Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Do you think your parents are going to be pissed?” Alice asked me as we crept into our apartment early the next morning.
“Nah, they probably won’t even notice we aren’t there,” I lied.
“I’m glad you wanted to leave early as well.” Alice sighed. “I’ve got a splitting headache.”
“Me too.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “I didn’t want to deal with any of them this morning.”
“Yeah, me neither.” She yawned. “It was a good idea to wake me up at four so we could get out of there before anyone woke up, but I’m still tired.”
“Are you saying you want to go back to bed?” I laughed, and she nodded.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk about what happened last night.” She collapsed onto the couch.
“What do you mean?”
“I know something happened between you and Xander after we got back.”
“How?”
“I just do.” She wrapped her arms around her legs. “Now, are you going to tell me, or do I have to tickle it out of you?”
“Oh, Alice,” I groaned and sat down on the couch next to her. “It’s such a mess.”
“Oh no, what happened?” She looked at me with big eyes. “You didn’t sleep with him again, did you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “We were in the backyard, Alice.”
“Did you give him a blow job?”
“No, Alice.” I rolled my eyes.
“Did he go down on you?”
“Nothing like that.” I giggled. “He told me that he’s raising money to help people in Africa so they can have clean drinking water.” I sighed. “He’s a really good man. Not as much of a jerk as I thought.”
“Huh?” She sat up. “I’m sorry, but what? I’m confused. Why is that bad? Isn’t that good? You found out that the guy you had a one-night stand with is actually a really decent person.”
“It should be good, right?” I groaned. “But it’s not good because that’s why he’s marrying Gabby. Supposedly, by marrying her, he can gain access to more money at his family company and help more people or something.”
“So, why can’t he just marry you then?” She shrugged. “Why does it have to be Gabby? I’m sure his grandfather didn’t say, You have to marry the biggest bitch you can find.”
“Oh, Alice.” I giggled. “I think he feels a sense of obligation to her.”
“Hmm, okay.” Alice frowned. “So, his problem is that he’s too nice of a guy?”
“I guess.” I leaned back and sighed. “Though I don’t know anyone that would call Xander a nice guy. Sexy? Yes. Hot as hell? Yes. Good in bed? Yes. But nice? I don’t know.” I giggled.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t call him nice,” Alice said. “More like a jerk.”
“So, yeah, he said that he had a good time last weekend and that he missed me when I wasn’t there in the morning and that he wasn’t used to those feelings and that was why he proposed to Gabby.”
“What?” Alice yawned and made a face. “Shut the front door! That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. He spent a night with a hot girl, having hot sex, and because she left in the morning, he decided to propose to another girl? Is he on drugs?”
“When you put it like that, it does sound a bit stupid.” I sighed. “But he explained it better; he said it was because he wasn’t used to having that depth of feelings.”
“What depth of feelings?” Alice looked at me like I was crazy. “Look, I’m not trying to be a bitch here, and tell me if I’m getting something wrong, but all you guys did was fuck. He went down on you at the wedding, and then you guys spent a night in his hotel room, fucking like dogs, right?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“Were there any late-night deep conversations you didn’t tell me about? Did you realize you were soulmates?”
“We spoke a little bit, but nothing major,” I said as my heart dropped. “So, you think he was lying to me?”
“I don’t know.” She sighed. “It just seems weird. I had sex with you, and you left, and that made me sad—it sounds fake. I think most guys would wake up feeling ecstatic if the girl they had just picked up was not there.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” I sighed.
“And I mean, he’s still with Gabby, right? Did he say he would end things with her?”
“Nope,” I said curtly. “He said he hoped I understood, but they had a business relationship.”
“Bullshit,” she said and rolled her eyes. “He’s full of shit.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” I closed my eyes. “So, that’s why I wanted to leave this morning before everyone woke up.”
“I understand,” she said softly and reached over to hug me. “I’m sorry, Liv.”
She rubbed my back, and before I knew it, I was crying. The tears poured out of me, and I sobbed uncontrollably.
“I’m sorry.” I hiccuped as she rubbed my back.
“Don’t be,” she said softly. “It’s okay.”
“I feel like such a fool. I don’t know why I had my hopes up so high.
I don’t know why I thought this would be anything different.
” I spoke my thoughts out loud. “I just hoped that when he saw me again and touched me again, he would want me, you know? I wanted to have that magical relationship that everyone else but me has.”
“I don’t have it either,” Alice said, and I leaned back to see tears in her eyes.
“Oh, Alice, what’s wrong?” I stared at her face. “I’m sorry. I forgot to ask you what happened last night. Why were you so eager to leave early as well?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She bit her lower lip and looked down. “I made a mistake, and I ruined everything.”
“Oh, Alice, what happened?” I said softly, my stomach sinking. What had she done?
“It doesn’t matter.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I’ll tell you later, okay?”
“Sure.” I wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’m here for you anytime.”
“I love you,” she said with a sigh. “You’re the best friend I could have wished for.”
“You know I feel the same way about you.” I smiled at her gratefully. “We may have lost the boyfriend lottery, but we won the friend lottery.”
“Yeah, it’s a pity we’re not lesbians.” She giggled through her tears. “Then we’d be able to live happily ever after.”
“Are you hitting on me, Alice?” I winked at her, and she hit me on the shoulder.
“You never know.” She giggled and wiped her eyes. “We’ll find good guys one day.”
“Yep, let’s not look for them at the club though.” I laughed as I remembered the previous evening. “I don’t think we’re going to meet any winners in the club.”
“Yeah. Ha-ha.” She stretched. “We can forget the guys at the club.”
“Yay.” I stretched and stood up. “Okay, I think it’s time to go back to bed.”
“Me too.” She yawned again and wiped her eyes. “See you in a few hours.”
“See you this afternoon.” I giggled and walked to my bedroom.
I dropped on my bed in a heap, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep, once again having dreams of my night with Mr. Miracle Tongue.
The constant ringing of the doorbell woke me up, and I cursed into the pillow as I covered my ears. “Make it stop,” I muttered to myself.
Ding-dong.
“I’m coming!” I screamed as I jumped out of bed and hurried to the front door.
It was during times like this that I envied Alice and her ability to sleep through anything.
“Yes?” I opened the door with an attitude, and my heart dropped as I stared at Xander on the other side of the door, a huge grimace on his face.
“Hello, Liv.”
“Xander.” I nodded and glared at him. “What are you doing here? You woke me up, you know?”
“It’s Sunday afternoon, Liv.” He pushed past me and into the apartment. “Why are you in bed still?”
“I’m tired,” I muttered. “And come in, why don’t you?”
“Why did you leave so early this morning?” He glared at me as we stood in the hallway.
“What?” I yawned and glared back at him.
“You and Alice left before everyone else woke up.”
“We needed to get back. We had work to do.”
“Who is it?” Alice chose that moment to exit her bedroom, rubbing her eyes.
“You were sleeping as well?” Xander asked Alice.
“Yeah. Why?” She walked up to us and yawned again.
“So, what work did you guys have to do, Liv?” Xander raised an eyebrow and looked at me.
“I don’t have to tell you.” I looked away from him. Why was he here? “How did you get my address?”
“Aiden gave it to me,” he said shortly.
“I’m surprised he didn’t come as well,” I said, annoyed.
“I don’t think he wanted to come,” Xander said.
I looked over at Alice, who was blushing. What had gone down with Alice and Aiden? I stared at her for a few seconds, but she avoided my stare.
“I’m going to make some coffee,” she said finally. “Anyone want some?”
“I’ll take a cup,” Xander said. “Black, please.”
“I’ll have a cup as well, milk and sugar—you know how I like it,” I said, and she walked into the kitchen. “Shall we sit in the living room then?” I turned back to Xander. “I assume you’re not going to leave before you have your coffee?”
“You assume correctly,” he said stiffly, and he followed me to the living room.
“So, what do you want, Xander?” I sighed. “I thought we’d said everything we needed to say last night.”
“You didn’t say goodbye.”
“What?” I frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”
“You left this morning without saying goodbye.”
He stared at me, and I wondered what I looked like. I was sure hot and mess would describe me pretty well. I hadn’t bothered to take off my makeup the night before, and I could feel that my hair was no longer a wavy cacophony of beauty, but more a frizzy bush.
“Are you fucking joking me? Why do I need to say bye?” I shook my head and tried not to notice how pink his lips looked this morning.
“Why do you have to be so immature, Liv?” He shook his head at me. “I thought we’d made up last night. I thought you understood where I was coming from. I thought we were friends.”
“What do you want from me, Xander?” I groaned out loud, unable to stop my frustration from coming out.
We stared at each other for a few seconds, and he shrugged.
“I don’t know.” He sighed. “Nothing, I guess.”
“Then leave.” I sat back and looked away from him.
“I don’t want to leave,” he said softly.
“I’m not having sex with you.” I shifted away from him. “If that’s why you’re here.”