Stars On Fire

by E. L. Todd

  “It doesn’t. But you’re never around, and that’s not what she’s looking for.”

  “Really?” I asked. “Because I’ve heard her say multiple times she’s looking for a good time and good sex.” I extended my arms then pointed my thumbs into my chest. “I could be of service.”

  Now his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

  “Seriously, what am I missing?” My brother had a different attitude that I’d never encountered before. He turned into a defensive dog that wanted to protect a young pup that wasn’t even his. “It seems like you’re making this into a bigger deal than necessary. You’re almost thirty, and Charlotte seems like an intelligent woman. Let’s cut this high school drama shit.” Stacy never told me her friends were off-limits to me—not that I ever tried to go for them. My brother was right when he said I could catch tail elsewhere. I was interested in very specific kinds of relationships—sexual in nature and no strings attached.

  Vic leaned back in his chair and ignored his untouched beer. The game played on the TVs around us, and the people in the bar chatted about the score. He ground his teeth and shifted his jaw back and forth as he prepared to speak. “Alright, here’s the deal. I guess my behavior is erratic. I guess I am overreacting. I guess it really doesn’t matter if anything ever did happen between the two of you. Charlotte is a grown woman who can do whatever she wants.”

  “Then why are you acting like a crazy person?”

  “Because…it hasn’t been Charlotte’s best year. She’s been going through a really difficult time, and I guess I want to protect her.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how I can protect her from the world, from living her life, but when I thought something was going to happen between the two of you, I just freaked out…” He dipped his chin toward the table and brought his glass to his lips for a drink.

  I never would have guessed Charlotte was combating her own demons. She was a beautiful woman with a pretty smile, the nucleus of every conversation she was in. She was always dressed in bright colors, cutoff shorts, and slick ponytails. She reminded me of bubble gum and Slurpees. Just when I thought I was observant, I realized my impression of her had been dead wrong. I’d been too focused on her beauty, on her unique qualities that set her apart from everyone else. I’d been too focused on myself—on the fact that she didn’t interrogate me like everyone else. “What happened to her?”

  “Divorce.”

  It was a bomb I didn’t see coming, but I nodded anyway. She seemed young to be divorced, but since she was so awesome, I immediately assumed her ex was the problem. There was no way a smart, hardworking, and fun woman like that could be anything less than perfect. I hardly knew her, but I still knew that was true. “What happened?”

  He shook his head. “I’d rather not say. It’s her secret to tell if she wants to.”

  I didn’t press for information because he was right. It was cheap for me to have asked him in the first place—like we were gossiping. “If she’s recently divorced, fun and sex is probably all she’s interested in anyway. Those are my two areas of expertise, funnily enough.”

  Now that my brother had calmed down, he scoffed then grabbed his glass. “Do what you want. Just don’t do anything stupid, or I’ll punch you in the face.”

  “I won’t. But if I do, don’t hit me too hard.” I pointed to my cheek. “I can’t launch with a black eye.”

  He took a drink and stared at me over the rim of his glass. “What about two?”

  6

  CHARLOTTE

  I FOUND a glittery rainbow dress to wear to the party. It was backless, brilliant, and the perfect festive outfit to wear for a surprise birthday party. My hair was pulled back, and I found the cutest pair of black heels to wear with it.

  I decorated the private back room of the restaurant with balloons, streamers, and a big banner that said Happy Birthday on it. The place was bigger than the living room of their apartment, and having someone else take care of the food would make our lives a million times easier.

  Kyle came to my side, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. “I just gave the cake to the waiter. They’ll put it in the fridge.”

  “Perfect. Thanks so much.” When I finally finished my preparations, I grabbed my glass of champagne and took a drink.

  He watched me drink every last drop, slightly amused. “Anything else I can help you with?”

  Stacy’s friends were chatting together in the room, holding drinks in their hands and laughing as they waited for the guest of honor to arrive. Vic was supposed to get her here for a birthday dinner, and then when she walked inside, she would be totally surprised. “No, I think we’re set. All we have to do is surprise her. Then I can finally chill out.”

  He slid his hands into his pockets then looked down at my dress. “That looks good on you. You can pull off all the colors.”

  “Thanks. I got a crazy good deal on it. That’s the only way I would be able to afford something like this.” I made good money at the lab, but I was a single person who had to afford everything on my own. That meant I didn’t split the cost of any of my bills, not the way I used to. It really added up over time and made me pinch my pennies.

  Neil walked inside a second later, wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. His pants fit low around his hips, and his shirt showed how tight his stomach was. He had the perfect triangle shape, the ideal look for a man. Wide shoulders and narrow hips. His handsome smile and pretty eyes just made him more perfect.

  Naturally, all the women looked at him like he was eye candy.

  Kyle followed my gaze. “Is that the Neil guy I keep hearing about?”

  “Yes. How’d do you know?”

  “Because you keep staring at him.” He grabbed his beer off the table and took a drink.

  I pulled my gaze away from Neil and looked at Kyle. “I wasn’t staring.”

  “You only stopped because I called you out on it,” he said with a slight grin. “I’m not judging you. I haven’t really seen you look at anyone that way since your divorce.”

  Most of my dates had been…blah. There was never any long-lasting chemistry. The sex was decent but nothing to write home about. And there was never any substantial connection. Maybe I hadn’t truly been ready to meet someone new, so I never really tried to make a relationship happen. It’d only been six months since I signed those papers, so it wasn’t like I needed to rush. “Do you see anyone you like? Lots of cute girls here.”

  He scanned the room and shrugged. “There’re a few cute girls here, but nothing too exciting.”

  “You’re a picky guy.”

  “No. I just don’t chase unless there’s something worth chasing.” Kyle was a tall and handsome man. At work, my coworkers always asked me about his situation. He’d been single since I’d met him, having hookups here and there but never anything serious. When we’d slept together, I’d just wanted sex and he delivered. The sex was good, but I ended things to preserve our friendship. I needed rebound sex and he was happy to provide it, but I didn’t want to keep using him.

  I looked up and saw Neil engaged in conversation with a couple of girls. A beer was in his hand and he smiled as he listened to whatever they said, but then his eyes trailed away and looked at me. His grin didn’t change, but his eyes noticeably lightened in affection. He turned his attention back to the girl and kept listening to whatever she was saying.

  “He’s into you.” Kyle held his beer near his chest and continued to watch Neil. “But Vic does have a point, about him never being in one place too long. There’s no possibility it will ever go anywhere.”

  “Who said I wanted it to go anywhere?” After getting divorced, my faith in marriage had declined significantly. Vic and Stacy gave me some hope that love could last forever, but sometimes I wondered if they were just special. Maybe Vic really loved her…but Cameron never truly loved me. “I haven’t been divorced very long. I’m not looking for anything serious. It’s hard to imagine me being in a serious relationship for a very long time…”

 
“You will one day. When it’s the right time and the right guy.” He drank his beer again then looked at his watch. “When will they be here?”

  “Any minute. He’s supposed to text me when they get to the parking lot.”

  Even though Neil didn’t know anybody, he made his way through the crowd and engaged in small talk. He created a throng of admirers instantly, women who looked at his ass as he passed. He finally made his way over to me, drink in hand. “The woman of the hour.”

  “That’s Stacy, and she’s not here yet.”

  “You’re the one who threw this together—so it’s you.” He tapped his beer against my glass. “It looks great in here. Stacy will be thrilled.”

  “Yeah, I think she will be.” I forced myself to keep my confidence and not lose my nerve. This man intimidated me because he was so classically handsome but also wildly successful. He was super smart and super sexy…how often did that happen? But I tried not to think about it and spoke to him like he was a regular person. “Introduced yourself to everyone?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t make it to the wedding, so I’d never met her friends before.”

  “Well, I’m the only friend who matters so…”

  He chuckled. “I guess that’s true.” He turned his attention to Kyle, who stood beside me. They were close in height, so their eyes were level with each other. He extended his hand. “Another friend of Stacy’s?”

  Kyle shook his hand. “Yes. But I met her through Char.”

  He nodded slowly, his kindness not as bright as it was before.

  “Kyle and I work together,” I explained. “We started at the same time and have been friends ever since.”

  Neil turned his gaze back on me, nodding slowly again. “Cool. So, when is the birthday girl going to be here?”

  “Whenever Vic can get her out of the house,” I said. “She takes forever to get ready, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she was an hour late.”

  Neil chuckled. “She and I are one and the same in that regard.”

  Kyle excused himself to get another drink. “I’m gonna get another beer. You want anything, Char?”

  “The same. Thanks.” I handed him my empty glass, and he left the private room to return to the bar.

  Neil watched him go before he turned back to me. “I really like that dress.”

  “Thanks, I really like it too. It’s every color, so I can wear whatever heels I want.”

  “And it matches your personality.”

  “My personality has a color?” I asked.

  “Yes. All the colors.” He glanced at the people in the room before he turned back to me. “It’s nice of you to do this for Stacy.”

  “Well, it was actually Vic’s idea. He loves her so much… It’s sweet.”

  “Yeah, he does. I remember when he told me things were getting serious.”

  “Aww, what did he say?” Even though I wasn’t a fan of romance anymore, I loved hearing romantic stories. It gave me hope that love really existed…somewhere out there.

  “That’s confidential.” He brushed off my question, but he smiled like he would give up the details anyway.

  “Come on, they ended up together, so it’s okay. I’m not asking about a random piece of ass.”

  “Well, Stacy is his favorite piece of ass…I’ll say that.”

  I rolled my eyes but smiled at the same time, finding that dirty comment very sweet. Vic wasn’t the romantic type, not the kind of guy to get a girl flowers or write a poem. He was quiet and direct. But that made his endearments even better.

  “He told me Stacy was the one and he was going to marry her…someday.”

  “He said that?” I asked in surprise. “When was this?”

  “Shortly after they met, actually. But he played it cool for a while.”

  “Aww…I’m gonna tease him so hard.”

  “And throw me under the bus?” he asked.

  “You’re his brother. You’ll recover.”

  He chuckled. “Alright, I guess that’s true.” He took a drink of his beer then set it on the table beside him. A plain black watch was on his wrist, and the color of his t-shirt contrasted against his tanned skin. He hadn’t been home very long, but he seemed to be in the sun often enough to get a little darker every time I saw him. “So, are you and Kyle on a date?”

  The question came out of left field—and I didn’t have a glove to catch the ball. “Kyle? No, we’re just really good friends. Besides Stacy, he’s probably the closest friend I have. We have a lot in common, things that Stacy doesn’t have an interest in.”

  “Such as?”

  “Our softball league, playing poker, hiking, stuff like that. Stacy cares more about having a spa day, going shopping, and trying every new sushi place that opens up. That’s totally fine because I like doing that stuff too.”

  Neil stared at me like he hadn’t heard a word I said. His eyes lingered, directed on my gaze. He was over a foot taller than me and he had to tilt his chin down to look at me, so it was obvious when I was the only thing he wanted to look at. His gaze continued, the silence stretching out as people continued talking around us.

  My phone vibrated in my clutch, so I pulled it out, thankful a distraction had interrupted the heated moment. It was a message from Vic. Just pulled into the parking lot. “Everyone, get into place. She’s here!”

  STACY WAS drunk by the end of the night.

  “I love you.” Stacy kept hugging me, like she forgot she’d hugged me a second ago, so she did it again. “Like, really love you.” She hugged me into her chest, squeezing my face against her big tits.

  “I love you too…” I patted her on the back, getting more boobage than I needed.

  Stacy pulled away, her eyes drooping because she was so drunk, she was exhausted. “You are a catch. If I were a man…”

  Vic stepped toward us, standing at attention. “Yes?”

  “I would be all over you,” Stacy continued. “You’re so hot, girl. You’ve got the whole package.”

  I rubbed Stacy’s back. “Thank you, girl. I appreciate it.”

  “Seriously.” Stacy hugged me again. “Cameron is a stupid piece-of-shit asshole that will regret the day he left. Trust me, he’ll hate himself someday. I promise you.”

  She’d just embarrassed me in front of everyone in the room, including Neil. But I knew she meant well, so I brushed it off. “I know, girl. Now, let Vic take you home. He’s been wanting to take that dress off you all night.”

  “I’m way too drunk for sex,” she said as she wobbled.

  “Nope, I don’t think so.” Vic circled his arm around her waist and supported her. “It’s happening.” He inserted his arm behind her knees then lifted her into the air. He cradled her close then carried her out of the restaurant.

  “You’d have sex with Charlotte, right?” Stacy asked as she was carried away. “She’s so hot…”

  Vic kept walking. “I’m not answering that.”

  When they were gone, along with the crowd, I grabbed the bill and opened the folder. No one had offered to chip in, so I would put the total on a credit card. It felt weird taking money from Vic since it was Stacy’s party, so I wouldn’t ask for help.

  Neil grabbed the folder and placed his card inside. “I’m not letting you pay for this on your own.”

  “You’re a guest, so I’m not letting you pay for it either.”

  He snatched it back. “Let’s split it, then. A fair compromise.”

  “No…you don’t have to do that.” It was a sweet gesture, totally unexpected. This party wasn’t his idea, so he shouldn’t have to pay for it. His only responsibility was to come and have a good time.

  “I want to.” He shut the leather sleeve and handed it to the approaching waiter.

  When we were alone together, my fingers ran through the hair hanging from my slick ponytail. “Well…thank you. That was sweet of you.”

  “You can thank me by buying me a Slurpee.”

  I couldn’t keep my smile away. “Don’t y
ou still owe me one?”

  “Technically. So, you owe me one, and I owe you one. How about we go now?”

  “And buy each other Slurpees?” I’d spent the evening drinking beers and cosmos, so my belly was already full of liquids. In my nice dress and heels, I wasn’t exactly dressed to stop by a 7-Eleven and get a frozen treat, but I couldn’t turn it down either.

  “Yeah. How about it, Slurpee?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “That’s my nickname now?”

  “It fits.”

  The waiter returned with the sleeve and the receipts. We both signed the bottoms and then returned our cards to our wallets.

  Kyle came back from the bathroom. “Hey, you ready to go?”

  I forgot that Kyle had given me a ride. My truck was still in the parking lot outside my apartment.

  Neil dropped his playfulness once Kyle joined us again.

  “Actually, Neil and I were going to grab a drink,” I said. “I’m sure he can give me a ride home afterward.”

  “Of course,” Neil said. “After all the rides you’ve given me, I think that’s fair.”

  “Alright.” Kyle gave me a one-arm hug before he walked out.

  Neil and I left the restaurant then headed to his Range Rover a few feet away. Stunning white with a black top, it reminded me of the sleekness of an astronaut suit. It fit him perfectly, better than any other vehicle could have possibly complemented him.

  The vehicle automatically unlocked once we approached, and then we left for the 7-Eleven a few miles away. The darkness inside was only interrupted by the subtle lights coming for the center console, all the flat screens that showed the radio and the temperature.

  Neil turned up the radio slightly.

  “You like Radiohead?”

  “I like anything.”

  “Really? Gangsta rap?”

  He shrugged. “If it’s got a good beat, I’ll give it a chance.”

  “Country?”

  “Come on, this is Texas. Of course I like a little country. But my favorite genre is classic rock. What do you like?”

  “I’ve been listening to Lorde lately.”