AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 6
Jenna
I’m on the deck with Stacey, leaning on the railing, looking out over the dark beach. The sun set a little earlier in a theatrical display of light. Everything was colored gold and then pink and then a deep purple before it gave way to the inky black of night.
Now, the sky is alive with stars—pinpricks of light that wink down at the world. There isn’t a single cloud in the sky, and the breeze that sighs over my skin is warm.
“It's so beautiful out here."
"I know," Stacey says. "I can't get enough of it. If only the world would stop spinning so much."
I giggle. "I’m so drunk." I press my fingers against my temple. My veins are on fire with the shooters of Tequila we drank, and it feels like we're on the water, not standing on the beach just looking at it.
“That’s what happens when we drink too fast and don’t eat enough. We should have had burgers, not that stupid cheese platter my mom ordered.” Stacey leans on the railing. “Is it a bad investment if I throw up all the expensive cocktails we ordered?”
I laugh. “It’s a waste of cash, but you’ll feel better in the morning if you get rid of it now. The cash is gone either way."
Stacey looks a little green around the gills. I’m about to offer to take her to the bathroom when Brett joins us. I groan, not hiding my disdain that he's here.
“What do you want?” I snap at him.
“Oh, God,” Stacey says. “I’m going to the bathroom.” She presses her fingers against her lips and hurries away, leaving me with Brett.
“I should go after her,” I say without looking at him.
“Marc’s got her,” he says, looking over his shoulder. He’s right. Marc is there in a flash, steering her outside where he’ll—no doubt—hold back her hair for her while she vomits into the plants by the door. I should be the one doing that. I’m the maid of honor. Instead, I’m stuck here.
With Brett.
He casually leans a thick arm on the railing, but it blocks my exit. If I want to head back to the table now, I have to squeeze past him, and that will put us right up against each other.
I'm willing to bet he's doing it on purpose. Brett has never been a jackass by accident.
I study him. It's been years since I've seen him and he's changed. A lot. He filled out, becoming muscular and powerful. It works with his height. He’s tall and handsome, the kind of guy women swoon over. I have alcohol in my system, and I can’t help but think that he’s incredibly attractive. And that just irritates me.
Hell, he was good-looking in high school, but this…
“I want to talk to you,” he says.
“I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“Come on, how long do you need to get over your little hissy fit?”
I blink at him. “Excuse me? Did you just call it a hissy fit?”
He looks apologetic. “Okay, maybe it was bigger than that. But seriously. I—”
“You have no foot to stand on, Brett. You made life hell for me since the moment Noah and I started dating, and then you made sure he left. After all your trying, you broke us up. Why isn’t that enough for you?” The anger I feel takes over, and it pushes aside the feeling that the world is about the tilt on its axis. It makes me forget how fucking attractive he is.
Good.
“It’s been a decade, Jenna,” he says. “I didn’t tell Noah to leave. I didn’t hold a gun to his head. It’s not my fault he chose Miami and football—”
“And you.”
“—over you.”He sighs when he finishes. “That sounded bad.”
“You think?” I ask and fold my arms over my chest. “But that’s what you’re good at, right? Screwing things up for me.”
