by Brent, Amy
And soon, Terice’s hand was on my thigh.
“So, you’re a lawyer,” she said.
“I am, yes.”
“And you own your own business?”
“I do.”
“You must really work hard then,” she said.
She went from stroking my thigh to squeezing it, like she was trying to massage my cock to life.
“What do you do for work?” I asked.
“Oh, a little bit of this and that. I don’t really know what I want to do with my life yet.”
“Do you have any dreams or aspirations?”
“I don’t really have to think about that now. Not until I hit my junior year anyway.”
I choked on my drink before I quickly set my glass down.
“Junior year of college?” I asked hoarsely.
“You got it, Daddy,” she said.
She slid into my lap, and I knew immediately that I couldn't do this. She tried to kiss me, cupping my cheeks and grinding into my pelvis, but nothing about this situation felt remotely right to me. I gripped the woman’s hips and slid her off, then inched my way toward the edge of the booth and stepped down. I flagged down the waitress and asked her to get the girls a drink of water. Then I threw some money down on the table and sighed.
“Ladies, I hate to cut out early, but I have a long day at work tomorrow,” I said.
“All work and no play makes Daddy a dull boy,” Terice said.
“Yeah, Daddy,” Hunter said, grinning.
I shot him a look as I stuffed my wallet back into my pocket.
“Ladies, it was wonderful meeting the two of you. Hunter, make sure they get home safely. And I don’t mean your home,” I said.
Then, without another word, I left.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on, Logan.”
I sighed as I stepped out onto the curb and braced for the stale swill of Manhattan air that kicked up underneath my nose.
“What?” I groaned.
“Why are you leaving?” Hunter asked.
“Because I want to.”
“Dude, that woman was ripe for the taking. She was completely into you. And I know you. If you wanted to stay out, you’d just go into work a little later. What’s really going on?”
“What’s really going on is that none of this feels right, Hunter!”
I raked my hand through my hair as a growl left my lips.
“That girl in there is only a sophomore in college, and you don't give a shit! But I do, Hunter. I care that she’s only nineteen. I care about the fact that all she wants is sex. And do you know who else I care about?”
“Fuck me, man. Really?”
“That’s right. Really. Ava. I care about Ava. In fact, I love Ava.”
“You what now?” he asked.
“Yeah. I said it. I love Ava. I’m in love with Ava Leary. I’ve never felt this way before, with any girl. But I feel that way about her. And you might think she’s a rebound, and she might think she’s a rebound, but I know better. I know she’s not a rebound because I’m head-over-heels in love with the woman!”
“Then you should go get her.”
I whipped my head around and found Terice leaning against the doorway of the bar.
“What?” I asked.
“If you love her, you should go get her,” she said.
“Dude, just listen to me for a second,” Hunter said.
“No, you listen to me. My relationship with Camilla was a joke. I knew that from the start. I wanted it to be something more. She was fun and funny and wild and carefree, but I don’t work well with someone like that, not for the type of life I want for myself. And I’m not interested in one-night stands like you are with random women from the bar—no offense.”
“None taken,” Terice said.
“I want Ava, and only Ava. And I need you to understand that. I need you to accept it. I need you to support it. It’s going to take a lot to get her back after all we’ve been through. I’m going to need my best friend for that,” I said.
Hunter’s eyes danced between mine before he shook his head and snickered.
“Then what the hell are you still standing out here for?” he asked.
I smiled and wrapped my friend up in a hug before I clapped his back.
“Thank you. Seriously. Thank you for finally siding with me,” I said.
“Go on. Get out of here. Go get the woman of your dreams. And when the two of you get married, I expect to have a seat at the front of the house!”
“You’ll be my damn best man, Hunter.”
“That means I’ll be in charge of your bachelor party!”
“Negotiable!” I exclaimed.
I sprinted for my car and clamored into it. If I was going to get Ava back after all the bullshit that had taken place, then I needed something big, something huge. But it still had to be intimate somehow. Ava wasn’t the kind of girl that enjoyed big, grand gestures for everyone and their mother to witness. She enjoyed gestures that came from the heart, those that were small in stature but big in meaning. It had to be perfect. It had to be worth her time. It had to be well-placed.
Luckily, I knew just the place and the time to make it happen.
All I had to do was place one phone call to make sure it was all right.
Ava
Walking up to Camilla’s apartment door, I sighed. Clutching the small box of her things in my hand, I prepared myself for the closing of a chapter in my life. Camilla had been my best friend for years. I’d known her longer than I’d known anyone else in my entire life aside from my parents. But I couldn't deny the things that had transpired and the things she had said to me. Whether they were meant to hurt and harm or they were meant as truth, none of that mattered any longer. The mere fact that she would say them—or was possibly capable of the actions behind her words—broke my heart.
I couldn’t be around that kind of toxicity any longer.
After knocking on her door, I heard her padding across the floor. I closed my eyes and righted my mind, putting myself in a mindset to walk away. All I had to do was hand her the box, tell her good-bye, and head back to my car. But when she flung the door open and grabbed my wrist to pull me into the apartment, confusion washed over my features.
“Um, hi,” I said.
“Can we talk?” Camilla asked.
I furrowed my brow at her as I mindlessly handed over the box.
“You had some things at my place,” I said.
She looked down at them before she took them, and I could have sworn I saw sadness in her eyes.
“If I take it, will you talk with me?” she asked.
“Yeah. Sure. I guess.”
She took the box from me and set it down on her small dining room table. Then she took my hand and led me to her couch. My mind was at a dead standstill. Of all the reactions I expected, this was hardly one I would have bet on. She sat down and pulled me down beside her, and I fell onto the couch next to someone I recognized. Camilla didn’t have the anger and bitterness behind her features that she’d had during our last few encounters, and I wondered what type of game she was playing.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
I narrowed my eyes at her as I turned my body to face her on the couch.
“You’re what?” I asked.
“I’m sorry,” she said again.
“I heard you. I just don’t believe you.”
“And I don’t blame you for not believing me. I’ve been a raging bitch for a while now, and I owe you an incredible apology.”
My lips parted in shock as my eyes softened.
“Logan is a good man. A great one in fact. He treated me well, but even though we worked in some ways, we didn’t work in the ways that mattered,” she said.
I nodded, afraid that if I spoke, it would ruin the dream I had stepped into.
“Sure, we were sexually compatible, but we were compatible in other ways. We liked some of the same things, enjoyed some of the same vacation destinations. But our f
utures didn’t line up. He wanted a family. I don’t really want kids. I want to take random weekend trips to places, but he would rather stay cooped up in his condo watching movies and cooking. I enjoy fine dining. I enjoy getting dressed up in heels and jewelry. I like the bold makeup and the night life and the clubs and the fine champagne. I really do enjoy that stuff, and Logan simply didn’t.”
“No, he doesn't,” I said.
“I wasn’t just with him for his money. The money was nice, especially since I didn’t come from much. I mean, you know that. You know everything about me.”
“I do.”
“My point is, I didn't like myself when I met my boss.”
“What?” I asked.
“When my boss came to me and ushered me into his office to talk about the promotion, he kissed me. I didn’t kiss him, but he kissed me. It was the first time a man had ever pursued me.”
“Logan pursued you.”
“No, he didn’t. He eventually asked me out, but I called him. I sent him text messages. I was the one who called him every night to wish him good night. He never took the reins with me like he did with you, like he’s doing with you.”
I nodded slowly as tears rose in my friend’s eyes.
“But when my boss kissed me, I felt for the first time what it really meant to be wanted by someone. Yes, he promoted me, but it wasn’t because I was sleeping with him or whatever. He genuinely wanted to give me the job because I had applied for it the moment the position opened up. And after that first kiss, he kept pursuing me, and I didn’t brush him off. Which was my fault, since I was still with Logan.”
“But you enjoyed being pursued.”
“It was more than that. I enjoyed being the object of someone’s affection. Like I said, Logan liked parts of me and I enjoyed parts of him, but we were never a whole unit. I was never enjoyed fully for who I was, just like I never enjoyed him for who he fully was. And during the time when my boss was hitting on me and I was still with Logan, I hated myself for it.”
“Why?” I asked.
“A lot of reasons. I didn’t want to end things with Logan because we did have chemistry in some areas where it mattered. I knew Logan could provide me with a future if I wanted a stable one. My boss—well, he’s more of a free spirit, like I am. Less grounded, with his head in the clouds.”
“Sounds like you, yes,” I said.
“I told Logan I was sleeping with my boss for a raise because when I went to break up with him, I saw the hurt and the anger in his features. He told me he’d been by the club on a night I had told him I was working when I really wasn’t. And when I saw the hurt and the anger run across his face, I felt terrible. My mouth ran away from me to try to somehow makes things better, and I ended up making things worse.”
“Yeah, I’d say you did. Why did you lie about going to work then? Why did you stand him up going shopping?”
“I needed space and time to think. The shopping was a complete slip of the mind on my part. I told him where to be and what time, and then I fell asleep taking a quick nap and slept right through it. I had to be at work that night with new clothes and ended up getting in trouble with my boss. We got into a fight and I stormed out of work, which was why I wasn’t there.”
“Then Logan confronted you about not being at work,” I said.
“Yeah. And it spiraled from there. I made mistakes. I’m not trying to make excuses for them. But I lost control of the situation before I could try to rectify it.”
Nodding my head, I tried to process all she had just told me.
“The truth is, Logan and I were never meant to be. But the two of you? You guys are great for one another.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah. The two of you line up like two peas in a pod. I mean, there were moments when I was with Logan and I’d be with you and I’d wonder who the hell had replaced my best friend with my boyfriend.”
We shared a tentative laugh before my eyes dropped. And when they did, I took in the massive diamond ring on her left hand.
“What is that?” I asked.
I watched Camilla blush for the first time in my life as my jaw dropped.
“What is that!?” I squealed.
“He proposed,” she said.
“Oh my gosh. I’m so happy for you.”
I threw my arms around her neck without a second thought and held her close.
“I’m so happy with him, I can’t see straight,” Camilla said breathlessly.
“Congratulations,” I said.
“He proposed last night. We had a long heart-to-heart about everything that happened. About the overlap between him and Logan and how I didn’t go about things the best way and how I didn’t want my relationship with him to ruin my job at the club. And after we fought and made up, we laid there in his bed and he proposed to me, right there, with the two of us tangled up in his sheets.”
“Sounds like your kind of proposal.” I pulled back and wiped at the tears in her eyes. “Oh, Cam. I’m so happy for you,” I said.
“I really do love him, Ava. He’s the most incredible man I’ve ever known. He fits me like a glove. There isn’t a part of him I would change. Not for a second.”
I was happy for her. I really was. But part of me didn’t know how to feel about it. After all the things Camilla had said and done—after all the things she had admitted to—she was the one who got the happy ending? She was the one who got the man?
It didn’t make sense. Even though it was a selfish thought, it still didn’t make sense to me.
“Really, congratulations. Have you guys set a date?” I asked.
“Not yet. We’re giving it a few weeks before we talk about any of that. He’s taking me to London next weekend to celebrate our engagement,” she said, smiling.
“Then I hope you have the time of your life.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“How did you and Logan wind up together?” she asked.
I drew in a deep breath as my eyes fluttered closed. “Uh, well, it’s kind of weird,” I said.
“Weirder than everything I just told you?”
“In a way, yes.”
I opened my eyes and found Cam fully entranced by my words.
“Will you tell me about it?” she asked.
“Do you want to hear it?”
She reached for my hand and took it before a tear ran down her cheek.
“I know it’ll take us some time to repair things, but I’d really like to try. So yes, I’d like to hear your story.”
I drew in a deep breath and launched into my story. I told her about Save the Date and the initial meeting, how I spent that Sunday getting hair yanked out of my body and choosing the perfect outfit. I told her about the hotel and how I got my rose petals and my comfortable bed, that I got to have complete and total control over how I lost my virginity. Then I told her about how Logan was the one who entered the hotel room as I sat on the bed and contemplated whether or not I should go through with it. How we talked about what this could do to us—to me and Camilla—and how we originally agreed to keep it as a business transaction.
I told her about how the company lost the paperwork and how we had to do the night all over again. Except that time, it had been more passionate, more loving, more outstanding than the first time. I told her about how nervous I had been and how I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I kept feeling this pull toward him. I couldn't stop thinking about him. So, when he asked me to dinner at his place, I couldn't refuse.
“That was the morning I found you two, wasn’t it?” she asked.
I nodded as my eyes held hers.
“You want to know what I think?” she asked.
“What?”
“It sounds like the two of you are meant for one another.”
I didn’t even try to hide the shock that rolled across my face.
“I know, right? That statement coming from me, yeah. But it’s true. The two of you
do have a lot in common, and out of all the men in Manhattan, Logan signs up and he’s the one who’s paired with you? That seems a little too coincidental to be anything but fate.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. He’s your ex,” I said.
“And if you want him, I won’t stop you.”
I had no idea if I could believe her, but I sure as hell wanted to.
“Look, if the only reason you are pulling away from Logan is because I was being a hardcore bitch, then that’s not an excuse. Now, if he’s a dickwad to you or secretly an asshole or something, that’s another story. But if you’ve turned your back on all that simply because of me, then don’t. I won’t stand in your way and I won’t try to stop you. I’m happy, and I want you to be happy,” she said.
I nodded before I pulled her into one last hug. I didn’t want to answer her because I didn’t know what to think or how to feel about anything. I stood up from the couch to go, and Camilla ushered me out her door. As I made my way to my car, I took the time to absorb everything that had just happened. Out of all the reactions I had expected, a heart-to-heart conversation was the last thing I had thought would take place. I looked back at Camilla’s apartment before I slipped behind the wheel of my car, then let out a heavy sigh.
Still, I didn’t know if things would ever go back to the way they had been between us. She made it sound like she wanted to work on things, but after seeing a side of her I had never known existed, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to repair things. Yes, she had been my best friend, but I couldn't let that toxicity back into my life simply because she was sorry for it. I cranked my car up and backed out of the parking space, driving myself back to my own apartment so I could sit and think a little longer.
Not so much about my relationship with Camilla, but more regarding my status with Logan. Because if she really meant what she said, I wondered if maybe I could fix things with him, if I hadn’t broken them beyond repair.