I kissed her lips. “Not if you want your surprise.”
She sighed and rolled into my chest. “Oh,” she went still and looked up at me with raised brows and sleep eyes.
My erection was pushing against her stomach. “Yeah, that’s another reason I need you to get up,” I told her.
She laughed and started making ready. While she did that I went down and put a bunch of things together in a basket.
I drove us to the shore which was a good hour or so in the dark then minutes of walking but Jenzy is a natural optimist so she never complains.
“So what is it?” she asked just as we went down the sand dune. Then she froze and took in the magnificence of the sunrise. Right on time.
“That,” I pointed at the horizon then kissed her before setting up our picnic. Her childlike wonder over simple things makes me want to wow her constantly.
I had to tug her along to get her to sit with me because she was trying to get shots on her phone of the colorful vibrant pinks, royal purples and elegant night blue still splashing at the center.
I set up the quilt I’d brought and served us bagels, fruits and trail mixes we made yesterday. We talked non-stop and then she ended up lying with me and watching the sky develop into morning.
“What would you like to do tonight?” I asked her. She took a while and I figured she’d gone back to sleep, so I scooped her close and inhaled her scent mixed with sea air.
“What about a game night?” She said. “Isn’t that what you and Chloe usually do on Saturday nights?”
Mention of Chloe made me think of all the things I hadn’t thought of since yesterday. “We do, but her foster sister Brianna comes too.”
Jenzy sat up and rubbed my chest, “let’s do it. You’ve hung out with Todd and Mandy and I’ve only hung out with Chloe once.”
After what Chloe told me I’m a little stumped. I don’t want Chloe to feel like I’m rubbing Jenzy in her face. I also don’t want to avoid her and hurt her more.
I shrugged, “I’ll call her.”
She smiled, “Chloe is a good friend to you. I feel like I occupy most your time now.”
I leaned up to kiss her, “that’s okay with me.”
She laughed and kissed me back. The taste of her lingered on my lips long after.
CHLOE
Taboo. Brianna tends to get like a parrot with Tourette’s when she plays this game. She clutches the buzzer like a nut case and has way too much fun buzzing people. All we have to do is tell her the line of words we can’t say and she memorizes them.
Moses and I usually team up, but tonight he’s teaming with Jenzy and they suck. She doesn’t get his cues and he’s lost with hers. However, they are killing Brianna with laughs and making each other go red with giggles.
Me? I’m just sitting here in a puddle of pity party bliss. I’ve backed myself into that corner where everything and everyone is hated. I’ve told myself Moses did this to prove how happy Jenzy makes him, that he’s just so in love and me, his love-struck little friend needs to let him go. I feel like Brianna is a traitor for liking Jenzy and laughing with her and having fun. I want her to be cold, and unwelcome.
The obvious one, is I hate Jenzy. I hate how pretty she is, I hate her kindness and her ability to make Moses grin from the heart. I hate her cuteness, the clumsy, the hippie, and the intelligence behind it. I hate that she went to college like Moses and that I couldn’t. I hate that she’s at odds with her husband.
“Chloe!” Brianna yelled. “It’s your turn!” She said. I set down my drink, “sorry, who am I teamed with?” Don’t say Jenzy.
“Moses.” She said.
I looked over at him. We’re all sitting on the floor around Moses’ coffee table. He and Jenzy are across from us. He sat up and handed me the card holder.
Jenzy stood, “hey, who wants desert? Chloe, do you like coconut? I made this-.”
“Not really.” I smiled, “I can’t stand the texture, but I brought my banana pie so…we have it every game night after dinner.”
“Oh.” She stayed up, “that’s cool. I’ll just serve both. We can have a pie orgy,” she teased. “I promise I bake better than I cook.”
I felt Moses looking at me so I deliberately ignored him and looked at my card. Brianna was loving up Goliath when Jenzy came back with both pies and plates.
Jenzy picked up her spatula. “Okay Mrs. Brianna, what pie would you like?”
Brianna made a squeal. “Coconut, please! I haven’t had that in forever!”
I wish Brianna could see the disappointment on my face. Jenzy served her then said, “I think I’ll try Chloe’s. It looks so creamy.”
Nice move. She’s trying to make me look like a bitch. Spotlighting my lack of compliance. “Moses?” Jenzy called, “what about you, banana or coconut?”
I turned to look at him, yeah Moses. Banana or coconut? Jenzy or Chloe? I waited and watched him struggle a bit. He can’t fairly win this. I know he likes both so it’s all down to preference.
He took to shuffling the cards. “I’ll uh…I’ll take the um…coconut is-.”
“AH CHO!” Brianna made an obnoxious and fake sounding sneeze then swiped both pies on the floor. I don’t know how she figured this was discrete. It was the most transparent move ever made, and all that was left was the two slices on Jenzy and Brianna’s plate. “Oh, no.” Brianna sounded like a ringleader at an acting audition. “I can’t believe I did that. Did I knock over both pies? How does that even happen? Oh, shoot!”
Goliath got up and started eating and lapping at the fallen pies. We all sat and stared at Brianna as she poked her fork at pretty much everything on the table before finding her pie, “Mmm, Jenzy this is great. You and I better eat it fast, or those two losers will want some.”
After we got over the initial shock Jenzy and I started cleaning. I heard Moses choose her pie even though Brianna tried to spare us both the agony so I’m not looking at him.
Jenzy went to Goliath while I was in the kitchen throwing out what was left of the pies. I came in to see her washing down his front with a warm wet cloth and wiping his snout.
This annoyed me as much as her kissing Moses. That’s my dog. I let this happen then sat back down. She may have caught me looking with dislike, though.
Brianna held the buzzer and came to sit behind me. “Okay! So you give Moses clues and I’ll buzz you if you use one of the words you told me. Jenzy, you and I are next after them, and I’ll tell you I am fantastic at giving clues, so we already win, but let them play so they feel like they tried.”
Jenzy laughed really hard and I tried to seem okay.
Moses looked at me. “Ready?”
I nodded and Jenzy flipped the timer.
I looked at the first card; my word was Cat. “Okay…it’s the one animal I’m not fond of.” I told him.
He laughed, “cat.”
Brianna hooted. “Win, next card!”
I flipped to the next, this word is Barbie. “When we were little, you used the legs of this toy I had for drumsticks.”
He clapped his hands, “Barbie!”
Brianna snapped her fingers, “win, next card!” She knows about as much of our history.
I put up the next one, Clowns. “Oh! You are terrified of these!” I told him.
He grimaced, “Clowns.” Then he got a chill which made me laugh. Jenzy is dying with giggles and I flipped up the next card.
This one says, George Washington. “Ugh!” I thought then said, “we always say he looks like your great, great uncle-.”
“George Washington!” He sat up on his knees in excitement.
I went to the next card, Red. “Your favorite color!” I said in a gasp.
“Red!” he answered.
I put up the next. “Remember that time you made me laugh in front of my teacher and I was drinking this and it came out my nose-.”
“Orange juice!” He was red with laughs now and so was I.
My new card was, Parallel Park. “T
his is tricky. Um…” the timer is filtering down. “So when we visit your sister we take her kids to the…”
He lit up, “Park!”
“Right! So that word is the second one to what this is. Um, the first part is… something I can’t do in the city.”
“Cross the street without holding my hand,” he teased.
I rolled my eyes. “No! The other thing with my Jeep!”
He jumped up, “Parallel park!”
Jenzy applauded and yelled “Time!” Moses and I high fived and she handed me the buzzer, “you guys are insanely good! That was crazy. You didn’t once even use the words on the card that are taboo. Wow! Moses and I got like what? Only two right?”
I scooted her the cards, “well, you don’t know Moses even half as well as I do. You’re just the girlfriend.”
She paused and so did the rest of the table. Ouch. Had I really gone there? Did I really just say that snide and stereotypical female slight?
They all watched me for a second and I got up and left the room. I went outside and down the porch steps to get some air.
Chapter Nineteen
Not a second after, the door opened and closed and Jenzy came down behind me in a hurry. “Chloe, hold on a sec.” She said as I went for my Jeep. “Can we talk about what just happened?”
I pulled my keys and turned to her, “Listen, just fuck what I said okay. I’m not myself tonight and I’m sorry.”
Jenzy kept toward me, though, “did I do something? You can tell me. I don’t want to step on your toes with-.”
“You like Moses, that’s what you did.” I blurted what was true. Then I felt the pink nose that made up for my lack of human tears. “And he likes you…and it makes me jealous. Stupid, unjustified, pathetic jealous. I guess I shouldn’t tell you that because it gives you power over me and all that shit but there it is. I like him and he likes you and it’s not your fault that you’re perfect.” I turned my keys over and over and only looked at them, not her.
She put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, “have you ever…told him?”
I looked up, “Moses would never ever cheat. He’s all into you okay? I told him but he’s, not- he would never look at me like that and he’s all about you.”
She nodded then smiled, “bro-zoned.” She said.
I frowned, “what?”
Jenzy came closer and drew a semicircle in the dirt with the tip of her shoe. “Bro-zoned. I made that term up in college. When guys like girls but those girls don’t like them, guys call it, friend zoned. But when I met my husband, we had this wild one night stand and immediately after, he bro-zoned me. I mean, I did it too…to him. We made this bogus mutual agreement to be friends and never do the sex thing again but…I was secretly hung up on him.”
I crossed my arms, “bro-zoned. I like it.”
She laughed, “he totally treated me like a nobody. I had to hear about girls, and he…” she shook her head with a smile, “it was torture.” Then she looked sad. “Love shouldn’t have zones…”
I leveled my eyes with hers, “I’m sorry I ruined the night. I was way out of line.”
“Do you want me to break it off with Moses-?”
“No,” I met her now so we were close, “please don’t. I haven’t seen him this happy in forever. His last serious relationship was four years ago and she was…she cut him real deep. He knows how I feel but doesn’t feel the same so…”
“Chris said seeing me with other guys when we were in school drove him crazy.”
I laughed, “Moses isn’t jealous by nature. Even when he found his ex-fiancée screwing, it wasn’t so much the sex, it was the betrayal. The lie. That’s why he’s so good about your situation with your ex.”
She got that thoughtful look again, “he shouldn’t have to be as understanding as he is about Chris.”
“I won’t do this again, I promise. Tonight was just a little much.”
Jenzy reached out and clasped my wrist, “please don’t leave. I know I’m asking a lot, but this can’t work without you. You’re that part of Moses that will always be key. When my friend Mandy married my best friend Todd we had the same talk.”
I dropped my keys into my purse. “I’m embarrassed now. I don’t keep boyfriends long and…I feel like a-”
“Don’t be. If Moses isn’t interested and now you know, you might give right guys the chance. And if Moses isn’t as into me as you say, then seeing you with the right guy might be what it takes for him to feel what he thinks he doesn’t.”
I held her hand to let her know I’m staying, “that willing to pawn Moses off huh? You’re willing to even talk like he might give you up.”
She shrugged, “I didn’t leave Chris for Moses, Moses was a treasure I clumsily stumbled upon. Even if Chris stopped in the end, he did give me passion, and romance, and love. He gave me memories and fire. So I’d like to have it again but I’m not greedy to the universe.”
She pulled me into a hug and it felt great. No misunderstanding, no catty crap. I don’t want to hate her, I by nature want to love her. She fits our group and she’s kind. I’m realizing as I hug her tight, that I have to let Moses go a little. I did my part in communicating the want, though it was late in coming. She’s making it easy because she’s not a Katie.
“Thank you,” I said over her shoulder.
“And hey, I’ll do my part too. I’ll make sure you don’t lose him okay?”
I hugged her tighter as a tear slipped from my eye again. Same eye, only the one tear. Huh, that’s the second time. Okay. Two tears for Moses. That’s not bad.
MOSES
When Jenzy and Chloe came in from talking outside I breathed deep. I know when Chloe is faking it but she’s laughing from the heart with Jenzy and the whole thing from before seems forgotten.
I had tried to go out after the two of them but Brianna had whacked me in the head with her walking stick and told me to sit down. Now I see why and I’m glad. If it came down to picking between Chloe and Jenzy it would be like tearing me in half, but secretly I know I’d give up anything or anyone for Chloe. Even if it destroyed me.
As the weeks went by Chloe did well at accepting Jenzy and I’s relationship progressing and Jenzy balanced my time so I could get equal time with Chloe in.
Now some time later as Jenzy and I walked the street, I brought something up, “there’s this club called Rapture Pulse. They have amazing music and I thought we could go dancing.”
“I know that place and the DJ’s are fantastic, I’d love it.” She held my hand tighter and I stopped to back her into a streetlamp. This street is lit up in the night so it has an amber glow that makes her look like an angel right now.
“Then get all dressed up for me and we’ll go,” I said near her lips.
She laughed and touched our noses. “You want my clothes dressed up or my…under clothes dressed up ?”
I felt a fire go through my veins. “Please don’t do that to me.”
Jenzy stood on her toes to kiss my lips, “I’m hinting for you, not teasing.”
I brought my head back and she linked her hands behind my neck, “hinting at what?” I asked.
“Well,” she checked the street but it’s after eleven and things are quieting down, “I think I’m ready.”
An electric current zapped me in the groin, “ready for…?”
“It’s been five months now…I want to…stay the night, but not sleep.”
I pushed her into the pole and kissed her. I pressed into her mouth and felt her hips. I want this so badly.
The next night when it was time to pick her up for the club I took care in my appearance with dark jeans and a steel gray dress shirt, layered with a black blazer. I wore an Asian symbol around my neck and cleaned my house. I want her in my bed so badly but I’m also nervous.
Something tells me she’s not over Chris and I’m competing with his memory constantly.
All my nerves only intensified when I went to pick her up. I was ushered in by her b
rother and sister-in-law who seem pretty ecstatic about us going out. At least her sister-in-law is. Mandy is very supportive of her dating but Todd seems a little sad maybe.
“She’ll be down in a sec,” Todd said as Mandy put down the baby. “She’s just nervous. I shouldn’t tell you that, but…”
“It’s all good,” I smiled at the thought, “my best friend Chloe, gets nervous before dates too. She usually calls me.”
Todd laughed, “yeah, Jenzy does it too. When she was dating my brother, she’d call me while she shaved her legs.”
We laughed but then we went silent. I’m thinking about Chloe and I’m not sure what the feeling I’m getting is. I suddenly miss her. Todd, I’m not sure what he’s thinking but then he basically told me, “She’s not as ready as she says she is.” He looked up the stairs then back at me, “Whatever you guys have planned I’m just asking you don’t rush her into anything.”
I nodded, “I’d never make her do anything she doesn’t want to.”
He was about to say something when his wife showed up. Then Jenzy appeared to my right and sent my pulse sky high. She’s in this shimmering, low-cut club dress that makes her body give me the dirtiest thoughts of my life. She’s wiped all thoughts of Chloe from my mind and filled me up with want.
At the car, she kissed me like she had no intention of going clubbing, but I remembered what her brother-in-law said and opted for going out first. We have all night if she wants it as much as I do.
CHLOE
Tonight while Moses takes Jenzy to Rapture Pulse, I’m having my own little dance right here in my studio. He confided in Brianna about tonight being the night he and Jenzy might do it. He probably didn’t tell me for obvious reasons.
At first, my heart was so heavy it was dragging on the floor under my feet, but then when class ended I pulled out a poetry book from none other than C. Dougherty. Her collection of works, Bleeding on the Page; My Soul Exposed, has been a Godsend. I feel like her words are talking to me.
The Friend Zone (The Relationship Quo Series Book 2) Page 16