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That was another thing about the trip. Since the retreat was for couples only, Lulee had booked the second room under the guise that Verity and I were a couple. According to Lulee, they did not book single visitors. Everything about the retreat was designed around couples, so there was no way that she could have secured a room for us unless she had pitched us as being together.
“I still don’t feel right about this,” I semi-lied. “She already thinks I’m an asshole, and this underhanded shit is just going to prove it.”
“C’mon, Saint,” he drawled out. “Lulee is not going to let you go down for this.”
I knew that I was whining like a pussy, but there was a lot riding on this. At least, for me there was. From the first time that I’d ever laid eyes on Verity Mercer, nothing’s been the same. Meeting her had changed something fundamental inside me, and no matter how…shady this might be, I knew that I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to work things out with her.
“Just, maybe we wait until we get to the retreat to let her know about you two sharing a room,” Cree suggested.
“See, that’s the shit I mean,” I replied. “While Lulee might have set this whole thing up,we’rethe assholes that are going along with it, and I can’t see her being reasonable about that. I know thatIwouldn’t be cool with it.”
“Dude, are youtryingto sabotage yourself?”
My head dropped back on the seat. “No,” I sighed. “I’m just…this is just such a bad idea.”
“Well, time is running out and this is the only plan we have,” he retorted. “I’m not sure what else to tell you, man.”
“No, I know,” I told him. straightening in my seat again. “And I really do appreciate Lulee going out on a limb for me, but…” I shook my head. “Dude, the girl hates me.”
“Hate?” He side-eyed me really quickly. “You’re being a little melodramatic, don’t you think?”
“You weren’t there when she was yelling at me outside the restaurant,” I huffed.
“Maybe not,” he agreed. “Still, I haven’t heard her say anything bad about you since that night, and I don’t think that Lulee would have set this up if Verityreallyhated you.”
Pulling up to the girls’ apartment building, there really wasn’t anything left to say. This was happening and there was no going back now. We were here, and I could only pray that Verity didn’t tell us all to go eat a dick.
Getting out of the vehicle, we both headed towards the back of his car, then began moving shit around to make room for the girls’ bags. While Verity and Lulee weren’t high maintenance, they were still females, and that said it all. They would always need more shit than us men did.
Always.
I felt Cree’s hands slap my shoulders. “Quit worrying so much, Hendrix. You’ll grow old before your time.”
“Let’s get this over with,” I grumbled like a petulant child.
Cree just grinned at me as we made our way up the walkway and to the lobby of the apartment complex. Lulee and Verity lived in a relatively safe neighborhood, so that wasn’t an issue. Nonetheless, if it weren’t for the fact that Verity couldn’t afford the apartment on her own, Lulee and Cree would have moved in together ages ago.
The girls lived on the fourth floor, and I’d never been in an elevator that went so fast. Usually, it took forever for the elevator to reach its designated floor, but not this time. No, this time, it was eager to see me get my ass handed to me by a girl that wanted nothing to do with me.
Getting out of the metal cage, Cree and I made our way to the apartment at the end of the hallway, the identifier D4 mocking me while Cree knocked on the door. Before our disastrous date, it’d been nothing to stop by and hang out or whatever with the girls. Before our fight, I’d been welcomed here, and even though I knew that I still was by Lulee, I knew that Verity would prefer it if I didn’t contaminate her living space.
As soon as the door opened, Lulee shot me a look, and I could feel the weight of our deceit come crashing down on my head like an avalanche of stone boulders. This was not going to be good, and we had no one to blame but ourselves.
“Hey, babe,” Cree greeted as he wrapped Lulee up in his arms for a kiss.
“Hey, babe,” she greeted back a bit too enthusiastically.
“Hey, Lulee,” I practically whispered.
“She’s in her room,” she rushed out. “Give us a second, okay?”
“No problem.”
However, before Lulee could go work on some damage control, Verity was walking into the living room, her feet stopping awkwardly as soon as she saw me.
Lulee whirled around theatrically. “Oh, hey…there you are.”
With her blue eyes locked on my brown ones, Verity asked Lulee, “What’s going on?”
