by Craft, Maggi
I sat there in silence, crying. After another minute, I heard him unlock the door. Dammit, why didn’t I move that key? He let himself in and sat beside me on the couch. Taking my chin in his hand, he lifted my eyes to meet his.
“You have a key to Kenedy’s apartment?” I asked. After what Holly had said about Kenedy being jealous, I thought maybe there was something I didn’t know.
“No, I got the one above the door.” He smiled and tucked my hair behind me ear.
I pushed his hand away. “You knew there was a spare key there this whole time? And you knew her roommate was here? And you never said a word?” I had stopped crying. I was angry again.
“I didn’t think about that until a few days after you got here, and I was enjoying your company so much I didn’t want you to leave,” he said sweetly.
“I bet you were. You must think I’m some sad, stupid little girl you can play games with and that I will follow you around like all of the other girls here. But that is not happening. I want you to leave,” I shouted and pointed at the door.
“Wait. I absolutely do not think that. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why are you so angry with me?”
“You really don’t know why?”
“No, I don’t!” He looked very serious.
“I’ll tell you why. Because you got me drunk at that party, then brought me back to your apartment and took advantage of me.”
He looked confused. “What? Is that what you think happened? I don’t remember shit after we left that party, and I sure as hell don’t remember having sex with you.” He sounded defensive. “I definitely think I would remember something like that. What exactly do you remember?”
“Well, I don’t remember anything after dancing, but I know that I woke up, we were both in the bed with no clothes on, and I know we had sex.” Tears started pouring out of my eyes anew as I said that.
“Let me get this straight. I don’t remember having sex, and you don’t remember having sex. Maybe we didn’t.” He was looking at me like I was nuts.
Oh my gosh, was he dense or what? “Slayde, we definitely had sex, OK?” I went back into Kenedy’s room. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore.
“How are you so sure?” He followed me.
“Do I have to spell it out for you? The blood in the bed didn’t tip you off?” I buried my head in my hands. I was so embarrassed.
He didn’t say anything for a minute or two. “Well, I didn’t see that. So, I really didn’t know. Are you sure?”
“You changed the sheets, and yes, Slayde, I’m very sure.” When I finally managed to look up, he was staring at the floor, chewing his top lip. He looked as if he might cry. You have got to be kidding me. Now I felt bad. “Look, Arden, I’m so sorry. I really didn’t know. I changed the sheets because they smelled like booze and cigarettes. I really had no idea. I get why you’re so upset. You must have thought I was a real jerk. I don’t know what to say — I definitely didn’t know you had never … ” and his voice trailed off. I knew he was telling the truth.
“I guess there is nothing left to talk about,” I said. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions and didn’t have the decency to tell you what was going on. I was mad at myself and embarrassed. But there’s no sense in rehashing it; what’s done is done. We can’t undo it. I’m exhausted, and I think I am going to lie down. I’m sure your date is wondering where you are by now.”
“My date? What are you talking about?”
“Kinley? You do remember being with her at the bar, don’t you? Or was she serving up the drinks again tonight? Don’t you find it odd that neither one of us remember anything? I don’t remember being that drunk. Not enough to black out.”
He shrugged. “I hadn’t thought about it until now, but yeah, it’s weird. The drinks weren’t that strong.” We were both quiet a minute, and then he said, “And, just so you know, she wasn’t my date. She was just in the group of us that went to the club. She’s definitely not my date. And while we’re jumping to conclusions, what about your date?” He smiled at me.
I just glared at him, and then we both laughed. He grabbed my hand, and we sat there, silent a minute, and he whispered, “I really am sorry.”
I really didn’t want to discuss it and was happy to be interrupted by my phone vibrating. It was Holly, texting me to make sure I was OK. After I let her know that I was fine, Slayde and I lay down and fell asleep.
When I woke up, I was disappointed to see that Slayde was already gone. I went out into the kitchen, where Holly was making some coffee. Setting a cup in front of me, she said, “Cream or sugar?” and burst out laughing. I didn’t find her comment witty. In fact, I thought it was very tacky, but she seemed so amused with herself, I smiled and said nothing. “I saw Hot Stuff leave this morning. I take it you two kissed and made up.” She looked pleased.
“Well, we made up, I guess, but there was no kissing.”
“Honey, if you had that in your bed all night and there was no kissing going on, you may have more problems than you realize.” We both laughed. “You know your sister would have a stroke if she knew about this. I can see her finding out Slayde Price was in her bed and she wasn’t invited. She’d blow a gasket. So if she ever finds out, I know nothing. I have to live with her, you know.”
She had a point. Kenedy was not someone you wanted to be pissed off at you. I had three sisters, including her, all younger than me. We all had our fights growing up, but we all learned not to mess with Kenedy. She could be hateful, and she always got her way. I remembered the way she would flip out if someone took her makeup brush; I couldn’t imagine what she would do if they took her man.
“They broke up years ago, and she cheated on him, you know,” I said. “Why is she so into him? Are you sure they weren’t seeing each other again? He did know where the spare key was.”
“No, there wasn’t anything going on, but it wasn’t because she didn’t try. I’m not sure she knew he was coming to Paris until she ran into him the day we all moved in. She started calling and texting him, but he wasn’t interested. She must have told him where the key was like fifty times. He’s good-looking and really seems like a nice guy; everyone here loves him, and I haven’t heard a negative word about him. But I don’t understand why she makes such a fuss over him. He’s clearly over her. And now, he is clearly into you!” She pointed at me and smiled.
“No, no, he isn’t. We’re just friends,” I said.
“Just friends? Just friends don’t make you so upset that you hide out in the apartment for two days. Just friends don’t stop your friends in the hall and play twenty questions. Just friends don’t bust up a perfectly good date. You and Slayde Price are more than just friends,” she said with a huge smile.
“OK, maybe we are, but I don’t know what that is yet. Or even if I want it to be anything. So, can we just keep it between us for now?”
She did the “my lips are sealed” move and began to tell me about her date with Robert while I got dressed.
After lunch, I got a text from Slayde, asking if we could get something to eat later. Of course I typed that I didn’t think it was such a great idea and we should probably just be friends. And he replied that he would pick me up at six o’clock. One thing I’d learned about Slayde Price: he was extremely hardheaded and persistent. Of course, I am hungry. I guess it wouldn’t hurt anything to go with him. It wasn’t a date.
“I’m so glad to see that you don’t hate me today,” he said as we walked out of the building.
“Well, it’s still early.”
Laughing, he held his hands up. “I’ll be on my best behavior then. So what are you doing tomorrow night? Date with that Italian guy? What was his name, Freako?”
“You’re so funny,” I said sarcastically. “No, Freako has a date with Kinley, I think.” We both laughed.
“Well, if you’re free, let’s go see a movie or something.”
“Slayde, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think we are better off as fr
iends. You have a history with my sister, and I don’t think she is going to appreciate us seeing each other.”
He stopped walking and looked at me. He seemed frustrated. He sat on a bench near the sidewalk, took a deep breath, and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He looked at his feet. Then back at me. His brown eyes were squinted, and I couldn’t even see those gold specks. I was pretty sure he was pissed. “I really don’t care what your sister thinks. That didn’t stop her from sleeping with Brady.”
“Gia?” Brady and I had broken up because I caught them together.
“No! Not Gia, Kenedy!” he shouted.
“What are you talking about?” I asked. I had no clue where this was going.
He tried to change the subject. “It doesn’t matter now. All I’m saying is, Kenedy wouldn’t care what your feelings were if the situation were reversed. So why are you so concerned about hers?”
“I want to know what you were talking about.” I sat next to him. “I know my sister is a selfish pig, but I don’t know anything about her and Brady. Tell me!”
“Aah, me and my big mouth. This was years ago, OK, so please don’t let it ruin your day.” I nodded, and he continued. “The guy I caught her with was Brady. I thought you knew. I just figured you were a more forgiving person than me.” He paused for a minute and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry you had to find out all these years later.”
I didn’t even know what to say. I was totally blindsided by this information. My stomach turned over, and I sat there like a fool with my mouth gaping open. I shook my head as if that would shake the image out of my head, but that was silly. I was hurt.
That feeling passed quickly, and I was furious. Gia was one thing, but Kenedy was another. She always seemed so disapproving of the whole Brady and Gia thing. I guess now I understand the real reason. I didn’t say anything for a few minutes. When a single tear slid down my cheek, Slayde quickly wiped it away. I cried, “It sucks when your family will stab you in the back. If I can’t trust them, who can I trust?”
He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his chest. “I know I’m just a consolation prize, but you can trust me.” And for some reason, I truly believed he meant it.
We went on with our dinner plans and didn’t talk about Kenedy again that night.
I decided to spend the next few nights at his place, after he pinkie promised to sleep on the couch, and he swore he wouldn’t touch me. Not that I really wanted him to uphold that, but it made me feel good to know that he would.
Chapter 3
T he night before Kenedy came home, Slayde and I stayed up late, watching movies and talking. “So, now that the Wicked Witch of the West is coming back, I guess I won’t be seeing too much of you anymore,” he said sadly. He looked like he wanted a response, but I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to say. After a moment, he continued, saying, “Are you going to let her dictate who you hang out with? Because I know she won’t be around all the time.”
“You’ll still see me,” I assured him. I didn’t know if I could stay away from him, even if I tried.
“Good, I’m glad to hear that.” Giving me that unbelievable smile, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his lap. I was close enough to feel his breath on my cheek, and I wasn’t sure what to do. It was like I was fifteen again — I felt excited and nauseated all at the same time. His heart was beating up against my back. I was really falling for him, and it scared me to death.
After a few moments, he excused himself and said, “I guess I’d better get ready for bed.” Which was probably a good thing, because I wasn’t really thinking clearly anymore, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to control myself much longer.
The next morning, I woke up to an empty apartment. I felt sad, like I did on the last day of camp as a kid, thinking about all the fun things waiting there but knowing I couldn’t stay and continue to enjoy them. I had to return to reality.
I got back to Kenedy’s apartment around ten and found Holly there, waiting for me. “I am so glad to see you. Miss Thing will be here within the hour, and I sure wasn’t looking forward to telling her you weren’t back from your sleepover with Mr. Price.” I cut her an ugly look.
I sat down on the couch, nervously picking at my fingernail polish, awaiting Kenedy’s arrival while Holly flipped through a magazine and told me about some new eye-makeup remover she’d gotten from one of the stylists that day.
She reached over and stopped me from picking at my nails. I looked up at her and smiled. “You know, I really think that I enjoy your company more than your sister’s, but don’t tell her I said that.” She gave me a big hug.
Within minutes, Kenedy burst through the door, taking over the apartment with the force of a hurricane. She had an exasperated look on her face, and seemed extremely irritated. She took off her shoes and threw them into her room and began dragging in all this stuff out of the hall. Clothes and makeup and shopping bags were everywhere, and she was ordering us around like slaves.
I definitely liked life at Slayde’s better.
I hadn’t seen her in over a year; her hair had gotten really long and was dyed several different shades of auburn. She looked like she’d lost ten pounds. She looked great. Of course!
Of course I got no, “Hey, how’ve you been? Sorry I left you hanging,” from her but instead just some long rant about how rude people were. The people she’d been traveling with had stopped three times and took their sweet time bringing her back from the airport. She couldn’t believe anyone was that inconsiderate. Really?
After what seemed like hours of listening to her go on and on about all of the wonderful things she had seen and done, I thought I was going to be sick. When I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, I got excited — I knew who it was.
Like a kid, I ran into the bathroom to answer. “Hello,” I whispered.
“Is the coast clear?” Slayde whispered.
“I can barely hear you. Why are you whispering?”
“I don’t know. Why are you whispering?” He laughed.
“You know why I’m whispering!”
“Tell Satan’s spawn I said hello. Better yet, come open the door, and I’ll tell her myself.”
“Slayde, you better not be outside that door,” I said, and he laughed. I didn’t think he was really outside, but I wouldn’t put anything past him.
“I’m not, but I will be soon if you don’t find some time to sneak away and see me. I’m serious. You may be scared of her, but I’m not.”
“I am not scared of her. I’m just smart enough not to stir up a hornet’s nest.”
“Well, I’m allergic to hornets, so I’ll stay far away! But I meant what I said, and I’m waiting on you to text me when you can. I swear I’ll come knock on that door.” And he hung up.
When I came out, Holly was leaning on the back of the couch, twisting her hair, pretending to be interested in what Kenedy was saying. She looked up and winked at me. She knew what I had been in there doing. I liked Holly. She was way more fun than my sister. I didn’t see how she could stand living with Kenedy. I knew how hard that could be.
*****
After Kenedy returned home, it was harder to see Slayde than I thought it would be. I felt awful lying to her, but that was the only way I could get away with seeing him. We always met at a little park a few miles away from their building, which meant we had to take the Metro to get there. I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but it did unless I told her, and I was not ready to do that.
I was in Paris to spend time with Kenedy, and I was going to do as much of that as I could. After she had settled into being home again, I decided to try to do something together with her, just the two of us. I texted Slayde to tell him that I would probably not see him that day, that I was spending some time with my sister.
He texted back, Good luck.
I went into her room where she was putting on her makeup. “So, I thought if you had time, we could go shopping today. I know you know exactly where t
o shop.”
She stopped applying her eye makeup and looked at me in the mirror. “You don’t like to shop.”
“I know, but I would like to visit with you some. That’s why I’m here.”
“I don’t mean this to sound ugly, Arden, but this may be a break for you, but it’s not for me. I’m so busy. I’ve got too much going on to waste my days off entertaining you.” Really? “But don’t take that the wrong way.”
“I understand,” I said quietly as I headed out of her room.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Just for a walk. I’ll see you later.” A smile hid my hurt feelings.
“Don’t be mad, Arden. This isn’t about you,” she shouted after me.
“Oh, I know. Never is,” I said under my breath as I was walking out the door.
I met Slayde as I was getting off the elevator. “Hey, where are you going?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Not sure yet.”
“Thought you were spending the day with your sister.”
“Obviously she’s too busy. I think I’m in the way.”
He laughed. “Well, I’ll be glad to take you off of her hands.” He grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” I asked as he dragged me down the street.
He smiled at me over his shoulder. “Does it matter?”
With that beautiful contagious smile, no! And I went with him.
After we’d been walking a few minutes, he said, “Are you hungry?”
“Yes, I haven’t eaten all day. I’m starving.”
“Let’s go find something to eat and then go find something to get into.”
As we were finishing up our meal, I got a text from Kenedy. It said, Sorry for blowing you off. Meet me at the apartment at five, and we will go to dinner and do a little shopping. I read it aloud.
Slayde responded, “Do you really want to do that? I think we’d have more fun.”
“I know, but I really need to spend some time with her.”
“I understand,” he said, sounding disappointed.