Chapter 6
“Lily!” Nate calls. “We’re gonna be late!”
“Coming,” I yell toward the stairs.
I underestimated how long it’d take me to get ready, but I’m just about done. I grab my phone and tuck my new lipstick into my purse before heading downstairs.
The living room and kitchen are empty, so I hurriedly slip on my sandals. Nate and Marcus are probably already waiting for me in the car.
As I pass through the mud room, I catch my reflection in the full-length mirror Marcus installed in here. I stop to get a good look at myself since the mirror upstairs only showed the top half of my body. Double checking I look okay won’t take more than a few seconds, anyway.
I do a little twirl in front of the mirror. My dress looks gorgeous, and my hair falls past my shoulders in light waves. I got my makeup just right, and I think I look damn-near perfect.
Except…
“Shit,” I whisper.
“What’s wrong?” Marcus asks, stepping into the mudroom from the kitchen.
Well, at least I’m not the only one running behind.
“I forgot a necklace.” My fingers brush across my bare chest. It’s so much space left completely blank, and it makes the whole outfit look off. I meant to get a necklace when we were shopping, but I completely forgot.
Dammit. Why didn’t I pack nicer things just in case?
“Oh, that’s an easy fix,” Marcus says and pulls out his phone.
“It is?”
His eyes meet mine in the mirror, his gaze even and confident. “Do you trust me?”
I don’t even hesitate. “Of course.”
“Then you’ll have a necklace before you step foot into the party. That’s a promise. Now come on. Nate’s already in the garage.”
As we head to the car, Marcus taps away on his phone. I want to ask him what his plan is, but I meant what I said. I trust him. I’m just a little lost on how he’s going to pull this off.
Nate is already in the front seat, so I slide into the back. For the most part, he ignores me for the fifteen-minute drive to Charlotte and John’s. They’re in a nice upper middle class neighborhood similar to Marcus’s, minus access to the beach.
“All right, let’s go.” Nate pushes his door open once we’re parked on the street. “I wanna find Levi and Matt.”
I hesitate, and Marcus catches my gaze in the rearview mirror. It’s silly to be this worked up over a necklace, I know, but I really want to impress Nate’s family friends for some reason. A lot of people view what I do as superficial and unnecessary, and I just need to look as put-together as I can. For some reason, it helps.
“I’ve got you,” Marcus says reassuringly, his eyes softening at my worried expression. “Trust me, remember?”
I nod silently and get out.
Marcus steers me away from the house and across the street. His hand is warm and comforting on my back, and I lean into him ever so slightly. Guilt pricks at me, but when I glance toward Nate, he’s already halfway up the driveway. I don’t even think he realizes we’re not following.
A tan woman with long, curly blonde hair meets us in the middle of the road. Her smile is bright as she takes me in. “Hi, Marcus. And you must be Liliana?”
“That’s me.” I extend my arm for a handshake, but I’m immediately pulled into a hug.
“None of that nonsense. If you’re with Marcus, that means you’re family. I’m Lori.”
My heart warms at the gesture, and I squeeze Lori gently. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too, darlin’.” She takes my hand. “Now, I hear you’re in need of a necklace?”
“I am,” I say with a smile.
I’m not sure why, but something about this woman sets me at ease. Her easy demeanor is rubbing off on me, and it’s like I can feel my stress slowly bleeding out of me.
“Marcus texted me and said it was an emergency.” Lori’s eyes sparkle as she pulls me across the lawn. “I’m neighbors with Char, so I brought a couple things down from my bedroom. Here, they’re on my porch.”
“Oh, wow,” I breathe as we step up. She brought her whole jewelry box down. “Thank you so much. I feel so stupid for forgetting. And I know it’s just a necklace and it doesn’t really matter, but I—”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” Lori’s voice is gentle and reassuring, matching the expression on her face. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look beautiful.”
I relax, nodding as Lori shows me her different necklaces. They’re all pretty, and it looks like we have similar tastes. It feels like more than just a coincidence that Marcus texted Lori instead of one of his other friends.
“… and this one—well, I’ve never worn it, but I think it’s so pretty, don’t you?” She holds up a delicate silver chain with a tiny star hanging from it.
A gasp escapes me before I can stop it. Little star.
“You like it? Here, let’s put it on you so you can see what it looks like.” She steps around me and clasps it behind my neck. “Oh, I don’t have a mirror out here. How about I take a picture and show you?”
“Sure,” I say with a nervous giggle. It feels so weird for a stranger to be helping me this much, but it looks like Lori is enjoying herself.
She takes a picture and then shows me on her phone. “What do you think?”
“I love it. You like it?”
“I think it works quite well. What about you, Marcus?” Lori turns me to face him.
For a second, I’m caught in his gaze, unable to move. The look of admiration in his eyes catches me off guard and keeps me frozen in place. And with him dressed in sharp navy blue pants and a crisp white shirt, he looks stunning himself.
“I think it’s perfect,” he says softly.
Lori glances between us, and I realize Marcus and I have been staring at each other for a few seconds too long. With a cleansing breath, I tear my eyes away from him and refocus on Lori.
“Thank you so much,” I tell her. “I appreciate it a lot. I can give the necklace back once—”
“Oh, no, darlin’. Keep it.” She squeezes my arm. “It suits you better, I think.”
I just about melt into a puddle. There’s only so much kindness and generosity a girl can take before she bursts into tears. “T-thank you.”
“Now why don’t you two head off to the party. I’ll be over in just a sec.”
Marcus takes my arm as I step off the porch. Even though I try to hide it, he hears my sniffle. “You need a minute?”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t lie to me, Liliana.” His voice is quiet but firm. He stops halfway down Lori’s driveway, his grip on my arm strong enough to force me to stop but not painful.
“I’ll be fine.” Somehow I’m able to keep my voice from wobbling. “The past couple days have just been a lot. A distraction would be nice, honestly.”
For a few seconds, Marcus watches me, probably trying to gauge just how close I am to losing it. But then he nods, and we make our way into the house. When we find Charlotte and John, they both pull me into hugs.
“Oh, I’m so glad you made it,” Charlotte says. “Is Nate here?”
“Yeah, he came in before us.” I glance around. “I don’t see him, though.”
“He hasn’t said hi yet?” Marcus asks, his tone tinged with an almost imperceptible trace of annoyance.
“Not yet, but he’ll get around to it.” Charlotte’s hand slides into John’s almost absentmindedly, and he lights up at the simple gesture.
My heart squeezes. I used to have something similar like that with Nate. But now…
Marcus clears his throat. “My apologies. I raised him better than this. Well, tried to.”
“Don’t worry about it.” John claps Marcus on the back. “He’s probably hanging out with the boys. Lord knows it’s been a while since they’ve all seen each other. We’ll catch him at some point in the evening.”
It’s obvious—to me, at least—that Marcus is still pissed, but I watch him carefully tuck his emotions away and plaster on an unbothered smile. Maybe it shouldn’t, but I feel a little vindicated. Knowing I’m not the only one disappointed in Nate makes me feel a little better.
“Please, eat! We have plenty of food.” John gestures toward the kitchen. “I’m sure you’re both hungry.”
“Oh, I definitely am.” Marcus tilts his head toward me, and his smile has all my thoughts jumbling up. “You?”
I hesitate. Food sounds lovely, but entering the party with Marcus instead of Nate has me feeling off-balance. I’m Nate’s girlfriend, yet his father is the one who’s been looking out for me all day.
That’s not what this trip is supposed to be about. Besides, what are people going to think if I ignore my boyfriend all night in favor of his dad?
“Liliana?” Marcus frowns, no doubt wondering if he should’ve given me a minute outside after all.
“I should probably find Nate.”
Disappointment flashes in his eyes, but he masks it quickly. “My guess is he’s either in the basement or on the back porch. Do you need someone to show you around?”
“I’ve got it, but thanks.”
The house may be unfamiliar to me, but I need to put some distance in between me and Marcus. All I want to do is glue myself to his side. Maybe even rest my head on his shoulder or—
“See you,” I blurt before turning abruptly and heading in the direction that I hope leads to the back porch. That right there is exactly why we need distance. I’m not like Nate. I’d never cheat on him the way he did to me. Especially not with his dad.
Thankfully, the house is easy to navigate. The porch is empty, so I find Nate in the basement with a couple other guys. Levi and Matthias, probably.
It’s nice down here—fully finished with a huge TV and some really comfy-looking couches and chairs, and then also a game area off to one side. There’s a pool table, a place to play chess, and even a foosball table.
When I make my way down the stairs, Nate looks up. “Oh, hey Lily.”
One of the guys furrows his brows. “Lily?” He says it like he was expecting someone else—specifically, for Nate to be with someone else.
But the other guy shoves him in the ribcage. “Hey, Lily. I’m Matt. This is my brother Levi. We’ve heard lots about you. Nice to finally put a face to the name.”
My smile is weak. I really don’t need the reminder that Nate never posts pictures of me on social media.
“Did you get some food?” Nate asks me.
“Not hungry. Figured I’d wait a while.”
He shrugs. When I sit on the couch next to him, he scoots farther away even though there was already plenty of room between us.
“So anyway,” Nate says, “you’re telling me Andrea got married? And she’s already got two kids?”
“Who?” I ask.
“His ex from high school,” Levi says.
“Oh. Right.”
“Never thought she’d end up being a mom,” Nate muses. “She was so against it when we were younger.”
“I mean, to be fair, how many teenagers want to have kids?” Levi snorts. “Hell, I still don’t want any.”
“Ugh, same.” Matthias wrinkles his nose. “Too much of a mess, and I’d miss out on so much shit. It’s not like you can take a baby on a backpacking trip.”
“Oh!” Levi sits up straight. “Speaking of, Nate, look at this sweet new gear I got.”
Nate leans forward while Levi pulls out his phone and starts showing off pictures. From there, the conversation veers into backpacking—future plans, what trails they like best, what gear didn’t work for them, et cetera.
I try to pay attention, but a lot of the jargon they use goes right over my head. The outdoors hasn’t ever really been my thing. Spending time outside? Sure. But if I go too long without air conditioning or running water, I don’t do too well.
The deeper into the conversation the guys get, the harder it is for me to follow along. I try to ask a few questions to keep up, but Nate doesn’t show much interest in explaining, and Levi keeps shooting me weird looks.
I don’t blame Nate for wanting to catch up with his friends, but I’m trying, goddammit. It’s been a while since I’ve felt so out of place. So… ignored when I really don’t have anyone else to talk to.
I try to scoot closer to Nate and rest my hand on his thigh, but he brushes me off and moves even farther away. After about an hour, I give up and slip away. I don’t think he even notices.
Upstairs, the house is much emptier than it was when we arrived. It looks like a lot of people have filtered outside. The backyard is perfectly manicured, and the large patio is lit with pretty string lights. Music plays softly from some speakers, and really, it’s a whole vibe. Charlotte and John know how to throw a good party.
Since the kitchen is empty, I take my time putting together a plate of food for myself. I’m halfway through scooping the cheesiest mac and cheese onto my plate when a booming laugh filters into the house. Warmth floods my body at the sound.
Marcus.
I peer out one of the kitchen windows, and there he is. Even in the dying light, he’s still breathtakingly handsome. He has a glass in his hand, and he’s standing so casually, yet he still oozes confidence. Not overconfidence, mind you. The amount that’s just right and has my stomach fluttering. It makes me want to—
“You good, darlin’?”
Jumping, I spin around. Lori is on the other side of the kitchen. Her hands are on her hips, and she’s got a knowing smile on her face.
“Y-yeah. Great. Just getting some food.”
“Looks like you were doing more than that.” Her tone is playful—mischievous, even.
“Got… distracted.”
Raising an eyebrow, Lori moves closer to me. She glances around before lowering her voice. “You know, I was with the wrong man too, once.”
“What?” The word comes out of my mouth in an embarrassingly high tone. I know I heard her correctly. The heat rushing to my cheeks makes it impossible to deny.
Lori squeezes my arm before breezing through the kitchen and to the back door. Just as her fingers close around the handle, she looks back at me. “Don’t be afraid to go after what you want, Liliana. You’ve only got one life. Don’t waste it with the wrong person—or without the right one.”
And then she’s gone, leaving me breathless and stunned and wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do with what she just said.