by Bella Emy
The single life is better than any lovey-dovey relationship. There’s no questioning if the person you’re with is truthful to you, no one to answer to, and no one else to worry about but yourself. If you ask me, relationships are too risky; I choose to protect my heart, thank you very much.
Sure, that doesn’t help in the getting laid department, but if it’s put out there in the beginning, then what the hell. There are tons of girls out there just looking for a good night with no strings attached. That’s how I spent most of my free time in Jersey.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not an asshole. I make sure the girl I’m talking to knows what she’s getting into before I take her home for the night, and I make sure she’s cool with it. I don’t give anyone false hope or the wrong idea. That’s not my style. I’m not looking to get my heart broken, so I’m not trying to do that to the next person.
I toss my keys onto the counter and then walk over to the fridge. I need to unwind after the news I just received from good old Rick.
Ricky. Patrick Hemmings. I never would have thought he’d pick a girl like Adelyn.
She’s stubborn and can drive a man crazy, that’s for sure. I remember how she used to make me insane with some things she’d say. I chuckle to myself and pull a beer out of the fridge. Yeah, third one of the night. It’s Friday night and I have nowhere else to be tomorrow, so what the fuck.
I walk my ass over to the couch and plop down on it. I throw the bottle back and reach for the remote set to my right. Let’s see if there’s anything good on. I flip through the channels for about twenty minutes before giving up and turning the volume down. Guess I’ll just finish this beer and then hit the sack. Tomorrow maybe I’ll go visit my brother, Mason. Since I’ve been back, I’ve only seen him once when he picked me up at the airport. Work has been busy for the both of us, so we haven’t had a chance to get together much.
Or maybe I should spend the next two days off from work unpacking the rest of my shit… maybe.
I take the last sip from the bottle and then get off the couch and walk over to the kitchen. I put it in the recycling bin I have set in the cabinet under the sink. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take out the trash. Maybe I can get rid of some of the empty boxes piling up in the corner from the stuff that I’ve already unpacked. Yeah, tomorrow I think I’ll skip Mason’s and just clean up the rest of my stuff. I need to get situated. The longer I put it off and continue procrastinating, the worse it’s going to be. I need to get unpacked once and for all. If all works out well, I’ll be here for a while.
I decide to get ready for bed, and once I’m cleaned up and changed into a white tank top and shorts, I hop into my bed. I let the soft cottony sheets engulf me as I stretch my arms out and get cozy. Today was a long day, and I’m looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow before I situate my apartment.
I grab my cell phone off the nightstand and notice I’ve got some notifications from Instagram on it. My friends from Jersey, the ones who actually told me shit instead of keeping things from me, like some of my best friends out here posted some pictures of their evening together. If I were still out, I’d probably be shooting the shit out there with them right now. Not a terrible evening. Probably better than sitting here by myself.
I like their pictures, and when I’m done, I look up Adelyn’s page. Yeah, we’re friends, social media friends, but the whole time I was out in Jersey she never called me. I never called her either. A text here and there, sure, but nothing more. It made me sad every time I’d start texting her. Sad because I’d miss her and Rick, of course. I left my life and everything I knew out in California. When I left and had to start new, with no one around that I knew, it was hard. It took a little time to make friends, and then eventually I got used to the idea. But man, it was tough. I think that was part of the reason I didn’t talk to Adelyn. I don’t know.
I click on some of her most recent pics, and sure enough, between the million selfies, there are tons with her and Rick. I’d seen all these before, but because they looked like friends in them, I didn’t think they were anything more. It’s not like they were kissing in them or like she added any captions to them. There were no hints or no way for me to know that these were dating pictures. I see Rick liked each one of them, but his comments didn’t leave any clues either. He’d comment things like, “Had a fantastic time with you,” or “So much fun.” How was I to know there was more going on behind the scenes? Their Instagram bios never even mentioned they were together or in a relationship. Adelyn’s bio just has a general quote about life that reads, “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. Dr. Seuss.”
I click on her most recent selfie posted at 8:02 a.m. this morning. Her caption reads, “On my way to work. Have a wonderful day, everyone!” She got over 200 likes. But surely it’s not her words that gathered the popularity it’s received. As I study her photo, I can’t help but hold my breath. Her pretty chestnut colored hair matches her eyes, save for the hazel rim around them. She smiles brightly, a baby pink hue paints her lips. A rose blush caresses her cheeks. She’s still the same beautiful girl that she was years ago, of course, but now, something about her is different. Maybe it’s because I’m really looking at her for the first time now in five years.
Or maybe it’s because I know she’s no longer just sitting there, waiting for me to scoop her up on a white horse and carry her away to our castle, living happily ever after like a fairytale.
I laugh to myself. Yeah, right. Like she was ever really waiting for me. She never was. We just kissed once, long ago, and probably only because we were both drunk. I don’t think I even knew back then that I loved her. I just liked her. My feelings for her grew stronger long after that. I only realized I was in love with Adelyn Pierce once my temper cost me, and I was being transferred to a different department, on the opposite end of the country.
I stare at her photo just a few moments more, and before I know it, I place my phone down, close my eyes, and pass out for the night.
“So, how was your weekend, man?” Rick asks me on Monday morning as I make a right onto the next block. We’re in the car, just patrolling the area.
“Oh, it was good. I spent Saturday and Sunday getting unpacked and everything. It took a while to get situated, but at least now it’s done.” I take a sip of my coffee and then place it into the holder.
“That’s good, man. I hate unpacking. It’s just as bad as laundry.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, tell me about it. How was yours?”
He clears his throat. “My weekend was good. We… Adelyn and I went to a movie Saturday night and then Sunday we had brunch with her friend, Julia.”
Ah, yes. The lovely couple. I haven’t forgotten about that detail all weekend. But I try to let that go. I don’t want him thinking it bothers me. Because it doesn’t.
I smile. “Oh, Julia. How is she? Still dating that handsome doctor?”
“Tony Wilford?”
I shrug. “Was that his name?”
He chuckles. “Yeah, that’s him. And no, she’s no longer with Tony.”
I frown. “Oh, that’s too bad… he seemed like a great guy.”
“He was, but they just grew apart.”
I nod in understanding.
A few moments of silence pass between us before he breaks it. “Hey, listen, man. I just want to make sure we’re cool.”
I stop at the red light once I hit the corner and then turn to my right to look at Rick. “What? What are you talking about?”
He shrugs. “You know… the whole me and Adelyn thing. I want to make sure you’re really cool with it.”
I chuckle. “What? Yeah, of course, I am, man. I’m really happy for you guys.”
He lets out a sigh of relief. “Okay, cool, bro. Because this whole weekend it was killing me. I kept thinking about when I told you on Friday night and then how you just took off. I was pretty certain you were kind of angry with me about it. I even told Addy I let you know about us.”
I nod. “Oh, yeah? And what did she say?”
“She said I’m probably overreacting and overthinking shit, and that you’re probably fine with it, that you’d want your two best friends to be happy.”
I love how she referred to herself as my best friend. She hasn’t been that in years. She doesn’t know the first thing about me anymore.
I hit the gas once the light turns green. “Well, Rick. You should listen to her more often because she’s right.”
He chuckles. “She usually is, man. She’s great. I love her so much.”
Whoa. Another red light, but this one in my head. Did Rick just say he loves Adelyn? Or Addy, as he calls her now? Because they’re a couple and all, and couples do corny shit like that. Ugh.
“That’s a bold word.”
“Love?” he questions.
I nod. “Yeah, man. Everyone is so quick to throw that word out there, when they really mean lust and—”
“I’m not lusting for her, Maddox. I really and truly love the girl.”
I swallow thickly, allowing his words to sink in. He thinks he’s really in love with Adelyn. Well, congratulations to the two of them. Guess the wedding invitation will arrive in the mail shortly.
I chuckle to myself at the insane thought. Sure, maybe he is in love with her, or he thinks he is, but they won’t get married. That would be insane. Do people even get married these days anymore?
“Bro, why are you laughing, it’s not funny. I do really love Addy.”
I pull over to the side of the road once we reach the area we’re supposed to be checking out. “Nah, man. That’s great. I wasn’t laughing about that. Just something I thought of that Mason had mentioned to me the other day. But that’s awesome, man. I’m really happy for you guys.”
He visibly relaxes. “All right. Cool. We’re going to be heading to Chili’s this Friday night and we want you to come.”
I furrow my brows. “Huh?”
He smirks. “This Friday. Addy wants to come by to see you, so I figured we could all grab a bite and maybe some drinks while we’re at it.”
Yeah, please pass the hard liquor.
“Are you sure you guys wanna do that? I mean, I don’t want to interrupt your date. And I don’t want Adelyn to be upset at me for being the third wheel.”
He chuckles. “Are you kidding, man? She’s the one who suggested we should get together soon. She wants to see you. It’s been five years since you guys hung out. I think it’ll be great.”
I nod and smile nervously. Great, right…
“Plus, you don’t have to worry about us having a date night. We do that all the time, and after we leave Chili’s, she’ll be spending the night at my house, so it’s going to be a really good night… in my bedroom.” He laughs at his joke.
Awesome. Just what I needed: a visual of my best friend boning the one chick who I used to love.
“So will ya come?” he asks, and I’m thankful he killed my thoughts.
I put on a fake smile, hoping he doesn’t realize just how fake it is. “Of course, I will.”
“Great, I’ll text Addy now and let her know.” He pulls out his phone and begins texting away.
What the hell did I just agree to? I take a huge chug of my coffee, thankfully it’s still piping hot. I don’t like it when it gets lukewarm. It either needs to burn the inside of my mouth or freeze it if it’s iced coffee. There is no in between.
He smiles. “She said to tell you hello and that she can’t wait for Friday to see you after so long.”
I nod, but can’t form the words to respond.
A call on the dispatch radio saves me. There’s a call that came through wanting us to check a domestic violence call a few blocks away.
I pick up the radio and answer while I drive toward the scene. “10-4. We’re en route.” I put the radio down. “Let’s go check it out.”
Chapter Three
“C’mon, that can’t be what happened.” I dip a French fry in ketchup and then pop it into my mouth.
“It’s true. Richie told me. Luis ran out of there with his pants around his ankles before her husband walked in on them,” Rick insists, then takes a sip of his Coke.
Yeah, I’m not sure how much of this I believe. Richie has been known for fluffing the truth. Richie is one of our wonderful co-workers.
“Oh, Richie told you,” Grant, my partner on the force, repeats. He waves a hand in front of him as he rolls his eyes. “That guy is the worst liar, Rick, and you know it.”
Rick shrugs with a smile. “Maybe. But it’s fun to believe it.”
He and Grant chuckle to one another while I just shake my head, looking down at my almost empty plate. I only eat like this on the weekends, Fridays included. Usually, I’m pretty strict on myself and work my ass off to stay in shape. After all, what kind of cop would I be to give into the donut loving stereotype?
Grant clears his throat. “So, what happened next? Tell me that son of a bitch got caught.”
Rick looks up at him from across the table and says, “Thelma played it off like she was waiting in bed for Petey.”
I’m a little confused. Who’s the guy again. “And Petey would be…”
“Her husband. Pay attention, man,” Grant says, slapping a hand on my back, chuckling.
This time I laugh, too. When I catch my breath, I say. “Right, right. Sorry. I’m not familiar with these two.”
Rick picks up a napkin, wiping at the corner of his mouth. “Luis is the lover. Thelma is the wife, and Petey is her dumbass husband who can’t see what’s right in front of his face. She’s been playing him for years.”
Grant chuckles. “Petey, Thelma and Luis… Shit, more like Thelma and Louise. Except these two won’t end things on their own terms. They’re just itching to get caught. One day, Luis is going to catch them red-handed.”
Grant rises from his seat. “Well, fellas. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got to run.”
Rick frowns. “Aw, you sure you can’t stay? Adelyn should be here any minute.”
“Yeah man, I only came out for a few minutes ‘cause I was in the area, but I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
We say bye to Grant and then I go to take a sip of my Diet Coke. But it’s empty. Damn, I’m still thirsty. I look around to see if I can spot our server from before, but he’s nowhere to be found.
And that’s when I see her.
Fuck. Is that who I think it is?
Long, dark wavy hair cascades down past her shoulders. Big brown eyes with long, thick eyelashes shine in the light as she tilts her head back, laughing with whoever she’s talking to on the phone. Dark crimson lips—full and plump—pull into the most illuminating smile I could never forget.
Wow.
Her pink shirt is barely holding on to the top button in the center of her chest. And even though she’s covered, there’s no way someone, anyone, specifically a single male, like me in my early thirties, can miss the curves held together by her black bra. I know it’s black because I can see the color through her shirt.
Damn.
And down below? Curvy hips fill black jeans, hugging snuggly. Low-heeled sandals grace perfectly painted toenails.
Shit. She looks better than I remember.
As she walks over, it’s as though time stands still, and I can’t pull my gaze away.
Wait, what? It’s happening. This is it, and she’s coming our way.
“Hey, man. You all right?”
I rip my gaze away from her, and face Rick’s bewildered expression.
“Huh? What?”
He chuckles. “You were pretty spaced out just a second ago. You all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine,” I say, picking up my cup and take a pull from my straw, only to find my cup is still empty. Oh, yeah. I had totally forgotten about that. It was the reason I was searching the diner for our server.
And then I saw her.
Adelyn Pierce.
I’m completely at a loss for words.
Rick turns his head to catch what I was looking at, and then he sees her. “Addy’s here!”
As if I hadn’t noticed? He must’ve thought I was looking at something, or someone, else.
He waves her over. “Addy! Here we are, Sweets!”
I avert my gaze back to the pretty brunette and see she’s just inches away from our table. As she makes her way over, her eyes lock with mine, and fuck, I’m screwed. How the hell am I going to pull tonight off knowing she’s here, and she’s dating my best friend?
Adelyn is the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. Sure, all the girls I messed with had been gorgeous. And they had worked in many beauty departments, so you know they looked good. Models, fashion designers, hairdressers… you name it. They were all great for the one and only reason I started talking to them in the first place, but like I’d mentioned before, there was no point in any of it. All those late night hook ups were just that and nothing more.
But Adelyn? Adelyn is gorgeous, and she just doesn’t compare. Damn. And the way she just lights up as she takes in my image, smiling as she’s walking over, is doing something to me I can’t even describe.
“Oh, my God! Maddox! Come here!” she exclaims. Her voice is still that same sweet melody. She’s glowing with those hazel rimmed eyes.
Somehow, I put on a smile and rise from my seat, then allow her arms to take me into her embrace. I hug her in return, feeling all of her luscious curves as they melt into me.
I bite down on my bottom lip. Fuck, she feels sexy as hell. And the way she smells? It’s fantastic. Like a garden of roses, or a beautiful bouquet of the prettiest flowers.
As we part, and I’m brought back down to reality, Rick speaks. “Hey, babe.”