by Mia Kayla
A part of me wanted Kendy to myself since I hadn’t seen her all week, but I knew that was plain stupid. We weren’t together, and yet I missed her. It was becoming harder and harder to lie to myself.
Was it possible to miss someone who wasn’t even yours?
I looked at the clock on the wall. We still had time to grab something to eat before I was going to meet her. “Hey, want to grab dinner?”
“Sure,” he called back before strolling to his room.
“I’m going to snooze off for a bit. Wake me up when you’re done with your hair.”
***
KENDY
“No, that girl was a skank, a wannabe good girl. Gold digger through and through.” I slapped Trey’s shoulder as we chilled, reclining on the lounge chair of Clayton’s Wine Bar and checking out the slew of women in front of us.
After who knew how many rounds of drinks, we’d tried to look for Brian’s type. Trey and I had been arguing playfully for hours, not even letting Brian get a word in.
One thing we agreed on was that Brian needed to pick himself a keeper. We both knew he was ready to settle down.
“Kendall, you just don’t know your women like I do,” Trey joked, a heavy, drunken smile on his face.
I gave him my own drunken smile. “Trust me, I’m the queen of manipulation, and that girl was a skank to the tenth degree.” I flipped my golden locks over one shoulder. “And you say you know women, pfft. I know how women work because I’m from the species.”
“How about that girl?” I pointed to a beautiful tanned woman sitting by her friends on the opposite end of the room. She had legs that went on forever. Her face had a sweetness about it, and she was attractive, not super skinny, but where she had curves in all the right places.
Trey tipped his beer in the blonde’s direction. “That girl?”
“Yes, that girl.” I nodded. “Seriously, I’d date her. Look at her.”
“You’d date her because she looks like you.” He threw back his head as he laughed, which made me flush pink.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Brian said, getting in between us. “Don’t I get a say in who I’m going to end up with?”
“No!” Trey and I said in unison, making us all crack up.
Trey ran one hand through his dark hair and looked at me pointedly. “You were picking out all the uptight, granny-looking ones. I mean, you can’t do that for my man over here.” He threw one arm over Brian’s shoulders and pulled him in for a brotherly side hug.
“Well, you’re choosing the half-naked ones, with their titties hanging out. Seriously, that’s not settling down material.” I threw Trey a face.
Brian had been quiet most of the night. He had this lazy, drunk look all over his face, and he was take-me-to-bed adorable.
I patted his chest, letting my hand linger there as warmth spread up my arm. “Brian, tell your best friend that I’m right. You liked Chloe from Midtown, the beautiful blonde with the cutest outfit.”
Trey’s eyebrows shot to the dark night sky. “Um, that woman had jacked up teeth. Dude, messed up teeth is a deal breaker.” Trey pointed to the bar in front of us, where Chloe stood with her group of friends. “You want to get with Kendall’s girl with the jacked up teeth?”
I peered up at Brian, looking at him expectantly. “Oh, so you wanna marry flapper? She’s used and abused. Her shit’s so loose her lips down there are starting to flap.” I jutted my chin out, waiting for his reply. “Brian?”
He just shook his head at the both of us as the beginning of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth. “No comment.”
I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. “Whatever. You know I’m right. How about the bartender, the girl with the bouncy curls and a sweet smile?”
A slow secret smile crept up Trey’s face as he glanced back at the bartender tending to her patrons. “Kendy, have you noticed you’re only approving of the women for my boy over here,” he slapped Brian’s chest, “who look just like you.”
An awkward silence filled the air as Brian turned to me, and the tips of my ears heated as I glanced from the tall tanned woman, to Chloe, to the bartender with the blonde bouncy curls.
Shit! Trey was right, and I hadn’t even realized it.
I rolled my eyes. “The only thing we have in common is that we’re all hot. Don’t you think your boy deserves an attractive girl?” I played it off as a nervous chuckle left my lips.
Here I was trying to keep my distance and the friendship lines intact by setting Brian up with a woman who was worthy of him. But as I took in his beautiful face, a face that I’d been seeing on a weekly basis, I wondered where my place would be when this girl became a part of his life. I’d grown fond of hanging out with him, and the selfish part of me didn’t want to let that go.
TWELVE
BRIAN
As we waited for the cab, Trey and Kendy argued back and forth about my future wife. She would lean into him and slap his shoulder, and huff and puff at him. I didn’t know why, but that familiar jealousy boiled up inside me again. I fisted my hands as I fought a strong desire to yank her away from Trey, take her home, and claim her.
Trey laughed at whatever Kendy had just said, and it made my face steam. I’d never been mad at my best friend over a girl. Probably because he’d been dating my sister for a huge chunk of our time in high school.
I knew he didn’t want Kendy, but I couldn’t help it. This jealousy was an animal all its own.
When he reached out and grabbed her forearm, I stiffened. The next moment, I laughed awkwardly and possessively pulled her closer to me. It was a smooth move, and one I didn’t think she noticed as her giggles continued. But Trey did. I saw his smile falter as he stared at me questioningly.
Trey had never been a cock blocker. That was one of the things I’d never have to worry about him. One quality that oozed out of Trey was loyalty, but still . . . there was something about tonight, or maybe it was just Kendy who brought out this jealous bastard in me.
A moment later, he stepped away from her. Just when a cab pulled in front of us, Trey scratched the top of his head. “Hey, I’m gonna go meet some friends at the Bud Lounge.”
Well, shit. I hadn’t meant to make him feel bad. But I didn’t say anything to stop him either.
Kendy released me and tugged on his shirt. “No, come on. You said drinks at your apartment. It’ll be fun. Let’s go.”
I clenched my jaw and shot him a look, silently telling him to beat it. I’d have to apologize for my caveman behavior later.
“You’re such a party pooper,” she sassed, grabbing my hand and pulling us toward the cab. “Brian and I are about to get crazy wasted. We’re going to play drinking games, right?” She winked back at me before ducking her head to get in the cab.
I glanced back at Trey, who mouthed, “Have fun.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he motioned between Kendy and me. He put his two fingers together in a kissy motion, and then in a more vulgar move, circling his thumb with his index finger.
I gave him the finger before I shut the door behind me, sliding thigh to thigh beside Kendy. In the next second, I recited my address to the cab driver and pulled Kendy into my lap. Both of my hands moved to the bareness of her lower back, shoving her against me, and I kissed her. Hard.
I heard her sharp intake of breath right before her mouth opened to let me in. I needed to tame the beast inside of me, the jealous one that needed to calm the hell down, and I knew the only cure was her.
***
KENDY
Four beers later, I felt pretty damn good. I was sitting cross-legged on the couch, dressed in only Brian’s t-shirt. As soon as we’d stepped into his apartment, Brian had carried me into his room. There was a fierce possessiveness in the way we had sex tonight, but never once had I felt threatened.
It had always been hot and heavy with Brian, but tonight was a notch higher. I didn’t want to read too much into our sexcapade, but it was as though he was claiming me with his body.
Brian was on the living room floor, shirtless and only in his boxers. His chestnut coffee table sat between us. As I rested against the couch in his oversized t-shirt, my body warmed all over from the liquor coursing through me. I swallowed back another swig of Miller Lite as my eyes flickered to his well-defined six-pack. I had to appreciate a guy who took care of his body, and Brian did that well.
We were playing the card game High/Low, and I kept on losing.
“You suck major,” I said, laughing as I said it, a warm flush creeping up my cheeks.
There was no way he was as toasted as me. Still, he had a heavy smile on his face to match mine.
“Go.” I pushed the cards toward him. There was no way. I couldn’t lose four in a row.
He flipped the card, revealing the four of hearts.
I shook my head, my smile widening. “And here is where my losing streak ends.” I grabbed the card on the top of the pile. “The odds are forever in my favor.” I bowed and flipped the card over. “Booyah!”
And then I frowned at my two of clubs. Damn.
“I hate this game,” I pouted, childishly messing up the cards into one pile as I emptied the last of my fourth bottle. “I want to play another game.” I frowned like the sore loser I truly was. No denying it. But who wants to lose all freaking night?
“Can’t play a drinking game without a drink.” He grinned at me and lifted off the floor, strutting over to the fridge to get me another bottle.
“If you’re trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage, know that you already did that thirty minutes ago,” I joked. “Don’t you love our mutual agreement?”
He spun around, holding our beers. His eyes turned unreadable, somehow shifting the mood in the air. He sat next to me on the couch this time, not smiling, just meeting my gaze. I could sense some sort of emotion behind his look, and it had my heart racing.
Shifting in my seat, I averted my eyes and focused on the cards on the table. I didn’t want to read something that wasn’t truly there, or maybe I was refusing to see it.
He handed me my beer, still silent, and I bumped my shoulder into his. “If we were in a relationship, I’d be griping that you were drinking too much. Bitching like a girlfriend does when her man has a little too much fun. We wouldn’t be this carefree, and we wouldn’t be playing these type of games on a Friday night.”
“Yeah.” He nodded slowly, his voice off yet gentle. “Want to play another game? I want to play ‘I never’.”
***
BRIAN
I’ve been there before with the controlling girlfriend who didn’t like it when I had too much fun. That had been in college, when I’d had more than enough fun for the both of us.
As I watched Kendy’s blue eyes gloss over, a smile still heavy on her face, it was hard to picture her as the type to go all crazy on her boyfriend.
I decided I wanted to know as much as I could about her, so I picked the game that would give me the inside scoop into that beautiful head of hers. The ‘I Never’ game was a popular drinking game, where one player would give a statement, and if the other players agreed with that statement, they took a drink.
“I’ll go first,” I told her. “I’ve never FTF-ed before you. Not with anyone that I wasn’t seriously dating.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You make me seem like a hooker.” She pretended to push her bottle away, like she wasn’t taking a drink, but then she slammed it back, which didn’t surprise me. “And for your information, I’ve only FTF-ed one other time before you, so there.” She tucked her feet under her ass. “Why so serious? Let’s lighten this up, shall we?” She extended her beer bottle, and I tapped mine against hers. “I’ve never had sweet and sour pork.”
I let out a carefree laugh and guzzled down my beer. “Really?” I asked, genuinely surprised. Out of all the ‘I nevers’ she’d picked that one. While this was a way for me to take a playful game to get to know the real her, she brought this game back to the light side.
She shrugged. “I love Chinese food, but there’s something about sweet and sour. It’s a food contradiction. You can’t be sweet and sour. It’s just not right.” She tried to suppress a giggle. “One more,” she said, raising her index finger. “I’ve never been to the Statue of Liberty. I’m afraid of heights.”
I brought the bottle to my lips again. “Heights?” I didn’t know why, but I found this surprising as well. Maybe because Kendy seemed so brave, and there was nothing she was afraid of.
She gave off this tough girl persona, which was sexy as hell, but when I got glimpses of her little insecurities or fears, it only drew me to her even more. As though her insecurities gave me an inside look into Kendy, only fueling my desire to want to know more about her.
She scrunched her nose again. “Yes. If I stood on this couch right now, I’d be terrified of falling.” She leaned into my face and pointed to her chin. “See this?”
I had to squint to see a tiny scar that was barely noticeable.
“In the fifth grade, I stood on top of the monkey bars, trying to show off to the boys.” She chuckled in spite of herself. “Epic fail, because I needed four stitches after that little stunt.”
“Come here,” I said, inching closer. I closed the gap between us and kissed her chin lightly. “There, boo-boo gone.”
A tiny blush touched her cheeks as though she wasn’t expecting that, and then she pointed in my direction for me to go.
“I’ve never . . .” But nothing came to mind.
There were a few random coasters scattered on the table, my beer sitting on top of one made of glass. But what caught my eye were the white letters against the black cork coaster, a Shakespearean quote.
“The course of true love never did run smooth,” it read.
The first thing that came to my mind flew out of my mouth. “I’ve never had someone write me a poem.” Dumb. I should’ve skipped my turn.
Her eyes danced with amusement. “Poems,” she cooed. “The boys loved writing me poems.” She pointed her beer bottle in my direction again. “You get one more, because I took two turns.”
I tried to think of something good, something light, but nothing came to mind. I had started this game to get to know more about her, and I was beginning to realize how truly boring I was.
“I’ve never been in love,” I finally said.
It was such a weird guy thing to say, but it was true. I’d only experienced puppy love, not the true, all-consuming love. I knew once I felt that all-consuming part, I’d make it a point to marry that girl.
Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Jeez, Brian. What’s up with the serious ‘I nevers’? And wait. So you, Brian Benson, have never been in love.”
“Nope. Never.” I shook my head. “Not where I couldn’t live without a girl, couldn’t function.” I’d thought I was in love many times, but now knew it hadn’t been the real thing.
I waited to see what she would do—would she drink, or would she not? She didn’t move or speak, so I prompted, “You’ve been in love?”
Immediately, her smile left her face, and I knew her relationship with this Cole guy hadn’t ended well. I gripped the bottle tighter, wanting to know about this bastard, particularly his address.
Her tone was disconnected, quieter. “Yep. A long time ago.” She seemed closed off all of a sudden, and I felt a chill in the air at the change in mood.
My instincts told me to drop it, but I couldn’t. Not now. Not today. Not this time. “So what happened? He let a girl like you go?” I used flattery to try to change her mood, but she didn’t give an ounce of a reaction. I knew this guy had hurt her, but I had to tread carefully because, knowing Kendy, she’d close up like a clam, like she’d done every time before.
“It was a long time ago.” Her stare turned vacant as her breathing slowed. “Cole was my first and last boyfriend in high school.” Her tone was acidic, hatred ringing in her eyes. “Fucker cheated on me and stole more from me than you can imagine. He walks the streets of Bowlesville l
ike he owns the fucking joint, when he’s a piece of dog shit.” Her voice got louder as she spoke. “I hate him.” The way she said it, the way her eyes filled with pain, even though her voice reeked of hatred, had my insides on fire with a rage I’d never felt before.
I clenched my jaw from revealing any emotion.
I wondered what guy in his right mind could cheat on Kendy, or even cheat in general. Was this the guy she’d been talking about at the park? Had he been abusive toward her?
Her words rang out in my head. Took away your free will, where you felt helpless.
I wanted to ask her more, though I knew she wouldn’t answer. Still, I needed to take away the cold, disconnected look in her eyes.
The next second, I was inching closer, ducking my head so I was in her line of sight. “I’ve never kissed a nurse before you.”
***
KENDY
One minute my body was shaking, and the next Brian’s handsome face was in my line of sight. I didn’t take a sip, because I had never kissed a nurse, either. I had only ever kissed a doctor, but not the doctor who I had my sights on.
Cole’s asshole face was imprinted in my head. His cocky ways, his arrogant self. “Bitch! You think you’re better than me? You think you can just leave me?” Trembling, I shook my head to get the visual of him looming over me out of my mind.
Being in love was blind. He was hella hot and the most popular guy at Bowlesville High. Maybe that was why I’d had my eyes on him. I’d felt flattered when he’d asked me out. He was the only guy I’d ever dated all through high school. I’d thought he was the one, maybe because he was the only one I’d ever known. There was a difference.
When you were young and in love, you thought love lasted forever; you thought love could only ever be pure. You expected it to be perfect and drama free. I had expected it to be like those princess books, when the prince scooped up the princess and whisked her away in the pumpkin that turned into a carriage.
You never expected a relationship to leave you gutted and heartbroken.
The more I thought about Cole, the more my hands shook with anger. The next moment, I rammed my lips against Brian’s, wanting to have some essence of control. I needed to be in control.