25. Meredith
MEREDITH
We are drunk.
I lost count of how many shots we’ve had, followed by Long Island iced teas. We tried to dance on the bar, but the prospects carried us all down. Ghost came out to lift Xanthe down. I saw him with his phone out, so he’s probably messaged all the men.
“I love this song!” I say to Rihanna’s “Rude Boy,” my hands in the air as my hips sway from side to side. We’re all in a circle, having the time of our lives. I forget how much alcohol makes you forget all of life’s problems for a night.
Xanthe wraps her arm around my waist, mine on her shoulder.
“We need another drink!” Isla announces at the end of the song, and we all head back to our VIP table. The waiter comes over, and we ask for another round.
“You don’t think the men went to Club Cobra, do you?” she asks the group, slurring her words a little.
“Are we going to show up there again?” Xanthe asks, giving me a quick recap of what happened last time. Isla caught Skull with one of the dancers sitting on his lap, but apparently, it was bad timing, as she had just sat down, and he was about to push her off.
“If they are there, fuck yeah, we are,” Lu comments, the only sober one, but she’s still been having a good time.
“Okay, there’s one question we never got to answer last time. And this is going to stay with us, and no one is going to repeat this,” Ora says, glancing around at each of us. “Who is your second hottest Serpents of Chaos member? No judgments! I’ll even go first.”
She clears her throat like she’s about to make a serious announcement, her blue eyes dancing with amusement. “Rune. He’s hot as hell.”
Atiana blurts out, “Rome.”
Ora gapes. “That’s my dad!”
We all burst out laughing.
“I know, but he’s so hot!” Atiana sighs.
Ora nudges her with her elbow.
“I always thought the twins were hot,” Lu admits, and glances between Isla and me. “Don’t kill me, please.”
We laugh.
Xanthe glances around the room. “Do you think Ghost can hear us? What if he can lip-read?”
“Cover your mouth and whisper it to me,” Lu says, and Xanthe tells her. Lu’s green eyes widen, and then she whispers it to Ora, who passes it to Atiana, who tells me.
“Suit.”
“My answer is the same as Xanthe’s,” I announce, and she nods at me with approval.
I look over at Isla. “I mean, obviously, Skull looks the same as Nate. So he’s probably the second hottest, but I feel like that’s cheating.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Isla replies, tapping her red fingernail on her cheek. “I was going to say Bones, but maybe I should choose someone else.”
“I wonder what it would be like to be with two hot brothers.” Atiana sighs, and everyone looks at Isla before glancing away. There’s suddenly an awkward tension between us, and my brow furrows as I try to figure out why.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my head a little blurry, but I go over what they just said. “Why did everyone look at you?” I ask Isla. I think I already know, but I want to hear her say it.
The women all share another look amongst themselves, while Isla looks down.
“You’ve slept with Nate?”
“Oh fuck,” Lu comments, reaching her hand out to touch my arm. “Bones didn’t tell you?”
Oh my God.
Nate slept with Isla.
The way I saw him looking at her wasn’t just because she’s Skull’s woman. It’s because he’s also been with her. Does he have feelings for her? Is that why he was struggling so much?
We told each other so much, and he didn’t think he should tell me that?
He’s made me look like a goddamn idiot.
When someone cups my face and says my name, I realize it’s not the first time Isla has tried to get my attention. “It happened once. Only once. Bones doesn’t see me like that.” She’s trying to make me understand their side of it, but right now, all I can feel is hurt.
Standing up, I walk to the bathroom.
Lu comes up behind me. “Meredith, I’m sorry it came out like this. You shouldn’t have found out like this.”
“I need to be alone right now.”
“Bones will explain to you…”
I glance up at her, willing myself not to cry. She must see the tears pooling in my eyes because she pulls me into a hug. “Bones loves you. We all see it. Please, let him explain.”
“I’m going home. I’ll talk to him later.”
“I’ll get one of the prospects to drive you home,” she says, pulling out her phone and sending a message.
But I don’t want to be around any of them right now.
I go into the bathroom and try to pull myself together, but it doesn’t take long for all the women to follow me in there.
“Are you okay?” Atiana asks, looking like she’s about to cry. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think when I said that. I’m such an idiot.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m glad someone told me.”
“Please don’t be angry with me,” Isla says as she wrings her hands together. “He hadn’t met you then, and he was confused. I’m so sorry, Meredith. I didn’t know how you would feel about it, so everyone was kind of skirting around it.”
“I’m not upset at you,” I say, forcing a smile. “I just want to go home. You all continue to enjoy the night.”
I’m drunk, I’m hurt, and I just want my bed.
“I’ll talk to you all later,” I say, pushing the door open and heading toward the exit.
Ghost stops me before I can make it to the stairs. “Where are you going?” he asks in a deep rumble. I’ve never really spoken to him before this, and he’s a little scary. But Xanthe loves him, and he’s good to her, so he must have a heart in there somewhere.
I try to appeal to that part of him. “Can you please take me home? I don’t want to see anyone,” I plead, the first tear dripping down my cheek.
He watches it fall, then dips his head. “Bones is going to kill me.”
“Are you scared?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
“No,” he replies, lip twitching. “Let’s get out of here. He’s already on his way.”
He doesn’t speak on the drive home, and I, for one, am grateful. He gets out of the car and walks me to my door. For some reason, he stares upward, as if scoping out the building. I unlock my door and turn to face him. “Thanks, Ghost.”
“I was a different man before I met Xanthe,” he rasps, and I freeze, listening to his words. There’s a lesson in there somewhere, but right now I don’t want to fucking hear it. “Lock the door behind you, Doc.”
I nod and head inside, locking the door behind me.
Then I curl up in bed and cry.