Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
ADDIE
Where did you say you were going again?
We’re at BellaDonna
I replied quickly, only a little bit concerned that he was on his phone in the middle of a dinner service.
His response was immediate.
You staying there?
I scoffed.
We’re in our 30’s. It’s a miracle that we even agreed to go out out in the first place
Are we in September? Did I lose a month of my life?
I smiled and then covered the bottom half of my face with my hand.
No, you didn’t miss anything, you pedant. I still have a month left in my 20s.
But that is too much of a faff to convey
My point still stands, we’re staying here. Why?
I’ll come meet you guys
We’ll be here. But can you please eat something before you get here
If he wasn’t going home, that meant that he wouldn’t eat the pizza I left for him.
I will. See you in an hour
“You’re going to have to learn to fix your face, or someone is going to notice you smiling at your phone like a girl with a crush,” Rachel said as she sidled up beside me, a knowing look in her eyes.
My neck started to feel warm at just how on the nose she was, but she didn’t need to know that she was right.
It wasn’t going to be the case for long.
Overexposure would work.
It had to.
She slid her gaze off me and tried to make eye contact with someone behind the bar so we could get another round of shots.
“I thought I caught that,” I mumbled for something to say.
“You didn’t.” She nudged her arm against mine. “We always knew you were down bad for your archnemesis.”
“He’s not my archnemesis,” I countered. A stupid thing to do, really, because he was.
“Interesting part for you to focus on. And you’re right, he’s not.
To adult Addie, but fifteen-year-old Addie thought he was the devil incarnate and made that everybody else’s problem.
We used to hate walking home on Thursdays because it was ‘Adrienne complains about Elijah the whole way home’ day.
You’ve managed to move past your one night of fun, then? ”
I crossed my arms and thought carefully about my next answer. I was quiet for too long.
“Adrienne, you’ve moved past it, right?”
“Yes, we moved past it.” Not a lie.
“I know you aren’t trying to think of a way to lie to me right now.” Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me you didn’t.”
I huffed. “Didn’t what?”
Her glare deepened. “Tell me you are not going to start having sex with your flatmate dressed up as a friends-with-benefits situation.”
I shrugged. “Okay, fine. I won’t tell you that.”
Rachel’s glare turned deadly. “Adrienne. I know you’re not that stupid.”
I could be just as deadly. “Talk to me about stupid decisions when you decide to stop pretending to date Blondie to make it seem like you didn’t completely fall apart and shut yourself off to the world for the very man who broke you,” I snapped.
Rachel rolled her lips together, slowly nodding her head as she thought about her next words.
“Fine. I’ll drop it. I’m here to talk if you ever need it.”
“Same.” Rachel looked back at me. “Are we okay?”
She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple.
“Of course we are, Ads. You’re a grown woman, I’m a grown woman, we’re allowed to question each other’s choices.
But at the end of the day, it’s your life.
It’s my life. We have to live with the consequences.
Ain’t nothing the other one can do about it. ”
A bartender finally showed up.
I was back at the bar, pressed up against Rachel, pretending that we weren’t being leered at by two men at the other end as we tried to get a drink, when I felt a solid presence at my back.
I knew it was Eli because it felt like stepping into a forest. One of his hands settled on my hip, and he dipped his head to speak in my ear.
“Hey, you.”
I tried to suppress the shiver that ran through me. “Hey, yourself. How was work?”
Rachel scoffed as she turned to look at us—mostly Eli. “Can you see if you can flag the bartender down? Apparently, the fact that we both keep near flashing this man is not making him want to serve us, and I need tequila,” Rachel said.
Eli whistled. And within two seconds, the bartender we had spent the last five minutes trying to get to look at us came over.
“What can I get you, mate?” the bartender asked.
“Twelve shots of tequila,” Eli answered. The bartender nodded and turned away to rack up our shots while Rachel muttered ‘unbelievable’ to herself.
A few minutes later, a tray of tequila was presented to us, and Rachel took them back to our table after paying. I moved to follow, but Eli pulled me back. I fell back against him easily.
“Guess what I got today?”
He didn’t wait for me to respond before he held his phone up. I skimmed the email he was showing me and turned around.
“Then I guess the question is, are you comfortable ditching the condoms?”
Eli’s mouth quirked up in a smile. “No, the real question is, when do you think the best time would be to—” He cut himself off. I looked around to see what might have spooked him, only to be immediately greeted by my sister.
Eli’s hand dropped away from my hip. I shouldn’t have felt the loss of his touch so acutely, but I did.
Clara smirked, her eyes bouncing between me and the man behind me. “Hi, Eli. Addie, come dance.”
Clara grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the dance floor before I could even attempt to answer.