nod of she’s yours; I’m backing off. I want to thank him and shove him at the same time. As of right now, I’m nobody’s.
Wes walks up and grabs my hand. “We need to talk,” he says, pulling me toward the foyer.
“Excuse me?” I fight, but either it falls on deaf ears or he can’t hear me over the loud music blaring from the inside of the house.