Chapter Fifty-Four
SUNNY
The cooking is a little delayed due to my mishap with the stupid fucking mushrooms. So everyone mingles as they wait for dinner, munching on appetizers and sipping the wine Tyler brought in hopes it’ll ease the clear animosity that lingers.
Suffocating us all and sticking to our skin in the most grotesque ways.
I refuse to leave the kitchen. Instead, I keep myself perched on a barstool, observing the life size barbie invading our family ritual.
The way she walks with such pride and confidence on Tyler’s arm like the sweet little accessory she is.
Her bleach blonde hair perfectly curled, wearing cute slacks and a knit sweater.
The brightness to the brooding, scarred Ken sitting next to her.
And she’s responsible for some of those scars.
I suppose I am, too. No one is innocent here.
It all makes sense now, why the parents want them together.
I mean look at them.
Meanwhile, I stand here, in the same scrubs I started the day with, the scent of hospital still clinging to me. Bags under my eyes as evidence of a long day. A bun barely managing to keep my seven day old curls at bay.
It isn’t until I see a blurry figure getting closer that I realized I’ve completely dissociated. When my vision finally clears, Shelby is in front of me, smiling wide as she looks down at me.
Shit.
She places an elbow on the counter, tucking her chin in her hand to obviously show off her gaudy ring right in front of my face.
“So, you’re the famous Sunny?” she says whimsically.
“Ah,” I let out a nervous laugh. “I wouldn’t say famous. But yes, I’m Sunny. You must be the famous Shelby.”
“The one and only.” She smiles and laughs. “I think we met at the brewery event though, right? Back in October?”
“Yes, that’s correct.” I take a sip of my wine.
She pauses for a brief moment, eyeing me up and down, like she’s trying to find a weakness. “So,” she continues as she eats from a bowl of grapes. “Tell me how you measled your way into family dinners after being so new to the group.”
“Um, you know Sam and I just hit it off. She truly is my best friend here.”
Swirling his drink in his hand, Tyler’s head peers up, watching the two of us with his elbows on his knees.
“Tyler has been a great friend too,” I add as I eye him behind Shelby. “He’s the one who actually invited me to family dinners.”
She purses her lips together as she takes in the words. I want her to choke on them.
“Tyler really is the best, isn’t he? I’m so glad we were able to rekindle our relationship. To think, we’re getting married in just a few short months. I’ll be able to have the best sex of my life for the rest of my life.” She leans on the counter, smiling at me. “Don’t you leave in a few months?”
I just blink at her, unwilling to give any reaction since that’s clearly what she’s seeking. “Yeah, my contract at the hospital ends in February.”
“What a shame. Spring weddings in Boston are absolutely gorgeous. It’s too bad you’ll miss it.”
Letting a smile curve across my face, I raise my glass up. “Cheers to you and Tyler. And the best sex you’ve ever had, for life.” I clink my glass with hers.
“Cheers!” she squeals.
TYLER
Shelby will always be the second choice, if you’d even call her a choice, and she knows that. It’s prevalent in the way she tries to stake claim to me. Whether it be keeping a hand on my thigh or rubbing my arm and playing with my hair.
It’s when I don’t reciprocate that her frustration grows. Regardless of the fact my body clearly is repulsed by her, she doesn’t stop.
When I look up, and see wide blue-greens narrowing where Shelby’s hand is too comfortably on my thigh, it takes everything in me not to smile.
She notices.
Clearly she’s pissed off that I broke our promise, but she isn’t necessarily keeping hers either, because running away is not finding a fucking out. She’s learning quickly that I do what I need to do, even if it means promises are broken and feelings get hurt.
I never said I was a good person.
The moment Shelby saw my line of sight and got up from the couch was the moment I knew I fucked up. Even with a desperate grip of her wrist, she somehow managed to slip away towards the one thing my focus is on.
I never got to really meet Sunny, she’d said.
Sunny’s eyes flick to mine when she holds her glass up to Shelby. When they clink in their cheers, it’s then I realize the problem I just created for myself.
I have to do a double take when I see Sunny finally remove herself from the barstool she’d been glued to all night. She brings her plate to the sink where she starts loading dishes. No matter whose home we’re in, she always tries to bring the task upon herself.
“Excuse me? What do you think you’re doing?” Anthony bumps his hips against hers, playfully knocking her out of the way. She laughs at my brother, bumping him back.
That’s the moment I realize that Sunny is permanently in this family, no matter where she goes, no matter how far she runs, she is not only tethered to me now, but to all of them, too.
“You have that massive cut on your hand. You can’t get an infection. Ms. Nurse.”
She raises her hands up in surrender. “Fair enough. I actually think I’m going to head out. It was a long day at work.”
I frown at the same time Anthony does. Immediately I’m on my feet and Shelby looks up at me in confusion. This is my only chance at contact with her tonight. Direct contact. And I’m ready to fucking indulge in it.
Consume me, little fire.
“You aren’t going to stay for the movie?” Anthony frowns.
She just shakes her head and gives him a look. He nods, giving her a hug, then goes back to the dishes.
She makes her way around the room, giving hugs and saying goodbye to everyone.
I’m still standing, watching her when I feel Shelby’s hands snake herself around my damn arm, laying her head on my shoulder.
I roll my eyes. She’s fucking cock blocking me.
I don’t want anyone jealous for me except for the one girl in this room who is showing me absolutely nothing.
How did she even get here anyways? I fucking hate when she walks the city alone. Especially at night, in the cold.
My heart thuds against my chest with each hesitant step she takes towards us. A weak smile pulls her lips as she stops a foot away. A side hug is exchanged between Shelby and Sunny, no doubt because Shelby is off put by the scrubs. But they are my favorite look on her.
Soon enough, Shelby’s hands are immediately wrapped around my arm again, shackling me from the one thing I want most. I shift on my feet, removing myself from her and wrapping my arms around Sunny.
I press my nose into her curls, indulging in the subtle scent of vanilla and coconut that has easily become my favorite thing.
The scent only few are lucky to know if given the chance to be close enough.
I hold on for a little too long, but I don’t care.
Stay with me, Sunny. Just stay here.
“How are you getting home?” I ask, my lips press in her hair.
Her body tenses under mine, but she doesn’t answer me. I pull away from our embrace and cradle her face. Her eyes are tired, too. My little fire is burning out.
“How are you getting home, Sunny?” I say the words slower, my eyes searching her face.
“Goodnight, Tyler.” She turns around.
“Sunny,” I call out to her.
Then Shelby’s hands wrap around my fucking arm again. “She’ll be fine, Tyler. Seems like she walked here anyways.”
But it feels distant as I watch Sunny leave the apartment. Why didn’t anyone pick her up? Why didn’t anyone take her home?
I still feel Shelby eyeing me as I watch half of my heart walk out.
Come back to me, Sunny.
SUNNY
I try to walk home, but it’s mere minutes before Sam is bursting through the apartment doors telling me to get in the jeep.
So I do.
“I can’t even fucking believe it.” She slams the door.
My anger licks flames across my skin, burning up my throat, forcing me to swallow hard, taking all my words with it. I know I shouldn’t have a right to feel jealous but I do. I just do.
“He had the audacity to be concerned about you walking home. He literally was practically begging everyone in front of Shelby to take you home. Which I obviously would do on my own but like what the actual fuck?” She starts the jeep.
I blink at the road ahead of us. “All our plans got ruined tonight. We were too late.”
“It’s never too fucking late, Sunny. No one has said ‘I do,” she says, eyes on the road.
“You’re right,” I say flatly.
We look at one another.
“What are you going to do?” she asks.
We stare at one another for a beat, and soon enough, a smile pulls her lips into a too wide grin.
“I need to even our score.”