Between Friends (Between the Raindrops #3)

by Susan Schussler

“What?” I pause gaping at her. “Did you get back together with Chase? Is he the reason you’re throwing us away?” Nak said, Jessica called him her kryptonite.

  She turns her head toward the glass wall and says in a snarky tone, “Yep. I got back together with Chase.”

  I don’t know if her goal is to hurt me or if she’s being sarcastic. It would explain why she stopped taking my calls and cut off all communication with me, though. I grasp her chin and turn her face until our lips are almost touching. I can see the pulse on her luscious neck pump. She can’t fight it either. I press my lips to hers and her mouth opens. My tongue pushes into her and I’m in heaven. I could devour her. My hand slides to her ass and as I pull her closer, she responds fully to my kiss, pushing her fingers into my hair and moaning as the kiss deepens. I’m standing between her knees and as her legs wrap around me, I kiss down her neck. When my lips reach one of her breasts, I take the tip into my mouth. I don’t care that I’m leaving wet marks on her dress. I need this. And she’s not fighting me. Her eyes close and the sweet little mewling noises she’s making tells me she wants it too.

  I want to take her right here on the bar to prove our chemistry is worth more than anything she could possibly have with her ex, but we still haven’t talked. I pull back slowly. It’s hard, very hard to do. We’re both panting, trying to catch our breaths as I lean my forehead to rest on hers. “Be with me, Meg,” I say, hoping to pull her back into my world.

  “You’re a liar, Nordstrom.”

  “I never lied to you. I meant every word I said on the island.”

  “You said we would just talk and now you’re using sex to trap me in your web. I can’t do this again.”

  I shake my head and put my hands up in surrender as I step back. I don’t know what to say because, yes, I want to show her what she would be giving up, but I also just want her. “I don’t want to lose you.”

  “We can be friends, like I said, but we can’t sleep together.” She’s still panting, and I don’t believe what she is telling me.

  “So you choose him over me.”

  She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. Then she takes a deep breath and shakes her head. “I just can’t be more than friends, okay? That’s all I want.”

  Now, I take a deep breath. I can’t believe this. Doesn’t she feel the electricity between us? What the hell? I can’t even look at her. My breathing hitches in a bad way, and I have to turn my head because I’m afraid she’ll see how pathetic I am.

  I swallow hard and say, “If we’re friends, you can’t block my calls. Otherwise, you’re an ex.” I still picture all the unanswered texts I had sent her. She could have just told me all we talked about on the island was a lie. She could have answered one of the twenty-three calls I made to her and told me not to plan our future together because she found someone better.

  She rolls her eyes and I know she’s never going to take my calls. I gulp down my emotions and try to sell the most difficult acting job I’ve ever done. I harden my face and help her off the bar. “I hope he realizes how lucky he is to have you.”

  She doesn’t say anything, just nods. I don’t believe he does.

  “Can you find your way back to the table?” I ask. I need a drink or ten before I can head back there. Nak is going to wonder what happened, and Fallston will give us shit about using the private room so quickly. I caught the smirk on his face when the server handed me the keycard. No one needs to know she gutted me in here. I need a few minutes to compose my face to show indifference. I lead her to the door and watch it close behind her, knowing I may never see her again.

  Chapter 32

  Liam

  BY THE TIME I stumbled back to the table last night, I had finished off half a bottle of whiskey. I usually don’t drink to excess especially since the studio sent out the press release talking about my stint in rehab. Ever since then, anytime someone snaps a picture of me with a drink, the rumors fly saying I’m spiraling into an abyss. Even the wait staff at the club seems to think it is their job to keep me sober. The look of worry that crosses their faces when I don’t want my usual tonic with lime tells me they discuss my well-being amongst themselves. Alcohol was not my problem though…well, at least not until last night.

  Nak said I made an ass of myself when I got back to the table. Apparently, I asked Meg detailed questions about her ex-boyfriend’s anatomy. Who, I guess in reality, is her current boyfriend. I’m not the kind of guy who gets jealous. I’m the king of indifference. Why does she affect me when no other woman does? I’ve never gotten drunk because of a woman before, and I don’t like the control she has on me.

  After I dragged my butt out of bed this afternoon, Nak and I discussed all the mistakes I made last night. By the sounds of it, he played his role of wingman valiantly, smoothing over the conversation at the table and dragging me out of the club before I could make the situation worse. I would be surprised if Meg ever talked to me again. I should just move on, but I can’t. She captured my attention from the first night we danced. Our bodies fed off each other with no effort at all, anticipating exactly what the other wanted. Sex with her was the best I’ve ever had. No one else even comes close in comparison. But that’s not all I miss.

  The truth is, I just miss her. I miss her laugh. I miss her smart comebacks. I miss talking to her. I miss the taste of her. My biggest regret is not taking her on the bar last night. If I could go back in time I would have fucked her until she didn’t know her own name and definitely didn’t remember his name. Hell, if I could go back in time I would have flown to Minnesota with her from the island and she never would have gotten back with that asshat.

  Before last night, it had been a month since I’d heard Meg’s voice. I don’t know how many unanswered texts I sent her. That’s a lie—forty-three. I’d called at least half that many times, hoping to catch her off guard, but it just rang and rang, not even going to her voicemail. It’s as if she’d completely blocked me.

  I open the one-sided text thread on my phone and think back to the island, trying to figure out where it went wrong. The week with her was like high definition. My life until then hazy in comparison. It was as if my world finally came into focus—so clear and vibrant that it was impossible to look away. She turned my old fuzzy sitcom reruns into a clearly-defined realm. I saw all the flawed pock marks of my past for the first time.

  I thought we were on the same page when she got on the plane to leave. We had talked about our week as being more than a vacation hookup. We talked about being a couple. I assumed we were exclusive. I don’t know what happened. When I saw her last night, I was pissed. I fully intended to bitch her out, but when I touched her silken skin and felt the energy coming off her, the fact she blocked me didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was being with her.

  I down a large glass of water, trying to rehydrate my body to recover from the worst hangover in recent memory. I am supposed to be at Jon and Sarah’s by seven. That’s only two hours from now, which means with Sunday traffic on the One, I need to hit the shower and get ready. I’d skip it all together except I need some answers from Sarah. Like, why the hell would Meg flirt with Lund to make me jealous, and make out with me when she has a boyfriend? Was she with him while we were on the island? Was I just a distraction? It felt like so much more. Shit. I was just a distraction for her.

  ***

  The second I walk into the courtyard at Jon’s house, I spot her. She’s sitting next to Sarah. Her eyes widen as if she didn’t expect to see me either. I take in a deep breath, trying to cleanse away all my thoughts about being with her. I turn on brooding mode and hope, for once, she won’t see through the disillusionment mist I’m projecting. I kiss Sarah’s cheek and thank her for inviting me, and clap-shake Jon’s hand, before sitting next to Meg at the table. I don’t kiss her cheek. It would hurt too much.

  “Hey, Meg,” I say with a nod, trying to display apathy.

  “Hi.”

  “Was that so hard?” asks Sarah. Then she
offers us both drinks.

  “Whatever you’re having,” says Meg to Sarah.

  “I’m just having lime water. I caught some bug down in South America. My stomach is still a bit iffy. I don’t want to throw up tonight’s dinner.”

  They’ve been back for two weeks. How could she still be sick? I look to Jon and he’s smiling from ear to ear. He wouldn’t be smiling if that was the real reason she’s given up alcohol. I want what they have. I want it all with Meg. Is that wrong?

  “Then a Whiskey Coke for me. Nordstrom will just take the rest of the whiskey bottle, no glass,” Meg says with a spiteful expression.

  Sarah looks at me for an explanation of Meg’s comment.

  “I am sorry I lost control last night. You blindsided me when you told me you got back together with your ex.”

  Sarah turns to Meg, her lips hardened into a straight line and her jaw clinched. I guess this is news to her. “No, Megan. You are not back together with Chase. You can’t get back with him.”

  Now this is getting interesting. Sarah obviously hates the guy.

  “She’s already back with him,” I say.

  Meg twists in her seat and faces Sarah with an apologetic, yet defensive expression. “I’m…”

  “He’s the reason she blocked my calls and didn’t respond to my texts for the last month. She couldn’t even break up with me in a text? Stop calling me. I’m back with my ex. How hard is that? ”

  Now Meg turns to me, anger burning in her eyes. “I didn’t block you. You never called. You’re just trying to make it look like it’s my fault. I never blocked your calls.”

  “Didn’t answer my texts or calls, how is that different from blocking?”

  “You are the one who didn’t answer my texts and calls. Stop trying to turn it around.”

  “I haven’t been with anyone since we were together on the island. Hell, I haven’t been with anyone else since the night I met you. I’m not the one who got together with my ex.”

  Jon chuckles, and I turn to scowl at him. I know I’m being a whiny-ass little girl, but I don’t need hecklers from the audience. He smiles with his eyebrows raised, and I can tell what he’s thinking. Karma is a bitch. I’ve completely fallen for this girl and she doesn’t want me. I’ve lost my mind. And he’s right.

  “You’re not back with Chase.” Sarah looks to me as if asking me to clarify. “She can’t be back with him. You better not be back with him.” Each time Sarah opens her mouth, she sounds less confident.

  I find satisfaction in Sarah’s reaction. Somehow, I feel as if I just tattled on Meg.

  “What are you smirking about, Nordstrom? You are such a jerk sometimes,” says Meg. “I’m not back with Chase. I just don’t…I can’t…I can’t be with you.”

  “Why?” I don’t care Sarah and Jon are listening. I don’t care she lied to me. I want to know why.

  “I just want to be friends, okay? That’s all we can be.

  “Why? Why can’t we be together? You just admitted you lied about being with your ex. What is stopping us? After the wedding, you seemed willing. What’s changed?” I watch as Sarah and Jon make eye contact, then both rise and head into the house without a word.

  I get up, make Meg a whiskey and Coke at the bar and hand it to her, hoping to relax her enough to get an honest answer.

  “I’m waiting,” I say without looking up as I pour myself a club soda and squeeze a sliced lime into it. When I sit down next to her, I take out my phone. She still hasn’t answered. I type out a text.

  Me: I want you, Meg, always and forever.

  It’s the truth. I don’t know how else to say it. I expect her phone to ping or at least vibrate. It is sitting right there on the table, face up. It doesn’t even light up.

  “You totally block me.” She blocked me. “I just sent you a text. It didn’t even register on your phone. You blocked my number.”

  “I didn’t block your number. I don’t even know how to block a number.” She picks up her phone and lights the screen, then hands me her phone. “See? You never sent a text.”

  “Well…I sent it.” I hand her my phone to prove my point.

  I watch as her eyes get as big as an anime character’s. Big and blue and gorgeous, they glance up to meet mine. I think she’s reacting to the always and forever in the text I just sent, but she’s not. “Whoa. You know what this means?” A smile blazes onto her face. “You’re not the ass I thought you were.”

  I scowl at her. I’m not an ass. I’m not going to let her dismiss the words I wrote.

  She looks back down at my phone and begins reading through my texts. “I can’t believe you actually sent these. Why didn’t I get them?”

  “You didn’t block me?” I don’t really need to ask because I can tell by her expression she is completely surprised by my texts.

  She glances at the phone in my hand and lets out a breath. Her lips purse as she shakes her head. “This has to be Chase’s fault. I don’t know how to prove it, but he did this. I’m sure of it. He gave me that phone and he somehow blocked you. I can’t believe I never realized he was manipulating my phone. I mean with all the crap that happened with Seth’s intervention, I should have thought of this. He’s just…so good at lying.”

  “Wait a minute. You let him mess with your phone? Why would you let him have access to your phone?” After all that happened on the island, why would she even hang out with him?

  “I didn’t give him direct access, but he bought me the phone and set it up. He downloaded all my information from my old phone when he switched over the number to the new phone. He must have gotten all my passwords. Liam, I’m so sorry. I blamed you, but it was him.”

  I shake my head. “Why would you let him buy you a phone?”

  “I thought he’d changed. He brought it over as a gift—no strings attached. I didn’t think he was capable of doing this. I’m sorry.” Her face is full of remorse.

  I watch her for a couple of minutes as she reads the texts I sent her. She seems to have disregarded my “forever and always” comment. I thought it would have a bigger impact on her. Chase ruined that too. I watch her for a while trying to guess which one she is reading when her eyes pop up and meet mine.

  “Stop watching me, Nordstrom. Find the texts I sent you.”

  I find her contacts, but can’t find my name. “He deleted me.”

  “Look under Naked Sandwich.” She smiles and continues reading.

  I pull up Naked Sandwich and start thumbing through her texts. Wow she sounds pissed in the last one she sent.

  Friends? Whatever. If you’ve been in a coma, call me when you get out, otherwise don’t bother.

  I scroll up.

  I bought a bag of Skittles today and ate the whole thing myself. Didn’t think of you once.

  Her text is really funny and I can’t help but laugh. I look over to Meg. Her expression is unclear. I take several minutes to read through the thread before I glance up at the picture of us at the club. She still has it as the contact photo.

  “Who is this naked sandwich dude? This isn’t even my number.”

  She looks up again, “What? That’s the number you put in. I never changed your number.”

  I tap to call the number. “It’s not what I put in your phone. Who have you been sending my texts to?” The call rings and rings without going to voicemail. “I just called the number you were texting. There was no voicemail.”

  “I know,” she says. “Your voicemail never picks up.” Her eyes are still glued to my phone.

  “I’m going to delete this one and put my real number in your contacts.”

  She jumps up and grabs her phone. “No. Don’t.”

  “What the hell, Meg? Don’t you want the right number?”

  “Not on this phone. I have to get a new phone. Chase probably has an app tracking every keystroke I make. I don’t want him to know I’m on to him.”

  “Oka…ay.” I take the phone back from her and she sits down. “I’m going to check
to see if my number is blocked.” I go into the phone’s settings to find the list of blocked numbers. “Mine’s the only number blocked.” A text buzzes on my phone. Whoever it is can wait. I’ll check it later. She’s still reading the texts I had sent her. Her eyebrows knit for a second and her reaction makes me wonder which text she’s reading. It’s probably the one where I laid out my plans for our first official date. It’s not the reaction I wanted. I was hoping it would make her smile.

  “I think we need to get revenge on your asshole ex,” I say and she looks up to meet my gaze for a second before returning her attention back to my phone. I can’t tell what she is thinking, but I want to kiss her so badly.

  The click of Sarah’s heels on the cement breaks our connection and at that moment I realize this was a set up. We are sitting in the courtyard of Jon and Sarah’s house because they knew we were fighting and wanted us to put our problems behind us.

  I’d talked to Jon when they got back from their honeymoon. I tried to be vague about what had happened between Meg and me, still unclear if the whole “you’re the only person who could bring her to the wedding” was an open invitation for us to hook up or not. I hoped it was. I figured if I was the only person who could do the job, he knew about our connection. Sarah probably heard the whole story from Meg. What Sarah and Jon hadn’t planned on was the club fiasco last night.

  “So…Did you work it out?” asks Jon, setting a pile of plates and silverware on the table in front of us.

  Sarah sets a tray of appetizers down, and I look to Meg to confirm we are good, but she doesn’t look up. She is still staring at my phone.

  “We’re good,” I say, but as I watch Meg, I can tell something is still wrong. She finally glances up and sets the phone down.

  Sarah smiles and doesn’t say a word, but I can see the satisfaction smeared all over her face, and I know she and Jon schemed to get us together.

  Over dinner, Meg and I explain our theory on how Chase successfully kept us apart by sabotaging Meg’s phone. Meg thinks he’s been stalking her phone since he gave it to her. She says he knew all about us hooking up on the island and he told her before she left, he could tell she was no longer in contact with me because of her mood. She’s either really gullible or he’s a really smooth liar for her not to know he was stalking her before today.