“It’s nothing bad,” Nikki laughed. “It’s just; we haven’t had a proper girl’s night out in such a long time. I was hoping that maybe you would agree to come out with me this Friday. Nothing major, just a few drinks in this new bar. Everyone is talking about it, and I would really love to try it out. What do you say?”
“I’d say, I may regret this,” Lexi replied with a giggle. “But I guess you have yourself a date.”
“Awesome!” Nikki exclaimed before she slumped back down onto the back of the sofa. “Since Landen got married and settled down, life had been pretty boring. I don’t have to bail his ass out of crap anymore.”
“What about you?” Lexi asked, glancing over at her best friend. “Isn’t there someone out there that might make you want to settle down too?”
“I don’t think all that’s for me,” Nikki said with a grin. “You know me; I like things my own way, I don’t think changing my life for a guy is something I’m interested in.”
“You just need to meet the right guy,” Lexi replied with a smile, but even as she said the words, she knew that life wasn’t always so black and white.
She had found the right guy, but then she lost him. Now she was living with a perfect guy some might say. He was everything she needed in her life; with just one flaw.
He wasn’t Liam.
“So, I’ll collect you at eight on Friday,” Nikki said as Lexi walked her to the elevator a couple of hours and a couple of bottles of wine later.
“Sounds like a plan,” Lexi replied, happy that if nothing else, she’d finally sorted out things with her best friend.
Nikki turned and looked at Lexi, giving her a sad smile.
“You know, everything will work out,” Nikki assured her, before she wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. “Your fairy godmother, Nikki, will see to it.”
She kissed her on the forehead, before she released her from her embrace, then turned and walked towards the elevator. When the doors opened, she stepped inside, then turned to look at Lexi, giving her a wide smile.
“You know you’re going to be okay,” she said, giving Lexi a knowing grin. “I promise you.”
Before Lexi could reply, the door closed, and Nikki was gone.
“I hope so,” she whispered to herself, then sighed as she turned and headed back to her apartment. “God, I really do.”
Chapter 9
Liam checked his reflection in the hall mirror one last time before grabbing his keys from the hall table. Releasing a long sigh, he turned towards the door to his apartment.
He was due to meet his brothers in thirty minutes for Finn’s bachelor’s party, but if he was being honest, he really wasn’t in the mood. Despite throwing himself back into work, Liam still couldn’t seem to lift his spirit.
He had spent the day listening to Matt talking about the bachelor party, and it was all he could do not to tell him to shut the hell up.
As he reached for the door, the buzzer sounded on the wall, almost killing Liam with fright. Reaching up, he pressed down on the buzzer.
“Hello,” Liam said, having no clue who could be at his door.
“Hey, Loser,” Landen’s voice came through the speaker. “Are you ready to go?”
“Uh, yeah,” Liam confirmed, surprised to find his brother at his front door. “But what are you doing here?”
“Dylan thought you might need a ride,” Landen explained, but there was more in his voice; something he wasn’t saying.
Liam sighed, knowing that Dylan had sent Landen to make sure he made it, and to check on him before he reached the bar to make sure he was doing okay.
“Oh,” he replied, resisting the urge to say more. “Okay, I’ll be down now.”
Liam took a deep breath before he headed out the door and into the elevator. As he travelled down, he prepared himself for the inevitable questions that would come, once they were both in the car.
“Hey,” he said as he stepped out into the night air to find Landen leaning against the car. “You know I know my way to the bar.”
“I know you do,” Landen replied with a smile. “But I was passing this way and Dylan…”
“Dylan told you that you needed to check in on me,” Liam said, cutting him off before he was done talking.
“Was it that obvious?” Landen asked, giving him a worried grin.
“Yeah,” Liam sighed as he walked to the car. “But I’m grateful for the ride anyways.”
He smiled at Landen before he climbed into the car, followed closely by Landen.
“So,” Liam said as the car pulled away from the curb. “To answer the million questions that you no doubt have. I am okay. Yes, I am back at work. No, I have not had a drink all week. No, I haven’t fucked any more girls this week either. No, I am not pining away for Lexi. Yes, the last response was a lie, but no, I don’t want to talk about it. Oh and, no, I didn’t book a stripper for tonight, and I have warned everyone else that a stripper was not on the cards.”
“Wow,” Landen said with a chuckle. “That’s a lot of information all at once. Good news on work, drinking and girls. Relieved you haven’t booked a stripper. And you know, if you need to talk about Lexi, I’m here whenever.”
“I know, Landen,” Liam replied, giving his brother a grateful smile. “And I appreciate that, but right now, I just wanna have a good night with the guys and forget about her for one night.”
“Okay,” Landen nodded, but his eyes never left Liam’s.
“Okay, what’s that look for?” Liam asked, knowing there was something that Landen wasn’t saying.
“There’s no look,” Landen shrugged, sitting back into the car before he added a few moments later. “It’s just, Nikki saw Lexi.”
“Well, I assumed she would as they were best friends when Lexi lived here before,” Liam replied, trying his hardest to seem uninterested, but failing miserably. “What…what did she have to say?”
“She said that Lexi said she was happy,” Landen said, his words almost crushing his brother. “But she also said that she didn’t think Lexi was as happy as she said she was.”
“I see,” Liam replied with a nod, unsure of what else he should say. “Did she say why she thought Lexi was unhappy?”
“She didn’t,” Landen sighed as he glanced at Liam. “She just said that she was worried about her.”
“I see,” Liam replied once more. This time he didn’t comment any further.
“Have you talked to her?” Landen asked, still watching Liam closely.
“We had coffee last week,” Liam informed him.
“I know that,” Landen replied. “I mean since then. Have you tried calling her? Maybe invite her out for coffee again.”
“Landen, she is living with someone else,” Liam sighed, finally letting his eyes meet his brother’s. “She has moved on. She has someone else in her life, so she is no longer my problem.”
“But…” Landen began to say, but Liam quickly stopped him.
“It’s over, Landen,” Liam insisted, giving him a pleading look. “Now, I’m asking you. Please, drop it.”
“Okay,” Landen replied, giving his brother another sad smile. “I will respect your request. I promise. But if you need to talk, I’m here.”
“Thank you,” Liam said, giving him a grateful smile. “Now, let’s just have a great night, and get the boy genius wasted before he slips on the old ball and chain.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Landen replied as he threw his head back and laughed. “But for the record, being married; it’s not the worst thing in the world.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Liam laughed too.
When they arrived at the bar, it was already pretty full, but then again, it was a Friday night. Landen told Liam that he had reserved an area for them for the night, so at least they would have seats. As they made their way across the crowded bar, Liam spotted Callum, Finn, and Dylan seated in the far corner of the room. Matt was there too, as was a couple of other guys, p
robably from the college where Finn worked, but Liam wasn’t sure.
“Good to see you ladies finally made it,” Dylan said as he stood up to greet his brothers. “We thought you two had gotten a better offer.”
“We did,” Liam laughed as he greeted Dylan. “But we decided to come to this sausage fest instead of hanging out with some really hot ladies.”
“I’m honoured,” Finn replied with a chuckle as he too stood to greet his brothers. As he embraced Liam, he whispered. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” Liam assured him as he released him from his embrace and smiled. “And I promised no strippers tonight. I gave my word, and I kept it. So you better get me very drunk instead.”
“Deal,” Finn laughed, giving him a grateful smile.
Landen quickly stopped a passing waitress and ordered a beer for him and Liam, and a round of tequila for everyone.
When the waitress returned, Landen stood up and raised his shot glass.
“Here’s to Finn,” he said as he smiled at his brother. “Here’s to a long and happy marriage to one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. Just remember, if you want the marriage to last, keep the fights clean and the sex dirty. To, Finn!”
“To, Finn!” Everyone else repeated before they all lowered their tequila back in one gulp.
Liam set his glass down on the table and reached for his bottle of beer. As he brought the bottle to his mouth, he glanced across the bar, and his heart almost stopped.
Walking through the door, right at that moment was Nikki and with her was Lexi.
“Fuck!” He said louder than he had really meant to. Landen instantly looked up at him.
“What’s up?” Landen asked, following Liam’s gaze. “Oh shit. What the hell was Nikki thinking? She knew that we would be here tonight.”
“That’s probably exactly what Nikki was thinking,” Liam sighed, wishing that this night was already over and done. This was beyond a nightmare, and it was getting worse by the minute.
“Do you want me to get rid of them?” Landen asked as he began to stand up, but Liam quickly stopped him. The last thing he needed, or even wanted right at that moment was to make a big scene in front of the rest of the guys.
“No,” Liam replied, shaking his head. “It’s a big bar. There is plenty of room for everyone. Let’s just enjoy the night and not make this a big thing.”
“If you’re sure,” Landen replied, but he looked far from convinced.
“I’m sure,” Liam said, forcing a smile on his face he didn’t mean. “Let’s just try to relax.”
Landen sat back down as Liam brought his bottle of beer to his lips, taking a long sip.
Liam sat there, holding on to his bottle of beer, and as much as he tried to stop himself, he found his eyes kept searching her out again and again. He was relieved when they had found a table on the far side of the bar. He watched as she ordered a drink from the waitress. She was smiling and looked happy. Like she didn’t have a care in the world.
He knew if she spotted him in the bar, that would quickly change, and the last thing Liam wanted to do was ruin her night either.
He had no clue what Nikki was thinking bringing Lexi there, but Liam knew why she had. When he and Lexi broke up, Nikki had come to see him the morning after Lexi walked out of his apartment. He remembered how mad she was with him.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Nikki said the moment Liam opened the door to the apartment.
When the buzzer had sounded, he had hoped it would be Lexi, but he wasn’t that surprised for it to be Nikki either.
“If you’ve come here to yell…”Liam began to say, but before he could even finish, she pushed past him, storming into his apartment. “Please… come in.”
“How could you have slept with someone else like that?” She demanded, spinning around to face him as he walked into the room after her. “How could you break her heart like that; like she was nothing? She loved you so much…”
“Nikki, with all due respect,” Liam said, stopping her mid-sentence as he walked past her, back towards the sofa. “I don’t need you to tell me how fucking stupid I am; I already know.”
“And do you know she’s leaving?” Nikki asked, stopping him in his tracks. “She sent me to pick up the last of her things, and she is going home today. Liam, she is leaving.”
“What do you want me to do, Nikki?” Liam asked, turning to look at the girl. “Lexi made it perfectly clear last night that she never wants to see me again.”
“So that’s it?” Nikki asked, giving him a stunned look. “You’re just going to let her walk away?”
“I don’t think I have any say in this, Nikki,” Liam sighed as he flopped down on the sofa, then reached for his bottle of beer. “She hates me, not that I blame her. So I am the last person that she will listen to.”
“Of course she doesn’t hate you, Liam,” Nikki replied, sitting down next to him. “She’s just hurt, so she is lashing out.”
“She sounded pretty convincing last night,” Liam groaned before he brought the bottle of beer to his mouth.
“So you’re not going to do anything?” Nikki asked, giving him a look of complete disbelief. “You’re just going to let her go? I thought you loved her?”
“I do love her!” Liam shot back angrily. “But I also know I have hurt her. She is never going to trust me again. I have fucked up; now I have to respect her wishes. She told me to stay the hell away from her, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“Liam, she belongs here with you,” Nikki pushed. “If she goes back home, her parents will suffocate her.”
“And if she stays here, she will have to remember every day just how much I hurt her,” Liam shot back. “She said she didn’t ever want to see me again, so there is nothing more to say.”
Sitting there, doing nothing was the hardest thing Liam has ever done. Every ounce of his being wanted to go find Lexi and beg her not to leave him. He knew he would never get over losing her, but he also knew he had broken her heart, and for that, he could never forgive himself.
Now, looking at her sitting across the bar; watching her as she laughed and chatted happily with Nikki; he knew that letting her go had been the right thing to do. He just wished the right thing hadn’t been so damn hard.
“You could go talk to her.” Landen leaned in and whispered just loud enough for Liam to hear him. “You’re only driving yourself crazy by sitting here doing nothing.”
“No, I’m here for Finn,” Liam said turning in his seat slightly, but enough so he could no longer see Lexi. He picked up his bottle and tapped it on the table to get everyone else’s attention. “Let get this party started. I think it’s time to play a drinking game. Finn, you’re up first.”
Liam stopped a passing waitress and ordered another round of shots for the group. He knew the only way to forget about Lexi being there in the bar was to get completely and utterly wasted.
A couple of hours and several shots later, Liam stood up and announced he was hitting the head. Pushing his way through the crowd, he smiled to himself. Despite everything, he was actually having a great night. So was Finn, and for that Liam was really pleased.
As he stood at the urinal in the men’s room, he thought about his father. The night would have been perfect if his dad had been able to come too, but he was under doctor’s orders to have complete rest and no way was drinking at a bachelor party. Besides, even if the doctor had allowed him to come, there was no way he was getting out of his mother’s sight any time soon.
Liam smiled again, thinking of just how amazing his mother and father were together. They were the perfect couple, something he doubted he would ever have in his own life. Instantly, his thoughts went to Lexi.
She’s right out there, he thought to himself miserably. But even in his semi-drunk state, he knew talking to her would be an epically bad mistake.
“ARRGHHHH!” He threw his head back and cried with frustration, almost killing the guy standing beside h
im with fright. Liam quickly turned to him and gave him an apologetic smile, as his face burned with embarrassment. “Sorry!”
He fastened up his zipper, then hurried to the wash basin to wash his hands, before he hurried to the door, choosing to dry his hands on the back of his jeans. He wanted to get out of the bathroom as quickly as he possibly could.
As he rushed through the door, he ran into someone, almost sending them crashing to the floor. Instinctively Liam reached out and grabbed their arm, stopping them from falling.
“I’m so sorry… “ he began to say as he looked up and saw Lexi standing there in front of him, looking just as stunned as he was feeling. “Lexi!”
“Hey,” she replied, giving him a nervous smile.
“Are…are you okay?” He asked still holding her arm, as he realised he’d almost knocked her clean off her feet. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No,” she replied with a giggle, as the most beautiful smile danced on her lips. “I’m okay. Besides, I wasn’t watching where I was going either. So it’s my fault too.”
“No, it’s all my fault,” Liam insisted, staring down into her eyes, feeling just as captivated as he always did, when he looked at her. “I’m such an idiot sometimes…”
He trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. He still couldn’t believe she was actually standing there. Even after all this time, his heart still longed for her, just as it always had. It was like time had just stood still, and now that she was back, he could live again. He sucked in a sharp intake of breath, trying to calm his racing heart, but it was no use. He was lost to this beautiful woman standing before him.
“What are you doing here?” Lexi asked, her eyes still holding his, her breath catching in her throat as she spoke, telling Liam that she was just as affected as he was.
“Finn,” was all Liam could think to say.
“Finn?” She asked, giving him a questioning look.
“Yeah,” Liam replied, shaking his head as he tried to form a sentence. “It’s uh… it’s his bachelor party. Well, I say party, it’s just a few beers with the guys, nothing too crazy.”
Liam (The Murphy Boys Series Book 4) Page 9
