My Favorite Mistake: A Friends-to-Lovers Romance (A Love Like That)

by R. L. Kenderson

  Holly had found Griffin.

  And the poor guy looked like he’d rather be anywhere but there.

  I slid up beside him and moved in close. “Hey, Griff.” I looked at Holly. “Hey…” I bit my lip, pretending like I couldn’t remember her name. It was petty of me, but that uneasy feeling was back, and I blamed her.

  “Holly,” she said, clearly unhappy to see me.

  I snapped my fingers. “Right.” I grinned. “Hi, Holly. How are you?”

  She smiled stiffly. “Fine. If you don’t mind, Griffin and I were talking.”

  I didn’t have a good response for this, but I didn’t need one.

  Griffin put his arm around me and tugged me close. “Sorry, Holly. It’s Madeline’s birthday, and I promised to spend the night with her.”

  Holly rolled her eyes and sighed. “Yeah, I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said to herself more than to us. She looked at the two of us and shrugged. “Your loss,” she said to Griffin and walked away.

  Once she was out of earshot, the two of us started laughing.

  “Your loss,” I mimicked. “If she only knew.”

  Griffin snorted.

  He still had his arm around me, and he pulled me into a semi-hug, so we were chest to chest. “I owe you.”

  I clutched his sides and enjoyed the feel of him under my hands. He felt and smelled delicious. “Yeah, you do.”

  “I’m going to have to get you an extra-big present now.”

  I laughed and rested my head on his chest as the bartender approached.

  “Two beers,” he said, and I felt the rumble of his deep voice next to my ear.

  As I looked out into the crowd, my eyes landed in the corner of the bar, where a couple was making out. Actually, it looked like they were past making out and moving on to doing things they shouldn’t be doing in public. The guy had his mouth on the woman’s neck, and her head was thrown back in what was clearly an O face.

  I looked up into Griffin’s face as he paid the bartender and put his wallet back in his pocket.

  “I want that,” I told him.

  His brow furrowed as he looked down at me. “Want what?”

  I nodded toward the couple. “That.”

  Griffin squinted off into the distance. His face changed to surprise. “Whoa. Those two need a room.” He turned his head sideways. “What is he doing to her? Because she looks like she’s…”

  “Orgasming? Yeah, I know.” I grabbed his chin and turned his face toward mine. “I want that. For my birthday present.”

  This time, his eyebrows went up. “You want to have an orgasm in the bar?”

  I chuckled. “No. I want to have an orgasm so good that I don’t care where I am.”

  “That makes more sense.” He seemed to think about it for a second. “I suppose I did offer to help you get some on your birthday, didn’t I?”

  I let go of his chin and ran my hand down his chest. “No, you don’t understand. I don’t want you to help me find someone to have sex with. I want you to have sex with me. I want you to fuck me so good that my legs shake when I come.”

  Griffin took a small step back. “Jesus, Madeline.”

  Well, this wasn’t going how I’d thought it would. My best friend was usually all about sex and never seemed to be picky when it came to his partners. He loved women in all shapes, sizes, races, and ages. I never thought he would be against sleeping with me, but if his physical retreat meant anything, it was that he was not excited to have sex with me.

  Still…in for a penny, in for a pound.

  And thanks to the boost of confidence from the alcohol, I was able to finish my thought, but I didn’t close the distance between us. He obviously needed his space.

  “Look, I know you’re good in bed.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “I’ve heard more than one woman sing your praises. And I want that. It’s not every day someone turns a decade older, and I’m thinking some mind-blowing sex is the perfect present,” I said with a smile.

  He sighed, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what came out of his mouth next. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mads. You and I are friends. You’re my best friend. And I like it that way.”

  My smile fell. I realized he didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but I was still hurt. He could have added that I was hot and he thought we’d have a good time, but it wasn’t for the best. People had joked with us that they couldn’t believe we’d never dated before. I always thought it was because we were such close friends, but it turned out, it might be because he wasn’t attracted to me.

  I forced myself to smile again, but I couldn’t quite get it to reach my eyes. “It’s okay. I understand.” I picked up my beer. “Forget I said anything.”

  “I need a shot down here,” Griffin yelled to the bartender.

  And now, it seemed like he didn’t want to even walk back outside with me. I hadn’t meant to shake him up that much.

  “Right. Well, I’ll meet you back outside then,” I told him.

  “Madeline, wait,” he said, but I had already turned around and was heading for the patio.

  As I made my way through the bodies of people, I considered going back outside through the front door. The cool air would help me clear my head without facing my friends right away. As much as I understood Griffin’s side, if our friends found out, I would be mortified. Rejection was still rejection even if it came from a good place.

  Out of nowhere, someone bumped into me from behind, and my beer spilled onto my hand.

  I turned around, ready to see who was being careless and rude. The crowd was large, yet everyone else managed not to run into others. But I stopped when I saw a handsome man with a sincere, apologetic look on his face.

  “I am so sorry about that. My rude friend seemed to forget we were surrounded by people.” He handed me a napkin.

  I changed my mind. He was very handsome.

  “Apology accepted,” I said as I wiped my hand clean.

  “So, are you here with anyone?” he asked.

  I smiled. For real this time. “I’m with friends. We’re celebrating my birthday tonight.”

  “Happy birthday.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Do these friends include a boyfriend?”

  I laughed. “Nope. I dumped him two days ago.”

  The guy laughed and stuck out his hand. “I’m Todd. And the asshole who pushed me is Clay.”

  “Hi, Todd. Hi, Clay. I’m Madeline.”

  “Sorry for the run-in,” Clay said. “Happy birthday.”

  “Thanks,” I said to Clay.

  “Can I buy you a birthday drink?” Todd asked, still holding my hand. He looked down at my other hand and blushed. “I mean, I know you already have a full glass, but I can wait until you’re finished.”

  How cute. The guy was flustered. Over me.

  It was just the pick-me-up my confidence needed after Griffin’s rejection.

  “Thank you. I would lo—”

  “She’s with me.”

  I looked over Todd’s shoulder as Griffin stepped around him and put his arm around me.

  Todd immediately dropped my palm and held his hands up. “Sorry, man. She said she didn’t have a boyfriend.”

  I sighed. “I don’t. This is my friend Griffin. Griffin, this is Todd. Todd, Griffin.”

  Todd eyed Griffin warily even though I’d explained to him my relationship with Griffin. He looked at me. “Maybe some other time. You have a good night, Madeline. And happy birthday.”

  Todd and Clay walked away, and I gave Griffin a look.

  “Thanks for that. Weren’t you just telling me that you promised to help me get some on my birthday?”

  His eyebrows rose. “That’s it? We’re not going to talk about what just happened between us?”

  “No.” I was still a little hurt, but I would get over it. Griffin was my best friend, and him rejecting me wasn’t something to throw away our friendship over. I put my hand on his arm. “Let’s just pretend like I never
asked you what I asked you, okay?”

  “But I didn’t even give you—”

  “There you are.”

  We both turned to see Troy standing beside us.

  “Do you care if we head down to My Favorite Place?” he asked me. “It’s getting cold out there.”

  Christina popped up next to Troy. “I say we stop at the bars on the way down to Griffin’s place for a birthday shot before we end up there.”

  I would have thought it was an excellent idea a half hour ago, but I no longer wanted to get drunk and crash at Griffin’s apartment. I could already feel how awkward it would be to lie there next to him. He’d probably be afraid I was going to jump him, and I would be afraid that he was afraid I was going to jump him.

  I was sure the whole asking Griffin to sleep with me would blow over but not within a few hours; it was best I started sobering up, so I could go home.

  “Actually, let’s just head down there anyway. I don’t really feel like stopping at a bunch of places.”

  “It’s only two other bars,” Christina pointed out.

  “I know, but let’s just go to Griffin’s.”

  She shrugged. “It’s your birthday.” She looked down at my hand. “You’d better finish your beer first. I’ll go tell April and JJ we’re taking off.”

  Damn. I’d forgotten I still had a full drink.

  I lifted the glass to my mouth and started chugging. It wasn’t until I was about halfway finished that I thought to ask Troy if he wanted it.

  “You want the rest of this?” I asked him.

  “Sure. We’re planning to Uber home, so I might as well.”

  I looked at Griffin. “You’d better finish your beer too,” I said, eyeing his half-full glass.

  Troy raised his hand. “I’ll drink that, too, if you don’t want it.”

  Griffin pushed the glass into Troy’s chest and grabbed my hand. “Let’s go outside. We can talk while we wait.”

  I didn’t want to talk. It was my birthday night, and we were supposed to be having fun.

  I was about to tell him that we could talk tomorrow, but I heard April yell from behind me, “Wait for us.”

  I laughed and turned around until all four of our friends caught up.

  “Here’s your purse,” April said, handing it to me.

  “Thanks.” I had been so caught up in what had happened with Griffin that I’d almost left it out there.

  “Aww, Griffin’s holding Madeline’s hand,” Christina said when she looked down at our hands.

  I rolled my eyes and tried to drop his hand.

  He seemed determined to hold on because his grip tightened.

  “When are you two going to date already?” April asked.

  Oh jeez, April, not tonight.

  “I just downed half a beer. Griffin wants to make sure I don’t trip and fall down,” I joked.

  “Shall we go then?” Christina asked.

  “Let’s go.”

  We walked out of the building, and I gave my best friend a look once we were outside.

  He smiled at me, so I felt like maybe my mishap wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

  But Griffin still held my hand the whole way down to his bar.

  Eight

  Madeline

  When we got to My Favorite Place, Griffin immediately went behind the bar, which I supposed was inevitable. And despite the lecture I had given him earlier in the night about not working, I was kind of relieved he had split from the group.

  Casey came out from behind the bar when she saw us and held out her arm. “Right this way, birthday lady.”

  I raised my eyebrows.

  She dropped her hand. “Just come with me.”

  I laughed, and the five of us followed her. In the corner was a round booth that fit several people. It was the only one in the bar, and on top of the table, it had a sign that read Reserved.

  “Griffin dropped us a text and told us to make sure the booth was yours,” Casey explained.

  “Aw, that was sweet of him,” Christina said and slid behind one side of the table.

  Everyone else followed until I was last. I took a seat at one of the ends.

  “What can I get everyone?” Casey asked. “I’ll make up your drinks and have one of the servers bring them over.”

  The group put in their orders, and then Casey turned to me.

  I leaned close to her. “I’ll just have a water,” I whispered.

  She put her hand to her ear. “I’m sorry. I can’t hear you.”

  I quickly glanced at my friends. I didn’t want them to hear me, and thankfully, they weren’t all staring at me, waiting for me to answer. “Water,” I said a little louder.

  “Water?” Casey shouted.

  I sighed as all four sets of eyes turned to me. “Yes.”

  “And what else?”

  “That’s it.”

  “Okay. It’s your birthday.” Casey turned and headed for the bar.

  April tilted her head. “I thought you were staying at Griffin’s tonight?”

  “That’s what I planned,” I said, playing with my purse zipper. It wasn’t a lie. It was what I originally was going to do.

  “Then, why are you drinking water?”

  “And you gave me half your beer at the last place,” Troy chimed in.

  I lifted my hands in surrender. “I simply need to hydrate a little. I’m thirty now. I don’t recover from hangovers like I did when I was twenty.”

  JJ frowned in confusion. “Don’t you mean twenty-one?”

  “Yeah, that too.”

  “Well, don’t drink water for too long, or you’re going to lose your buzz,” Christina said.

  That’s the goal.

  I gave her a thumbs-up.

  “How’s the wedding planning going?” I asked to change the subject. “As a bridesmaid, I keep waiting for you to call me up to do stuff.”

  “Ooh, yeah, fill us in,” April added.

  “My sister…” Christina looked up at the ceiling and back to her. “I love her. I really do. And most days, I’m thankful she offered to plan the wedding.” She put her hands out and cupped them until they created a circle. “But sometimes, I want to strangle her.” She started shaking her hands as she clenched her jaw.

  I bit my lip as I tried not to laugh. “That bad, huh?”

  Christina sagged as she dropped her arms. “I said no chocolate cake because Troy’s mom is allergic. That’s it. No chocolate. We could have any other kind, but it’s like chocolate was the only option once I said it was a no go.”

  “Sorry, babe,” I said.

  She sighed. “It’s fine. Sometimes, I just have to put my foot down.”

  At that moment, Casey brought our drinks over and handed them out. I picked up my water and swallowed a couple of big sips.

  After Casey left, Christina started telling April a few other things about her wedding that I had already heard about. While April wasn’t in the wedding, she had been invited and seemed very interested in what Christina had to say. Maybe she was going to plan her own wedding soon.

  I was sitting, relaxed, enjoying the moment, when two drinks were plopped down in front of me.

  I looked up to see Griffin standing there.

  “Scoot,” he told me.

  Why can’t he sit on the other end?

  I didn’t voice my question out loud because everyone at the table would notice, and despite my staring at him for several seconds and not moving, Griffin didn’t budge.

  I rolled my eyes and moved over but barely far enough for him to fit his whole ass on the seat.

  He didn’t seem to care because he sat so close that we were touching from shoulder to leg. My little plan had backfired, and now, if I moved, he would know I was trying to get away from him.

  “Everything okay behind the bar?” I asked him.

  “Yep.” He moved the one drink closer to me. “Casey said you didn’t order anything because you were worried about getting too drunk, so I brought y
ou this. It doesn’t have much alcohol, but it’s more fun than water.”

  I couldn’t turn down his gift when he had gone out of his way to think of me. And it was sweet of him.

  I picked up my glass and sniffed what was inside. It smelled sweet. I probably didn’t need the sugar any more than I needed alcohol, but I couldn’t resist giving it a try.

  “Mmm,” I said and licked my lips. “It tastes good.”

  “Jesus,” Griffin said again, and I stiffened. It was the same curse word he’d used when I asked him to sleep with me. But he didn’t say any more.

  He took a drink from his own glass. I was so busy watching that I wasn’t prepared for his hand that was closest to me to land on my knee.

  I froze.

  Curiosity piqued, I wanted to know what he was doing and what he was going to do next.

  He rubbed his thumb over my knee until I started to relax.

  But even though I was no longer stiff, I didn’t move.

  Griffin ran his fingers up the inside of my leg until he hit my skirt, and then he went back down. He did this several times until I was squirming.

  I was getting turned on. My breathing had picked up, and I was wet between my legs.

  I had no idea what Griffin’s goal was, but mine was to go home and break out my vibrator.

  I should really stop drinking this time.

  But when I looked at my glass, it was empty.

  I hadn’t even realized I was still drinking it.

  Griffin raised his arm and used his finger to make a small circle, as if he was telling someone something about the whole table.

  “What are you doing?” I hissed in his ear.

  “Ordering us another round of drinks.”

  I leaned in closer, although I didn’t have to go far since I was already sitting so close. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

  His hand disappeared from my leg.

  Wait. I take it back. Forget I questioned you.

  But he wasn’t leaving. He put the hand that had been on my leg behind my head on the back of the booth. Shifting slightly toward me, he picked up my calf and pulled my leg over his.

  I quickly looked at our friends to see if they were staring at us, but they weren’t. And I really shouldn’t be surprised. Griffin and I were close. His arm around me wasn’t anything unusual.