Best Served Cold

by Kandle, Tawdra

Ava threw one of her small accent pillows at me. “Nice, Jules.”

  I kicked down the covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed. “Whatever. As long as she stays out of my way, I won’t bother her.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “She’s not part of the revenge plan?”

  “Nope. Like I said, she was probably just collateral damage.”

  “Good. I was afraid it could get awkward.” She drew a deep breath and then hopped out of bed. “Okay. I’m running out to grab supplies for tonight. Want to come with?”

  I scrunched up my nose. “Really? You’re going to trudge through the snow to the parking lot to go get ice cream?”

  “Yep. We have a special guest joining us, and one of the conditions of said guest was a specific kind of ice cream. See what I do for you?”

  “Special guest? Who’s coming?”

  Ava buttoned her coat and tugged a green knit cap over her dark hair. “It’s a surprise. You trust me, right?”

  I frowned up at her. “Mostly.”

  Laughing, she patted my head. “Don’t worry so much. I’ll be back in an hour. Get dressed, please.”

  I made a face behind her back as the door closed and then fell back across the bed. Maybe it was the snow or the gloomy gray skies, but my energy level was at an all-time low. I wasn’t motivated to do anything but climb back under the covers and burrow.

  But I knew Ava wouldn’t have any of that. If I didn’t change out of my pajamas by the time she returned, I’d have to put up with her nagging. Easier to just bite the bullet and do what she said now.

  I opened the bottom drawer of my dresser and dug around for clean sweat pants. After all, she’d only said I had to be dressed; she didn’t make looking good a condition. My favorite soft blue yoga pants were stuffed into the corner, and I pulled them out along with an oversized white t-shirt.

  A whiff of cologne hit my nose, and my throat tightened. I shook out the shirt. The words on the front read BIRCH COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD, and I bit my lip, remembering.

  “Hey, Bailey! Nice time on the four hundred meter!”

  I had nearly reached Liam’s side after the meet was over when the guy who had been next to me on the bleachers interrupted. My boyfriend turned his attention from me to grin at him.

  “Thanks, dude. Appreciate you coming out.”

  I made a face behind the guy’s back. It was part of Liam’s upbringing, I knew, to play what he called the noblesse oblige card. He was always thanking people for coming to meets the same way I’d heard his father, Senator Bailey, speak to constituents who attended fund-raising dinners.

  “No problem. You are the team, man. Everyone knows you’re the best runner on Birch’s track team.”

  I caught the gleam in Liam’s eye before he shook his head. “Aw, thanks, but that isn’t true. We’ve got a great bunch of guys. Everyone does an awesome job.”

  “Dude, no way.” The guy’s gaze never wavered, but now I detected a slight sway and the undeniable scent of alcohol from the cup in his hand. Damn, he was wasted. Really? At three o’clock in the afternoon?

  I knew if I didn’t break up this little love fest, we’d be standing here forever, as Liam stood around being self-deprecating and the fan boy sucked up. I stepped a little closer and smiled at Drunk Guy.

  “Hi, I’m Julia. It was a good meet, wasn’t it?” Lame, yes, but this guy was too far gone to care.

  “Heyyyy.” He drew out the word as he lurched toward me, and too late I saw the contents of his plastic cup coming my way.

  Liam ducked neatly to the right, avoiding the deluge by mere seconds, so I caught both the liquid and the guy who had just spilled it. He stopped his fall by grabbing my left breast, which along with the rest of me now smelled like a distillery.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I wriggled away and sucked in my breath, pulling at the wet shirt. “Are you crazy?”

  “Oh, God, I’m sorry.” Drunk Guy peered into his cup as though surprised gravity and momentum had worked.

  “Yeah, I bet you’re sorry. You’re going to be a lot sorrier when I drag your ass over to the coach and let him smell you.”

  “Julia.” Liam grabbed my arm. “Come on. It was just an accident.” He grinned at Drunk Guy, and the conspiratorial wink made me clench my teeth.

  “Bullshit. What kind of loser comes to a track meet drunk? And did you happen to notice I’m soaked?” As if on cue, a chilly April breeze drifted over us and I shivered, goosebumps covering my arms.

  Liam scowled and then called over to where a group of his teammates were milling around.

  “Bran! Can you come here for a minute?”

  The skinny redhead broke away from the crowd and trotted over. “What’s up?”

  Putting one arm around Drunk Guy, Liam steered him around. “Can you help my buddy here get back to his room or whatever? His drink had a run-in with Julia.”

  Bran glanced over at me and his eyes widened, making me all the more conscious that both my shirt and bra were basically invisible at the moment. I looked like first runner up at a spring break wet t-shirt contest.

  Liam must have noticed that too, because he moved to stand between the rest of the world and me.

  “Come here.” He put his hand on the small of my back and guided me around the bleachers to the relative shelter of the equipment shed’s overhang. Dropping the duffle bag that had been over his shoulder this whole time, he dug around and pulled out his clean white t-shirt.

  He moved his hands to the bottom of my t-shirt and tugged it up. “Put up your arms,” he murmured, and despite my annoyance and chill, I obeyed”. He peeled it off me, trailing his fingers along my side so that I shivered all over again.

  Liam dropped the sopping cloth into his bag and skimmed his fingertips around the bottom of my bra, letting his knuckles brush the underside of my breast.

  “I don’t have an extra one of these for you.” He slid fingers beneath the band, lifting it away from my skin. I sucked in a breath, and the side of his mouth turned up in a smirk.

  “Still pissed at me?” He leaned over and pulled me tight against the warmth of his body.

  “Yes.” But it was nearly a moan as his hands ranged over my back and slid down to my backside. He pushed me tighter so that I could feel evidence of his desire.

  “Liam, we’re outside...and everyone is right over there.”

  “I know. But you’re standing here without a shirt on...”

  I tried to wriggle away. “So give me that shirt.”

  He sighed and shook out the tee. “Hands up again.”

  “I think I can put on my own shirt, Liam.”

  “Maybe, but this isn’t your own shirt. This is my own shirt that I planned to put on now, so I don’t have to wear a sweaty one. Since I’m making a sacrifice, I think you can at least give me a little thrill.”

  I lifted my arms, and he dropped the shirt over my head, allowing his hands to graze my breasts again as he smoothed it down.

  I shook my head, stepping back. “You’re incorrigible.”

  Liam grinned and tapped my cheek. “Can’t blame a guy for taking advantage of a promising situation.” He zipped up the duffle, tossed it over one shoulder and offered me a hand. “Come on, let’s get back to my room. I need a shower, and we’ve got dinner with my parents in a couple of hours.”

  As we headed for his car, I used my free hand to lift the neck of the t-shirt up to my nose and inhaled deeply. Even though it had been washed, I could still smell Liam there.

  He caught me sniffing it and an odd look crossed his face. Before I could figure out what it was, he tugged me closer and kissed the top of my head.

  A sound outside the door jerked me back to the present, still kneeling by the dresser, the shirt clutched in both hands. I looked down at it, frowning.

  In the last six weeks, I’d thought about Liam almost non-stop. Most of those memories had been the bad ones. Letting in one that wasn’t hurt.

  I balled up the shirt again and
shoved it back into the corner against the particle board. I dug out a long-sleeved green tee and kicked the drawer closed.

  By the time Ava burst through the door, laden with grocery bags and covered in melting snow, I had showered and dressed in my comfy relaxing clothes. My wet hair was in a single braid down my back, and I had even made my bed.

  “Look at you, up and being productive.” She dropped the bags in front of our mini-fridge and unwound the scarf from around her neck. “God, it’s messy out there. Snow was just tapering out when I came in. Traffic was a mess. It snows every year. Do people forget between times how to drive in it?”

  I opened up my closet and took out our supply of paper plates, plastic spoons and napkins. “Pretty much. Did you happen to get any real food, or do we still have to go to the dining hall?”

  “What do you think? I’m not going out in that again, not even to walk across campus.” She produced two frozen mini pizzas and several bags of chips from one of the bags. “Go toss these in the oven, and we’re good to go.”

  Living in freshman dorms as juniors had its disadvantages, one of which was not having our own kitchen. The community kitchenette was right next to our room, providing at least a working oven and sink. I slid our pizzas into the hot oven and stood guard over them until the time signaled that they were ready.

  Back in the room, Ava surreptitiously uncorked a bottle of red wine, I ripped open the chips, and we laid out our plaid tablecloth to have a dormitory picnic. The door was propped wide, since it was school policy that RA’s have regular open door hours. Since Ava and I were both old enough to drink, there wasn’t a problem with having wine in our room, but it also wasn’t something we wanted to advertise to the impressionable freshman. We drank it red plastic cups and hid the bottle behind my desk.

  I bit into the crust of my pizza and smiled. “This is really good. I was hungrier than I thought. Thanks for braving the elements to get us food.”

  Ava tipped back her plastic cup of wine. “You’re very welcome. What good is a revenge planning party without some snacks?”

  I swallowed and swiped a ridged potato chip across the bowl of onion dip. “So are you going to tell me about this special guest? I can’t believe you told anyone what we’re going to do.”

  She tilted her head. “I didn’t exactly tell him. I just wanted some insight, and-”

  “Him? You’re bringing a guy into this? Ava, God! What are you thinking?”

  She leaned toward me. “Calm down. I want to tell you my idea before he gets here.”

  “I’m listening.” I leaned against the side of my bed.

  “So you want Liam to know how you felt, right? That’s your ultimate goal.”

  I considered. “Yes. And if he gets a little humiliation along the way, I wouldn’t complain.”

  Ava nodded. “I understand that. I thought about a lot of possibilities. You know, Liam’s got a high profile on campus, and even just in town, with his dad and the politics and all.” She bit her lip. “I actually came up with some plans that had the potential to inflict real damage, but I didn’t think you wanted to go that far.”

  I played with the crust on my paper plate and thought about the shirt stuffed in my drawer. “No, I don’t want to hurt him. I mean, I know he’s a jerk. But...” I squirmed a little and didn’t meet Ava’s eyes. “He’s not all bad. We had some good times, too.”

  “Hey.” She laid a hand on my knee. “You okay? Sure you want to do this?”

  “I’m fine.” I managed a smile. “I just want to get past him, and I think this is part of it. So tell me your plan.”

  She nodded, all business again. “I thought about what we were saying the other night, that Liam saw you as a challenge. Remember when he first asked you out? You were shocked.”

  “Yeah, because I didn’t like him. I liked-”

  Ava mock-glared at me. “I know, Jules. My point is that you kind of blew him off. He asked you to a party, and you wouldn’t say yes. That drove him crazy, and it’s why he kept asking you out. And even after you started dating him, you weren’t like the other girls who act like he’s a god.”

  I nodded. “Okay, I see that. But I spent the last month and a half ignoring him just like before, and I really don’t think it caused him any angst.”

  “Right. So I was thinking about this, and I happened to run into Giff. He still feels terrible about the whole thing. We were in an RA meeting together, and then we grabbed some coffee.”

  “I miss Giff.” I sniffled a little. Liam’s roommate had definitely been a perk of our relationship. He talked reality shows, cute shoes and cuter guys with me when Ava wasn’t around.

  “He misses you, too. And...” She paused, either for dramatic effect or because she wasn’t sure she should say the next words. “He thinks Liam misses you, too.”

  I took a moment to let that settle into my mind. “Hmmm.”

  “How do you feel about that?” Ava fell into her therapist posture sometimes without even knowing it.

  “Not positive. But I’m pretty sure I don’t care. A few weeks ago, it might have mattered. I don’t want to go back, though. And maybe Giff just sees what he wants to see.”

  “Giff does like you, that’s true. Which is why he probably he made the offer.”

  I dropped the crust onto my plate and folded the whole thing in half before I stood up and chucked it into the trash. “The offer?”

  “Yep. He offered to help you get Liam back.”

  I stood still for a moment. “Really? And what did you tell him?”

  A small smile curved on the side of Ava’s mouth. “I told him yes. I invited him over tonight for snacks and a planning session.”

  Blinking slowly, I sank back to the floor. “Ava, what exactly are we planning tonight?”

  “According to Giff, we’re getting you and Liam back together. But my plan is bigger. Go along with Giff. We’ll work it out so Liam wants you again, and then...” She spread her hands out. “What comes next is up to you. But if Liam’s at the point where all he wants is you, the power is in your hands.”

  I dropped my head back, resting on my mattress as I looked at the ceiling. “I don’t know, Ave. I don’t know if I can deal with it. I mean, first, the idea of putting myself out there for Liam to hurt again—I don’t think I could handle it.”

  “You won’t have to. Remember, challenge. Keeping you just out of Liam’s grasp is the point.”

  “She’s not wrong.” Giff stood in the doorway, snowflakes on the shoulder of his navy blue pea coat and red plaid scarf. His blond hair was damp, but his smile never dimmed.

  “Giff!” I jumped to my feet and hugged him. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “I’ve missed you.” He squeezed me briefly, and I breathed in his expensive cologne. Walking through a department store cosmetics department always made me think of Gifford. He smelled pricey.

  Ava took his coat and hung it from a hook in our bathroom, so it could drip into the shower rather than on the tile in our bedroom.

  “What have we got here?” He pulled off his boots and dropped to the floor, surveying the reminder of our picnic. “Have you broken out the good stuff yet?”

  “How about some wine?” Ava dug out another plastic cup. “There’s a bottle of sauvignon chilled in the fridge and some shiraz here.” She lifted the bottle. “Or if you’re feeling a little sassy, we have rummy gummy bears, too.”

  Giff laughed. “I should be all sophisticated and adult and choose wine, but the bears intrigue me. Bring ‘em on.”

  Ava took out the glass bowl that contained our colorful treat—gummy bears swimming in rum--and spooned a generous portion in the plastic cup. Giff eyed them with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism.

  He finally snagged one between his thumb and forefinger, examined it and popped it into his mouth.

  Chewing with his eyes closed, he nodded.

  “I get it. Okay, I am now all about the bears in rum.” He tossed a few more back and then licke
d his fingers. “Sticky little buggers, though.”

  Ava handed him a napkin, and Giff smiled at me as he wiped his hands. “What Ava said when I so rudely interrupted is exactly on target. Stay away from Liam. Don’t try to see him.”

  “Oh, believe me, I’m not.” I slid a glance at my roommate. “That kind of pain I don’t need.”

  “Good girl. If Liam gets even a hint that you’re still hung up on him, he’ll run in the other direction. Screwed up, I know, but that’s our boy.”

  I bit my tongue. I wasn’t still hung up on Liam, but if this was what Giff needed to believe so he would help us, I was willing to go along with it. Behind his back, Ava raised her eyebrows at me. I lifted my shoulder in the slightest of shrugs.

  “Giff, it’s really nice that you want to help, but are you sure? I mean, Liam’s your best friend. You don’t feel like you’re...I don’t know, betraying him a little?”

  He craned his head back to knock the last few bears out of the cup. “Jules, sometimes people don’t know what’s good for them. You were good for Liam. He was the happiest I’ve ever seen him. I don’t know what spooked him. He didn’t tell me. After the party, he wouldn’t talk about the whole situation. Just said he was ready to be free again.”

  I sighed and stretched out on the floor along the edge of the tablecloth. “I think I know what it was. I didn’t at first, but then the more I thought about it--”

  Ava faked a look of surprise. “You thought about this, Jules? Really? I never would have known.”

  “Shut up.” I kicked at her foot. “So I spent a little time wondering what caused my boyfriend of nearly a year to suddenly break up with me. Sue me.” I turned back to Giff. “About two weeks before the birthday party, the Senator and Mrs. Bailey came down to take us to dinner. You remember that? You went out with us, too.”

  “Sure.” Giff rolled his eyes back, thinking about it. “We went to the fancy-ass Italian restaurant, and Liam’s mom didn’t like her meal.”

  “Right. So the Senator made a big deal that night about some event this spring. He’s getting an award—the Senator, I mean—and Liam is supposed to be a presenter or whatever. And his dad talked to me about it, told me it was really important and he hoped I’d be there with Liam.”