“Ravi, look at you. You look so handsome,” Mrs. Parker greeted me warmly when we reached the door. She pulled me into a hug, like she’d been doing since I first met her, and I blushed at her show of affection. My parents weren’t the touchy feely type.
“Are Chase and Hadley almost ready?”
“Chase and his date are in the living room waiting for you,” Mrs. Parker answered with a tight smile.
“And, Hadley?”
“Well, she’s decided last minute not to go to the dance.”
My stomach sank.
“Would it be okay if I go talk to her?”
“Of course, she’s up in her bedroom. I’ll let Chase know that it’ll be a few minutes. I know he’ll be thrilled if you can change Hadley’s mind. Between the two of us, I think she’s rather upset with Chase.”
I nodded in understanding then gave Kim’s hand a quick squeeze before dropping it and heading up the stairs to Hadley’s bedroom.
When I reached her door the sound of sniffling was obvious and my heart gave a sad squeeze. I lifted my hand and knocked gently.
“LP, can I come in?”
The sniffling stopped but she didn’t call out an answer. I held my breath for several seconds.
“Please,” I whispered through the door.
The sound of footsteps on her side of the door loosened the knot in my chest considerably. Until she pulled the door open and I was met with her puffy red eyes.
“I’m not going,” She said firmly. “Chase chased away any guy who showed any interest in me. I’m not going to be the only loser dancing all alone.”
“Can I come in and we can talk about it?”
Hadley rolled her eyes but stepped back to allow me entrance into her room. My heart began to hammer in my chest. I’d been in Hadley’s room when we were younger, but not since I’d come to realize that Hadley was a girl...an extremely beautiful girl. Her sweet, fruity scent surrounded me and made me lightheaded with the need to pull her close and simply feel her body pressed against mine.
“Ravi, you should just go and have a good time. Don’t keep your date waiting.”
“Come on, LP, you really think any date could mean more to me than you do?”
Something sparked in Hadley’s eyes that made me think for a brief second that maybe she actually might have felt for me what I felt for her. But, it only took a few seconds for reality to sink in again and remind me that no matter what she might have felt, Chase said she was off limits.
“Really?” The hope in her voice made my chest ache.
“Of course, you’re like a little sister to me,” The lie tasted bitter on my tongue. Even worse was the look of devastation in her winter green eyes.
“Just go, Ravi. Thanks to you and Chase no guys have the guts to even look at me, so there’s no point in me going to a dance.”
“LP...”
“Get out!”
She shoved me towards the door and I didn’t put up a fight.
Chase and I took our dates to homecoming and I think all three of us, Hadley included, had the most miserable nights of our lives. It’s fucking pathetic that I would call the night I lost my virginity one of the worst nights of my life.
When Kim had suggested we go somewhere private I’d let my sixteen-year-old boy hormones take over. Afterwards I’d felt like the world’s biggest asshole when I looked at Kim with her long blond hair and light blue eyes and wished to hell I was looking at Hadley’s dark hair and striking green eyes.
Hadley looks over at me and I mouth the words ‘I’m sorry’.
She gives me a weak smile in return and Matthew continues on to another question.
While Matthew begins to deal the first hand he smiles and looks around the table with a devilish glint in his eye. Oh no, this isn’t going to be good.
Hadley
“What’s the craziest place you’ve had sex?” Matthew asks.
“Oh...I actually have a really good one,” Eve declares excitedly. Asher blushes and keeps his head down. “We did it in the flight simulator at NASA. Asher interned there once and they let him give me a tour over spring break.”
My mouth hangs open in surprise and I can’t help but laugh.
“How is anyone supposed to follow that?” Chase grumbles.
“What about you Hadley?” Matthew prompts.
I blush and force myself not to look towards Ravi.
“In the woods, up against a tree,” I answer, keeping my eyes on my cards.
“What?” Chase barks. “Shit, you weren’t fucking kidding the night of the bonfire when your back was all scratched up?”
“Uh, no I wasn’t kidding.”
“Who was it? Who fucked you in the woods like a goddamn animal?” Chase demands, his eyes blazing with rage.
I look to Matthew to change the subject before Chase goes off the deep end. Ravi tries to keep his face impassive, but his anxiety is clearly growing. He stands and looks around as though he’s seeking an excuse to get the hell out of here.
“Hey Ravi, craziest place you’ve had sex?” Matthew calls out in hopes of getting Chase’s angry gaze off of me.
Ravi glances around the table, Chase’s gaze is still trained on me. When Ravi’s eyes land on me a flash of resolution crosses his face and then he squares his shoulders and answers the question.
“In the woods, up against a tree,” He rumbles, casting me a surreptitious glance.
Everyone at the table stills and look towards Chase, all of us holding our breath. Chase blinks and then understanding sparks in his eyes. He stands, flexing his fists while Matthew tries to grab for him. Chase shakes him off and in three long strides stands in front of Ravi.
“I fucking told you not to touch her,” Chase says in a deathly quiet voice.
Ravi nods with acceptance and tenses his jaw, awaiting his punishment. Chase cocks his arm back and plows his fist right into Ravi’s jaw.
Ravi
Fuck, Chase can really throw a punch. I get back to my feet and square my shoulders to face Chase. I know I should’ve found a more tactful way to tell him the truth. But, fuck it, I couldn’t lie for another second.
Asher and Matthew are standing between Chase and I now, in an attempt to prevent any further punches from being thrown.
“You just couldn’t keep your dick in your pants, could you? You could have anyone else, but you just fucking had to have Hadley.”
“Chase,” Hadley gets up and stands before her brother, putting her hand on his chest.
“No, it’s okay. I owe it to him to talk this out.”
Hadley turns to look at me like I’m crazy. Her eyes land on the bruise already forming on my jaw and she frowns, turning back to glare at Chase.
“I can’t believe you hit him.”
“I can’t believe you let him touch you.”
“What is so hard to believe about that?” Hadley challenges.
God I fucking love her.
“He’s a good man,”
Chase scoffs and I bristle.
“What the fuck is your problem?” I challenge. We’re supposed to be best friends, but if he thinks I’m such a scumbag maybe we shouldn’t be.
“My problem is that I’m trying to reconcile the fact you’ve fucked my little sister with the things Maci Benet told me about you.”
I feel the color drain from my face.
“Who’s Maci Benet?” Hadley asks, her eyes narrowing.
“She’s a chick Ravi hooked up with at NYU. She said Ravi was pretty rough with her and kicked her out after she went down on him, without so much as a ‘thanks’,” Chase informs Hadley savagely, glaring at me over her head.
I wince at his words. I’m not proud of the man I was over the past year. And, I’m especially not proud of the way I tried to get over Hadley. I certainly hadn’t forced anyone to do anything they didn’t want to do. But, I may have gotten a little rough, due to frustration. And, I know I wasn’t always nice after receiving a blow job that paled in comparison to
Hadley’s.
“As disappointed as I am to hear Ravi treated someone that way,” Hadley shoots me a glare that says we’ll talk more about that topic later. “He treats me well. And, the rest of it is none of your business.”
Chase looks like he’s about to choke on his tongue.
“You’re talking like the two of you are still fucking.”
“We’re together,” I clarify defensively.
“No, you’re not,” The threat is clear in Chase’s tone.
“Pretty sure it’s not up to you,” Hadley retorts.
“The hell it isn’t,” Chase roars.
“Matthew, get him the hell out of here. He needs time to cool off before he says something he can’t take back.” Hadley turns and gives Eve and Asher an apologetic look before going into her bedroom and shutting the door.
Matthew gives me a small smile and Asher pats my back before everyone files out. Chase casts me one last warning glare.
“We’re fucking done.”
I wince at his words. I knew it would come to this, but his words hurt worse than the right hook to my jaw.
Once the apartment is empty I head straight for Hadley’s bedroom. I find her curled up in the middle of her bed sniffling.
“Shit, baby, don’t cry.” I crawl into bed beside her and turn her face towards mine so I can kiss each of her tears away.
“Are you okay?” She asks, gently touching the growing bruise on my jaw.
“I deserved it,” I shrug.
“He’s being a complete dick about this. He’s just going to have to get over it.”
“What if he doesn’t get over it?” I force myself to ask.
It suddenly hits me that maybe what I’ve been most afraid of hasn’t been whether Chase would hate my guts, but if Hadley would want to be with me if our relationship came between her and Chase.
“He’s your other half sweetheart. What if he won’t ever accept us as a couple?”
“Ravi, you are my other half. Chase will come around eventually.”
“I love you, Hadley.”
“I love you,” She says matter-of-factly.
I nuzzle into her neck and inhale her sweet scent, getting lost for a moment in her.
“Should we talk about...” She trails off and I cringe inwardly.
“I guess we’d better,” I reluctantly agree. I take a deep breath before diving right in. “There’s no excuse for the way I treated some of the girls I screwed around with last year. It wasn’t me. It was like I was pissed at them for not being you. I know that sounds completely fucked. I’ve actually been thinking lately I should contact them all and apologize, because they didn’t deserve the way I used them.”
“I get it,” Hadley assures me quietly. “We both did things last year that we regret now. I think it would be nice of you to apologize, I’m sure they’d appreciate it. After that let’s just put it all behind us. You’re the only one I ever wanted.”
“Same here.” I kiss her cheeks, nose, chin, basically anything I can reach without having to put any space between our bodies. Chase’s going to have to get over this because Hadley is it for me.
Hadley
“Fucking hell,” Chase’s muttered curse infiltrates my sleep addled brain. Ravi’s strong arms tighten around me unconsciously in his sleep. I blink awake and see Chase standing over the bed with a scowl marring his face.
“Can we talk?” He asks harshly.
Ravi finally stirs and glances sleepily at Chase standing in my bedroom.
“What the fuck dude?” Ravi asks, pulling the blankets tighter around our naked bodies. Could this be more awkward right now?
“Don’t fucking talk to me,” Chase growls. “Had, I need to talk to you.”
I sigh and motion for Chase to leave the bedroom so I can get up and get dressed. Chase mutters ‘fucking hell’ under his breath again before stalking out of my bedroom, slamming the door so hard that it rattles on its hinges.
I groan and snuggle into Ravi’s chest.
“I don’t want to deal with him if he’s going to be like this,” I complain.
“I know baby.” he kisses the top of my head. “But, he’s your brother and you love him so get your sexy ass out of bed and go try to smooth this shit over.”
“Bossy.”
“You like it,” Ravi says with a chuckle, giving me a firm smack on the ass.
“Don’t start that or I’m not leaving this bed,” I warn. Ravi chuckles once more before pulling me in for a brief kiss.
“I love you,” he whispers against my lips, sending a shiver down my spine. Is it possible to love him more with every passing second? “Now go deal with Chase and then get your sexy ass back here so I can spend the rest of the afternoon eating your pussy.”
Yes, yes it clearly is possible.
*****
Chase and I end up at the coffee shop on campus, sitting awkwardly across from each other, trying to figure out how to have this conversation. The scowl remains on his face the entire time and every few minutes he makes a disgusted face and then shakes his head, like he’s trying hard not to actually picture Ravi and I together. Finally, after approximately an eternity, he meets my eyes and lets out a huff of a breath before talking.
“How did you and Ravi even happen?”
“It was graduation night and I really wasn’t in the mood to party. Actually, I was depressed as hell thinking about the fact that I was going to be all alone soon because my brother and my best friend were about to move across the damn country. So, I was in my room pouting instead of at the party and Ravi came looking for me. He comforted me and one thing lead to another...” I trail off. I doubt Chase actually wanted any of the gory details.
“So, on a whim you decided to screw my best friend because you were sad?” Chase’s accusatory tone rankles me.
I let out a bark of a laugh and take a long sip of my iced coffee.
“On a whim?” I repeat his words in a mutter. “No, not exactly.”
“Then what?”
“Could you stop being a total dick for two seconds? I’ve been in love with Ravi for years. I saved my virginity specifically for him and when the opportunity arose I took it,” I bite out.
“Jesus Hadley. How can you possibly think you’re in love with him if he’s the only guy you’ve ever screwed? And, I can tell you for a fact he was with countless women last year while you were sitting here so damn in love with him.”
“I didn’t say he’s the only guy I’ve been with. I was with other people all of last year, too.”
“So, you’re telling me you’re so in love with Ravi you spent last year screwing your way through the university?” Chase grinds out indignantly.
“Goddammit Chase!” I slam my hand down on the table garnering looks from the people around us. “First I can’t be in love with him because he’s the only guy I’ve been with, then I can’t be in love with him because I have been with other guys? Look, Ravi and I tried to fight this because we both knew you were going to be totally weird and pissy. But, why should we have to forgo happiness just because it icks you out for me to date your best friend?”
“It’s not the dating part I have a problem with.”
“Oh, sorry, it grosses you out that I’m fucking your best friend.” Chase winces at my words. “Too fucking bad, get over it.”
“No, I’m not going to get over it. He promised he wouldn’t mess with you, I can’t forgive him and he’s not good enough for you.”
“I’m a big girl Chase and I’m perfectly capable of deciding who’s good enough for me.”
“I’m not going to forgive him,” Chase declares with a stubborn glare.
“Grow up Chase. And, until you do I’m not going to put up with your bitchy attitude. Let me know when you unwad your panties,” I say before abandoning my coffee and leaving Chase to sulk.
*****
By the time I get home I’m in a total funk. Chase and I hardly ever fight. Not real fighting anyway. Sure, we spent
our childhood practicing wrestling moves on each other and bickering over the television, but we’ve never had a true fight. My stomach is in tight knots.
“Come to the living room, Hadley,” Ravi calls as soon as I step through the door.
Heading down the hall and into the living room I stop and a smile spreads across my face. My heart swells in my chest as my love for Ravi reaches ever increasing heights. The couch and chairs are pulled towards the center of the room with our bedsheets draped over them.
“Ravi?” I ask with a laugh.
His head peeks out of a flap on the side and he grins like a little kid.
“Password?”
“Um...” I laugh, searching my brain. Then it hits me, the same password he and Chase always used for their forts as kids. “Boobs.”
Ravi nods seriously, holding the flap open for me to crawl in. I drop to my hands and knees and crawl into the fort. All of our pillows and couch cushions line the floor and he’s strung up Christmas lights along the ‘ceiling’.
“I thought you could use an escape from the world this afternoon.”
I nod, biting back the thickness in my throat at the thought of my fight with Chase.
“You’re kind of the man of my dreams, did you know that?”
“That’s awfully convenient since I’m absolutely stupid in love with you.”
Ravi pulls me into a slow, sweet kiss that melts everything inside of me.
We spend the rest of the afternoon in our fort watching movies and cuddling in our own little world where nothing from the outside can hurt or upset us.
Chapter 21
Hadley
It’s been a week since Chase and I fought and I still haven’t heard from him. There’s only ten days until the fall semester starts, which means Chase may be going back to New York in seven days. I don’t even know if he decided to stay because he’s being a stubborn ass.
As I exit my apartment to walk to work I see Asher and Eve loading a few bags into Asher’s car. Brahm, Eve’s ex-boyfriend/attacker, was supposed to have his trial yesterday so I wonder if they’re going on a trip to celebrate.
Hard to Resist (Sexy Nerd Boys, #3) Page 18
