by Lena Nicole
“I’m doing great. Couldn’t be better,” he says in a pleased tone.
As I am walking toward him, he meets me half way and pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me for a hug. He pulls away and I’m a little relieved he didn’t kiss me. I know my situation is impossible, but with Lexi here, I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable with mine and Colin’s relationship. I’m glad Colin respects that and isn’t shoving it in her face.
“Ready to go?” he asks.
“Yes, just let me grab my keys.” I pick them up and give Lexi a hug goodbye.
“Hey, Garrick is supposed to stop by after work to help me finish packing everything up. He and Pierce have a huge presentation tomorrow, so he wanted to stop by and get it done tonight. I hope you don’t mind,” Lexi adds.
“No, not at all. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, so just lock up when you leave, please.”
I give Lexi a little wave as I walk out the door. I feel Colin’s hand at the small of my back, guiding me to the passenger side of his car. He opens the door for me, but before I can get in, he turns me around and brushes a slow, but burning, kiss on my lips.
“I have been waiting to kiss you all day,” he says before pulling me in again for another kiss. This time he quickly kisses me, pulling back to let me in the car before he closes the door.
“Thank you for not doing that in front of Lexi. I mean, I’m not embarrassed by you or anything, I’m sure it’s hard for her to see her brother hurting and then see me with you,” I say, giving him an appreciative smile.
“I may not like the fact that you’re dating both of us, but I’m not an insensitive ass. I know this has to be awkward for Lexi. How does it feel being back in your condo?” he asks, placing his hand in mine.
“It isn’t bad.” Before I continue, I see Colin cut me an amused look. “Really it isn’t,” I say in mock offense. “I just get a little lonely sometimes,” I admit.
“Well, I have no problem making that go away for you,” Colin says, grinning at me.
I smack his arm and he laughs, while pretending that it hurt. Memories of Colin run through my mind as we’re driving to the restaurant. Almost every time Colin would come over to eat, we had to go to the supermarket. I was always working so many hours I never found the time to grocery shop. After about a month of us dating, Colin started taking it upon himself to pick me up every Sunday morning after my shift at work and drag me to the supermarket. It was sweet, and one of the many ways he made sure to take care of me.
We arrive at Cosmic Lanes and park next to Colby’s car. As we’re walking across the parking lot hand in hand, we pass an older couple coming out of the bowling alley. I can overhear her thanking her husband for a wonderful date night and I can’t help but smile. I hope to one day have those moments; I’m just not sure who I will have it with.
We walk in and Colby and Damon are at the cashier, paying for the lane and getting their shoes. I am greeted by an overly excited Colby as she hugs me and grabs my hand, pulling me to the lanes.
“This is just like old times!” she says excitedly.
Damon and Colin catch up to us and Damon shakes his head at Colby while Colin just grins.
“Colby, relax. We are just bowling,” I say as Colin hands me my shoes and I put them on, smiling at him.
“I know, but it’s been so long since just the four of us have gone out and I miss it,” she pouts. “When Damon and I hang out with Colin, it’s just not the same without you, Addy. Now that we’re all together, it almost feels like nothing has changed.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Damon says as he rolls his eyes.
“Anyway, what have you been up to Colin?” Colby asks, ignoring his comment and not even acknowledging the kiss he places on her cheek.
“You know me. Same old, same old. Except I have a huge case that I’m working on. But you already knew that,” he says while tying his shoes.
“Yeah, I’m really excited for you with that. I know you will nail it!” Colby says. She’s always believed Colin would be an excellent lawyer, just as I did.
“Thanks. I’m really glad I have Charlotte. I mean, she really is a life saver. I don’t know what I would do without her. And I must say, it’s nice to have someone you get along with so well with at work, especially when you have to spend so many hours with them.”
I’m just staring at Colin while he praises Charlotte to everyone, including me.
“Yeah, she is super sweet. I had a blast with her at dinner,” Colby adds.
I can feel my eyes go wide as I realize that Colin not only spends time with Charlotte at work, but outside of work too. I knew he saw her a lot, but I didn’t know how much time they actually spent together. But what’s also shocking is that Colby has hung out with her too. I look over at Damon, who gives me a sympathetic look. I look around, hoping no one else can see the hurt and confusion I am experiencing right now. When I see that no one else is looking at me, I try to regain my focus. Curiosity getting the best of me, I ask Colby, “When did you have dinner with Charlotte?” I do my best to keep my voice even so that I come off as nonchalant as possible.
“A few weeks ago I made plans to have dinner with Colin to hang out and catch up. He and Charlotte were working at the office late, so when I met him there, I asked if she wanted to come along,” she says with a shrug, like it’s no big deal.
I don’t get to be jealous, not after this past year. Besides, Colin and Charlotte are just coworkers and friends. It’s not like they slept together. I’m actually really grateful Colin hasn’t slept with anyone. I’m not sure how I would handle that.
I throw the ball down the lane and bowl a strike. I jump up in excitement and feel a pair of arms wrap around me from behind. I know whose arms they are, but this instantly reminds me of when I brought Pierce here to meet my friends. I suddenly feel my stomach sink, as I have Colin’s arms wrapped around me with my head flooded with thoughts of my night here with Pierce. I turn around and face Colin.
“That was great babe! I’ve never seen you bowl a strike before!”
Colin is so excited for me, and for the first time in a long time, I can see there is no hurt or anger in his eyes, only joy. He’s relaxed and joking around with all of us, and even smiling nonstop. He hasn’t had a drink since we got here, and he seems to be enjoying everyone’s company. Thinking about the drastic difference in his demeanor makes me feel horrible. I was the reason that this carefree Colin I’m with tonight was missing. I try to push all thoughts to the back of my head for the remainder of the night and focus my attention on Colin.
The drive home is pleasant. We exchange stories about what has been going on at work and what our families have been up to. When we aren’t talking, there is a comfortable silence between the two of us. It’s nice and relaxing, making me realize how much I’ve missed this over the past year. Once we arrive at my place, Colin parks the car and walks me to my door.
“Thank you for agreeing to come out tonight. I had a really great time,” I say as I’m digging for my keys.
As soon as I find them, I look up and am met with Colin’s intense blue eyes. He says nothing as he cups my face with his hands and places his lips on mine. I feel his tongue brush against my lips as I part them and grant him access to what he is seeking. Our tongues start to dance together and as I’m about to wrap my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss, I hear my door open.
I am startled by the sound of a man clearing his voice. I break away and wipe my fingers over my lips. I look over and see Garrick and Lexi standing at the door with boxes in their hands. They both look stunned, but Garrick’s stunned expression soon turns to anger as his jaw tightens. Lexi is looking everywhere except in my direction. Not sure of what to do, I take a step back from Colin, making a clear pathway for Lexi and Garrick to walk through.
“Excuse me,” is all Garrick says in a harsh tone as he brushes past me. Lexi gives me a nasty look and walks with Garrick to his car.
Colin’s jaw clenches as he
glares at the back of Garrick’s head. He’s clearly upset by the interruption. Kissing me on the cheek, he says goodnight and walks back to his car.
I shut the door behind me and sit on the couch, waiting for Lexi to come back in. When she comes in, she grabs the last box and starts to walk out the door, mumbling a ‘see ya later.’
I jump up off the couch and hurry in Lexi’s direction.
“Lexi, wait,” I say, hoping she will hear me out. When she turns around, I can see she is livid with me as she shifts the box in her hands roughly.
“I really should get going. Pierce is waiting for us to finish so we can grab some drinks,” she says with bitterness laced in her voice.
“Lexi, I am so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t even realize you guys were still here. I didn’t mean for you to…” Before I can continue, she cuts me off.
“What? Didn’t mean to what, Addison? Make out with your ex-fiancé in front of me, while my brother is waiting for you to go back to him and tell him that you choose him?” she spits out angrily.
“I know it must be hard on you, since Pierce is your brother, and the last thing I want to do is hurt either of you,” I say, wringing my hands together nervously.
“Well, I’d say you’re doing a fantastic job at that. Look, I have to go,” she says as she storms off to her car.
Sighing, I lock the front door and head to bed. I messed up tonight and could have possibly ruined my friendship with Lexi. If there is one thing I’m learning through all this, it’s that I really know how to make a mess of things.
I’M AT work again, but I am actually able to focus a lot better than I have been in the last few weeks. I feel really good about Addison and me, especially after watching that movie and snuggling with her. Not to mention, that amazing kiss before I left. My lips have ached to touch her again every second since.
I’ve been in regular contact with Addison. We’ve texted each other every day and talk on the phone fairly often. I’m not trying to pressure her into choosing right now, but I want to stay in her daily life so that she’s constantly thinking about me. God knows I’m always thinking about her.
I’m lost in thoughts of her and I know I have a small smile on my face. I can’t help it. She makes me happy. It quickly fades when my door whips open, crashing against the wall, followed by a perturbed looking Samantha. I let out an exasperated sigh. What now?
“Wait! You can’t go in there.” I hear Vanessa, my assistant, say in a loud voice as she rushes toward my door. “I am so sorry, Mr. Whitmore. I told her you were busy, but she just barged in anyway.” She looks apologetic and slightly nervous. I know how Samantha is and how little she cares for what other people expect of her.
“It’s okay, Vanessa. I’ve got it from here,” I say, hoping to ease her worries. She nods, leaving the door open behind her as she walks out. I turn my attention back to Samantha. With both hands on her hips and all her weight resting on her right side, she looks like she’s ready for a fight. So much for my good mood.
“What can I do for you, Samantha?” I say in a bored tone, looking back down at my work.
“What the hell is your problem?! I just saw Max. Have you seen his face?!”
It takes everything I have in me not to roll my eyes at her. “While I haven’t seen it recently, I know it should be fairly bruised by now. What’s your point?”
“I can’t believe how nonchalant you are about this! His nose is broken and his jaw is swollen and bruised! I seriously can’t believe that after all this time, you’re still holding on to the past. You had no right to hit him, and you really need to get over what happened between all of us.” She’s still standing there, looking like the turbo bitch that she is. She is clearly delusional if she thinks what happened between Max and me had anything to do with her. I was done with her a long time ago.
I rest my arms on my desk and lean forward, looking her directly in the eye so that she understands everything I’m about to say to her. “I didn’t hit Max because of you.” Her eyebrows draw together in confusion, and her posture relaxes just a little as she tries to figure out where I’m getting at. “I did it because of Addison.”
Squinting her eyes and still looking confused, she says, “What does Addison have to do with Max?”
She’s starting to look uncomfortable and I would find it slightly amusing if I wasn’t thinking about the things Max said about Addison. “Look, I’m not trying to get in the middle of the Samantha-Max drama. Just know he made some crude comments about Addison and I’m sure he’ll never do it again. If he does, then I’ll take care of it again. But, please don’t worry yourself about it; rest assured that this had nothing to do with what happened between us. We’ve been over for a very long time.”
She visibly winces, but I couldn’t care less. “Well, okay then,” she says quietly before turning on her high heel, storming out of my office and slamming the door shut.
I blow out a long, cleansing breath, glad that that is over with now. I finish my workday with relative ease and no drama, thank God.
I’M SITTING at home, flipping through the channels when my cell phone rings. My heart quickens, hoping that it’s Addison. I’m disappointed when I look at my screen and it’s an unfamiliar number. I wrinkle my eyebrow in confusion.
“Hello?” There’s silence. I look to see if the call is still connected and notice that it is. I put the phone back up to my ear. “Hello?”
Right as I’m about to hang up, I hear a female’s voice that I would recognize anywhere. “How come you’re fighting for her, but you never fought for me?”
It’s Samantha.
Shit.
“Samantha, I’m really not in the mood for this right now.” I rub my temples with my finger as I feel a headache coming on.
“Just tell me why. What is so special about her? You weren’t even with her that long. We were together for four years and you just let me walk away.” She sounds sad, almost like she’s on the verge of crying. But with Samantha, you never can tell which emotions are genuine. She’s a very calculating and manipulative person. A lesson I had to learn the hard way.
“What I have with Addison is on a different level than what I had with you. We weren’t meant for each other and would’ve never worked out anyway.”
“What do you mean? We were in love. I was there and I know how you felt about me. You can’t possibly love her like that--”
I cut her off, “No, Samantha. You didn’t love me. You loved yourself. That was evident when I walked in and saw you spread eagle, fucking my best friend in my bed.”
I hear the sharp intake of air come over the phone at my bluntness. “I made a mistake, Pierce. I’ve never stopped loving you. Surely you know that.”
“I’m not in love with you, and I could never love you again. Understand that. Looking back, I’m glad you fucked Max. You did me a favor. Now, if you’re done with this pointless conversation, I’d like to get back to what I was doing.” Normally, I wouldn’t be so harsh with her, but she struck a nerve, claiming that she loves me. A person doesn’t cheat on someone they’re in love with.
I hear a soft whimper before the line goes dead. I had to be blunt to get the point across. I’m a little taken aback by her admission that she loves me, but that could be her bullshitting again. She might be jealous of my affection for Addison and is trying to drive a wedge between us. Whatever game she’s playing at, I’m not falling for it.
I toss my phone on the couch beside me and rub my eyes with the heels of my hands before going back to watching TV and thinking about Addison.
IT’S BEEN a week since my conversation with Samantha. I would think after my brush off and bluntness, she would back off. Unfortunately for me, that isn’t the case. I haven’t taken any of her calls or responded to any of her texts. I guess I’m hoping if I don’t acknowledge or feed the flame, she’ll eventually go away. A man can hope, at least.
I’m going on a date with Addison today and I can’t wait. I’
ve got everything planned out and I know we’re going to have a blast. She’ll probably be hesitant at first, but I know with a gentle nudge, she’ll do it and love it.
I text her to let her know I’m on my way.
Me: Hey, Beautiful. I’m about to leave my house. See you in a few minutes.
Addison: Sounds good. But you still haven’t told me what I should wear.
Her response brings me back to our sky diving date when she kept asking what she should wear, trying to get a hint from me. Just like now, I wouldn’t give anything away until I was at her condo.
Me: Wear jeans and a t-shirt or tank top. Make sure it’s not really loose fitting. And pull your hair back in a pony tail. And wear sneakers. <3
Addison: Ugh! That doesn’t give me any kind of clue as to where we’re going!
I chuckle to myself.
Me: That’s the point. See you in a minute. :)
I arrive at her place and reach over to the passenger’s side to pick up the bouquet of yellow calla lilies I got her. It kind of became a tradition whenever I pick her up. She loves the flowers, and I secretly love knowing she’s checking me out as she’s putting them in water. She thinks I don’t notice, but I do.
I knock on the door and am greeted by the prettiest smile. She’s gorgeous as always, but there also seems to be a difference in her attitude, like she’s not so nervous anymore.
Leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek, I pull back and say, “Here you go,” as I hand her the flowers.
“Thank you,” she replies before inhaling their scent with her eyes closed, looking as gorgeous as ever. It makes me love her that much more when she shows her appreciation for something as simple as flowers.
“So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asks.
“Nope, it’s a surprise. You should know by now that I’m not going to tell you, no matter how much you beg.” I look at her from the corner of my eye and grin at her. She crosses her arms over her chest and attempts to pout, which only makes me laugh. She’s so damn cute.
“Don’t pout. Just be glad I didn’t make you wear the blindfold again.” This time, it’s Addison that gives me a sideways grin and my thoughts instantly go to what we did with the blindfold after I used it on our date skydiving. I have a feeling she’s thinking of the same thing too.
