Chapter 25
Tiffany
The creaking of the punching bag made it impossible to focus.
“I’m trying to watch TV,” I groaned, bored.
James alternated between sustained moans and small puffs between every hit, while little beads of sweat ran down his face and glided on his bronze chest.
“What the fuck do you want?” he grumbled, drying his forehead.
“For us to go to that party.”
He let out an annoyed sneer.
“I don’t know.”
“We won’t say anything to Will. That way he won’t do shit, and you won’t be in his thoughts. Doesn’t that seem like a great plan?”
James hit the bag even harder, then his bedroom door flew open and Jasper appeared.
“Hey, Jas.”
He’d already left before I could even say hi.
“Your brother hates me.”
“Maybe because it bothers him when you make messes when you sleep here.”
“Don’t bullshit me. I’m only like that when I’m drunk.”
“You’re always drunk when you get into bed with me.”
“You’re one to talk.”
I threw a pillow at him that he dodged.
James and I were similar.
We liked having fun and not being tied down.
And he was the only one who never judged me. Ever. There was just one tiny detail. My best friend was in love with him. So, yeah. James and I were really similar and had no morals. After he took off his gloves, I passed him a cold bottle of water as he sat down next to me on the bed.
“What is it?” I asked when I saw him shoot me a look.
“I was keeping it for tonight,” he complained, annoyed when I took a little bag of white powder out of the pocket of the jeans he’d thrown on the bed.
“Now, about the party,” I said.
“After what happened yesterday . . .”
“You can’t always worry about Will. He’s an adult. He made out with Ari? That’s his business.”
James obviously wasn’t listening to me. I knew him too well. He was stubborn and always thought he was right.
“If he fights it out with Brian, he fights it out with Brian. You can’t always put yourself in the middle of it.”
I drew nearer to kiss him, but when he moved away, I pulled back.
“Are you worried about her?”
“What? No, what the fuck are you talking about?” He tensed up.
I gave him a kiss on the neck while he was thinking about everything else.
“Snow White better not show up at the party tonight.”
“She might be Snow White, but Sleeping Beauty is right down here!” I taunted, pointing at the crotch of his pants.
“Go fuck yourself, Tiff.”
There was nothing that would get James in the mood when he wasn’t. He was a lot more sensitive and intellectual than he wanted to believe. A half-naked girl on top of him wasn’t enough.
“What is it?” I asked, watching him intently.
“I should’ve been with Will, instead I took her home.”
“So what? He asked you. If he complains now, sucks for him. Yeah, he’s your best friend, but you doing everything for him isn’t good for him.”
“You’re one to talk. Wouldn’t you donate a kidney for Taylor too?”
“What does that have to do—” I grumbled, wrinkling my nose. Obviously it had something to do with it.
“She tells you Tiff, the Earth is flat!, and you say You’re right, Taylor, the Earth is flat, hold on, I’ll lie down on it so you can walk all over me!”
“Cut it out, that’s overstating it!”
“I’m taking a shower, and then we’ll go to this fucking party.” James pulled down his workout shorts.
“Finally!” I cheered happily.
“I wish I had your fucking humor, Tiff,” he grumbled, irritated. I went back to relaxing on the bed, enjoying the show.
“I wish I had your ass, Jamie.”
He answered me by flipping me the bird then disappeared into the bathroom.
Just as I was about to pick a new Netflix series, I heard thuds coming from outside the window.
I didn’t pay attention at that particular moment, but then the noise got more persistent. Who could that be?
“James?!”
“What is it?”
“Were you expecting June White?”
I heard the jet of water from the shower stop abruptly.
“What the fuck did you say?”
“June White’s climbing up to your window.”