Chapter 10
Lara
“So, what do you want to do tonight?” Mila asked me eagerly, her eyes alert as she gazed at me.
I knew she was concerned about my well-being after my not-quite-hookup with Parker.
She had been calling me for the last couple of days and had finally convinced me to meet up with her.
I hadn’t wanted to, but she’d said she’d send the police over to my house for a wellness check if I didn’t.
“Tonight?” I responded slowly. I didn’t want to do anything but go home and sleep in my bed.
“Yeah, tonight, as in a few hours from now.” Mila rolled her eyes at me. “You know, what they call the time when the sun goes down.”
“I didn’t know you wanted to do anything tonight,” I continued slowly again. “Don’t you and Ryker have plans?”
“No, we don’t have plans. That’s why I’m asking you what you want to do. In fact, I told Ryker I didn’t want to go to the movies with him because I wanted to hang out with you.”
“Why did you do that?” I said softly, wanting to scream and shout I don’t want to hang out tonight.
I just want to cry away my sorrows at the fact that Parker doesn’t love me.
And didn’t even find me sexy enough to make love to me.
That part still stung the most, especially considering how close we’d come.
My body was still tingling, thinking about him and his moves.
A part of me wished I had just pushed him down on the bed and sat on him and taken everything into my own hands, but that would have made everything even more awkward.
“Because I’m not going to let you go home and cry away your sorrows.” Mila gave me a look. “Or think about what an idiot Parker is for not just sealing the deal.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“What?” My face turned red as I looked at her, dumbfounded. “Can you read my mind?”
“No, of course I can’t read your mind.” She laughed. “But I have been where you are.” She made a face. “I know Parker hurt your feelings.”
“I don’t care about Parker.” I made a face back at her and then grimaced. “Okay, obviously that’s a lie, but what can I say?”
“That he’s a dumb fool.”
“I just don’t understand,” I whined. “We were this close to having sex. I thought we were both into it. He was practically inside of me.” I made a face at her. “Sorry for TMI.”
“Haha, can we ever have TMI?” She grinned. “But yeah, he’s an idiot and he probably ended up with blue balls.”
“Shit, I ended up with blue balls.” I groaned. “I’m just so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be embarrassed.”
“I’m embarrassed and hurt.” My voice lowered. “Am I that grotesque and ugly?”
“Of course not.” Mila frowned at me. “You know that, right?”
“I know nothing.” I shook my head. “And then for him to randomly text me yesterday and tell me he was going on a date. Like, how could he? Is he trying to stab me in the back?”
“I think he’s just trying to make sure everything is cool with you guys.” Mila sighed. “He is a guy, and he seems to be a bigger idiot than most of them.”
“Yeah, I guess he wanted to let me know ‘Hey, the other night meant nothing and I’m moving on to bigger and better.’ He’s going to end up with some hottie who he does want to sleep with and marry. Unlike me, who turned him off.”
“It’s just a date, Lara. It doesn’t mean anything.” Mila touched my arm. “He’s not moving on to anything. He probably didn’t even realize how hurtful he was being. I’m sure his text meant nothing. The date means nothing. Trust me.”
“It means a lot.” I gave a big sigh. “Did you see her photos? And did you hear how he talked about her and how much he showed us of her profile? He’s really into her. Like he thinks she’s his perfect mate or something. I’ve never received so many texts and screenshots from him in my life.”
“He’s a guy and he’s just into the fact that she takes dance classes. He’s probably hoping she’s a stripper or something.” Mila made a face.
“That doesn’t make me feel better.” I groaned.
“Yeah, but let’s be real, she’s probably a ballet dancer or tap or something lame.” She offered up an awkward smile.
“So that means she’s flexible.” I made a face. “Still not making me feel better.”
“Oh, Lara. You really don’t know who she is. What if her photos are like five years old—or even worse, ten years old?”
“I bet they’re not.” I looked into her wide brown eyes. “But thanks for trying to make me feel better.”
“It’s just a first date. Not like they’re getting married.”
“Yeah, but he’s going on first dates and telling me about them. A few days after we nearly had sex.” I looked down to try and stop the tears from coming. “That means he couldn’t care less about me.”
“No, it means he trusts you enough to tell you about his dates,” Mila said softly.
“I don’t think that means much.” I half laughed as I looked back up. “I don’t think Parker is shy about talking about going on dates.”
“Yeah, but he also asked your advice on where he should take her and what he should wear and if he should take her a first-date present.”
“Mila . . .” I looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Do you think that’s some sort of consolation prize? Me telling him where I think he should take her? Honestly, I wanted to rip my heart out and throw it on the floor when he started asking me what I thought.”
“Oh, Lara, you’re so melodramatic.” Mila looked at me in concern. “We need to make lemonade out of lemons.”
“It’s a little hard when we have limes.” I glared at her. “Actually, scratch that, we don’t even have limes, we have grapefruit. Big, stinky, sour grapefruit. No amount of sugar can make them as sweet as lemonade.”
“Oh, Lara.” Mila giggled.
“My misery is making you laugh?” I gave her a quick smile. “Really?”
“I’m sorry, I suck as a friend.” She giggled some more and I couldn’t stop myself from joining in.
“It’s fine. I am being melodramatic. It’s not like they’re getting married.” I paused. “But if that fool comes to me and asks me how he should propose, I will kill him.”
“Nope.” Mila shook her head. “If he’s dumb enough to do something like that, I will kill him for you.”
“We can kill him together.” I winked at her and she burst out laughing.
“Sounds like a plan.” She paused. “So what’s the plan for tonight?
“You still want to go out?”
“I’m not letting you go home by yourself to just think about Parker on his date.”
“Why not? It sounds like a delightfully dreadful night.” I bit down on my lower lip.
“I can imagine what they’re eating. If they’re holding hands.
If he gives her a goodnight kiss. Wait, she might be forward, so maybe she’ll go for the goodnight kiss.
Maybe she’ll invite him up for a nightcap.
Then maybe he’ll go. And one thing will lead to another, and next thing you know, it’s nine months later and there’s a baby Parker and I’m asked to be the godmother. And then I can just kill myself.”
“Oh, Lara.” Mila looked like she wanted to start laughing again. “I thought I had an overactive imagination.”
“Is it imagination if it’s likely to be true? Especially if he still has blue balls.”
“Shall we go to a club?” Mila suggested, trying to change the subject. “We can dance and maybe flirt it up with some hotties.”
“What would Ryker think of that?”
“He wouldn’t care.” She shrugged. “Plus, this is for you.”
“I don’t know about going to a club. I wouldn’t mind dancing, but I do not want to go home and get dressed up. I’m not in a sexy or slutty mood.” I made a face. “And I don’t feel like shaving my legs.” I laughed at the expression on Mila’s face. “Hey, it’s been a few days.”
“No judgment here.” She laughed. “I haven’t shaved above the knee this week.”
“Ryker doesn’t mind?”
“Ryker knows better than to say anything.” She laughed. “I’m getting a Brazilian for him next week. He can deal with some hair for a couple of days.”
“Ooh, you getting a landing strip?”
“Dunno.” She shook her head. “But probably.”
“Lucky,” I said wistfully.
“Lucky?” She looked at me like I was crazy. “How is that lucky? Waxing down there is pain I could do without.”
“I wish I had someone to wax down there for.”
“You could do it for yourself,” she suggested.
“Are you crazy?” I laughed. “I love myself enough to not put myself through that pain for nothing.”
“Oh, Lara.” She laughed. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Find me a Prince Charming—anyone who can get my sorry mind off of Parker.”
“So what about we go to a bar, then? We don’t have to get sexied-up, but we can look good.” She grinned.
“I guess I can do a bar.” I nodded. “I can get drunk off of my ass and then dance on the bar top.”
“You’re going to dance on the bar top Coyote Ugly–style?”
“If you get me drunk enough.” I winked at her.
“Oh, I’ll get you drunk enough.” She grinned. “This I have to see.”
“You just want me to embarrass myself.” I laughed.
“No, I just want you to have fun.” She grinned back at me. “And maybe if we get drunk enough, we can both do it.”
“Yeah, that would be cool.” I grinned back at her. “And if Ryker ever finds out, he will ban us from being friends.”
“Ryker can’t ban me from anything.” She laughed. “Well, I guess it depends what he’s trying to ban me from and what he’s offering me in return, but he can’t just ban me ban me.”
“Uh-huh, does Ryker know that?”
“No.” She giggled. “He can think whatever he wants to think. And if he thinks he can ban me from something, then let him think that.”
“Parker can ban me from anything he wants to.” I closed my eyes. “Whatever he wants, I’d do. Whatever he said, I’d listen to. Just for the chance to be with him. Damn, if I had another chance at a night with him, I’d do whatever he wanted me to do in the bedroom.”
“Lara . . .” Mila’s voice sounded exasperated.