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“But the costume I’m wearing is thoughtful, relevant, and dare I say, perfect.” He starts to pull out the clothes to examine them further. “Ugh… I’m supposed to be Shaggy? I could have at least been Fred.”
Taylor gives Micah a stern look. “Not happening.”
Celeste examines the dress and then looks to Taylor. “How did you know my size?” Then she looks at me. “Did he get yours right, too?”
I look over the sizes, nod to Celeste, and then back to Taylor with a tilt of my head. “Who are you really?”
He flashes his big toothy Taylor smile. “How many times do I have to say it? I know you guys, and I have a key.” He adds the last part with a wink before dragging Micah’s very bare ass off my bed and into the hallway, instructing us to get ready on his way out.
I roll my eyes and then bow my head slightly, letting my shoulders sag. I am outnumbered in a losing battle, and by the way Celeste is looking down the hallway, I’m guessing we’ll be going out.
18
Sensations is packed with costumed people, permeated smoke, and the scent of alcohol as the four of us walk in as the members of Mystery Inc., minus the talking dog. Celeste discretely grabs my hand while we follow the guys through the crowd to head to the bar. When I look down at her, there’s a shadow of fear in her eyes.
I lean over and brush her ginger wig away from her ear. “You okay? We don’t have to be here.”
It has to be rough on her to be at the exact same place she was a year ago, but she just shakes her head and lifts her shoulders.
“We’re not victims, and I did nothing wrong.”
She repeats her words two more times to herself, knowing the bumping EDM music will drown them out, before reaching the guys.
“Here you go, Velma. Drink up.” Micah—orShaggy,rather—hands me a shot of dark liquor, but I just eye him instead of taking it.
“Thanks, Shaggy, but I’ll get my own drinks.”
His eyebrows roll in as his head jerks back slightly. “Seriously? You think I would drug you?”
Damn. Is he really offended? Better question… Why do I care?
Because you like him, silly.
I immediately shut down the stupid bitch in my head. I refuse to listen to any more of her goddamn insights today. It’s bad enough that she took the entire car ride to tell me how much better Micah looked in his Adam costume, despite the fact that his green Shaggy t-shirt is barely staying together and perfectly displays every crevasse and curve of his body.
“I have rules, Micah. I don’t break them.”
He drops his head slightly, drinks the shot that he intended to give to me, and grabs my hand.
“We’ll see about that,” he says with a smirk.
He drags me through the crowd to the bar’s edge and orders another round of shots.
When the bartender places the shots in front of us, Micah turns to face me. “Better?”
I roll my eyes, tap the shot glass on the counter, and down the burning liquid in one gulp.
After a few more quick shots, the four of us move through the crowd to head to the dance floor. I do my best to stick as close to Celeste as possible. At least with her near me, I can focus on her and not the Greek god at my back.
When “Bottoms Up” by Trey Songz comes on, I feel strong hands slowly travel the length of my waist from back to front and clasp together just below my navel. Micah pulls me against him, ensuring that I feel every hard surface I was admiring in the car, before he moves his head closer to me.
“Are you having a terrible time?” His words tickle the tiny hairs on the back of my neck, sending tingles down my spine.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“Liar.” His chuckle is what I imagine milk chocolate would feel like if it were an action: soothing and decadent.
I look over to Celeste, desperate for a distraction, but inadvertently catch Taylor staring at me with a gentle smile instead. He nods his head and then reverts his attention back to a dancing Celeste.
