Chapter 10 Drink Up, Buttercup
CHAPTER 10: DRINK UP, BUTTERCUP
JACE - PRESENT
L acey walked into Logan’s place thirty minutes ago and I haven’t been able to stop myself from staring. She’s wearing a short black skirt and a cropped white T-shirt that has the word “chaotic” in small black font across the front. She’s still wearing the locket and it’s taking everything in me to not confront her about it. She looks fucking gorgeous and I’m quickly realizing if she ever gave me a second chance, I would take it in a heartbeat.
I pull my camera up to my eye and the flash goes off brightening up Logan’s living room and catching the attention of the emerald-eyed beauty sitting across the room from me. The redhead she walked in with says something and Lacey’s laugh fills the apartment. It’s everything I remember it being and more.
“Stop staring at her,” Enzo says, walking over and sitting to my right. I offer him a small smile. “What happened between you two?”
“That’s a great, fucking question.”
He shakes his head. “You really don’t know?”
I take a deep breath. “Not really. I was eighteen and Lacey was seventeen. I had just moved to D.C. for a year to start The Young Photographers Program and the next thing I knew it was all over. Lacey ended it and then both girls blocked my number. Blocked me on all their socials. It was clear they wanted me out of their lives. I tried once to see her and it was an epic fail.” My eyes find the necklace again and I watch as she slides the locket up and down the chain. “Anyway, I got into school and then I stopped coming home. Stopped trying to contact her.”
“Really? I mean I’ve only hung out with them a few times, but the blonde seems like she takes no prisoners. She terrifies me a bit if I’m honest. How do you not know what happened?”
Lacey lets out another melodic laugh and takes a sip from her gin and tonic. My heart deflates. Growing up, Lacey never backed down from anything. She was the fearless one of our group. Always encouraging Poppy and me to follow our dreams and take chances. The only thing I’ve ever known her not to fight for was me .
“Get it while it’s hot,” Tanner calls from the door, walking in from the balcony with a tray of burgers and hot dogs fresh off the grill and interrupting our conversation.
I shrug my shoulders. “Took me by surprise too. Let’s eat, shall we.” We both stand and walk towards the kitchen.
A line has already formed and everyone is taking turns filling their plates. Lacey walks past me and her scent immediately takes over the air. She smells like summer—coconut mixed with tropical flowers. It’s intoxicating.
“You’re up man,” Enzo says behind me, breaking me from my trance.
I take two large steps forward to close the gap and fill my plate with a burger and fries. I grab another beer from the fridge and head out of the kitchen. My eyes shift to the living room and I quickly realize there is nowhere else to sit. There’s one seat left and it’s next to Lacey. I freeze. My eyes find hers and for a minute I half-expect her to tell me to fuck off.
“Want to sit with us?” She giggles, taking a large sip from her gin and tonic.
It’s clear she’s tipsy, but she’s offering me to sit next to her and I’m going to take it as a win. I eat mostly in silence. The conversation mostly centers around Donovan and Enzo’s upcoming wedding in July.
I consider trying to talk to her. Maybe offering to go on a walk or go sit on the balcony to see if we can put whatever she has against me behind us, but then she stands to make another drink. She stumbles, reminding me she’s been drinking and tonight isn’t the right time.
I want to talk to her, but alcohol shouldn’t be involved. I catch her waist with my arm and accidentally push up her tiny shirt, so my forearm connects with the bare skin right under her bra. Our eyes meet and her breath catches. I slowly let my fingertips graze the soft skin of her abdomen as I release her and she stands.
“You good, pixie?”
“Fine,” she says. “I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”
“Right, sorry.” I watch as she turns and heads back into the kitchen. She methodically walks through the steps of making her cocktail, and when she’s done, she walks out and announces loudly, “Who’s ready for a game?”
I stand and start collecting empty plates from everyone around the apartment.
“What did you have in mind, Lace?” Poppy asks, handing me her plate.
“Never have I ever,” she says, walking into the living room and plopping down on the couch next to Tanner. “Come on, it’ll be fun and we can all get to know each other a little better.”
Everyone agrees. “Great,” she says, her whole face lighting up with a wide grin. “Does everyone have a drink because you have to drink every time you’ve done the thing. Who wants to go first?”
Tanner raises his hand.
“Let’s hear it, T,” Logan says.
“Never have I ever kissed a dude.” All the girls, Enzo, and Donovan take a sip.
“Alright,” Enzo says. “Never have I ever gotten a tattoo.”
I take a sip and so do a few other people in the room.
After a few more rounds, Gray, the girl I met on the boat, says, “Okay, it’s my turn. Never have I ever slept with a guy in this room.” Donovan and Enzo groan and take another swig of their beers. Poppy and Lacey clink their glasses together and tip them back.
The blood drains from my face and the room begins to spin. Lacey and I took it pretty far when we were younger, but never all the way. We had always talked about being each other’s first, but we never did. Who the fuck did she sleep with? My eyes dart around the room and land on her sitting next to Tanner. Her eyes are wide and her cheeks are tinted red.
“We never slept together,” I announce before I can stop myself.
“Yes, Jace, I’m very aware. Thank you for clarifying that for the group,” she deadpans. Her eyes shift around the room. “Is it my turn?” she asks. The room is painfully silent and everyone is staring at the two of us.
“So, then why did you drink?”
“Huh?”
“Why did you drink?” I repeat my question because I can’t help myself.
“It’s none of your business, Jace,” she says.
Gray mouths “sorry” in her direction and everyone is giving each other looks like they know something I don’t.
“You know what? This was fun, but I gotta head out. Early day tomorrow at the office,” Tanner says, shifting in his seat and pushing up from his thighs to stand.
“You’re kidding me?” I say, putting the puzzle pieces together. “You slept with my roommate?” My eyes dart to Lacey and then back to Tanner.
He meets me eye to eye. “Bro, before you get mad,” he starts, “I didn’t know she was the Lacey. It’s a popular name.”
My brain tries to process this information and it can’t. Lacey and Tanner. Tanner and Lacey. Is this why they didn’t want me on the boat?
Tanner shrugs his shoulders and offers me a grin. “We’re good, right?” He throws his hand in the air like I would actually give him a high five for sleeping with my ex.
“Unfuckingbelievable. You can’t be serious. Did everyone know except for me?” I scan the room and by the looks on everyone’s faces it’s apparent they all knew. I shake my head.
“Oh get a grip, Jace,” Lacey snaps. “You have no right to be mad at either one of us.”
“Yes, I do. He’s supposed to be my best friend and you’re,” I pause because I know I shouldn’t finish that sentence in front of everyone we know. “Well, you’re you.”
She scoffs. “Just because we dated when we were kids doesn’t mean you own me. I can sleep with whoever I want.” She takes another large sip of her drink.
I stand there stunned. Tanner looks down at Lacey and back to me. “Okay, well, like I said, I gotta head out. This was fun. We should do it again,” he says, moving towards the door.
“But he’s my best friend.” My voice comes out more defeated than I intend. “I mean fuck, Lacey. How’s that supposed to make me feel?”
I can feel the eyes of everyone in the room on me. She crosses her arms.
“Oh my apologies for not thinking about your feelings when I slept with Tanner. It must really hurt to know I could move on like you never existed. I wouldn’t have any idea what that feels like.” Her voice cracks and she swallows hard. The hurt I saw behind her eyes the day on the boat returns.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh please, cut the act and just own up to all the shit you put me through.”
“Let’s keep playing. It’s your turn, Lacey,” Gray says, obviously trying to save the night.
She takes a deep breath. “No, I’m done playing games. If this is going to work they deserve to know what happened, Jace. Tell them or I will.” Her words are slurred. She stands and slightly rocks back and forth.
“Lacey, why don’t you and I go talk in private?” I say, looking around the room. I don’t know what she’s getting at, but I know this doesn’t need to happen in front of everyone we know. She’s obviously drunk and while I don’t want to have this conversation after she’s been drinking, she’s not giving me much of a choice. She shakes her head and looks like she might cry. She quickly blinks away her tears and downs her cocktail.
“Never have I ever cheated on someone,” she says. She looks me dead in the eye, gesturing at me with her hand. “Drink up, buttercup.”
What. The. Fuck?