Party Games

by Whitney Lyles

  “Thanks again,” Ian said.

  “Don’t forget to mark my party on your calendar.”

  So she’d done it. She’d asked him.

  He nodded. “I just have to double-check that we don’t have a gig that night.”

  The car ride home was a little different than the car ride there. It was cooler and all the windows were rolled up. So the silence in the van provided for lots of conversation. Even though they both never seemed to be at a loss for words, Sara couldn’t help but be slightly preoccupied with his response to Dakota. She tried to forget about it, but really she was just dying to know if he wanted to go to Dakota’s party, or if he was just being polite.

  He told her all about his family. Like her, his parents were divorced. His mother and father had both remarried and subsequently had more children. Ian and Tristan were the oldest. They also had twin brothers on his dad’s side who were only three years old.

  “They’re so cool,” he said. “And total opposites. Just like Tristan and me. One is really wild. The other is really introverted and quiet. But they’re both really cool.”

  “So just one sister?”

  “Yes. She’s six years younger than me. What about you?”

  “It’s just me. You know, my parents are divorced. Neither one has more kids. My mom’s dating the florist, Gene. I’m sure you’ve seen him around at events.”

  “Really? Your mom’s dating Gene?”

  “I know, it’s kind of a shocker.”

  “Well, no…I just didn’t know. Gene’s cool. He was asking about my guitar the other night. He actually knows a lot about guitars.”

  “Gene knows about everything. He always has something to talk about.”

  “He used to play in this really cool band back in the eighties. They never made it big, but they had a pretty big following in Southern California. They were called The Weeds.”

  “What? Now I’m really shocked. What kind of music was it?”

  “Rock.”

  “Gene? In a rock band?”

  He nodded.

  “I don’t believe it.”

  “I swear. You should ask him about it sometime.”

  She left the car running when they pulled up to his house. The glow of a street lamp filtered through the windshield of the Zebra. “Thanks for picking me up,” he said.

  “Sure.”

  He leaned over to open his door and she almost forgot about the busted handle. “I have to let you out,” she said.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  She turned off the ignition, then walked to his side of the car. She smelled his clean scent as he climbed out. An arm’s length stood between them. She noticed the shadow of a cat dart from beneath a car on the opposite side of the street. “Thanks again,” he said.

  “No problem.”

  For a moment, the only sound was the light fizz of his neighbor’s sprinklers.

  She spoke first. “Well, have a good rest of your weekend.”

  “All right. Talk to you soon.”

  She quickly headed back to her side of the van, feeling as though this might go down as the weirdest night of her life, PG of course.

  Fourteen

  Four torturous days went by when Sara didn’t know whether Ian was coming to Dakota’s sweet sixteen. The answer came from Cassidy. She’d called to discuss her “new beginnings” party.

  Leah’s kitchen remodel had begun, and about half a dozen construction workers were demolishing the current room. Sara closed the door to the office so she could hear Cassidy better.

  “So, I have so many girls who are into this party. You have no idea. The only one who thinks it’s dumb is Dakota. In fact, I don’t even think she’ll come.”

  Sara’s heart sang. A Dakota-free party sounded great. A saw shrieked in the kitchen, and what Cassidy said next was muffled.

  “Ever since”—BUZZZZZSHCEEER!— “Ian”—BZZSHEEEEEER!—“her date at her sweet sixteen, she’s been on cloud nine.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear what you just said.”

  “Oh, I was just saying that ever since Ian asked Dakota out, she’s been on cloud nine.”

  Despite her disappointment Sara pretended to be happy for her. “Oh, I didn’t know. That’s good. They should have fun together.”

  “You haven’t heard? Yeah, I guess he’s going to be her date at the sweet sixteen. I’m surprised you didn’t know. She wants him to ride in her limo to the aquatics center. She’s, like, totally in love now.”

  Sara faked a chuckle even though her heart felt as though it were being torn to shreds. Dakota had spent weeks composing her “limo list.” Only an elite few had the privilege of riding from the aquatics center to the reception hall in Dakota’s special limo. Now, Ian would be one of them. She felt her stomach turn.

  “Yeah, so anyway, for those of us who aren’t in love, we’ll have so much fun at my party!” Cassidy declared.

  “Yeah, for those of us who aren’t in love,” Sara mumbled. If Cassidy only knew the truth.

  It was a low moment. Sara’s better judgment was telling her to listen to what Allie had said. If Ian wanted to hang out with Dakota, then something was wrong with him. He was a crazy idiot. Or, he was truly blinded by her. If he was that big of an idiot then she shouldn’t be sad. But she couldn’t help it if she was disappointed. She’d really hoped that there was more to him—that he would have said no to Dakota. Deep down, she knew he wasn’t a crazy idiot. The whole thing came as a complete shock. She’d really been hoping he would’ve used the band has a gig that weekend excuse.

  She did her best to focus on Cassidy’s party plans. For the duration of the conversation, she told herself that she needed a new beginnings party too. She needed to forget about Ian. She brainstormed all kinds of ideas for the event. Topless waiters were the only boys allowed. Since they were on a budget, Sara thought it would be fun to serve only finger foods, and ones that required peeling a layer off and chucking something into the trash. It was consistent with breaking up and moving forward. Things like peanuts and shrimp.

  After she hung up with Cassidy, her phone beeped, indicating a new message. She played her voice mail.

  “Hi, Sara. It’s Dakota.” The sound of her voice immediately made Sara nervous. “I just want you to know that I’d like my ice sculpture to be pink ice. Oh, I’m not mad about my wet suit anymore. My mother found a special company that can make me a custom wet suit. It’s going to have a V-neck, so I can show a little cleavage, and the shorts are going to be very Daisy Duke. They’re also sewing on a special cape with my initials in bright gold lettering and ‘sixteen’ written beneath them. Oh, and count Ian in. He’s definitely coming.” Beep.

  She flipped her phone shut. That was it. She mentioned Ian like she was some kind of afterthought. Did she even care about him? Or was he just an accessory to her?

  She spent a few minutes staring into space, mindlessly tapping a pen on the edge of the desk in the office. Ian had asked Dakota out. It didn’t help that the construction workers were blasting a boom box down the hall, and the current song blaring from the speakers was by On the Verge.

  “What are you thinking about?” Her mother’s voice came from the doorway.

  Sara sat up and closed the leather planner Gene had given her for her birthday. “Oh, nothing.”

  Her mother watched her. “You don’t look like you’re thinking about nothing. What’s up?”

  Sara used the breakup party as a cover up and described all of her ideas for the event. Her mother’s laughter was loud. “That is one of the best party ideas I’ve ever heard of! You’re so creative, Sara.” She shook her head. “So much more creative than me.”

  “Well, it wasn’t exactly my idea. It was her idea to have the breakup party. I’ve just filled in the blanks.”

  “I’m really proud of you,” her mother said. “You’ve gone above and beyond my expectations and you’ll be putting me out of business by the time you’re twenty.” She sat down across from Sara. “
And I’m really proud of you for the way you’ve handled the London event. You’ve shown a lot of maturity. I know it hasn’t been easy for you.”

  If she only knew.

  Fifteen

  Sara had known that the Kenny Street Band would be playing at the Hayes/Casper wedding for several months, so it was no surprise when she arrived at the reception hall and Ian was setting up with the band. She waited for a jolt of sadness to course through her veins or a moment of total of disappointment to seize hold of her emotions as a result of just looking at him. She was relieved when she didn’t feel anything. Nothing. Zilch. All of Allie’s pep talks had really helped. She could accept the fact that he was probably dating Dakota. He, like everyone else, was blinded by her charm.

  She hadn’t realized she’d been staring at him when he looked up from whatever he was doing with an extension cord and smiled at her. Rather than feeling total sadness, she felt herself grow warm from the inside out. She was still completely attracted to him. She couldn’t help it. His forearms looked so strong and sinewy, and the way his curls fell over his forehead made her want to be closer to him. As she waved back, she decided that feeling attracted to him was worse than feeling sad. She didn’t want to like him anymore. She needed an Ian detox. Somehow, she had to get him out her system. She hadn’t expected him to hop off the stage and head right over to her.

  “Hey,” he said. “I figured I’d see you tonight.”

  She remained cool. “How are you?”

  “Good.” He nodded. “Really good.”

  She couldn’t help but wonder how much time he’d been spending with Dakota, and if his new romance contributed to his feeling really good.

  “You have time to walk to the soda machine with me?”

  She glanced at her watch. “Yeah, okay.”

  They headed to the patio of the beach resort. “I think I saw a machine near the parking lot when we got here.”

  It was a perfect summer day. It was one of the rare events they’d planned that took place during daylight hours. The air wasn’t too soggy, as it sometimes gets near the coast. Rather, it was warm. Waves crashed as the tide danced over the sand.

  “So, did you hear that we were in Rush?”

  She gasped. “No! Nick Bones reviewed the album?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, and it was a really good review.”

  “Ian! That’s great news. You guys must be so happy. I’m so happy for you.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, things are going really well.” He smiled. “In all areas of my life.”

  That must include his love life. What had Dakota done to him?

  They found the soda machine, and Ian asked her what she wanted.

  She began to pull her wallet from her pocket, but Ian was already depositing coins into the slot.

  She thanked him for the Sprite before he bought himself a Dr. Pepper. They headed down a wooden bridge back to the reception hall. She was dying to ask him about Dakota but thought she would sound too nosy.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” he said. “I have something for you.”

  “For me?” Sara watched while he dug inside his pants pocket, wondering what it could be. Was Dakota now sending party instructions with her date? She expected him to produce a long list of requests in Dakota’s handwriting.

  Dangling between his fingers was a necklace of small blue beads. He held it out for her. “I saw this in the mall the other day when I was buying my mom a birthday present. I couldn’t remember exactly what yours looked like, but I thought this seemed similar.”

  Utterly shocked, Sara paused before taking the necklace. A whirlwind of emotions took over. He was giving her a necklace? Talk about signs. Her summer of love necklace had broken and now the guy she liked had replaced it. How symbolic was that? But then she had a major reality check. He was going to the party with Dakota. He couldn’t like both of them. He was just being nice because he felt sorry for her that her necklace had broken in front of a crowd of twenty. The gift had been out of sympathy, nothing more. “That is so sweet of you. You really didn’t have to do that.” She shook her head.

  “It was nothing. I just saw it and thought you should have another one. It kinda sucks that your other one broke.”

  “Thank you.” She lifted her arms, then held the two ends of the necklace at the nape of her neck.

  “It looks good.” He nodded. “Here, let me help you.” Slowly, she turned her back to him. She felt the light brush of his hands on the back of her neck as he picked up the clasp. She held up her hair so it wasn’t in his way. Her heart raced when she felt his fingertips against her skin as he grappled with the clasp. His hands felt like they belonged on a guy. They were a little rough, but in a sexy way. After he finished, he squeezed her shoulders and turned her around to face him.

  “How does it look?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Looks great.”

  She wondered what Dakota would think if she knew he’d bought her a necklace. She felt guilty for taking it. Was this inappropriate? Taking gifts from her client’s date? “Thank you,” she said. “But you know, you really shouldn’t have.” For a moment, she debated giving it back. But she didn’t want to be rude, either.

  He shrugged. “It was just a small gesture to thank you for all that you’ve done for my band. We wanted to do something for you right after the party, but everyone kind of got wrapped up with summer. So, here’s my thanks.”

  Knowing it was just in gratitude for what she’d done made her feel less guilty. “I think that’s one of the most thoughtful things a client has ever done for me. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever received such a nice thank-you gift.”

  He shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

  Her mother’s voice crackled into her headset as they reached the reception hall. “Sara, have you seen the guest book? I can’t find it anywhere.”

  She was tempted to reach up and turn off her headset. She was tired of a party need interfering with the things that she wanted. What she really wanted to do was finish her soda with Ian. She looked at him. “My mom’s in my ear. So I think I have to go.”

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll see you later,” he said.

  She scurried off.

  Sara passed Gene on her way back to the reception hall. He carried a centerpiece that covered his entire torso and chin. “Love that necklace. Is that new?” he asked.

  Sara touched her neck. “Yes.”

  “You’re blushing,” he said.

  She quickly took her hand away from the necklace. “No I’m not.”

  The rest of the afternoon went by fast. As Sara watched the lady in white, she couldn’t help but touch the beads on her neck every ten seconds. It had become a subconscious thing. Half the time, she didn’t even realize that she was doing it. Every time she walked past a mirror, she stole glimpses of the necklace. She’d never received a gift from a guy before, even if it was just replacing something she’d already had. She couldn’t believe how strange it was that he’d replaced the very necklace that had been symbolic of him. The cosmic forces were fooling with her. She totally believed in signs, and the ones she was getting were so confusing.

  Before she knew it, the bride and groom were on their way to the airport for their Caribbean honeymoon, and the band had packed up. She was packing up candles when she noticed Ian headed her way. “Hey, are you hungry?” he asked. “I have to go to the studio later, but I was going to grab a bite before I went down there.” He’d taken his tie off and loosened his collar. He still wore his black slacks. His Converse peeked from beneath them. The shoes looked a little tattered next to his band-issued pants.

  Her mother and Gene were standing a few feet away and seemed preoccupied with the wedding favors they were packing up. Guests always forgot their favors, and Sara and her mother always packed them up and saved them for the bride and groom. In this case they were Godiva chocolates.

  She felt her stomach growl. “Starving.”

  “I was going to head to Luigi’s in Mission Bea
ch. You know, the restaurant near the roller coaster?”

  She nodded. “Yeah.” She’d eaten there with Allie once. Her first instinct was to say no. She wanted out of her suit and pumps, and she had a headache. “Okay,” she said. She was still curious about what was going on between Dakota and him. Maybe she could find out some info.

  From the corner of her eye, she caught her mother and Gene staring. When she glanced at them, they quickly looked away.

  They walked to the restaurant from the reception hall. The noise from the roller coaster was energetic, and in a strange way refreshing. The sound of the wheels rolling over the tracks followed by adrenaline-laced screams seemed free. Summer nights at the beach were always lively, and many of the shops on Mission Boulevard were lit up. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Even though it was summer, the ocean breeze was chilly.

  “Are you cold?” he asked.

  “I’m okay.”

  “Here. You can have my hoodie.” He draped it over her shoulders, and she instantly caught a whiff of his clean shower scent—something she was starting to become well-acquainted with. She could probably detect the scent in an outhouse.

  “Thanks.”

  Did he have to be nice on top of cute? This would all be so much easier if he was a jerk. Was she doing the right thing by being here with him? Or was she just prolonging her misery? Deep down, she knew that the smart thing to do was to forget about him.

  They sat on the patio, and they both ordered calzones. She asked for broccoli and pineapple in hers. Instead of gagging with disgust, Ian asked for a bite.

  “I wouldn’t have guessed that yours tasted good, but that’s a great combo,” he said, nodding.

  His was bursting with pepperoni, and he offered her a few pieces too.

  Afterward, they walked past the roller coaster and ended up on the boardwalk. The occasional guy on a skateboard or group of drunk college students rambled past them, but for the most part the boardwalk was empty and dark. The only visible sign of the ocean was the foamy white crests of waves that moved like phantoms on the black horizon. They found a place to perch themselves on the edge of the beach wall. Her toes barely touched the ground, and the front of his shoes were buried beneath the sand. “How are you ever going to get all that sand out of your shoes?” she asked.