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I glance at my phone on the rattan end table next to me, half expecting it to light up with Aiden’s name until I remember he doesn’t have my number. I can’t help wondering what he’s doing right now. Hopefully, he’s having a great time with his friends, but knowing Aiden, he’s probably sulking on their couch, determined to hate every minute of it.
The thought makes me laugh a little to myself.
Getting up from the couch, I stretch my arms overhead and pad across the oak floors to the bathroom. I had to stop at the convenience store on the way here to grab a few essentials, so the brand new toothbrush and toothpaste are still in a plastic bag on the bathroom counter. Fishing out everything I need, I change into my new oversized FLORIDA t-shirt. The store didn’t have much, and I wanted something comfortable to sleep in, but this shirt is hideous. The cartoon alligator wearing sunglasses on it takes tacky-tourist attire to a whole new level.
Grateful for a chance to brush my teeth after sleeping on a train last night, I spend a little extra time on my oral hygiene before plopping back down on the couch and streaming Across the Universe. It’s one of my favorite movies, and tonight is all about comfort. There’s something about Jim Sturgess singing Strawberry Fields Forever that makes my relationship problems fade away.
23
Aiden
They threw a fucking party.
Well, to be unmistakably clear, Chad was the one with the bright idea, and the cherry on top is that he wanted it to be a damn surprise. Now I’m exhausted, in fucking Florida, and the couch I’m supposed to sleep on has seven people I’ve never met sitting on it.
Ethan knows I’m pissed, but Chad is too dense to see how much I want to kill his ass right now.
I’ll just stand here and drink my beer until this shit is over.
“Who wants another shot!” Chad calls out to the party where he’s answered by a chorus of enthusiastic whoops and hollers. The thing about Chad is as much as he annoys the shit out of me, everyone else loves him. He’s the one every girl wants attention from, every guy wants to be bros with, the life of the party, and I’ll never understand it.
He doesn’t annoy me because he’s good-looking, or because he has a lot of friends. He annoys me because he’s an idiot and no one seems to notice. They’re too busy getting caught up in whatever bullshit good time he’s showing them.
“Aiden, you better take a shot!” Chad calls out to me from the kitchen.
Raising my beer, I give him a nod and say, “Why don’t you do one for me?”
“Oh, man,” Chad drawls out the words like I’m twisting his arm. Looking down at the two pretty girls next to him, he grins. “Two shots? I don’t want to get myself into trouble.”
I shake my head because that’s exactly what he wants. Luckily, he’s already forgotten that I’m here, and he’s laughing as the two girls urge him to take a double.
With both hands up in the air, he says, “Okay, okay. How am I supposed to say no to those gorgeous faces?”
The girls look at each other and beam like they couldn’t be more thrilled to share his attention.
I’m still watching him somehow manage to flirt with both of them at the same time when Ethan comes up to me. I can tell just by looking at him that he’s still dating Em. He hasn’t talked to another girl all night, his clothes are nicer than anything he could have picked out himself, and his once wild afro is now trimmed with a flawless fade. Ink covers most of his arms, and knowing Em, she probably did most of the work herself. She’s always put a lot of effort into appearances, but as an artist, I can’t fault her for it. Hell, she tried to dress me up a few times until she realized I wouldn’t play along.
“Yeah, he hasn’t changed much,” Ethan says as he joins me in watching Chad.
I force a laugh. “He hasn’t changed at all. Aren’t we getting too old for parties like this?”
“It’s usually not like this. I think he was just excited you were coming. Usually, we just hang with Em. She’s tattooing tonight, but she’ll be home later.”
The fact that Chad was that excited to see me makes me feel like shit. I probably could have gone my whole life never seeing him again and not thought twice about it. “She lives here now?”
“Yeah, it’s new, but it’s been great having her here,” Ethan says with a nod.
The two started dating around the time I moved here, and Em is one hell of a tattoo artist. They’re one of those couples you know will last with just one look. It’s crazy how solid they are. “It’ll be good to see her again,” I say without thinking.
“Yeah.” Ethan shifts his weight slightly. “So, um, have you reached out to—”
“No.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
He takes another sip of his beer. “Okay.”
