“What are you thinking about, doll? You seem like you’re a million miles away.” I lift my head up from his shoulder that I’m cuddled against.
“I was thinking about Thanksgiving and wondering what your plans are. We haven’t talked about it yet and I’m not sure why.” My brow is furrowed as I sit up and turn myself to face him.
“I honestly forgot all about it,” He says. “I just assumed you’d come with me and meet my parents. I’ve told them all about you and they’re excited to meet you.” Oh shit.
“I have to go home for the weekend Garrett. My father expects me to be there and so do my brothers. I haven’t seen them since the end of August.” I nervously chew on my bottom lip as I wait for him to reply.
“I guess I can come with you. My family will understand.” My eyes get wide as what he said registers.
“Garrett, I care about you more than I’ve cared about any guy before. I’m thrilled with the way our relationship is progressing and I appreciate how understanding you’ve been with me so far.” Shit. I don’t know how to say this without upsetting or hurting him. “As great as things have been, I’m not ready to introduce you to my family.” I pause and notice a few different emotions passing over his handsome face. I see surprise, anger and finally sadness. As much as I want to spare his feelings, I have to be honest with him.
He rises suddenly from the couch and crosses his arms in front of his chest.
“Wow, I never saw that coming. Maybe I’m stupid or just clueless for not anticipating this very thing happening. I should’ve known that you wouldn’t want to spend the holiday together.” He shakes his head in anger. “You know what? You go spend the weekend with your family and have a great time. I’ll be fine with my family. It’ll give me a chance to spend some time with some of my friends.” He starts walking toward the front door so I jump up off the couch and hurry to catch him.
“Garrett, can we please finish talking about this?” I ask, grabbing his arm.
“What’s there to talk about? You already had your mind made up before we even started this conversation.” His eyes flash disappointment in my direction as he pulls free of my grasp.
“Why are you so upset? I’m not sure why you think you need to meet my family so soon. It’s not like we’ve been dating for a year; it’s only been a month. We have plenty of time to meet each other’s families.”
“You’re completely right, Shelby. How can we possibly mean anything to each other after only a month? I’ve been trying to make this relationship more than it is. Now that you’ve pointed it out to me, I won’t make that mistake anymore. I’m leaving now. I’ll see you in class.”
“Garrett, don’t go.” I say, but he doesn’t listen. Fuck. What just happened?
***
When I got to class this morning, Garrett wasn’t here and we have a substitute professor. I haven’t heard from him since he left my place on Wednesday night. I tried to call him a few times and he never answered so I’ve decided to leave it alone. He knows where I am if he wants to talk to me. I know he was upset, but I think he totally overreacted and he obviously still is. I tried to extend an olive branch to him, three times in fact. Now the next step is up to him.
As I’m packing up my things and getting ready to leave class, I get a text from Hailey.
Wanna go out tonight?
I could really use a night out. It would be a great distraction from all my drama.
HELL YEAH!
J.J.’s?
Sounds good.
The afternoon flies by and I’m getting excited to hang out with Hailey. We haven’t had a chance to spend time together lately and we need to catch up. I haven’t filled her in on the Garrett situation and I want to know what’s going on with her and Lee. She’s been staying over at the frat house with him most nights and lately it seems like I no longer have a roommate.
Hailey and I get ready together, like we used to, in our pre-boyfriend days. I let her straighten my hair and it looks amazing once she’s finished. I’m wearing my favorite, tightest pair of skinny jeans, paired with a tight black V-neck tee. I put on my favorite ankle boots, the same pair I wore with Garrett when we first started dating. I really don’t want to be thinking about him right now, so I decide to focus on picking out a jacket. The weather is starting to really cool off and it feels more and more like winter every day. I settle on my short black motorcycle jacket, which, unfortunately, also reminds me of Garrett, but it seems like everything is reminding me of him right now...even sleeping in my own bed. That could have something to do with the fact that I’ve been sleeping on the pillow he uses because it still smells like him. I’m so pathetic. I really miss him, though. I don’t know what to do about it, either. How many times can I try to contact him without giving up hope? I’m not sure if I’ll give it another shot. I don’t want to seem pathetic and I definitely don’t want to come off like I’m harassing him or stalking him. I’ve never been one to chase a guy that wasn’t interested and I’m certainly not going to start now.
Hailey and I walk into J.J.’s and pause for a moment. It’s a full house in here tonight and the path to the bar is blocked by wall to wall people. The overwhelming smell of body odor and beer is making my stomach queasy. I try to breathe out of my mouth without looking like a weirdo, hoping it will settle the churning that’s going on. I guess it’s better to look like a mouth breather than to lose my cookies all over the floor.
“Come on.” I grab Hailey by the wrist and tug her along with me as I squeeze through any available opening I can find in the sea of bodies. As we make our way across the sticky beer covered floor, I keep up a constant litany of “excuse me,” as we bump our way to the bar. If looks could kill, we’d be dead right now, with some of the daggers being thrown our way. It always seems to be the cheapest looking girls that act the nastiest toward us, but that could just be some strange coincidence. All I’m trying to do is get to the bar people and I’m doing it politely too. After a few minutes and a handful of elbow jabs that will leave bruises, we’re finally there.
Angie, our bartender friend, is working. As soon as she sees us she smiles and makes her way over.
“Hey, girls. I haven’t seen you guys in ages. What can I get for you?” I snort out loud.
“What can you get for us? Is that supposed to be a dig at us over how long it’s been since we’ve come in here?” Hailey rolls her eyes.
“Okay, you caught me. Shots of tequila it is.” Angie says as she grabs the bottle of Jose’ Cuervo. She pours four shots and pushes them across the bar top toward us. We each down two of them, immediately.
“Are you guys all set for now?” Angie asks, quirking her eyebrow. I give her a thumbs up as I enjoy the aftertaste of the tequila on my tongue.
“Let’s go dance,” I shout to Hailey over the continuous noise now assaulting our ears. Between the dull roar of the patrons talking and the loud music being played by the D.J., I can barely hear myself think. That might be a good thing, though, I’ve been thinking way too much lately. Tonight I need to have fun and lose myself in the music. I find a small open space on the dance floor that’s not too far from the bar and turn to face Hailey as I begin to move my hips to the thumping beat. I love to dance, especially when I have alcohol in me. It makes me less reserved and self-conscious about what I look like. Tequila seems to work best because it makes me not give a fuck. We continue dancing through a few more songs before grabbing four more shots. After I knock those back, I’m feeling really good about myself and my dancing ability as Hailey and I shake our butts all around the dance floor. My hands are in the air and my eyes are closed as I roll my hips and drop it down, all the way to the floor. As I undulate back upright, a pair of large, manly hands grip onto my hips. Hailey’s eyes open wide as she sees who’s behind me, but before I can even turn and look, I hear Jeff’s voice in my ear.
“Looking good Shelb.” I smile up at him over my shoulder as he begins to move along with me. Jeff and I have danced together a l
ot so I’m completely comfortable with him pressed against me. We continue to grind against each other and I tell myself that it’s fine to be doing this with him. As far as I know Garrett and I are over and I’m a free agent. What harm is there in a little dancing between friends? Jeff wraps his arms around my stomach and pulls me back toward him. I can feel him pressing against my ass and I know he wants more from me than just dancing. I’m not prepared to go that far with him. I need to see if this mess with Garrett can be resolved before I burn any bridges. He spins me around and presses his thigh between my legs as we continue to move. His arms are locked, tight around my waist, holding me close. I’m not unaffected by his touch. He and I have always had good chemistry and it obviously hasn’t gone away. His thigh is rubbing against the seam of my jeans and it feels better than I want it to. I look up at his face and notice how he won’t take his eyes off of mine. As I stare into his beautiful blue, heated gaze, I realize how much I’ve missed his friendship. He’s been someone I could always count on and there’s a definite gap without him in my life. I wonder if he feels the same or if he just misses the sex we had? I know I don’t have any right to ask him. I’m the one that put an end to our arrangement. I’m suddenly pulled from my thoughts as Jeff grabs my hand and tugs me toward the side of the room. There’s a hallway lined with restrooms on each side. I follow him, staying close, using his broad size as a blocker for my much smaller one. My strategy works like a charm and I make it safely across the dance floor completely unscathed. No more elbow jabs or rude looks for me.
Jeff keeps moving down the hallway in the direction of the back exit, pushing the door open and tugging me outside with him. Once the door shuts and he sees that there’s no one else around he spins me around and pushes me against the outer wall of the bar. I let out a gasp of surprise. I can feel the brick exterior scratching my back through the thin cotton of my tee shirt and the chilly temperature causes goosebumps to break out all over my arms. He slides his hands into the sides of my hair, tipping my head back and locks his eyes on mine before he breaks the silence.
“I miss you and I need you in my life, Shelby. I’ll have you in whatever way I can. If you’re involved with someone, then I’ll be your friend and if you want more, that works too.” I smile up at him.
“I’ve missed you so much, Jeff. I’ve been feeling like I lost my best friend. I definitely want you back in my life.” His answering smile is radiant, even in the darkness. The evening shadows being cast from the large building I’m pressed against gives a feeling of privacy to this alleyway that runs behind the bar. He pulls me into his arms, holding me close as he kisses me on top of my head. My arms are wrapped around his waist, squeezing him tight.
"Are you still involved with that guy?" He asks without letting go of me. I'm not sure how to even answer that question, at this point.
"We’re spending the holidays apart. I have to go home and see my father and brothers and I didn't want to subject him to all that they’d put him through. He wanted to come with me, but I think it's too soon. You know how my brothers are. They would harass him and ask him a million overly invasive questions. I'm an adult and I don't need my brothers involved in my love life. That’s the last thing I want and they’re worse than a group of gossiping girls when they get together." I shudder at the thought of what they’d do to Garrett and me if they had an inkling that we were involved. "So what are you doing for the break?" I pull back from his embrace after realizing how long I was in his arms for. I don't want to be inappropriate with him or give him false hope.
"I'm staying here. My parents are going to visit my sister in Florida." I frown at the thought of him spending Thanksgiving by himself.
"Why don't you come home with me? My family loves you and my brothers won't hassle you. They would never dream of pissing off Beacon University's quarterback." I roll my eyes at him. Jeff smiles at me before sucking his lower lip into his mouth, while he thinks about my offer.
"Are you being serious or are you just trying to be nice?" He questions.
"Jeff, do you really need to ask me that? You of all people know that I don't do or say things just to be nice. I want you to come with me, but you need to understand that we’re going as friends only. This isn't going to change where we stand with each other. There’ll be no late night rendezvous going on. You’ll be in one room and I’ll be in mine." I study his face, looking for any sign of disappointment, but I can't detect any.
"No problem Shelb. It sounds like a great time. When do we leave?"
***
It's the night before Thanksgiving and Jeff and I have been at my family's house for four days now. We've had a blast hanging out with my brothers. They've drug us out to a different bar each night and the bar flies buzz around them as if they’re dipped in pure honey. I almost feel sorry for how transparent and obvious some of the women can be, but they have no one to blame for their pathetic behavior, but themselves. Jeff has been garnering his fair share of attention as well; not that he’s acknowledging it. He’s been sticking close by me and it feels great to have my friend back. He's been careful not to touch me or cross over the carefully drawn line we have between us. I'm thankful for this because we still share an attraction between us and at this point, I'm not very confident in my ability to push him away if he tried to start something. I still haven't heard from Garrett and I can only assume that's not a good sign. It seems like our relationship is through, but it would be nice for him to extend the common courtesy of calling me and making it official.
I'm standing by the bar trying to get the female bartender to take my order, but she seems to prefer waiting on customers that have a dick between their legs. As I once again lift my arm up to catch her attention, a large, manly physique slips into the open space next to me. The bartender suddenly makes her way over toward him. She has a flirtatious smile aimed in his direction as she saunters up to the edge of the bar.
"What can I get you handsome?" She bats her eyelashes at him and it looks ridiculous. Seriously? I can't help the smirk that breaks out on my face.
"I believe this little lady was here first." I look up at the guy next to me to find him gesturing in my direction. "What would you like to drink, darlin'? His accent is distinctly southern and the grin he’s wearing is charming. An arm slides around my shoulders before I can answer him and Jeff nuzzles his nose in my neck.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to get over here, honey. Your brothers wouldn't stop talking. What do you want to drink?" As he looks at me, I can see the mischief reflected in his sea-colored eyes. I decide to have a little fun with him as I turn my body to face his and wrap my arms around his neck, toying with the longest strands of his hair. I pull his head down toward mine and just as our lips are about to meet I turn my mouth to the side; whispering in his ear.
"Are you my knight in shining armor now?" He nods his head and turns toward the waiting bartender.
"Can I get a margarita on the rocks with salt?" Jeff knows what drink I want without asking me. He’s been around me long enough to realize that I very rarely order something different unless Hailey and I are doing our tequila shots. As we watch my drink being mixed, he turns to me.
"I probably should’ve waited for a signal from you before stepping in. I'm sorry if I rushed to your defense without making sure you wanted my help. It's just a habit from all the time we were together. I forgot for a moment that it's no longer my place to do that." He says with chagrin, shrugging his shoulders.
"Jeff, I'm happy you stepped in and as my friend you have my permission to rescue me anytime." I lean over and kiss him on his cheek. "I think that guy was harmless, but you did save me the effort of turning him down." Jeff hands the money over as the bartender places my drink down on a cocktail napkin. I pick it up and I turn to walk away from the bar area.
"Thanks for the drink," I say as I'm about to take my first sip. I close my lips around the straw and suck some of the cool liquid into my mouth. It’s sweet and tart with a little kick of
tequila mixed in; just the way I like it. I'm only on my third drink even though we've been here for a couple of hours. I'm trying to pace myself and keep things strictly “friends only” with Jeff. He's looking pretty hot in his jeans and a tight black tee shirt that shows off his black and gray tattooed arms. Hey, I’m only human and he has bad boy written on every sexy inch of him. The ironic thing about Jeff is that he's not really a bad boy, he just looks the part and in reality, he’s one of the sweetest guys I've ever known.
"Are you sick of being around my family yet?" It seems like he’s been continually surrounded by my brothers for the past four days.
"Not at all. You know I think your brothers are great. I don't know if I should tell you this or not, but they’re planning on me becoming a permanent member of your family." I'm sure I have a look of confusion on my face right now.
"Did you tell them you don't need to be adopted, you're already an adult?" I giggle and take another large sip of my drink.
"Shelby, they don't want to adopt me, they want me as a brother-in-law." He cocks his head to the side and looks at me, waiting for me to grasp what he’s saying. These drinks must be getting to me because I’m having a hard time understanding what he means and I think my brain is moving in slow motion.
"How are those drinks treating you?" Jeff jokes as he pokes me in the side. I jump, shrieking and somehow manage to not spill a bit of my drink. "You don't seem to be understanding what your brothers were saying. They want me to marry you. That’s the only way I could be related to them, Shelby." He smirks at me as my eyes go wide. OMG.
"Wow, it's nice to know those assholes are trying to marry me off. What a bunch of dickheads. I can't wait until they start bringing girls around. I'm going to have so much fun getting revenge for all the shit they’ve done to me." I look over at the table the four of them are seated at and I direct my death glare at them. Unfortunately, they’re all too busy flirting with a bunch of skanks to notice. They don’t seem to be aware of anything but the sea of silicone surrounding them. As much as I love my brothers, their man whorish ways disgust me. I suck the rest of my drink back and grab Jeff’s hand.
Waiting for Love ((Waiting) Book 2) Page 11