24. Blair
24
Blair
J ust as I told Ford, I stayed in bed for a while, enjoying the luxury of scrolling through my social media and indulging in the scrumptious breakfast that Ford had surprised me with. As much as I was tempted to go back to sleep, especially after our long night of fun, the lingering scent of Ford in his bed made it impossible to lull myself back into a sleepy state.
Once I finally managed to drag myself out of bed and slipped into the T-shirt that carried even more of his familiar scent, I couldn’t resist indulging in a bit of snooping. Just call me Sherlock Holmes.
In so many ways, he’s still that silly and adorable Ford that I’ve always known and loved. However, after not speaking for over two years, there are parts of him I don’t fully recognize anymore.
For my sanity and well-being, I can’t deny that I made the correct choice to remove him from my life when he married Jenny. However, now that there’s a chance for him to be completely mine, I feel the need to rediscover every detail about Ford Hastings that I can.
I can’t say that my snooping helps me discover all that much, but as I spot the discarded note he’d started to write before I woke up, I decide to write him my own little message.
Ford-
Thanks for breakfast! 10/10
Yours truly, Blair bear
P.S. Sex was an infinity/10. Will definitely try again :)
Laughing to myself, I stick it on his fridge, choosing not to dwell on the fact that it’s probably not all that funny and that my lack of sleep is finally catching up to me.
As I finish my snooping, I consider calling Miles for a ride, but given that he’s likely already at work and at his garage for the day, I decide to just head over there. Although there are numerous things to complain about when it comes to Evergreen Grove, one of the few positives is the unrestricted ability to get anywhere you want on foot.
Before changing back into my walk-of-shame clothes from the night before, I snap a quick selfie of myself in Ford’s shirt and send it his way before getting dressed.
Stopping in the doorway, I give his place one final glance, praying that this won’t be my last night here. I know it was me holding us back, but after last night, there’s no way I’m willing to let this be a one-and-done type of thing. He’s officially done it—he won me over.
After a short ten-minute walk to Miles’ place, it’s clear he’s less than pleased as I walk in wearing the same clothes from the night before.
“I’d ask if you had a good night, but honestly, I don’t want to know,” he says, doing his best not to look up from behind his desk as he sits at a computer, likely doing some of the admin work.
With a father who had a well-known reputation for being the town drunk, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride in seeing my brother’s success. He has shown everyone that we aren’t the trash that so many people thought we’d turn out to be, and he not only get to works at a job he loves, he’s fucking owns the place like the badass he is.
With his love for cars and exceptional problem-solving skills, he has always excelled at identifying and resolving issues quickly. While he does still enjoy doing the dirty work, he now has the luxury of delegating the physical labor to others whenever he needs to, while he handles the administrative stuff in the office.
“Would it make you feel any better if I let you know that I ended up at Ford’s last night, and not with some random stranger or some other person that you probably hate from this town?” I ask, a teasing grin on my face as I take a seat on the hard metal chair across from his desk. Would it kill this guy to invest in some comfortable furniture?
“Maybe, but not by much,” he admits, choosing not to look at me as he continues typing. “For the first time, I think I’d actually prefer it if you'd somehow ended up at Veronica’s.”
“Wow, are you finally having a change of heart about my best friend?” I tease, my mouth dropping open in excitement.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he scoffs. “In this case, with you being my sister, it just feels like the lesser of the two evils.”
“Oh, come on,” I say, positioning my elbows on his desk as I lean forward. “Admit it. You love Ford.”
“Love? That’s a little much, but do I think he’s a good guy who would treat you right?” he asks. “I do. As your older brother, that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. Even more, it’s exactly what you deserve.”
Miles has always been incredibly protective. Given his more than vocal disapproval of my relationship with Max, it’s a nice change to hear how supportive he is about me and Ford. If anything, this only makes my feelings toward my best friend even stronger. It truly feels like everything is finally falling perfectly into place. Maybe I will finally get to experience that happily ever after that so many people talk and dream about.
“He is a pretty good guy, huh?” I muse, a content sigh escaping my lips.
“Speaking of the right guy…” he trails off as I raise a brow in his direction. “Veronica is really going to marry that jerk? Pete’s been a tool since high school. I mean, I’ve always known she sucks at making good choices, but him, really? That’s a new low, even for her.”
“Right?” I ask, glad that once again, I’m not the only one who thinks so. “I’m going to forget the part where you shit on her for all of her other choices, but yeah, I just don’t get what she sees in him.”
“And as her best friend, you’re just going to let her marry him?”
“Okay, first off, Mr. Judgy Pants,” I say, sitting up straighter as I point a finger in his direction. “I don’t think I have the moral high ground here since for the past ten years I’ve been in an on-and-off relationship with Max of all people, but I have said something, and she’s made it perfectly clear that he’s the one she wants and that she’s not going to change her mind on it. I’m not really sure what else I can do or say at this point.”
He shakes his head. “I just don’t get it, especially after the way he treated her at trivia night. It’s not like I know her all that well, but to let him control her like that is weird. I didn’t take her for the type to let that kind of thing slide.”
Considering how openly my brother has expressed his disapproval of my friendship with Ronnie, I’m somewhat taken aback by how much this is bothering him. However, I can’t say he’s wrong. When even he, who has always been critical of my best friend, can sense something is off, it speaks volumes about the situation.
“Tell me about it,” I sigh once more. “But both Ford and I said our piece, and at this point, I think that’s all we can do.”
“I guess,” he says, sounding just as frustrated as me.
“Speaking of Ronnie…” I trail off as he glances up, clearly aware that I’m about to ask for something. He knows me far too well. “I was thinking that if I perhaps bribe you by offering to pick us up some lunch, you could drive me to the school afterward when she gets off work? I’m supposed to help her finish up with some wedding stuff.”
“Depends…”
I raise an eyebrow. “On what?”
“On what you’re planning to get me for said lunch.”
“Well, I haven’t been to Simon’s Deli since I’ve been home and I’ve been craving one of those huge club sandwiches of his, so maybe that?”
“I suppose I could be up for that kind of deal,” he gives in, as a smile lights up my face.
“You drive a hard bargain, sir, but sandwiches it is!”
Bribing Miles with sandwiches had been a stroke of genius. Not only did it save me from the twenty-minute walk to the high school, but it also allowed me the opportunity to indulge in one of my beloved hometown favorites. I’ve traveled all over the country and even the world with various bands, but the tangy sweetness of the secret sauce in Simon’s Deli sandwiches is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It probably helps that not only are all the ingredients fresh and locally sourced, but he makes the bread fresh in-house daily.
After agreeing to meet up with my brother for dinner and sending Ronnie a text that I’ve made it, she comes to meet me at the front of the school so she can walk me back to her classroom.
“Girl, spill whatever it is you’ve got on your mind,” she commands.
My eyes widen. “What?” I ask, despite knowing full well that I can’t keep anything from her. I might as well just give it up now. While I’ve maybe been a bit of a shitty friend by making it clear I don’t like her fiancé, I’ve since tried to make it up to her by not drowning her in all my drama.
With her wedding only days away, the last thing I want to do is burden her with my problems. Then again, maybe for the first time, the whole me and Ford thing isn’t feeling like so much of a problem anymore.
“Oh, don’t even,” she threatens. “It’s written all over your face. Something is going on, so spill it. Now.”
I wrinkle my nose and bite down on my bottom lip. “I slept with Ford.”
She grabs hold of my arm and stops us in our tracks. “What? Are you serious?” she asks, linking her hands in front of her as she jumps up and down. “Fucking finally!” she all but shouts as she raises her hands and wiggles her fingers in excitement.
I quickly look around, but thankfully, no students or teachers seem to be lingering in the hallway. “Shhhh,” I warn, lifting my finger to my lips, despite the full-fledged smile accompanying it.
“Okay, you can’t expect me not to react. We’ve been waiting for this for like, what? Twelve years?”
“I’m glad that you’re happy about this, too, but it’s not like this changes everything. I live in Los Angeles and travel all over the world, and he lives here. There are still some things that need to be talked about and ironed out before we can truly get this excited about it,” I try to explain as I link my arm through hers and try to rush her toward her classroom, just in case.
This is Evergreen Grove after all, where secrets never stay hidden for long. The last thing I need is for this to get around before any of it is truly worked out.
“You’ll figure it out. There’s no way that after all these years, when you finally catch the man of your dreams, you’d let something so silly and trivial stop you from taking what you fully deserve.”
“I know you’re right, and I don’t want anything stupid or petty to get in the way, but it’s also all so new. I don’t want to jinx it,” I explain, my smile dropping a little as she finally leads me into her classroom..
I’ve been in this room before since she’s been a teacher at Evergreen Grove High for six years now, but it never ceases to blow me away how beautiful and colorful it is in here. Her artistic talent is not only evident in her own artwork that decorates the walls, but also in the impressive pieces created by the students that she’s taught. Despite feeling like many of Ronnie’s amazing qualities have been overshadowed by Pete, it’s evident here that not everything has been changed or taken away.
“Well, I have faith that you’ll figure it out,” she says, walking toward her desk, where she does her best to straighten up a bit. “But I have to know…how was it?” she asks, wiggling her brows suggestively.
My mouth drops open in shock. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that she would ask this, since we tend to tell each other everything and I’ve always been open about all my other sexual exploits, but now that it’s Ford, it somehow feels different. It’s a bit odd, but there’s a part of me that feels a desire to safeguard it and keep so much of last night and that moment just for us.
“What?” she innocently asks as she looks up. “It may be Ford that we’re talking about, but a girl needs to know these things.”
“It was good.” I smile, looking down at my shoes. “Really good, actually.”
She rubs her hands together. “I knew it,” she squeals before reaching for a sealed envelope on her desk. “And, it makes this make a little more sense,” she says, bringing it over to me. “After lunch, he gave it to me and asked that I give it to you.”
I’m sure I look pathetic with my lovesick grin as I look down at the letter, but I can’t help it. Maybe it’s sort of ridiculous since it almost feels like the bare minimum for him to bring me breakfast in bed and write a little note, but I’m honestly not used to this kind of treatment. I suppose what they say is true: if a guy wants to, he will.
“Well,” she encourages, spinning her hand as if to beckon me to continue, “open it.”
Doing as I’m told, I run my finger across the seal to break it before pulling out a small yellow sticky note.
Hey Blair bear,
I was hoping you’d do me the honor of going out on an official date with me tomorrow night.
Forever yours,
Ford
P.S. You look great in my shirt, but even better without it
“Holy shit,” Ronnie squeals next to me, making it completely obvious that she was reading over my shoulder. “He’s got it bad.”
I don’t even know how to respond as my eyes trace over the words once more, that same silly grin lighting up my entire face.
“Well? You going to say yes?” she asks in a teasing sing-song voice.
“What do you think?” I ask, finally tearing my eyes away from his note.
“Well, I think we need to find you a hot-ass new outfit that will blow his silly little Ford brain to pieces.”
“I thought today was about me helping you finish up your seating chart and centerpieces,” I say, doing my best to not make this week or even today about me.
She brushes me off with a small wave as she reaches for my arm and yanks me toward the door. “This is way more important, and I’ll get my mom and aunt to finish that up.”
I pull back and stop in place. “Ronnie, I appreciate this, but the whole reason I came home in the first place was for you and your wedding. Not so Ford could take me on a date.”
“And I love hearing you say that, but if things go well with you and Ford on this date, that could maybe mean I’ll be seeing you more often. So once again, in my eyes, this is way more important, and you don’t have to worry,” she continues, dismissing my worries with another small wave. “One way or another, I’ll get everything for my wedding done in time. I’m not worried about it, so you don’t need to be either.”
I can’t help but give in as I move forward and give her a hug. “I love you, Ron.”
“Love you too,” she says, kissing the side of my head before reaching for my hand as she pulls back. “But enough of this mushy stuff. It’s time to make sure this date goes perfectly. Our future lives depend on it.”