24. Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
I ’m an asshole. I’ll be the first to admit that. Willingly, too. It’s not something I’m particularly proud of, necessarily, but it’s who I am.
And guys like me wreck girls like Gigi. Then again, guys like me don’t do what I did for Gigi yesterday, either. Hell, I don’t normally do that. But Gigi has been so stressed over working, Belinda, juggling the needs of everyone but herself.
I wanted the focus to be on her. For just one day.
And a night, too. Tonight.
Yesterday at the shop, I studied her face. Those baby blues twinkling hopefully at me. She told me good things come to those who wait.
If good things come to those who wait, then devouring Gigi Knox is going to be the best damn thing I ever do.
I washed my sheets and made my bed for the first time since beginning my stay in the apartment. I showered, shaved, and bought a new cologne.
Tonight is for Gigi, and I’m determined to make it that way.
I’m not a guy that gets nervous, but I can’t pinpoint what I’m feeling now, so it has to be something close.
And my brother isn’t helping. Go fucking figure.
“Did you… put your sheets in the washer?” he asks, watching me carry the pile of bedding back into my room. I set it down, then meet him back in the living room, where he’s spread out over his couch.
“Yeah. That a problem?”
EJ holds up defensive hands. “No, no. I just… I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wash your own sheets.”
“Go fuck yourself.” I make my way to the kitchen, pulling open the fridge and getting a water. I’m not sure what my issue is, but I’m starting to get lightheaded. I take a long swig as EJ says, “You can admit you’re trying to impress Gigi. Nothing will happen if you do.”
“I’m not trying to impress her,” I say. “I’m making it so she’ll maybe spend more nights with me than just tonight. That’s all.”
“I don’t just mean today, man.” EJ chuckles to himself. “For the past four weeks, you’ve been spending all your time with her, talking to her, and any time you’re not doing either of those, I’m damn sure you’re thinking about her.”
I’m fascinated by the makeup of EJ’s countertops all of the sudden. It looks like granite. Gray, black-speckled… Not granite. Slate?
“Cade. Hello.”
Ah, fuck. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen from me before. Same old Cade, different girl.”
“Seems like it.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I wonder. “You think I’m bullshitting you?”
“I know you are,” my brother says. I scoff. “I’ve never seen you care about anybody this much.”
“I don’t—”
“If you’re about to tell me you don’t care about Gigi,” EJ says, stern, “I’ll be the first to call you a goddamn liar.”
My jaw ticks. Sweat collects at the base of my neck. “Fine. I give a shit about her and her feelings. But that’s all the more reason for me to make things obvious to her. We’ll sleep together and that’s it. Gigi knows the deal. She won’t get her feelings hurt.”
“But will you?”
I scoff. “EJ. What the fuck do you think I am?”
“You’re a guy who cares about a girl. There’s nothing wrong with that—but tell me what you’re gonna do when she goes back home, huh? You gonna just let her go and add her to your list? Move on to the next one?”
“EJ,” I start, pinching the bridge of my nose. “It’s complicated, dude. You know how these things go.”
“Yeah, I do, because I’ve seen you do this since you were a teenager. You’re almost twenty-three. It’s not a bad thing to consider finding a good girl and getting serious for once in your life.”
“Look who’s talking.” My jaw pulses. “Twenty-five and in love with a girl, but too chickenshit to do anything.”
“The difference is that I fully intend on getting Rory, making her mine forever. I want the whole thing with her, and if she came to me tomorrow and said she was ready, I’d give her everything.”
Something about that coming from EJ makes me pause. I put a fist against my chest. “Christ, dude. Is it that deep?”
“For me it is. When it comes to Rory, for me, it is. I’d give her everything if she asked.”
Silence sits between us like a boulder. Finally, I say, “You really think it’ll happen?”
“With Rory? Oh, yeah. I love that girl more than anything. She knows it, too. It’s just a waiting game now—waiting for her to be ready, waiting for her to want me.”
“Dude. You’re a dumbass.” EJ looks at me, confused. “She’s got it bad for you.”
“You think?” EJ looks excited, like a dog when you ask if they want to go for a walk. “Seems like I’ve got my happy ending, then. What about yours?”
“My happy ending,” I say, “is running a tattoo shop where I can have metal music blaring and feel the vibrations of a gun in my hand. That’s all I need, me and her.”
“You and Gigi?”
I laugh. “No. Me and my true love, the shop.”
EJ flutters his eyes, and it reminds me immediately of Gigi. “A tattoo shop won’t always be there. You heard from Eddy yet?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. I text every few days and ask. Nada.”
“You might want to consider loving Gigi,” EJ says, “in case your one true love doesn’t work out after all.”
“Me and my girl are meant to be,” I tell him. “Don’t worry about it.”
EJ laughs. “That’s adorable. But your side chick and Rory will be here soon to help us clean. Get your mind right before she gets here—Gigi seems like the jealous type.”
Because it’s the only thing I have close, I chuck my now-empty water bottle at EJ’s head.
She’s floating around like a goddess on cocaine. And it’s not just because she’s had a few drinks. I think she’d be acting like this, anyway, to fuck with my head.
“Do you want another?” Gigi asks, appearing in front of me and tipping her nearly empty cocktail at my beer bottle. “You need another.”
“You think so?” I ask.
Her blue eyes sparkle. “Yes. Be right back.” Then, she’s floating toward the kitchen.
“She keeps telling me we need to get our drinks in before we head to the beach,” Rory says. “I say she should cool it. We can smoke and drink there just fine. Nothing has stopped us before.”
“There isn’t normally a crowd,” I point out. “Knowing Gigi, she’s concerned about inconveniencing other people on the beach.”
Rory considers this. “You’re right.”
Of course I am. I understand Gigi Knox better than anybody else in this town, even her mother.
“Did I hear you tell him he was right?” Gigi asks Rory as she comes back. She hands me a beer, smiling sweetly. “I have to hear this.” I give her a look. “It’s incredibly rare and deserves to be celebrated.”
I guffaw. “You think everything should be celebrated, don’t you? You’re one of those?”
The slightest hint of a frown pulls at her perfect pouty lips, and I’ve never wanted to kiss a sad expression off of someone’s face until now. As soon as I notice it, she hides it away, replacing it with her normal, bemused expression.
“Maybe I am,” she says, flippant. “But that’s not something you’ll ever experience.”
“What are we talking, though, princess?” I ask, jutting my chin. “Do you celebrate every month? Every week? Like ‘oh, congrats, boyfriend, we’ve made it yet another seven days! Hooray!’”
Gigi rolls her eyes. “No, Cade. Nothing like that.”
“Maybe be thankful your commitment-phobia is keeping you unscathed,” Rory chides.
I chuckle, but it’s forced. I shouldn’t have made those quips at Gigi. And whether she’ll make it obvious, I burned her without meaning to.
Rory wanders into EJ’s room to ask if they can smoke a bowl from his window, leaving Gigi and me, her cross-legged on the floor, me above her, on the couch.
“Sorry about that,” I say softly. “I took it too far that time.”
She shakes her head, that soft smile still evident. “You’re good. You’re right, though. I do try to celebrate when I can.”
“That sounds like it would be special,” I admit. “Kind of cool.”
“For someone who likes pomp and circumstance, maybe. Not you. It sounds like your worst nightmare, I’m sure.”
“I don’t know. What about artist guy? You celebrated two weeks yet?”
Gigi rolls those eyes. I scrape my teeth over my bottom lip. “No. If you’re going to start asking about him, I need more to drink.”
“I was expecting a helicopter ride over the city, at least.”
“Very funny.” She stands, rubbing her palms on the material of her shorts. “Refill?”
“I’m not even halfway through this,” I say. “Give me a minute.”
“Lightweight,” she declares, walking with purpose to the kitchen. “I’m getting you another. Keep up.”
Gigi is a few cocktails deep, but has been touching me since before she started drinking. If I move, Gigi’s dainty hand follows closely behind. I can’t say I mind, and it’s definitely not due to the beer or two I’ve had. This night is going perfectly.
She leans into me as we walk across the street to the public access beach. It’s just after sunset, and the sand is already littered with smatterings of people, families calling to their kids as they run in and out of the cool ocean waves. I have a blanket slung over one arm, and I’m supporting a buzzed Gigi with the other.
“Maybe we should have brought more,” she whispers to me as we reach the sand, referring to alcohol. “We definitely should have.”
“Neither of us need any more,” I tell her quietly. “Especially not you, princess.”
She pouts. “Cade. Unfair.”
“It’s not,” I tell her as we find a place over the dunes, nestled near beach grass and away from the crowd. I spread the blanket out and Gigi sits down with a flourish, still pouting. She crosses her arms over her chest. “You’ll thank me tomorrow,” I tell her. Feeling daring, I hook her chin with my finger as I sit down. “You look nice.”
She looks down at her jean shorts, her flowing black tank top, the strappy sandals I’ve never noticed before. “It’s just an outfit.” She’s smiling as she says it.
I nod, swallow hard. “It’s a nice outfit. You look good.”
Her cheeks go pink. “Rory picked it.”
“My compliments to Rory, then. You used to ask me for outfit advice.”
Gigi rolls her eyes. “Uh huh.”
“How are things with artist guy?” I ask, now that I’ve broached the subject yet again. “You decide to invite him?”
“Do you think I decided to invite him, Cade?” Gigi asks playfully. She leans herself into me again, letting her head fall onto my shoulder. I loop an arm around her, pulling her so she’s resting between my legs.
I already know my answer, of course. I want to hear her say it.