Surviving

by Ahren Sanders

  “I’m kidding, it doesn’t bother me at all. But you skipped over all the juicy details. Don’t think you’re getting away with that.” Charlie replies.

  Ella takes a large gulp of her drink before continuing. “The night I saw him in the bar, he was working. His job was to watch that woman because her husband thought she was cheating. He explained he usually doesn’t do that kind of work, but this was a friend of Raven’s dad’s and because of confidentiality, he couldn’t say anything. She thought he was interested in her and attacked him outside the bathrooms. That’s when I walked up. He tried to talk to me dozens of times, but I ignored him. When I heard what a mistake I made, I was mortified. I mean what a bitch! But he didn’t care. He told me he wanted what we had back. So since three weeks ago, we’ve been trying to make up for lost time.” The glow on her face is transparent.

  “I think it’s awesome. Now we need to find a way to get Harper her sexy badass boy and we’ll all be claimed women.” Kendall tells the group.

  I whip my head to her so fast I get dizzy. “Ken! What the hell? You’re dating someone?”

  “Sort of. I met a guy when I was here this summer for a weekend. We went out a few times during my visits home. We took it slow at first because of the distance thing but in the last two months, he’s made five trips to see me. And before you say anything, the reason I didn’t tell anyone but Harper is because I thought it was casual. Last weekend we talked about exclusivity. I’ve invited him tomorrow night to The Steamroom to meet you all.”

  “I can’t believe this. That’s it! I’m declaring now: No more secrets from me! First it was Ella and Will, and now you and and–what the fuck is his name? Can I even know that?” I say a little louder than I meant.

  “Yes, he has a name and it’s Brian. Calm your shit down, Miss Dramatic.”

  “And let me tell you, he will fit in with our group just fine. He is really hot!” Harper informs us.

  “Awesome! Now we need to get Gabe to get his head out of his ass.” Charlie announces. Harper gasps and the color drains from her face.

  “Charlotte, I told you several times, it’s not going to happen. He doesn’t even notice me. I’ve given up on that. Maybe Brian has some cool friends. And it’s not like I don’t date. I met a guy at the restaurant the other night. We are having lunch when I go back to Atlanta.”

  I refill everyone’s drink, and we order our dinner. Ella gets the short straw this year, so she gets to pleasure of shocking the delivery boy. Two pitchers of PPP’s later and endless stories about all of our relationships, I’m in pain from laughing so hard. Charlie is very vocal about her sex life and even though I really don’t want to know, I don’t stop her from talking.

  Charlie surprises us with the demo video of “Surviving.” Mike allowed her to bring it with her since she told him it was our version of GNO. When the girls watch it, the room goes silent. I look at each of them trying to gauge their reaction, but I don’t get anything.

  Abbi finally breaks the silence. “Wow, that’s really amazing.”

  I smile since I feel the same way.

  “Guys, I hate to even ask, but someone sent an anonymous email to the Sayge website. It was the picture of me and Finn I sent you all. Did any of you share it? “

  They all shake their heads, and none of us can figure out who could have gotten a hold of it.

  Charlie grabs a bottle of champagne and pours us each a glass. None of us really toast we just clink glasses. Ella puts on music, and we dance around the living room like idiots.

  I don’t know what time it is, but there is a very loud pounding at the door. Abbi turns off the music and looks through the peephole then back to all of us.

  “This doesn’t look very good. There are five seriously pissed off guys on the front porch. I’m pretty sure they know we’re up.” she whispers.

  As soon as she stops talking, the pounding resumes and Jimi yells, “Abbi, I know y’all are there. We can see your shadows from the windows. Open the fucking door.”

  Yikes! Jimi mad sounds strikingly similar to Declan mad. She turns off the alarm and slowly opens the door. We all watch in stunned silence as he grabs her around the waist and pulls her into an embrace. Before I understand what is happening, Declan, Blake, Will, and Gabe charge through looking furious.

  “What the hell is happening here?” Charlie yells but Blake cuts her off with his own searing kiss.

  I think better to open my mouth at a very scary bunch of boyfriends. Wait–why is Gabe here? There’s a flash in his eyes as soon as they land on Harper and her outfit. I think he actually growls. Since I am paying attention to this, I don’t realize Declan is right in front of me staring through me.

  His eyes have darkened to a deep shade of emerald. And not in the good way.

  “Declan, what’s going on?”

  “What’s going on? For the last four hours, not one of you girls answered your phones or text messages. We eventually got tired of waiting for you to answer and came here.”

  “But, honey, it’s NNN. You know you can’t be here.”

  “Now it’s NNN with Testosterone.” he says loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

  Not one person moves, so I take it upon myself to try and resolve this situation. I push him into the kitchen.

  “You guys have to leave. We’re all fine. Actually, we’re all pretty drunk. This is what we do. We drink, eat, gossip, play games, and act like fools.”

  “Babe, we discussed it on the way here. None of us are leaving. Well, you and I could leave but I shouldn’t drive. Gabe drove us here. Now give me a kiss.” He doesn’t wait for me to move before he picks me up. His lip’s crush to mine and the lip ring pokes into my bottom lip almost painfully. But when his tongue touches mine, I melt to him.

  “It looks like Raven’s not going to convince them to leave. Should have known that would happen.” Charlie’s voice drags me out of my Declan trance.

  “Um, I don’t think we have a choice. Apparently it was decided before we answered the door they weren’t leaving.”

  “Good thing I stocked up on beer and whiskey.” She gets a full bottle of Jack Daniels out of the pantry and puts it on the counter. “Help yourselves guys.”

  “Sparkle, I need you to go change right now. I will shield you from the kitchen to where your bag is, but this nightie should be made for my eyes only.” he slurs slightly.

  “Declan, are you drunk?”

  “A little. Go change and I’ll tell you all about our night.”

  I don’t argue and actually laugh when he literally shields me from the living room on my way to Abbi’s room. Abbi is in her bathroom, undoubtedly changing, as well. When I get back to the living room, Charlie is setting up the air mattresses. All of the guys are drinking beer with empty shot glasses in front of them. They are talking about the fight and Blake is trying to reenact some sort of leg stunt thing. He looks like an idiot, but I don’t get a chance to tell him because Ella shrieks.

  “No Fucking way! Nico Hunter?! As in the Nico ‘The Lady Killer’ Hunter?”

  “Yeah, babe, the same one.” Will answers.

  Every woman in the room inhales sharply. I may not know anything about fighting, or MMA, but I know about Nico Hunter. He’s fucking gorgeous. There have been promotional commercials on TV for weeks, and each one features Nico shirtless and sweaty. Rumor has it he is engaged, possibly married, but he keeps his relationship private.

  “I thought you were going to some sort of boxing event.” I say stupidly.

  “Why would you think that? We said it was fight night. Usually that means full contact.” Declan answers, looking at me suspiciously.

  “Um.”

  “Because Romeo, if any of us knew it was Nico Hunter, we would have asked James for passes, too. Nico Hunter is FINE. The body, the tattoos, those eyes. We may have even canceled NNN for a chance to watch him get sweaty and trample his opponents. He did win didn’t he?” Charlie tells no one in particular.

  I�

��m guessing that Blake isn’t a jealous boyfriend because he laughs and nods his head yes. Declan, on the other hand, is trying but not succeeding in hiding his jealousy. His face is turning red, and his eyes are glaring at me.

  “Raven, come here.” He reaches out his arm motioning me to his lap. He pulls me down, so I am laying across his legs and cages me in with his arms. “Tell me dear fiancée, what do you think of the tattooed MMA fighter that your friend is gushing over.”

  “Um,” shit I’m too drunk to lie convincingly.

  There are giggles and snickers around the room. “I reserve the right to answer that when I haven’t been drinking for five hours and you’re not so jealous.”

  He squeezes me tight and kisses my forehead. “Not the right answer, but I’ll take it for now.”

  “Declan, I like you a lot but you’re an idiot. RJ’s gonna marry you in six months and probably have babies before you can celebrate your one-year anniversary. Who cares if she thinks a cool-as-shit MMA fighter is hot?” Kendall smiles as she teases him.

  I decide to change the subject and ask about every detail of their night. I notice that there are several guys from the group missing. After hearing about the fight and the after party, I realize they probably stayed around for the festivities, which usually includes girls. Even though we each changed into more decent pajamas, Gabe’s scowling at Harper. She’s doing a great job ignoring him. Interesting.

  Sometime around two am, we all go to bed. Declan and I take one air mattress, and Kendall and Harper take the other. Gabe sleeps on the sofa and the couple’s pair off into their rooms.

  I will never admit it, but I like NNN with Testosterone.

  Chapter 30

  Birthday Celebration

  I wake up twisted in Declan’s arms and with a slight headache. When I try to get up quietly, the stupid mattress shifts under me which wakes him. I motion that I’m going to the bathroom, and he nods. I go ahead and change and put on light make-up so we can leave when we’re ready. Declan had a bag in his car with clean clothes, which made me question if he planned his sabotage last night.

  I text Finn that we will be there to pick him up in an hour. After cleaning up as much as possible without waking anyone, Declan and I go to a small diner for breakfast. My brother meets us there.

  “How was last night?” Robbie asks after we order.

  “It was great until five brooding guys crashed the party.”

  “I warned them, but lover boy over here, couldn’t be swayed.” He points to Declan.

  “Didn’t like the idea of sleeping alone, even if it meant sleeping on that shitty air mattress.” Declan answers.

  “Quick question, why was Gabe with y’all?”

  Neither one of them answers me, but I don’t miss the look they give each other.

  “Okay, if you won’t tell me, I’ll assume it has something to do with the way he was looking at Harper?”

  Still no answer.

  “Well, if you’re both going to stay mute, I’ll share something with you. If it did have something to do with Harper, and if he is interested, he needs to move fast. She has a date next week.”

  “I’ll make sure to let him know.” Robbie tells me as our food arrives.

  “And another tidbit of information, Kendall is dating a new guy that lives here. She invited him to The Steamroom tonight to meet us.”

  They both nod their heads to me but can’t talk because they’re stuffing food in their mouths.

  When we get to Finn’s place, Tripp answers the door and looks like we woke him up. I glance around the room and notice it’s not nearly as clean as when Finn lived here full-time. When we left for Paris and even when he stayed behind, he kept his portion of the rent, so he had a place to move back when he came home. I never really paid attention, but it seems he was the one who did the housekeeping.

  Finn’s door opens, and I’m shocked to see a brunette walk out with hardly any clothes on. He’s right behind her, and when our eyes meet, he looks uncomfortable. Declan wraps his arms around me possessively.

  “Baby Girl, you’re early. I was about to walk Sandy out.” He says.

  “Mandy.” she corrects him.

  “Huh?”

  “My name is Mandy.”

  I snicker into Declan’s arms and feel him laughing against me. Robbie doesn’t hide his amusement either.

  “Whatever, let’s go.” Finn takes her elbow and guides her to the door.

  “Really? I thought we would hang out today.” she whines.

  Ugh! She sounds like a baby.

  “Finn, we’ll wait for you in the kitchen while you walk your friend out.” I tell him and lead Declan to the other room.

  “Who are you?” Mandy says before I can get out of the room.

  The room goes still. I’m pretty sure it’s not customary to carry on a conversation while doing the walk of shame. But the way she asked me has four very protective guys on alert.

  I don’t get a chance to answer her. Finn walks to the door and opens it. “Time to go Mandy. I’ve already got plans today.”

  “What the fuck, I thought you were a gentleman. Throwing me out–”

  “Enough! You need to leave. I tried to walk you out but then you insulted my friend.” Finn interrupts her and motions out the door.

  She looks around embarrassed, but stomps out, throwing me a dirty look. As soon as he shuts the door behind her, Robbie burst out laughing.

  “Man, you broke the cardinal rule. Never bring them back to your place. She looks like a clinger.”

  “Yeah, I know. Figured out that this morning when she asked me what we were doing today. I really am sorry though, I wanted her gone when y’all got here.”

  “Really, Finn? She was skanky. I don’t know much about one-night stands but couldn’t you have picked someone with a better sense of style?” I question him.

  “RJ, I wasn’t thinking about her style. I wasn’t thinking too much of anything; I was pretty drunk.”

  “Eeewww, please don’t give me any details.”

  “Don’t we have a monkey suit to pick out?” He changes the subject.

  I nod, and we say goodbye to Tripp who is lying on the sofa. Robbie told me that Tripp will probably nurse his hangover all day. Apparently fight night was a drunk fest.

  When we walk into Clyde’s, the attendant’s eyes almost pop out of her head. She looks at Declan, Robbie and Finn and drops her paperwork.

  “M-m-may I help you?” she stutters.

  I feel sorry for her because she is obviously affected by their good looks. “Yes, my name is Raven Hayes and I made an appointment for some tux fittings today. I confirmed with someone yesterday.”

  She is still in a haze. It takes a few seconds, but she regains her composure and pulls a file out.

  “Yes, Miss Hayes. I’m Ember; I’ll be helping you. I pulled a few samples for you to choose from, and then I’ll need to get measurements. Once you’ve made your final decision on the style you want and every member of the wedding party has been fitted. I will order them. It shouldn’t be too hard at all.”

  “Great, let’s see.”

  She leads us to a sitting area and starts pulling sample tuxes for us. I choose two that resemble Declan’s. Robbie and Finn grunt when I ask them try them on so I can make my decision. While they get dressed, I watch Ember fiddle with her notes. She is very pretty with long auburn hair and bright blue eyes. When Finn and Robbie come out of the dressing room her nervousness increases.

  I take pictures of them both and compare to Declan’s. He points out the one he likes. When it is time for Ember to get their measurements, I’m not sure she can even write. I offer to help her, and she accepts gratefully. Declan laughs at us, and I direct him to look through the ties.

  After we’re done, and Robbie and Finn go back to change, she looks at me with embarrassment.

  “Miss Hayes, I’m completely mortified. I have never been so unprofessional, in my life.”

  “First off, please call me Raven. And second, don’t apologize. I’m aware how good looking they are. The one with the dark hair is my brother, Robbie.”

  When I tell her his name, she blushes. Matchmaking time!!!

  “Sparkle, I narrowed it down to two ties for you to choose from. Let’s get this shit done.” Declan yells from the other side of the store.

  “And that is my lovely fiancé, Declan Collins.” I smile to Ember and go to him.

  Once we make all our choices and fill out the paperwork for the rentals, Ember explains to me the process for getting the other guys to get fitted.

  “Ember, do you like music?”

  “Yeah, mostly Top 40, but I try to listen to everything.”

  “Declan’s in a band and they play tonight. You should come see them. We have a big group of friends together since it’s a holiday weekend.”

  “I’m not sure,” she hesitates.

  “Think about it. My cell phone is on the paperwork. Call me if you decide to come, and I can meet you out front.”

  I give her the details of the bar and go outside the meet the guys waiting on me.

  “What took so long?” Robbie asks.

  “I was inviting Ember to see Sayge play tonight. She seems like a nice girl, and she obviously liked what she saw in you.”

  “No fucking way. She’s nowhere close to my type.”

  “Really, she’s pretty and seemed sweet. What’s wrong with that?”

  “She also has fresh and wholesome written all over her. I need a little more experience in a woman.”

  “Like that trash that walked out of Finn’s house this morning? That’s what you look for in a woman?”

  “Calm down, RJ. I’m saying that girl is too innocent for me.”

  “You don’t know that. She could be completely different outside of her place of employment. She may be the perfect girl for you. Don’t be so judgmental.”

  “Highly doubt it.”

  “Robbie, man, don’t want to get into your business and definitely don’t want you in mine. But fresh and wholesome is completely worth it. And just to let you know it’s a whole lot more rewarding.” Declan tells my brother. “You should give it a try.”

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