Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
“Where have you been?” Alice asked me as I walked out of the restaurant.
“You don’t want to know.” I made a face. “Where were you?”
“You don’t want to know either.” Alice made a face, and we just stared at each other for a few seconds.
“Oh, Alice, I’m so dead.”
“What did you do?”
“I was in the rest—”
“There you are.” Gabby rushed out of the restaurant. “I’ve been looking for you.” She gave me a disapproving look.
“I’m here. What do you want?” I asked her and looked at the side of her head. I was too embarrassed to look into her eyes. I didn’t want her to see my shame.
“I wanted to say sorry.”
She bit down on her lower lip, and I looked up at her in shock. Say what?
“Huh?” I looked at Alice, who also looked like she was in disbelief.
“I wanted to apologize to both of you.” She sighed. “I’ve been a bitch and been rude to both of you.” She looked into my eyes, and I was surprised to see a look of sincerity as she gazed at me. “I guess I’ve always been jealous of your friendship, and I lashed out this morning. I shouldn’t have.”
“What?” I said and swallowed hard.
Why did she have to choose today to change into a loving and changed big sister? Why did she have to choose the moment right after I betrayed her? Why, oh why?
“I’ve been rude and mean.” She grabbed my hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things this morning or the other day.”
“I, uh … what brought this about?”
“I had a talk with Chett,” she said softly. “He knew about the baby before. And he knows it’s not Xander’s.” She bit down on her lower lip. “I’m in a really lucky position to have found a man like Xander.”
“Oh?” I smiled weakly. Please do not say you’re in love with him now. Please, please, please.
“He didn’t have to take on me and a baby that wasn’t his.” She nodded. “I know that, but I’m so grateful he is—”
“I’m so excited for you,” Alice interrupted her.
I had never been more grateful to her than I was in that moment. I wasn’t sure I could stand there and listen to Gabby go on and on about Xander anymore without throwing up.
“You must be so excited to plan the wedding.”
“Yeah, I am.” Gabby nodded and sighed.
“Must feel nice to know that a handsome man like Xander wants to date someone like you.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Gabby snapped, and I froze at her tone.
Alice and I looked at each other for a few seconds, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. Had Gabby really had a change of heart, or had someone put her up to this?
“There you are.” Xander and Henry walked out of the restaurant, and I avoided his glance as he looked my way. “Did you speak to your sister, Gabby?” Xander asked, and I knew he had put her up to her apology.
“Yes,” Gabby snapped, and Alice and I smiled at each other.
“Good.” Xander walked over to me and tapped me on the shoulder. “You had us all worried.”
“What? Why?”
“You just disappeared.” His eyes burned into mine.
“Disappeared …”
“Yes.” He gave me a small smile. “I was worried you had disappeared or fallen into a hole or something.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you were.”
“She’s fine.” Alice stepped forward with a frown and glared at Xander. “There’s no need to worry.”
“Okay.”
He looked at Alice and back at me, and I knew he was wondering why she was being so cold. To be honest, I was surprised as well. I’d never seen Alice look at someone like that before.
“Let’s go and wait by the car.” Alice grabbed my arm, and we walked away from Xander. I could feel him watching us as we walked away.
“What was all that about?” I asked her with a side look.
“I don’t like him.” She made a face. “He shouldn’t be playing you and your sister. He’s a dick. I don’t like him trying to rile you up.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what game he’s playing at.” I nodded.
“Just stay away from him.” She looked at me as we reached the car. “He thinks he can have his cake and eat it too? I think not. I mean, he was cool for a wedding hookup, but you deserve more than the crap he’s dishing out right now.”
“Yeah, I can’t believe I just had sex with him again.”
“You what?” Alice’s jaw dropped.
“Yep.” I nodded with a red face.
“Where?” She shook her head and looked around.
“In the restroom,” I whispered.
“I’m not even going to ask.” She giggled. “Oh, Liv.”
“What?” I groaned and buried my face in my hands. “I suck, don’t I?”
“I don’t know. Did you?” She giggled again and wiggled her eyebrows.
“No, I did not suck him off in the restroom.” I laughed. “And, no, he didn’t get a chance to use his miracle tongue either.”
“Just his miracle dick?”
“Alice.” I bit my lower lip and groaned again. “Shit, it was so hot. So hot and so bad.”
“That’s because bad is always hot.” She looked around before speaking again. “Was it as good as last time?”
“It was even better,” I wailed. “Why, why, why? Why did this have to happen to me?”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I always meet the shitty guys.”
“Yeah, but at least this guy is shitty and good in bed.”
“Or in the public restroom.” I laughed.
“I don’t understand why we can’t meet good guys.” She sighed. “What’s wrong with us? We’re good women. We’re pretty. Honest. Fun-loving. Shit, if I were a lesbian, I’d date both of us.”
“You’d date yourself?”
“Hell yeah.” She grinned. “I’m pretty awesome.”
“That is true.”
“I just wish someone other than the two of us knew that.” She sighed again and leaned back against the car.
“What’s wrong with us, Liv? Why do we always find ourselves in these messes?
” I’m grateful she doesn’t bring up the time we went on the double date with the doctors who were looking to host a big orgy at their house.
“What happened with you?” I asked softly. “I told you about me and Xander, but what happened with you just now?”
“I was flirting with the waiter to try and make Aiden jealous, and, well, the waiter tried to kiss me, and Aiden saw and gave me a look that made me feel like a tramp.”
“Oh, Alice.” I sighed, glad that she hadn’t been flirting with Scott.
Imagine if she had caused some sort of fistfight between them. That would have made my family a sideshow circus. Not that we weren’t already halfway there.
“I know. I’m a mess.”
“We’re both messes.” I laughed.
“What are we going to do?”
“We need to forget about all of them. Let’s go out tonight and meet some new guys and have some fun.”
“You want to?” Alice didn’t look enthused about the idea.
“Yes! We don’t need them! We’re two hot girls. We need two hot men who will appreciate us.”
“I don’t know.” She made a face. “When we went out in college, we never had much luck.”
“That’s because we were nerds.” I giggled. “And we didn’t know how to play the game. We both played it safe and settled for losers. You dated Luke, and now he’s married to Joanna, our ex-roommate. And I dated Justin and Evan and, well, we both know how great they were.”
“Evan was addicted to his PlayStation.” Alice giggled.
“And my panties.” I shuddered. “And not in the sexy way either.”
“There’s a sexy way?” Alice looked at me curiously.
“Yeah, the steal and sniff sexy way.” I made a face.
“Okay, that sounds perverted when I say it out loud, but that’s kinda sexy because you know you turn your man on.
I mean, if you’re going to steal my panties, do it because you’re sniffing them or whacking off into them.
Don’t do it because you want to wear them. ”
“I wish I could have seen his face when you caught him in your black thong and red lipstick.”
“He ruined the lipstick as well. It was the Chanel tube. I’d spent forty-two dollars on that lipstick, and he didn’t even replace it.”
“I dare say he stretched out the thong as well.” Alice giggled.
“He did.” I giggled as well. “I gave it to him as a parting gift when we broke up.”
“Oh, Evan. I’d thought he was a weirdo from the beginning,” Alice said. “I mean, what guy brings over his PlayStation and games every time he’s staying at his girlfriend’s house?”
“A loser—that’s who!” I groaned. “Not that Justin was any better.”
“True,” Alice agreed. “What was up with his hair?”
“His hair was the least of his problems.” I giggled as I remembered my other ex. “Remember when we caught him using your concealer to cover up his acne?”
“I know.” She groaned. “I caught him using my toothbrush once as well. He was so gross.”
“Ugh, I always seem to pick the worst guys.”
“Don’t look now, but the posse is headed toward us,” Alice said softly.
“Ugh, I don’t even want to see Xander’s or Gabby’s face. Please say we can go out tonight.”
“Fine.” She grinned. “Let’s see how much more trouble we can get ourselves into.”
“Let’s play Scrabble tonight.” Scott popped his head into my room later that afternoon.
“Sorry, we’re going out.” I looked up at him from my vanity.
“Going out where?” He frowned. “That’s no fair.”
“Alice and I are going out to meet some men, as we don’t want to end up as old maids.”
“It’s too late for that.”
He grinned, and I poked him in the abdomen.
“Ouch, that hurt.”
“Good.” I made a face at him. “Now scram. Alice and I are trying out my different eye shadows.”
“You both look like clowns,” Scott said with a straight face as he looked at me and then at Alice. “Clowns who should stay home and play Scrabble tonight.”
“Nope.” I shook my head and stood up. “Not going to happen.”
“Hey, guys, we’re playing Scrabble tonight.” Aiden walked into the bedroom, and I groaned loudly.
“Alice and I are going out tonight. We will not be partaking in the family Scrabble tournament.”
“What do you mean, you and Alice are going out?” Aiden looked at Alice and frowned. “This is meant to be a family weekend.”
“I’ve had enough family for the day.” I walked to my closet and opened the doors. “Tonight, I need to forget about family.”
“Liv,” he started.
I turned around to look at him with fire in my eyes. If he dared to try and tell me I couldn’t go, I was going to hit him.
“Fine, have fun,” he said simply.
My jaw dropped open in shock. “What? That’s it?”
“You’re an adult. You can do what you want.”