Chapter 22
Tate
“What’s that noise?” Gabriella looks at me and then back to the window, pulling herself from the foot of my bed.
She spreads the blinds open with two fingers, inspecting.
“Looks like Clay and Levi are drinking out back. That’s weird... Levi hasn’t had a drink with us in over a week.” Her eyes narrow and I wonder what she’s thinking.
“Have you talked to him...since, you know?”
I let out a heavy breath. “No, he’s texted me a couple times, but I’m not sure what to say.”
She turns back, hand on her hip. “Sure you do. Tell him what you just told me.”
I shake my head back and forth a couple times. “I can’t tell him that. He will have a total panic attack thinking I want him to marry me right now.”
“Yeah, but it’s not right now,” she says, coming over and collapsing horizontally on my bed.
“I know, but I don’t think he could handle the pressure.
That’s all I’m saying.” I turn over the duvet and walk to where Gabriella was standing by the window, curious what’s about to happen.
People are filling the pool area like ants at a picnic and that’s when I see her almost white-blonde hair and sleeve of tattoos.
“She’s back?”
Gabriella leaps from the bed. “Who’s ‘she’!”
I consider not telling her, but I need advice, so I only tell her part of it. “Kim, the bartender from opening night. The blonde with the tattoos.”
“Dang, she’s pretty, Tate.”
I shoot Gabriella a look of disbelief, pushing my chin out. “That’s not helping.”
“I mean, you’re pretty too. She’s just like, I don’t know, hot.”
“Thanks.”
“What does it matter? He likes you,” she says, turning my body from the window to face her. I chew at my bottom lip.
“You think so? Like in the way I want him to?”
“Well, that is something only he knows, and you would know too if you answered his text messages and stopped avoiding him.”
“You’re right.”
“I know I am.” Her smug smile is bright.
“Alright, Miss Know-it-all, what do I do now?” I lift my arms just enough so that when I drop them again, they collide with my thighs, clapping on impact.
Gabriella’s smile curls into something devious before she squeals, “Makeover!”
I take three cautious steps backwards, hands up in an effort to stop what’s about to happen.
“G, I’m not sure a makeover is what’s required here, and I love a glow-up more than anyone.
” It’s probably one of my all-time favorite nineties tropes.
She’s All That and Clueless have burrowed their way so deep into my heart that turning down this moment is hard, but I also want him to like me for me. That’s the whole point, right?
“Alright, plan B.”
“What’s plan B?”
Gabriella holds up a pointer finger before scurrying into our closet. The next minute or so is all zippers and “I know it’s here somewhere.” Finally, she emerges holding a black bikini.
“This is plan B.”
“This”—I hold up the bralette in front of my chest— “headband you call a swimsuit?” My comment gets no laughs, just the opposite, actually. The curved line of her mouth drops dramatically into a scowl while her eyes do the most work, rolling aggressively towards the back of her head.
“Tate, I know you love being demure and all, but for once can you just listen and put the suit on?” I look at the black fabric in my hand and then back to my friend, wondering how we got to this place in our relationship where she can make a “suggestion” and I feel obligated to obey.
In a wordless answer, I stalk off towards the bathroom with the faint sound of, “Yes!” coming from behind me.
I peel off my pajama pants with pictures of cats eating Top Ramen and replace it with the high-waisted bottoms. The material is so soft and stretchy that when it finally meets its resting place on my hip it feels close to weightless.
I quickly replace my shirt with the top and step out into the sunlight-filled room.
I walk over to the full-length mirror in our closet, and I’m surprised to find the suit covers more than I thought.
“Holy cow! No, holy farm! You look so good. Levi is going to die when he sees you in this.”
Just the mention of his name sets off a subtle buzz in my chest. I turn away from my reflection to face her. “You think so?”
“I know so, but also, boys are really dumb...so if he doesn’t, it’s a lack of intelligence and not a reflection of how you look. Let me throw something on and we will get Operation Make Levi’s Eyes Fall Out of His Country Head underway.
I laugh, turning back to the mirror one last time.
My eyes sweep over everywhere the suit falls and even more so where it doesn’t.
My curves, dimples, dips, and indents. All the things that add up to me.
I lightly trace the lightning bolt–like stretch mark that runs a finger length from the crease of my hip to the top of my thigh.
It’s lightened to white over time, but still very much there.
I pull my gaze back to my hair, brown tendrils running wild on either side.
I have never been self-conscious of my body, and I won’t start today.
I love this body of mine, and if someone doesn’t, then that’s not my problem.
Gabriella slides into the closet, arms held up in victory over her head. After a few moments, she comes out wearing a neon-green one-piece with an open back. The color is out of this world against her tan skin.
“G, you look amazing! I love you in that color.”
I watch as she does a little shimmy of appreciation. “We look amazing!” she amends, throwing her arm over my shoulder before guiding me out of the closet.
***
The backyard has filled in significantly since we first peered through the windows, most partygoers unfamiliar to me. “How did all these people get here?”
“No idea, but let’s get a drink and plot out our plan.
” Gabriella releases my shoulder in a quick exchange for my hand before pulling me through the crowd.
I turn sideways until we come to the outside bar landing where bottles upon bottles of different types of alcohol begin to accumulate.
I watch as Gabriella makes a quick assessment, grabbing two red solo cups, filling the first one with tequila and finishing it with club soda on top. The other she only fills with soda.
My insides smile when she hands me the cup. “Thank you.”
“Have you seen you-know-who?”
“No.” I groan, taking another glance around at the half-clothed bodies filling the pool area.
Gabriella stands on her toes for a second before dropping down to her normal height.
“I see Clay over by the fireplace. Let’s start there.
” She reattaches herself to me and we’re off again.
Clay is about the only one who hasn’t moved since we first peered down.
He is comfortably draped over a chair, his long limbs spread out around him.
He has a bottle balanced in his hand and I can see the reflection of us in his glasses as we approach.
“Ayeee, it’s my favorite ladies!” he says, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees. “I’m glad you guys came down. As usual, you both look amazing.” The compliment has me finding my toes, but not Gabriella. She does a full twirl. It makes me smile.
“Hey, Tate.” The greeting rings out from somewhere behind me, but I already know who it is. I turn, Gabriella turning with me, hand on hip.
“Hi,” I offer with a small smile. Our last interaction wasn’t necessarily bad. It was interesting. Her words whisk themselves back through my subconscious... “You know he feels the same way about you too.” I blink against the memory.
“Have you seen Levi?” she asks, cutting right to the chase.
“Who’s asking?” Gabriella challenges, but she doesn’t bite. Instead, she flicks her straight blonde hair back and over her shoulders.
“I am, that’s why I asked.”
I place my hand on Gabriella’s arm, stopping her before she goes full bulldog. “We haven’t seen him. We just got down here.”
Her face settles into a line while her eyes dart around somewhere behind me. “Huh. Alright. Well, if you do see him, will you tell him I’m looking for him?”
“Yea, of course. Is everything okay?” It’s a push.
We’re not exactly besties, but the way she’s scanning the crowd makes me think something is wrong.
Her eyes drop to mine and there’s definitely some worry there.
I feel my pulse start to trot before it goes into a full sprint.
Get all the facts. Don’t react. Maybe it’s about her.
Something she needs to talk to him about.
“He just sounded really off,” she finally admits after a full exhale. “When we spoke this morning—” She stops. “Never mind, just let me know if you find him. Excuse me.” She brushes past us into the crowd we just came from. Okay. So what? They talked this morning. I’m unbothered.
“Okay, that was weird. What’s her obsession with your man?”
“G, he’s not my man, and I think they’re friends.” I bite at my lip. I think.
“I don’t know, girl...something is not right with that whole situation. Do you think they hooked up?”
“Not recently.” The words fall from my mouth, and I instantly want to eat them back up. Gabriella’s face lights up like a Fourth-of-July firework.
“Spill! Now!” Her eyes are demanding.
I separate my bracelets before pushing them back together.
“On opening day, I kind of walked in on them hooking up in the pantry.” I look up to the sky, preparing myself for the avalanche of questions that are going to surely be the death of me, but it’s strangely quiet.
I look back down, and Gabriella’s eyes are the size of donuts, mouth stuck open.
I broke her. I fed her too much tea all at the same time and broke her.
The weird thing is, it’s almost scarier when she’s not talking than when she is.
“G! Where’d you go?” I snap my fingers in front of her.
She shakes her head rapidly, like a dog who just got out of a bath. “I’m sorry, I thought you just told me my best friend has been hiding a very juicy secret from me for weeks now.”