Chapter 18
lukas
Aimee was drunk…
No, she was absolutely wasted.
So were Eloise and Orion’s girlfriend, Annalise.
I leaned against the doorframe to the small library space, Orion and I had talked the manager of The Lodge to ‘book’ a private event.
Orion had found me after Annalise had come storming into their room in a rage, talking about needing a girls night, because Aimee needed to get drunk.
We told Annalise that they could stay in the corner library for the night, and she’d set to work, getting everything ready.
Various bottles of alcohol littered the space around them, and two opened pizza boxes sat on the coffee table next to one laptop that had an ended video call screen, and another that was playing some rom-com.
Aimee was giggling and couldn’t seem to stop.
Eloise was nearly comatose on the couch, and Annalise was storming back and forth ranting about finding Brittney and making her life a living hell.
Aimee knew.
It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Now I could tell her what I knew—though maybe that was a bad idea. If she found out that I knew and didn’t tell her—that could be devastating. I could tell her now, but the odds of her remembering…
I stared at her.
Yeah, the odds weren’t good.
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright and a bit unfocused. Her ranting friend finally noticed me, and came storming at me. Her finger pointed at me like I was to blame.
“You,” she seethed.
“Lukas!” Aimee squealed, and scrambled off the floor.
Aimee launched herself past the friend who looked like she wanted to murder me. She slammed into me before I could properly catch her and I went stumbling back. She laughed and latched onto me, her arms wrapping around my waist.
“Youresuhwarm,” she mumbled into my sweater.
“You,” the girl seethed again, and Aimee just nuzzled closer.
I held one hand up in surrender, while I tried to un-cling Aimee from around my waist.
“Annalise, leave Lukas alone. We like him now,” Eloise called from the couch.
“You got to dump hot chocolate on him for being a dick, so now I get to put the fear of God in him.”
“That’s Orion’s job,” Eloise half mumbled, half yelled.
Annalise scoffed, and Aimee tightened her grip and started giggling. Drunk Aimee was dangerous and clingy.
“Suhwarm,” she slurred, rubbing her cheek on my chest.
Maybe I was a jerk to not pry her off of me, but I liked her pressed against my body.
“So, I’m not on your shit list anymore?” I asked.
“To. Be. Determined,” Eloise said from the couch, her hand in the air punctuating each word.
“Lukas,” I glanced down at Aimee who had her chin pressed into my chest, her eyes a bit glazed but wide.
She had this little teasing smile on her face. I ignored Annalise, who was still glaring at me, and brushed Aimee’s hair off her face.
“Loo. Cus,” she said.
“You’re so drunk,” I teased.
“Lucy. Oh! That’s what I’m going to call you. Lucy,” she cackled and pulled out of my arms.
I couldn’t even be mad, I grinned like an idiot as I watched her scamper back over to the couch and collide with Eloise. She then leaned over and grabbed a half full cup off the table and downed it.
“Eloise, I like Lucy so mu—hic— ch,” she sighed in between hiccups.
“Who’s Lucy? I thought you liked Lukas?” Eloise couldn’t even open her eyes, it was amazing she was so coherent.
“Loo. Cus,” Aimee giggled and sagged against Eloise who grunted.
“He’s so hot.” She sighed again.
“I’m glad you think I’m hot,” I said from the doorway.
It was late, and I probably should have stopped to get Orion on my way down here—these three needed to go to bed.
Aimee looked at me through half lidded eyes. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes glassy, and the little cheeky grin that kept sneaking onto her face was maybe the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
How could that asshole cheat on her?
I’d never understand it.
She was brilliant, and gorgeous and perfect, and he had the gall to hurt her? The interview had been brutal, and kudos to the reporter, because they just got what has to be the biggest skating scoop in decades.
My gaze flitted back to Annalise, who was still glaring daggers at me.
“You knew,” she said, no longer pointing, but calling me out nevertheless.
The smile slipped from my face, and I swallowed hard. She moved closer and blocked my view of Aimee.
“You were there that day.”
I nodded, my shoulders were tense and tight.
“You have to tell her.”
“I know.”
“Now.”
“What good would telling her while she’s already hurting and drunk, do?” I asked.
“Tell me what?” Aimee said.
Somehow she’d sidled up behind Annalise without either of us realizing and she startled, her hand flying to her chest.
“Oh, are we sharing secrets?” Aimee asked, clapping her hands, “I’ll go first.”
I opened my mouth to interject, but she cut me off, her words were a conspiratorial whisper, “I want Loo. Cus. to kiss me senseless.”
I coughed. I wouldn’t mind doing that. Gladly take one for the team. I volunteer as tribute.
“Also, the almost-kiss has me so horny.”
Fuck me.
Had I been drinking, I would have choked.
“I think Loocus is going to be a much better kisser than Asher. God, what an asshole. Fucking kissing that bitch Brittney while kissing me.” She made a face, and I wasn’t entirely sure she knew what she was saying.
I also wasn’t sure if she knew I was standing right next to her as she said all these things, but it was nice to hear I wasn’t the only one affected.
“I feel like Loocus would fuck me really good if I asked.”
My face heated, and other parts jumped to attention and I hoped no one noticed. But she wasn’t wrong. And now my brain wanted one singular thing.
She wasn’t wrong.
Annalise, having had enough of Aimee’s drunk word vomit, interrupted her.
“Lukas knew that Asher had been cheating on you, and he didn’t tell you. I think he should have, because what a terrible thing to keep from someone. If someone knew Orion was cheating on me, and I didn’t tell me, and let me go on believing a lie, I would hunt them down and end them.”
And the fantasy that had been building itself in my brain died at the look on Aimee’s face. It was like all the alcohol had been purged from her system as sobriety hit her. Tears welled in her eyes and fuck this Annalise chick for telling her like that.
“Aimee —” I started.
“You knew?” her voice wobbled.
I swallowed the rock that seemed to lodge itself in my throat. I nodded. “I was going to tell you earlier today.”
It wasn’t truly a lie. I’d thought about it—telling her after we’d watched the video, after her confession. Then Chase had called, then our almost-kiss, then Eloise and Zara…
Tears slipped down Aimee’s cheeks, and I watched Annalise’s face as it dawned on her what she just did. Good. She should feel like shit. I wasn’t normally in the market for bad mouthing women, but this feels deserved.
“Shit. Aimee, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. This is why I don’t drink. My mouth and brain disconnect, and I always say stuff I don’t mean to.”
Annalise was wrapped around Aimee, hugging her tightly, but Aimee seemed shocked.
My heart beat hard in my chest, anxiety at how she was going to react worrying me.
Tears slipped down her cheeks, and I stopped myself from reaching over to wipe them away.
I wasn’t sure how she was going to react to the news of me knowing about Asher.
I didn’t know if she wanted to be touched.
“I’m so fucking tired of crying,” she said, her voice cracking.
“I’ve known since the day of the accident,” I said.
Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a watery sigh.
“I was trying to find Zara, she’d run off, and I saw him with Brittney in one of the side utility halls.”
Her eyes closed, more tears leaking out of their corners. The fire crackled and popped into the fireplace, the only sound filling the terrible silence.
“I couldn’t find him. Then, I ran into you…and then he came back smelling like citrus and something floral.”
I nodded. “Zara ran past you right after I’d caught them, and Brittney told me I couldn’t tell anyone. And then, I saw you.”