“Well, that changes things,” I mutter. I don’t want to tell Des that the girl her boyfriend is cheating on her with is her best friend.
“Am I done spying on them for you?” Audric asks, impatient.
“Yeah,” I say, pulling out my wallet to pay him for his time. “Here’s your money. Do you know where they are now?”
Audric pockets his cash. “Yeah, they were heading back to the school and with Hazel in the blonde wig, they went into Nolan’s dorm room. They haven’t come out since. I’ve got to go to class, Andre. I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”
“Sure thing,” I mumble, still lost in thought as Audric walks away.
Hazel and Nolan. In a weird way, it makes sense. They’re both so damaged, they’re perfect for each other. Of course, that doesn’t mean Des will understand. She’s going to be bitter about this. And with Audric figuring out the truth so quickly, I have to wonder if Roman is going to pay me the full amount.
After a day of Nolan being followed, his secret is found out, so Roman might feel that the job isn’t worth any more than what he’s already dished out. With that thought in my head, I make the decision to not tell anyone the full truth until later in the week, maybe after the Halloween party. I need the one-on-one time with Des, if I’m ever going to make her fall in love with me. It’s a purely selfish decision, but it’s one I’m not changing my mind about.
* * * * *
When I get to Destiny’s dorm room, she and Miranda are chatting, clad in their Halloween costumes. Although Des has just a pair of shorts on instead of her full costume, since I’m the one bringing her pants.
She all but rips them out of my hand when she opens the door and then slams it in my face to change. When she opens the door a second time, she yanks my arm to pull me inside. She closes the door and then turns to me.
“Well? What do you think?” she asks.
I’m impressed. “You look fantastic.”
“Do you think Nolan will flip?” she asks, hopeful.
“He’s going to go out of his mind!” Miranda squeaks.
“Yeah, he is. He’s going to wish he hadn’t played around on you,” I say.
“So have you figured out who it is yet?” Miranda asks.
“Not yet,” I lie.
“When you do, I say we kill the bitch. Everyone on campus knows you and Nolan are an item.”
Des laughs. “I know it’s crazy, but I almost hope it’s someone I know so I can punch the girl without feeling guilty because I don’t know her.”
I sigh. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. Des, we’re going for pizza tonight. Miranda, do you want in?”
“No thanks. Rome is taking me somewhere special,” she says with a glazed-over look.
I smile at her. “Alright then. I’ll pick you up in an hour, Des.”
I leave her room knowing that if I’m going to make this work, I’m going to have to spend as much time with her as I possibly can. And that means occupying all her time.
Now that I know about Nolan, I don’t really have to follow him as much for Roman. I still want to see the evidence for myself, but I don’t want to keep tabs on the kid every second of every day.
Ten
The Halloween party is a huge event. Nolan’s fraternity joins up with some sorority to throw it, and there’s more people there than should be. I go early in the night to scope things out for Des. I told her I would, just to see what Nolan’s up to.
Lucky for me, he’s hitting on two sorority sisters. I shake my head at him and then turn to leave so I can go pick up Des, but Roman stops me.
“What’s the word?” He looks ridiculous in his Robin Thicke getup.
“Oh, he’s cheating,” I answer. “Still trying to figure out with who, but I don’t think it will be long now. He’s bound to slip up.”
“Good. Your tuition is all taken care of. As soon as I have the name of the girl he’s with, I’ll give you the rest and you can go on your way.” Roman smiles and then walks to the bar.
A shiver runs down my back. That guy is almost creepy.
I manage to get back to Destiny’s dorm just as she’s finishing up getting ready. Nolan was supposed to pick her up, but he gave her some lame excuse about having to set up the party. Des was pissed, but now she’s going to get her revenge in the best way possible.
“Ready to go?” I ask.
When she turns around to look at me, I’m mesmerized. Clad in a tight black shirt and fitted black leather pants, Des has gone from the girl next door to the cover of Maxim. Her black heels show off her pretty pink toes, and with her hair curled wildly around her face, she’s almost a dead ringer for Olivia Newton John. She’s recreated the Sandy from the end of Grease perfectly.
My breath catches and it takes a second before I can comment on her look.
“Oh come on, it’s not that bad, is it?”
“No,” I manage to say but I know it’s not enough. I swallow again before I speak. “You look amazing.”
She smiles. “You think so?”
I nod, still unable to form a coherent sentence.
“Well, that’s good enough for me then. Okay, Danny, let’s go,” she laughs, sliding her arm into mine and then pulling me with her out of the room.
My costume idea has worked out for my favor, which is awesome, since I’m dressed to match Des in a pair of black pants and black tee plus a white letterman’s jacket with a big “R” on it. We are dressed as Danny and Sandy from the closing scene of the movie, and Destiny’s goal is to blow Nolan out of the water with her look.
And I have to agree that this will work. Her hips are flared out beautifully, giving her an almost hourglass shape that makes her ass look phenomenal. And she must be wearing a push-up bra, since her chest is far more pronounced than I remember. But I don’t mind. I just want to bury myself in her beauty.
Pulling myself together, I smile down at Des and lead her to the party, ready to face whoever wants to give us a hard time.
Eleven
When Des and I walk through the door, a hush goes through the crowd. People stare at us, and even though I feel just a tic awkward at being dressed up as a white guy character, I don’t mind too much. With Des on my arm, I know there isn’t any doubt at all who I am. Des takes the lead, looking for Miranda, I have to guess, so I follow behind her through the crowded party.
“Miranda!” Des screams when she sees her in a skin-tight outfit the color of skin. She actually looks like she could double for Miley, so mission accomplished.
“You look great,” Miranda says to Des.
Roman steps up behind Miranda and tells Des how great she looks. He and I share a look over the girls’ heads and I nod to him.
While the girls gush about costumes, I let Des know I am going to the bar to get her a drink and she smiles sweetly at me. Since it’s a frat party, there’s only a keg of beer, so I get two and then run into Nolan on my way back to where I left Des.
“Who the hell are you supposed to be?” he asks, and I can tell he’s already drunk. He eyes me up and down as he sways on his feet.
“It makes more sense when you see my costume partner,” I retort.
“Well then, let’s see it,” he mumbles, letting me pass him and then following me.
On our way across the room, he runs into me several times, spilling the cups of beer in my hand. By the time we reach Destiny, I’m thoroughly irritated and ready to tell him to fuck off. Instead, I hand Des her beer and them turn to stand beside her so Nolan can see out costumes.
“What the fuck is this?” he yells.
“You couldn’t dress up with me, so I dressed with Andre,” Des answers.
“You can’t be a Pink Lady,” he scowls.
“I’m not. I’m Sandy, and she wasn’t a Pink Lady,” Des replies.
“Fuck that,” he says, pulling Des close and slobbering all over her in an attempt at a kiss.
“Are you drunk already?” Des asks, pulling away.
“Yeah. So
?”
Destiny sighs. “Just go hang out with your friends. You said I couldn’t dress to match you, so I didn’t. I match Andre. So don’t be pissed.”
Nolan turns to walk away, mumbling under his breath.
“You okay?” I ask once he’s far enough away.
“Yeah. When did he turn into such a dick?”
“He always was,” Miranda answers for me.
“That guy has serious issues,” Roman chimes in.
“I guess I’ll stage my fight later, then. I want to enjoy at least some of this night,” Destiny mutters, sipping her beer.
“Let’s get this party started!” Roman yells, holding up his cup of beer.
We all smash our drinks together and then start drinking.
* * * * *
An hour into the party, I’m feeling great. Even though Des is somewhat unhappy, since Nolan hasn’t come back to see her or even talk to her, I love getting her all to myself. And with the alcohol affecting my brain, I want her. Not the kind of want that will cause me to force myself on her or anything so predatory, but I want to make her feel loved.
When she comes out of the bathroom and smiles, a signal that she didn’t puke like she thought she was going to, I smile back.
“I need some air,” she says, leading me into one of the bedrooms upstairs. She pushes open the window and takes a deep breath. “I love fall.”
“Me too,” I agree. “It’s so pretty.” But I’m not looking out at the changing leaves. My eyes are focused on her.
“Are you coming on to me?” she asks playfully.
“Yes.”
Des freezes. “What?”
“I really like you, Des, and I know that Nolan is cheating on you. In fact, I know who he’s cheating on you with. And you need to leave his stupid ass,” I explain to her.
“What do you mean you know who? You said you didn’t know.”
“I lied,” I tell her.
She gets a hard look on her face. “Who?”
“I don’t want to tell you.”
“Who is it, Andre? If you don’t tell me right now, I’ll never forgive you,” she threatens.
I give in. “It’s Hazel.”
Destiny’s eyes go wide for a second and then she mutters, more to herself than to me, “I knew there was something about her I hated.”
Without warning, she spins around and bolts out of the room. I try to follow her but I’m lightheaded and I don’t make it past the bed. As I sit on the mattress, I tell myself it will only be for a minute and then I’ll go after Des and try to stop her. But I lean back and my eyes close, engulfing me in the blackness.
Twelve
When I wake up, it’s to the sweet, melodic voice of the girl I want more than anyone else.
“Andre! Andre, wake up!”
I smile, my eyes still closed, and enjoy this dream. My name on her lips, again, and I know it’s a dream.
A light tap against my cheek has my eyes flying open and I see Des sitting next to me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, noticing the tears in her eyes.
She shakes her head and then lays down beside me, resting her head on my shoulder. I have no idea how long it’s been since I passed out, but I put my arms around her, holding her close. I let her cry her heart out and try to get my bearings.
When I look to my right, I see that the alarm clock next to the bed says it’s after eleven, almost two hours since I passed out. There’s also a bottle of water on the table and a few pills that look like ibuprofen.
“Those are for you,” Des says, lifting her head.
I move farther up on the bed so my head is on the pillow and grab the water and pills. “Thanks.” I take the pills and then turn over to face her.
“You missed quite a bit,” she says with a smile.
“I feel like shit,” I admit.
“When was the last time you drank at a party?” she asks knowingly.
I wince. “Too long. I guess I shouldn’t have gone so hard.” It didn’t feel like I had that much to drink, though.
“Guess not. How are you feeling now?”
“Not too awful. But not too great, either. So what did I miss?”
She laughs. “Well, I broke up with Nolan. And punched Hazel in the face.”
“And I missed it? Damn,” I mutter.
“I wish you had told me sooner, though.”
“I know. I just wanted you to have one last good night, you know?” I hope beyond hope that she’ll forgive me.
“I get it. But no more secrets! We have to be honest with each other.”
“Okay. No more secrets, I promise,” I give her a smile.
“Good. But that means I have to tell you something,” she says with a smirk.
“What?”
“I like you.”
I struggle to calm my pounding heart. “Umm, I like you too.”
“No, Andre, I like you. As in, I’ve had a crush on you for years,” she admits.
My head falls back on the pillow as I take it all in. Destiny has liked me for years and I never knew.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I don’t know. I just figured you didn’t like me, so I kept my mouth shut about it.”
“Well, I like you, too,” I say.
She doesn’t reply; instead, she leans down and plants a kiss on my lips. I reach my hands up into her hair and pull her even closer, almost dragging her body on top of mine. She goes along with it and even maneuvers herself fully onto me, her knees resting at my hips. She thrusts her pelvis at me and I come to full attention.
“We need to lock the door,” I say against her lips.
“I already did,” she replies.
I sit up, pushing her back and running my hands up her spine, underneath her tight shirt. Her skin is so soft, so supple. She moans and then clamps her teeth down on her bottom lip, an action that drives me crazy. Without waiting for an invitation, I pull her head to mine and claim her lips.
The alcohol has completely flooded my senses and with her looking so hot above me, I forget that I should be wooing her, not using her for sex. I push my tongue into her mouth and relish the sound of her whimper. She’s beautiful and perfect, and I want her to remember this moment forever.
I flip her so I tower over her on the bed and then slowly lower my body to hers. She wraps her leather-clad legs around my hips and arches up against me. Instead of pressing farther into her, though, my mind suddenly clears, and the impact of what we’re doing hits me.
“Des,” I breathe as I pull away from her kissable lips. “Destiny, we need to stop.” I gulp after I say the words. I don’t want to stop, and I know she doesn’t either, but I refuse to be just a rebound for her. I want more.
She closes her eyes as I pull away and then covers her face. She rolls away from me and I watch, helpless, as the sobbing wracks her body.
“Don’t cry,” I say, a desperate attempt to comfort her. I lay next to her, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her back against my chest.
“I’m so embarrassed!”
“Don’t be. We didn’t do anything wrong. But I don’t want this to be a revenge against Nolan, either. If you want to be with me, I’m okay with that, but you need some time before we do anything about it.”
She nods in agreement, but keeps her face turned away from me. Deciding she just needs to be comforted, I snuggle her close and prepare to go to sleep. Within seconds, I’m out.
Thirteen
The next morning, I’m so hungover. The ibuprofen and water didn’t help my head at all. Or my stomach. But waking up in the same bed as Des cures any bad feelings at all.
We are both still in costume; Des has makeup running down her face. I stare at her for a moment before I wake her up. She’s beautiful.
“Des, we’ve got to go,” I say, gently shaking her.
“Ugh… I don’t want to!” she protests.
I smile. “Come on, let’s go,” I say, tugging on her hand.
She comes willingly, letting me pull her to the edge of the bed and then sits up. With her feet on the floor, she realized how mussed she is and looks at me with a fearful face.
“Did we…?”
“No.” In that moment, I’m glad I didn’t let us go too far, since she doesn’t remember much. “We made out, but that’s as far as it went.”
“Good. I mean, I don’t want to ruin our friendship,” she says.
Oh shit. Was I just friend-zoned?
“Right,” I agree, even though in my head, I’m arguing.
“Let’s get moving,” she suggests, and I keep my thoughts to myself.
I follow her out of the frat house, which is a complete mess, and when the brilliant sun hits me, I almost slink back into the dark house like a vampire. My eyes, my head, and even my body all hurt. It’s not a good feeling.
For all her drinking, Des actually seems to be in good shape this morning. She smiles as we walk back to the dorms. I wonder why she’s so happy.
“What’s got you smiling?”
“Well, I was just thinking about last night, and the fact that I decked Hazel,” she informs me.
I barely remember her telling me that last night. “Oh yeah, I bet that felt good.”
“Yes and no. I mean, hitting her was awesome, but my hand is a little sore.” She winces and holds up her bruised hand.
“Wow, you really hit her hard, then, huh?”
“You have no idea. And I really hope I see her today so I can gloat over what’s sure to be a black eye.” She grins at me.
“You’re an evil one,” I mumble.
“I’m great, and you know it. I just don’t appreciate being double-crossed. Speaking of which, you and I are going to have a conversation about you not telling me sooner about those two. We have been best friends for too long for you to hide it from me.”
Best Friends Forever Page 19
