Chapter 31 #2
“So, Blair, what’s new with you?” Mackenzie took a sip of her drink, but I didn’t miss the smirk she was trying to hide as she eyed me over the rim.
I gave her a confused look, because what the hell?
Why was she looking at me like that? Did she suspect something?
I hoped not. I had a feeling she wouldn’t keep her mouth shut about it if she did.
“Oh, you know, I’ve been writing a lot and getting ready for the book signing. I live a pretty boring life most of the time.”
“That is so not true!” Cara laughed, and all eyes at the table turned to her. What did she mean by that?
“Are you joking? I write and hang out with you or Milo. That’s literally all I do!” Blair smiled, and it felt good to see her interacting with her friend.
“That’s not all you do, but you still won’t tell me about it.” Cara smirked, but I could see the hurt laced in between her words.
I really wished Blair would slip up and say something. Holding all of this in was driving me crazy.
The whole table showed a wide variety of emotions. Fallon furrowed her brows in confusion, Mackenzie quirked an eyebrow, I tried to show no emotion, and Blair looked as if she would cry at any second. I hated that look Cara forced Blair to paint on; I hated not being able to wash it away.
“What does that mean?” Mackenzie pressed. I was sure I didn’t want to know.
“I went to check on her the other day, you know, after the bad storm? But it seems I wasn’t the only one. When I got there, she looked like she had just finished… entertaining company. She still refuses to tell me who was in there.”
“Really? How very interesting.” Mackenzie looked at me, and all I could do was look away. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of giving a reaction.
“Why are you talking about me like I’m not sitting right here?” Blair scowled at Cara, and I hoped things weren’t going to escalate.
“Why are you still hiding it from me?” Cara smirked, and I sagged in relief.
“Do we really have to do this right now? I already told you it wasn’t a big deal. If it was important enough, I would have told you about it, Cara.” She took a sip of her drink and gave me an apologetic look. I knew she didn’t mean anything by it, but her words still hurt.
“Maybe we should get the check? The movie will be starting pretty soon.” I finally took over the conversation. I had to get some fresh air, and I knew Blair did too.
Once I paid our tab, with only little resistance from everyone, we headed to the rooftop. On the way out, I sent Blair a text:
Me: You look absolutely gorgeous tonight. How are you doing? I’m sorry about Cara’s comment.
Blair turned back to me after she pulled her phone out of her purse. I sent her an innocent smile.
Blair: Thank you! You don’t look so bad yourself. I’m sorry about what I said. I wanted her to let it go. I hope you know I didn’t mean it.
Me: It’s all right. I know you didn’t, and it seemed to have worked.
“It feels so crazy being back here.” I was just about to send another text to Blair when Fallon’s voice stopped me.
We had made it to our seats and were settling in.
Fallon and Mackenzie sat next to each other, obviously, with Cara following next to them, leaving Kaia, Blair, and me on the edge.
Luck must have not been on my side, because Kaia scooted in next to Cara, leaving the last two seats for Blair and me. This was going to be a long night.
Mackenzie looked down at us and smirked. I swore she was onto us. I had to be very careful around her. “It’s wild to think the last time we were here, I was desperately trying to get Fallon to forgive me, and Skylar was trying to get you to move to New York with her. Crazy, isn’t it?”
I glared at her but softened at the look Fallon was giving her fiancée. I bit out a quick, “Yes,” and hoped she would drop it.
Luckily my phone chimed with a text, and I was grateful for the distraction. I silenced it before checking it:
Blair: They are so cute! Also, I’m sorry she brought up your ex. For what it’s worth, I’m glad you didn’t go to New York.
I risked a casual glance at Blair and chuckled softly at her flushed cheeks.
Me: They make me sick! But I love them, anyway. And I am too.
As soon as the movie started playing and it got darker, I took a chance.
I glanced at Fallon and Mackenzie, who were wrapped in each other’s arms. Cara and Kaia were watching the movie, and the coast seemed to be clear.
I slowly moved to interlace my fingers with Blair’s, and my heart calmed when she accepted the contact.
I kept glancing at everyone to make sure they weren’t looking at us. Thankfully they never looked over.
I was so nervous about getting caught, but I needed her touch to calm me. I kept rubbing her hand with my thumb and I loved the way it felt. I loved feeling any part of her, and I wanted her to feel comforted by the motion.
After several minutes of holding her hand, I gently squeezed it three times, hoping she would pick up on the three words I didn’t have the courage to say. I wanted to convey my feelings in that one small gesture.
About halfway through the movie, Blair tapped my shoulder. “I’m going to the restroom. Will you let them know?”
“Of course. Do you want me to go with you?” I smiled hopefully.
She grinned and glanced at our friends who were paying no attention. Of course, Fallon and Mackenzie weren’t even watching the movie at this point, and I was so jealous.
“Give me five minutes? I do actually need to go.”
She got up, and I had to pinch my thigh so I didn’t smack her ass.
“Where’s she going?” Kaia asked.
“The bathroom.” I returned to the movie and kept glancing at my phone, counting down the seconds.
It was risky; I knew it was. I couldn’t help it, though. I would’ve risked my life for just a moment of her time. I was so addicted to her, and I was in no rush to find a cure.
After what seemed like an eternity, I turned to Kaia. “I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be back.”
“Okay… have fun.” She looked at me quizzically, and I suppressed an eyeroll.
“Oh yeah, I’m going to have a blast,” I mused. At that moment, I was glad she knew better than to question me.
I made my way to the restroom, which was thankfully empty aside from Blair. She was washing her hands when I came in. I locked the door behind me, and as soon as I turned around, she was on me.
I grabbed her waist and kissed her like I was starving for her. Like I hadn’t explored her body hours prior to this moment. It didn’t matter; it never mattered.
“Hi,” I finally said when she broke the kiss. Her hair was out of place, and I had never been more turned on than I was at seeing her looking perfectly a mess.
“Hi,” she replied with a smirk. “I’ve been wanting to do that all night. You think they would let us sneak out early?” She was playing with the buttons on my shirt, and I had to remember to breathe.
“I highly doubt it. Fallon would murder me if I left, and they would ask a million questions.”
She gave me the sexiest little pout, and I had no choice but to capture her mouth in an intense kiss. She was the most beautiful creature on the planet, and I sincerely hoped she understood just how perfect she was. I would spend as much time as I had to prove it to her if not.
I lifted her dress slightly, and my hands found their happy place resting on her hips, my thumbs tucked into the band of her underwear. God, I wanted to rip them off her!
I groaned when her hands found their way under my shirt and around my bra-covered nipple. I’d decided to wear a matching lace set tonight, so I could feel every caress she made and it drove me wild.
I had to break the kiss. If I didn’t, I was going to fuck Blair in this small bathroom. We were both panting heavily, trying to catch our breaths. I finally managed to let go of her and help fix her dress.
“We better get back,” I said, trying to cool down the heat building inside of me. “If we keep going, I won’t be able to stop, and then we’ll really be in trouble.”
“Maybe I like getting into trouble with you,” she whispered before she nibbled on my ear.
My knees began to feel like jelly, and I really thought they were going to give out. “Jesus Christ, woman,” I breathed. I grabbed her chin and kissed her one last time before I let her take a step back.
I gave Blair a head start before following after her. When we finally made it back to our seats, Kaia was giving me a look I couldn’t name. One of her eyebrows was quirked up, and she had the faintest smirk on her lips. Seriously, what was her deal tonight?
“Was there a long line? You guys were gone a while,” Fallon whispered across our seats.
“Uh… yeah,” I answered unconvincingly.
“Damn, did you guys get into a fight or something?”
I frowned at a smirking Mackenzie. “What? No, why?”
She laughed. “Well, did you fall or something? Blair, your hair looks a little…” She pointed to the top of Blair’s head, which was disheveled and looked like she had been making out in the bathroom. “And, Dre, you have something on the corner of your mouth. Is that… blood?”
I wiped at my mouth and wanted to crawl into a hole.
Sure enough, Blair’s lipstick had found a home at the corner of my mouth.
I didn’t have to look at Blair to see the embarrassment all over her face.
Everyone was looking at us, waiting for an answer I couldn’t give them.
We are so fucked. This is it. This is where Cara kills us both!
“I… well—”
“It’s okay, Drea, you don’t have to cover for me.” Blair interrupted my stuttering, and I gaped at her, unsure of what would come next.
“I tripped, and Drea tried to catch me before I hit the ground. Thanks again.”
She gave me a genuine smile, and my returning one wasn’t forced.
“It… was nothing.” I shrugged and turned back to Mackenzie who was shaking her head with a knowing smirk. We were so screwed.
I was relieved no one else bothered to ask more questions, and we returned our attention to the movie.
Not even ten minutes later, my phone buzzed with a text. I was expecting it to be Blair, but the disappointment was evident on my face when I opened the message:
Kenzie: You saved her from falling? Why do I find that hard to believe?
Me: I don’t know, Kenz. Watch the movie.
Kenzie: You still have “blood” on your face, savior Dre. ??
Oh my God, she knew! Also, I was mortified! I could only hope Cara was oblivious and Mackenzie kept her mouth shut.
Me: Shut up!
Kenzie: Did I strike a nerve? ??
Me: No. Watch the damn movie, or I’ll tell Fallon all about the time you drunk sexted me thinking it was her. I still have the messages, you know. You really are whipped!
I chuckled as I looked over at a wide-eyed Mackenzie, who quickly put her phone away and snuggled back into her fiancée.
We managed to get through the rest of the movie without incident. However, the car ride was a different story. Kaia seemed to have gained some confidence, because she chose to speak up when I had nowhere to escape.
“So, she fell, huh?”
I took a deep breath and glanced over at her. She was looking straight ahead, but a smirk danced across her face. “Is there something you would like to say, Kaia? Just say it.”
She laughed and shook her head, seemingly fed up with me. “I can’t believe you, Dre.”
I shrugged. “What? I can’t help it. Have you seen her?”
“I love my job, so I’m going to say no. But seriously, in the bathroom? You two are ridiculous.”
“It was only harmless making out. And why are you attacking me right now?”
I didn’t know what had gotten into her these days. She was usually so much more reserved. She would have never thought to call me out like she was doing.
I wasn’t sure if I should have been proud of her for starting to find her footing in this world, or upset that she had the nerve to question me. It was probably a little bit of both, but only because I was on the other end of it and I wasn’t happy about that.
“I’m not attacking you. I’m happy for you, I really am. I’m just worried. You guys are lucky Cara is so oblivious.”
My grip tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles turning bleach white. She was right, but I couldn’t find the words to say so. “I appreciate your concern, but it’s not necessary.”
“When are you going to tell her? She’d probably be happy for you. She’s been trying to get you guys to get along for years, you know.”
I groaned in frustration. “We will tell her when the time is right, okay? Can you just drop it, Kaia?” My tone was anything but friendly. I was still on edge from almost getting caught and I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. It wasn’t any of her business, anyway.
She sighed and turned toward the window, lowering her voice. “Fine.”
Internally, I kicked myself. I knew I shouldn’t be getting short with her, but holding this secret was causing my brain to short circuit. I wanted to tell Cara so badly.
I wanted to hold Blair in public, announce to the world that she was mine, in whichever way that was. I wanted to breathe easier and not be constantly looking over my shoulder every time I looked at her, worried Cara would show up out of nowhere.
“I’m sorry.” My voice was so low I didn’t think she heard me.
“It’s okay. I know it’s not easy keeping something from the people you care about. I mean… I imagine it’s not.”
I wanted to ask what she meant by that, but looking at her next to me, head down and fidgeting with her bracelet, I didn’t think it was the right time.
“Yes, well…” I let the rest of my thoughts hang in the air as I drove Kaia home.