14. Veronica
Chapter fourteen
Veronica
~ Four Days Later ~
Aubrey and I are currently at the mall for some last-minute shopping before we leave for our vacation in three days.
I’m beyond excited. I haven’t been on a vacation to a tropical island in years.
Plus, the whole gang is going to be there, so it will be a blast. Two weeks of fun in the Fiji Islands, with the people I love most in the world.
The boys rented out a whole island for us, which means aside from the staff for the resort, it will be just the thirteen of us. Clay and Morgan, Silas and Cecilia with little Dante. Greyson and Emma with Gracie. Noah and Gabe, Aubrey and me, as well as Sam, the kids’ nanny.
It seems extreme to rent a whole island just for thirteen people, but I understand that the boys like their privacy. And like that, we’re free to do whatever we want, including nude tanning, which I will one hundred percent be doing.
We start off with swimwear because I’m in desperate need of a new one.
And a small part of me really wants to make Noah and Gabe just a little crazy looking at me in a sexy bikini.
I already know their minds are going crazy wondering what I bought at the sex shop a few days ago; might as well torture them a little more.
Emma’s plan was diabolical, but I loved every minute of it.
Noah never did outright tell me he knew I was using his card, but his messages had Emma and I in a giggle fit throughout our shopping session.
And when I showed up at their place the next morning, it was evident they knew about where I had been the previous day.
Again, they didn’t say a word, but their hungry eyes were all telling.
I’m still not sure exactly what is going on between us, but ever since those wicked make-out sessions a week ago, things have changed. Gabe sends me a message every day at sunrise saying, ‘Good morning, beautiful.’ And Noah wishes me good night every single time I get into bed.
I haven’t kissed either of them since then, but there’s been a lot of flirting and intimate little touches when we’re around each other.
And the more time I spend around them, the more I find myself craving them.
But it’s not just sex, and that’s what has me most confused.
I crave their attention, their eyes on me, their laughs, and their smiles.
I swore I didn’t want a relationship, that I had no intention of getting into another one.
I swore I would never let myself get close to those two men, who have started to haunt my dreams. But now I find myself smiling at every new message, having a skip in my step when I know I’ll be seeing them soon.
I feel myself turning back into the old me, the one before everything happened.
And that terrifies me.
I don’t want to turn into that girl again. That stupid, na?ve girl who falls head over heels and ignores every red flag, every instinct in her gut telling her to get out. I swore I would never let my heart lead me again, yet I feel it slowly taking over once more. And I don’t know how to stop it.
I grab a few different models of bikinis and a couple sexy one pieces, while Aubrey takes pretty boring options into the dressing room.
I’m going to have to sneak in a couple of riskier ones into her suitcase.
I plan on taking plenty of nice pictures of our girl on vacation and sending them to Shane.
Maybe that will give him the push he needs to finally ask her out.
I don’t have his number, but I’m pretty sure I can convince one of the boys to give it to me.
Or I could secretly upload them to her Instagram, since I know he follows her on there. That could work too. There’s no way he won’t notice them like that, but Brey is a pretty reserved kind of girl, so she’ll definitely freak out if I do that.
I try on a half-white, half-black tiny bikini that leaves little to the imagination. Liking what I see in the mirror, I snap a quick picture and send it to the boys in our group chat.
Me
What do you boys think?
Within seconds, I’m receiving replies from both.
Husband #1
FUCK ME! YESSS!
Husband #2
Use my card and buy everything you’d like, Kitten. Then come back here and model them for us.
Husband #1
Fuck that, I want to see you trying them on right now. Where are you, baby?
Husband #2
Even better.
I giggle and send them the address of where we are. This could be fun, seeing their reaction firsthand. Two minutes later, they tell me they’re out the door and on their way.
Brey and I finish up with the swimwear shortly after, where I ended up buying six different pieces and Aubrey bought two. Although I snuck one into my pile for her, as planned. We walk down the halls to the mall, slipping in and out of shops along the way.
“By the way, Gabe and Noah are joining us. They should be here soon.”
She gives me a surprised look, then smiles. “So… things are going well with you guys?”
I bite my lip and shrug. “I guess. It’s a little confusing, though.”
Her eyes stay focused on me as she watches my every expression. “Do you have feelings for them?”
I told her about what happened last week in detail instead of vaguely like I did with Emma, so she’s aware that things have somewhat escalated between us three. And I’m guessing the fact that they pick me up every work morning gives it away, too, since they refuse to let me take the subway over.
I know I could always just use my car, but I like leaving it for Aubrey.
She’s the one who usually does our groceries and goes out more often.
I honestly don’t even know why I have one.
But since all our coupled friends live just on the other side of the Hudson River, it’s much easier to get there by car.
So I guess it does come in handy at the end of the day.
Aubrey and I, as well as Gabe and Noah, are the only ones still living in New York City.
“I don’t know, maybe? I do feel things around them, like these knots forming in my stomach, and I guess that’s what makes it confusing. Because I feel it for both, and that’s never happened.” I shrug.
“I’ve been with two men before, like in bed. But I’ve never had feelings for two guys at the same time.” I know I keep denying with the rest of our friends that anything is going on between me, Noah, and Gabe. But I can’t hide it from Aubrey.
“Yeah, I can understand that. Just having those feelings for one man is confusing to me. I can’t imagine two.” Her cheeks turn pink as she looks down at the ground. It’s in those subtle comments that she admits her attraction to Shane without even noticing.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Always.” She smiles at me.
“Why are you still a virgin?” She furrows her brows, but I grab her arm. “I don’t mean it as an insult, Brey. I’m just curious as to why you never gave it up. Because I know you’ve had opportunities. I just wonder what made you decide not to ever, you know, go for it?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. And it has nothing to do with waiting until marriage.
It’s silly, and I probably sound crazy, but sometimes I get this little voice in my head telling me to wait.
I’m not sure for what, but I think I’m supposed to.
” She’s blushing as she talks, this conversation clearly making her uncomfortable.
Aubrey has never been in a rush to lose her virginity. But she’s already admitted to me once that she felt like something was wrong with her for not just doing it like the rest of us.
“You’re waiting for your ‘one.’ There’s nothing wrong with that, Brey. If that’s what your gut is telling you to do, then listen to it.” I smile reassuringly.
“But doesn’t that make me sound stupid? Some people don’t find their ‘one’ until they’re forty. Others never even find it. What if that happens to me? What if I never find my one and end up wasting all this time for something so stupid?”
I turn in front of her, stopping Aubrey in her tracks and grabbing both her arms. “There’s nothing stupid about that, Aubrey.
This is your virginity, your body. Who you decide to give it to is important.
Hell, even I wish I would have waited sometimes.
And for what it’s worth, I think you’ve already met your one. Your story just hasn’t started yet.”
She turns a deep shade of red at my words because she knows exactly who I’m referring to. “Maybe…” She bites her lip and smiles.
“Come on, let’s find a lingerie store for when Noah and Gabe get here. I want to see them lose their mind in person.” She laughs as I pass my arm through hers and turn us toward the store I have in mind.
But the minute I’m facing the right way, my eyes catch on to someone. Someone I haven’t seen in years. Someone I wished never to see again. Victor.
I freeze in place, color draining from my face, my heart battling inside my chest, blood pounding in my ears as this sickening feeling takes over.
I take a step back, nails digging into Aubrey’s arm as I pull her along with me.
He’s staring straight at me, his venomous eyes on me, a satanic smirk on his lips as he watches the fear consume me.
“No… no, no, no. This can’t be happening…” I shake my head, gasping for air. My vision blurs. Oh God, I’m going to faint. I’m going to be sick.
“Ronnie? What’s going on? You’re scaring me,” Aubrey says in a worried voice, but she sounds distant, her voice muffled by the panic settling in.
“We… we need to go. We need to go. Now!” I take another step back, pulling her with me. I’m scared to turn around, scared to lose sight of him and not know where he goes.
Will he come for me? Will he keep following me until I’m alone? But I can’t stay here. I need to leave. I need to get away from him.
I turn around quickly, ready to run, but smack right into a big muscular chest. Their arms grab hold of me as I try to fight him off. “Vixen! Hey, it’s me! It’s me.”