by Jayne, S. L.
I shook my head. “Say it again, Matt,” I pleaded, needing to hear the words again.
His eyes closed and I saw the internal struggle he was having, his brows creased and I know he’s thinking he has done something wrong by telling me. I shift my body to face him, cup my hands on his cheeks and push my lips against his.
Keeping my eyes open, I whispered loud enough for him to hear me clearly, “I love you, too…”
His eyelids flew open; I stared into his dark chocolate brown eyes, willing him to believe me. Unshed tears sting the back of my eyes when I see his eyes glaze over.
“You love me?”
“I think I’ve loved you for a while, maybe even longer than that…” I smiled against his lips.
“I love you so much, it hurts, baby. When I see you, my heart swells in my chest and it feels like I can’t breathe, but I would risk my breath stopping just to feel that every time,”
“I love you, too… when you’re not there I feel empty, lost and unsettled. When I first started feeling like there was more there between us, but I clung onto the friends thing, Ava asked me how I feel when imagine life without you, and I told her I feel physically sick at the thought of you not being there- and that hasn’t changed, it’s only gotten stronger. I finally know what it feels like to love and be loved in return,” I sighed happily.
“My whole world goes black when I imagine you not in it, it’s like I’m walking through a tunnel with my eyes closed and there is no light at the end. Nothing to wake me up from the darkness,” he whispered, his voice low and barely there.
“Don’t think I’m crazy, but I have a song for us… Listen to Katy Perry’s song, Unconditionally, it’s perfect,” I blushed slightly, hoping he didn’t think I was raving mad.
Grinning at me, he leaned in and kissed my forehead. “I’ve heard it, baby, I thought of you as well. I do have another song in mind, I just can’t think of the name of it right now,” he beamed at me.
“I guess that makes us both crazy,” I laughed.
“As long as we’re always crazy about each other, I can live with that.”
“Always, even when I’m old and have lost my mind… I may be crazy in a different way, but I’ll still be crazy about you,” I smiled up at him.
“And even when I forget where the hell I’ve left my walking stick… I won’t ever forget that I love you,” he chuckled.
I raised my hand, ready to slap his leg, but sensing what I was about to do, his arms wrapped tighter around me. “Don’t hit me, Princess, you’ll break a nail,” he teased.
Shaking my head and laughing, I shifted in his lap and rested my head back on his shoulder.
***
“No, I’m not fucking with you, Ava,” I laughed, sitting on the bathroom floor while Ava showered.
I was willing to wait to until she was done before telling her how last night unfolded, but she didn’t want to wait.
“We actually said it to each other and then he took me home and made love to me… but that’s a whole different story that is way too R rated for your fairy tale ears.”
“Very funny, bitch, Ryan and I have hot sex, too!” she shouted through her laughter, “I just never told your virgin ears too many details!”
I laughed even harder at her virgin remark, it feels like forever since she mentioned my non-existent sex life.
“Shut up, Ava, you got the details you wanted and now I’m out of here. Can you stomach more than water, yet?” She hasn’t been able to drink anything other than bottled water since her food poisoning, even after the sickness subsided.
“Yeah, I can have tea now, too. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
Leaving the bathroom, I make my way to the kitchen. I place my cell in the docking station and press play on the music before I make the drinks. Being off work on a Friday feels awesome, why can’t the air conditioning system get replaced every Friday? We can’t relax all day, though, we finally get to shop for our dresses as we couldn’t last weekend, and I’m so ready to find the perfect dress. Ava has busted her ass since getting better to have everything sorted so there are no last minute panic attacks.
“Rylee, are you deaf? Aimee and Kaitlyn have been knocking at the door.” I hear Ava call out.
“Sorry, I had the music on. Hey girlies,” I smile, greeting them both as they turn into the kitchen.
“We would have been here earlier if we didn’t have to race back to Kaitlyn’s because she had forgotten to put matching black underwear on!” Aimee announced, laughing.
“It’s okay, we’re ready to go now. My mom is meeting us at the mall, she has to help Max with some paperwork first,” I said, picking up my purse from the table and heading towards the door.
Four hours later, we are all wondering if the whole of Vista are attending the masquerade ball; there are no dresses in stock in any of the shops we have been in. We all know what style we are looking for and we’re limited to black or silver, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find five dresses in this entire mall.
“Look at this one,” Aimee called over to us, holding up a two piece set.
It has a black bodice and a tutu style black netted skirt would suit her perfectly; she’s short and petite with a figure to die for.
“Yes!” We all shouted together. I walked over to where she’s standing, wanting to get a closer look at the outfit.
“You should totally get that, it’s perfect,” I smiled.
I turned to look at the dress on the hanger next to me, it’s a short black, strapless number with floor length silver chiffon attached at the waist, it would look amazing on my mom.
“Here, try this one on, Mom. It’s beautiful and elegant, it will suit you,” I beamed, handing her the dress.
Her eyes lit up. “It’s stunning, Rylee,” she smiled.
“It is. Go try it on. We’ll be in there in a few to see how it looks on you,” I said, shooing her toward the dressing rooms.
Two down, three to go. I find Ava and Kailyn near the shoes, typical, Ava will no doubt be looking for the perfect heels before even finding a dress.
“I knew I’d find you here,” I laughed, nudging Ava to get her attention.
“There you are! I found the most gorgeous dress, ever,” she said, animatedly with a huge smile.
She held up a long, halter neck, metallic silver dress. The back is completely open and the front has a subtle pattern that sets the dress off.
“Wow, I love that! Ava, you are going to look amazing,” I gushed.
We all gathered into the dressing room, taking pictures of Ava, Aimee and mom in their dresses to send to Sophie. Kaitlyn and I are the only ones left who need a dress, but nothing in here is catching our eye.
Five more shops and we are finally in dress heaven, this store is like Aladdin’s cave for glitz and glam. There are shelves of shoes, purses hanging on the walls and racks of dresses in all styles and colors.
“Girl, we hit the jackpot waiting until the last shop,” Kaitlyn grinned like a Cheshire cat.
We all dashed across the floor to the evening dresses, showing each other which ones we liked. Luckily we don’t have to buy our masks, our partner or plus one are to supply those; that was one of Ava’s requests when she first sent out the invitations. She said it would be like prom, when the boy buys a corsage for the girl to wear. Not that I know what that is like; I didn’t get to go to prom, that was another thing that Nate had made sure I didn’t get to experience.
I heard Aimee’s high pitched squeal behind me, I turned to see her holding up a black, princess style A-line dress. The entire bodice is covered in small diamantes, making it sparkle brightly under the lighting; the skirt is layered and would be floor length on me, even with heels on.
“That. Is. Gorgeous. Better than gorgeous, it’s stunning… but don’t you think it’s a little much, you know? It’s a ball, not a wedding. I don’t want to stand out like a bar of chocolate at a diet meeting,” I shrugged, laughing.
“You won’t
sweetie, it isn’t even that big,” Ava said, bringing the dress over to me. “You’ll look amazing, I promise you won’t be the only one wearing such an extravagant dress, hell there will be women there with dresses so big they’ll need to be air lifted in through the open roof,” she laughed.
Mom came over to inspect the dress. “Rylee, I think it’s perfect, too. You’ll look like a true princess. Matt will freak when he sees you in it,” she beamed.
The dress really is to die for, it’s perfect. And mom is right, I does make me think of Matt when he calls me princess.
Smiling, I turn to Ava. “Okay, I’ll get it… but, if you pull out a pair of glass slippers, I’m hitting you with them.”
“Deal,” she winked at me.
“Kaitlyn has found a gorgeous short LBD, it hugs her figure, and the gray heels she has to go with it make her legs look ten feet long so she’s sorted now, too,” Aimee said, making her way back over to us.
“Great! We’re all done and ready. Now we just need to get through the next eight days and then it’s party time,” I said, clapping my hands, not caring how childish I look.
Chapter Seventeen
The atmosphere in our apartment is electric right now; we’re all waiting on Adam’s arrival. For the past six days, Ava has told anyone who would listen that Adam is bringing Meaghan with him and she can’t wait to meet her. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of girl has gotten Adam’s undivided attention too, but I can’t help feeling disconnected to the group; I didn’t spend as much time with them in college as Ava did, but they are awesome guys to be around, and they did make a huge effort with me the last time they came to visit.
Ava jumping out of her seat startles me, we hear Adam out front before he even knocks on the door. Leaving Ryan and Matt looking at each other confused, she runs out of the kitchen to greet them.
“Baby girl! I have missed you, too fucking much.” Adams voice boomed down the hall.
Sucking in a long breath, I make my way to the door to see the guys. I assume the girl standing next to Adam is Meaghan. She’s a short, petite girl with long dark auburn hair and striking green eyes, I can see how she would have captured Adams attention; she looks nothing like any girl I’ve ever seen hanging around him; she looks shy in comparison to them, but I could be wrong, I mean what girl could ever be shy around Adam?
I watch as Ava greets them all, hugging Sophie and Josh before turning her attention to Meaghan and pulling her in for a hug, too. I can’t hear what they are saying over Adam and Josh shouting their hello’s to Ryan, but I am just as intrigued to meet her and find out what it was about her that captured Adam.
“RYLEE!” Adam rushes toward me, grabbing me by the waist and lifting me off the ground before I can protest. My nerves about being around these guys quickly diminish.
“Adam! I swear if Matt sees you now he’ll kick your ass,” I laughed.
“Hey, I’m not touching your ass this time, it’s all good baby,” he said, setting me back down on the floor.
“Damn right you’re not touching her ass, dude,” Matt chuckled behind me, fist bumping Adam as he approaches us.
“All good, man, have you seen my piece of ass?” Adam said, nodding in Meaghan’s direction.
“Screw you, I am not your piece of arse!” Meaghan shouted through her laughter at Adam.
Matt laughed and my jaw went slack when I heard her speak, I didn’t expect her to be British. Of all the girls Adam could have found in Boston, he finds a gorgeous British one. No wonder he is captivated by her, she has an innocent face and a potty mouth.
“You’re British?” I said, stating the obvious but not caring enough to apologize for it.
She smiled and nodded her head, walking over to introduce herself. “I’m Meaghan, nice to meet you,” she said, leaning in for a hug. The second thing I notice, after her being confident and friendly is that she’s shorter than me, which I never thought possible.
Hugging her back, instantly feeling a positive vibe from her. I introduce myself and we move away from Matt and Adam’s man chatter.
“Hey, Sophie!” I beamed, giving her a hug. “Did you get a dress for Saturday?”
“Yes! I can’t wait to show you all. I drove Josh crazy while we shopped for it, he said he’s never coming with me again. Ever,” she laughed.
We followed Ava through to the kitchen, chatting and catching up as she made drinks for us all. Meaghan is looking around the kitchen in awe, I don’t know how long she’s been in the states, but my guess is that she hasn’t been here long.
“So, Meaghan, tell us about you and Adam. How did you meet? And you’re British, I mean, have you been here long?” Ava asked as she handed out the drinks.
“I’ve been here for a year, but I’m still getting used to things being so different here. My mum is British and my dad is American. I met Adam at a party my friend Danni took me to, it was Drew’s, do you know him?”
“Yeah, we do. Don’t tell us you met Adam while he was under the influence of alcohol and survived?” Ava said, laughing.
Meaghan smiled, nodding her head. “He was completely rat arsed the night I first met him, but he was hilarious. I helped on one of his pranks, he and Josh wanted a way to bring some bloke, who was a complete wanker, down a peg or two for cheating on their friend. The guy was all over this other girl, with his ex in the same room. It really wasn’t pretty, so I told them to get him totally smashed on the drink they mixed up and then when he passed out on the sofa, I got a bowl of warm water and moved his hand so it hung down and rested in the bowl, and then he pissed himself,” she shrugged her shoulders with a huge grin on her face.
We all burst out laughing. That has to be the best prank they have done, Adam really has met his match with this one.
“Is that really what happens when you have your hand in water?” Sophie asked, wiping the tears from her face that leaked from her laughing so hard.
Ava and I still can’t form words, every time we look at each other we laugh again. We all stay in the kitchen while the guys take over the living room and we’re glad they aren’t watching something on TV that they need to listen to; we haven’t stopped laughing. Getting to know Meaghan some more has been awesome, she’s a great girl.
***
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Princess. I love you,” Matt whispered, sleepy voice is seriously the sexiest sound in the world.
Wrapping his arms tighter around me, I lift my head from the crook of his neck to face him.
“Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, my sexy man. And I love you too,” I smiled, leaning in to kiss him.
“Open your eyes, baby. Look around.”
I opened them fully and looked around the room, standing at the foot of the bed are twelve red heart shaped balloons with I love you printed on the front. There are red rose petals scattered on the sheet that is covering us, on Matt’s dresser is a vase full of red and pink roses and a big box of chocolates. If I wasn’t so madly in love and it wasn’t this amazing man lying next to me that did all of this, I’d be laughing at the sight in front of me. This is so new to me, and it’s the kind of thing I have teased Ava about all our lives, but I can’t help the stupid smile that is taking over my face right now.
“Wow, it’s amazing… thank you,” I breathed. “When did you do all of this?” I asked, still looking around.
“This morning, I set my alarm. I had all the balloons in the car last night. I picked them up when I went with Ryan to get the take out, I left my car here and rode back with Ryan.” he smirked.
Smiling at his admission, I leaned back in to kiss him and his mouth claimed mine instantly, not holding back. Pulling me on top of him, keeping his arms around me, I lift my arms to his head, running my fingers through his short hair as our kiss deepens.
“You’re my world, Rylee, you really are,” he mumbled, slightly pulling back from the kiss.
Hearing him call me by my actual name sounds strange, but it makes what he said more meaningfu
l.
“You’re my everything, Matt.”
His hands traveled down my back and over my ass, stroking my thighs, making my skin heat up under his touch.
“I think it’s time I showed you again how I feel about you, Princess,” he growled, lifting his hips to grind against me.
Letting a moan slip of out of my mouth, nodded my head. “It’s about time.”
***
Matt and I spent the majority of the day in bed, to say it was heavenly wouldn’t even do it enough justice. Last night was the funniest night we have had in a long time, with everything that has happened since the guys were last here, we had some serious catching up to do. We laughed, joked, and talked about what we’ve all been doing, well, we talked about the good things; none of us wanted to bring too much of the past up. Ava and I agreed to let Adam, Meaghan, Josh and Sophie stay at our apartment last night while we stayed at Matt and Ryan’s, we’ll do the same thing tonight and tomorrow, too.
Back in our apartment with the guys, we’re sitting in the living room with only a few hours until the bar opens, and Adam is fidgeting in his seat like an excited child.
“Oh man, tonight is going to be a blast, the girls will be asking “Channing who?” once they’ve seen us up on that stage,” he laughed at his own joke.
Josh chuckled, shaking his head. “Dude, I swear I’ll rip your balls off if you dance too close to me,” he threatened.
“I’m not coming anywhere near you while I’m covered in oil, you might try and jump my bones,” Adam said, throwing Josh a dramatic wink and looking at Sophie. “Sorry, Soph, but you know he’s secretly in love with me, right?”
Josh laughed. “There is something wrong with you, dude, I’m wondering now what Meaghan sees in you.”
We all laughed at their banter and Ava asked if we all wanted to start getting ready for tonight, as there are a few of us needing the bathroom. Matt and Ryan left earlier to get everything set up, they are getting ready at Ryan’s and will be meeting us there. Josh and Adam groaned looking at the time, muttering something about not knowing why girls need hours to get ready, so they decided to waste time on the Xbox instead while we girls fled the living room excited about tonight.