Preston laughed. “You can’t walk around the mall in bare feet. I’ll give you a piggy-back ride to the store.”
I gulped, putting my hands on his shoulders. Just as I got on his back, he stood up, my legs sliding around to his belly and my hands wrapped around his neck. The position was intimate; I could feel every bulging muscle in his back and arms. He was stronger than I imagined, much less like the lean figure of B-Rad. Preston was bulky, as if he went to the gym on a regular basis. The muscles were tempting me, begging me to run my fingers over them.
“Ready to go?” Preston asked.
I had to clear my throat before I could speak. “Yeah, let’s go.”
It wasn’t far to the cheap shoe store. I insisted on cheap, since I couldn’t really afford anything else. Once we were on the carpeted floor, inside the store, Preston let me down, though I doubted he wanted to. I didn’t, either.
“Women’s shoes are this way,” B-Rad said, leading me away from Preston and Darcy. I got the feeling he wanted to talk to me about something, and they must have realized it, too, because they hung back, letting us go further into the store.
***
Twenty
The Mall
Tuesday
1:13 PM
Darcy
A sense of jealousy wafted through me as I watched Brad walk away with Mac. He said it was all about buying shoes, but I’d heard the excuses before from so many different guys. I needed to get away.
Preston was looking down at his phone, barely even registering me on his radar. Figures.
“Hey, you should get me a smoothie,” I said, nudging his side.
He raised an eyebrow. “You should get your own smoothie.”
“I don’t have money for a smoothie. Please,” I pouted out my bottom lip. “We can share one.”
“Are you going to keep bothering me until I get you one?”
“Probably.”
He groaned and put his phone in his back pocket. “Fine. I’ll get you a smoothie.”
There was a small kiosk across from the shoe store and we walked over to it. The teen girl behind the counter couldn’t stop staring at Preston. “One strawberry banana with two cups.” He smiled and handed her his credit card.
“One with two cups?” I balked.
“Yeah, you said you would share, so we’re sharing.”
The teen girl glared at me as she handed Preston our drinks but he just smiled and gave her a tip. The guy looked like a heart throb from a Disney Channel movie so no wonder the girl was fawning over him. I would have been too, normally, if I wasn’t so wrapped up with Brad. What the hell is wrong with me? I wasn’t the type of girl to fall hard for a guy. I had to knock it off.
Preston handed me a cup. “Here you go.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, grabbing a straw.
“You’re welcome.”
I stirred the drink, staring down at the cup. “It’s weird that you’re not hitting on me.”
He laughed. “Okay, first off, you’re with B-Rad so that would be a real dick move if I hit on you.”
“I’m not with him. We’re just friends,” I scoffed.
“I totally caught you two making out in the back of the pizzeria. Don’t lie to me.”
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes.
“And, besides, I like Mac.”
“Of course you do. All the guys like the petite blondes, even Brad,” I muttered.
“Hold up!” Preston stepped in front of me, putting his hands out. I looked up at him and his eyes were serious. “You really think that B-Rad is after Mac?”
“He did just go off with her into the shoe store.”
Preston shook his head. “Yeah, he’s helping his girlfriend’s roommate buy shoes. The guy is crazy about you, like more so than I’ve seen him about any girl in a long time. As soon as you texted him and told him you had a new phone and that you were at the mall, he practically carried me into his truck so we could come out here to see you.”
I blinked. “Seriously?”
“Would I have any reason to lie to you?” He raised his eyebrows.
I sat down on a bench a few feet from the smoothie stand that was near some skater store. “No, I guess not.”
“You must be falling hard if you’re already this jealous,” Preston said with a laugh, sitting next to me.
“Shut up! No I’m not. You’re the one who came here with him. Obviously you’re falling pretty hard for Mac too.”
“Of course I am. But I’m smart enough to keep my damn mouth shut. She’s not exactly the swooning type. Know your partner, Darcy.” He grinned at me and I had to admit he was right. A little bit. “Here’s the thing about B-Rad: he’s got a lot of baggage, not unlike Mac, actually. Their back stories are more similar than either of them will probably admit. But the reality is, they’ve got to be encouraged into love, not rushed in. So -”
“Love? What the fuck? I’m not talking about love here.”
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch. I’m not saying you are. Neither am I, really. I don’t love Mac, but I could see myself falling for her, the same way I can see you could fall for B-Rad, if you let yourself.”
“Easy for you to say,” I muttered. “I’ve got baggage of my own. One who should come with her own warning label.”
He looked amused. “Doesn’t everyone come with baggage?”
“Not the mommy kind,” I sighed and looked at her latest text. Of course she was pissed that I went out and got a new cell phone plan. Everything I did that didn’t include her pissed her off.
“No one’s life is perfect. But if you find someone who you can connect with, someone who knows your faults and doesn’t judge you for them, chances are, you probably shouldn’t let them walk away.”
“Are you talking to me now or to yourself?” I asked.
“Touché.” He took a sip of his smoothie. “The truth is, I could be talking to either of us. My past isn’t exactly rife with happy memories. So creating them, even now, is somewhat difficult. But for now, Mac and I are or friends or whatever she’ll let us be.”
“If you tell B-Rad or Mac about this conversation, I’ll poke your eye out with this straw.”
He laughed. “Fair enough, but you have to get over your hang ups with B-Rad and stop leading him on or whatever you’re doing.”
I blew out a deep breath of air and stared down at my smoothie. “Yeah. I know. It’s hard, okay? I’m not exactly the type of girl that settles down for long periods of time and I don’t want to fuck things up.”
“Then the answer is simple. Don’t fuck it up.”
“Easier said than done,” I muttered.
As if they knew we were talking about them, Brad and Mac came around the corner. “There you two are,” Mac said.
Brad didn’t say anything, just looked at me as if he was trying to figure me out.
Good luck with that one because I didn’t know how to figure myself out either.
***
Twenty-One
Pay Way Less Shoe Store
Tuesday
1:15 PM
Mac
We walked all the way to the back of the store before he stopped, leading me to the flip-flops and sandals section. When he didn’t say anything right away, I turned my attention to the shoes, trying on a few different pairs. I sat down on the little bench while he stood over me.
“So, what’s the deal?” I asked, slipping a pair on.
“The deal with what? My shoe expertise? I worked at a shoe store all through high school. Sucked ass, but it helped pay for shit.”
I shook my head. “No. With you and Darcy.”
“Oh.” His mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ and he stared down at the floor.
I waited.
B-Rad sighed. “I have no idea. She’s an enigma.”
“Well, I think you two are kind of perfect for one another,” I said.
“I wish you’d tell her that,” he muttered.
“What? Why?”
“They don’t fit. Will you grab me a ten?” I asked.
He handed them to me.
“Did you see that the two of them disappeared?” I tried to sound casual, but I doubted I achieved it.
“Are you jealous?” he returned, his eyes darting to the front of the store.
“Of course not!”
“Right, I believe that. Preston isn’t into Darcy. She isn’t his type at all,” he explained. Thank fucking God. “But it’s good to know you care.”
“Fuck you. If you even think about telling him, I’ll kill you in your sleep. And we both know you don’t lock your door.” I gave him my most serious look.
He laughed. “I got the message. I won’t tell him,” he adds, lifting up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
“Were you even a boy scout?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“Why were you giving me looks at lunch?” I asked the question that had been weighing on me since I caught him.
He sighed. “I worry about Preston. And given your reputation, I’m worried about you, too.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked, slipping my feet into the shoes he brought over. They were comfortable but ugly as hell. I quickly shucked them off.
“Preston always falls for the wrong girl. He did it so often in college, I thought he was going to end up married and divorced three times already,” B-Rad laughed.
“Has he been married?” I was suddenly dying to know.
Considering I’d been planning my own marriage to Peter, I could relate. We were at the age where settling down just sort of happens. Of course, I was thankful my wedding dissipated.
“No. He’s never let it get that far. Which is why this little thing the two of you have worries me. He hasn’t been this interested in a girl in a long time.”
“Are you worried I’m going to hurt him? Because I seriously doubt we’re ever going to be serious, or in an actual relationship,” I countered.
He stared at the shoe in his hand for a full minute before he turned his eyes to mine. “I’m worried the two of you are going to hurt each other,” he admitted.
“Well, when relationships don’t work out, that’s usually what happens. But, B, listen… I’m not in a good place for any kind of real relationship, and based on what you’re telling me about Preston, neither is he. I just want to have fun and see what happens. If it leads to anything, Preston and I will talk about it. But don’t worry about either of us, okay? We’re both adults,” I reminded him.
“I can’t help myself,” he said.
“If I were you, I’d be worrying about things with Darcy.” His eyes widened and I laughed. “Yeah, I thought that might get your attention. If you’re afraid someone’s going to get hurt, I’d say the winner of that game is you. She might be an enigma, but she’s also a flight risk. She’s never been in a serious relationship in her life, and that makes me concerned for you. She’s not going to be easy to convince to stick around for you,” I explained. “Hell, I’m more than a little afraid I’m going to wake up one morning and she’s just going to be gone, leaving me high and dry to deal with the apartment and you. And she’s definitely going to run if you push her too hard.”
“I like the chase,” he grinned.
“Well, then… More power to you. But don’t come crying to me when she breaks your heart. Because, believe me, it’ll happen.”
“So long as you don’t come to me when Preston breaks yours,” he countered.
“I thought I was going to break his?”
He sighed. “At this point, it could go either way.”
I paid for my shoes and then we walked out into the mall. I looked around for Preston and Darcy but didn’t see them.
“They probably just went into another store,” B-Rad commented.
“Wherever they are, they better not be fucking,” I muttered.
B-Rad stopped to stare at me. “You don’t trust anyone, do you? Darcy is your friend and Preston only has eyes for you. Stop looking for a way out of both relationships and just trust the people in your life. At this point, I’d say you’re a bigger flight risk than Darcy.”
I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. He was right.
***
Twenty-Two
Darcy and Mac’s apartment
Wednesday
7:00 PM
Darcy
Mac already published her high fantasy book. Freaking did it that morning while I was still slugging through mine. She gave me shit that I would have been done earlier if I spent less time over at Brad’s but I didn’t want to agree with her.
I was working on another run through of edits when my phone buzzed on the bed next to me. The guy who was buying our couch was coming by that night so I was just waiting for his text. Though the name that flashed on the screen was definitely not couch guy.
Brad: Hey, what are you doing?
Me: Writing and waiting for couch guy.
Brad: Couch guy? Have another guy on the side?
I shook my head at the ridiculousness of it. He had to know there was no one else. If I wasn’t working, I was with him. Which was crazy because I’d known Brad a couple of weeks and it was the longest I’d gone without sleeping with a guy I was seeing. I was holding my ground on that one. It was also the longest I’d hung out with a guy without knowing much about him. Preston kept saying that Brad and Darcy were similar and I was starting to wonder just how similar.
Me: No. The dude who is buying our couch. He messaged me through Craigslist and is coming by tonight to get it.
Brad: Some stranger is coming to your apartment that you met on Craiglist?
Me: Yeah.
Before I could type anything else Brad burst through the door without even knocking. He was wearing just a pair of Georgia Bulldog basketball shorts and staring at me with his blue eyes so intense I had to bite my lip and look away. “Did you seriously give a stranger your address?”
I snapped my head back in his direction. “I told you. He’s buying the couch.”
Brad shook his head and walked into the room, closing the door behind him. “What if he’s just some complete psychopath that is just going to come kill you or something?”
“That’s why I have my tattooed neighbor to watch out for me,” I quipped.
“Not funny,” he mumbled.
“Are you going to stay here and wait for him with me?” I asked. “Protect me or whatever?”
He laid next to me, propping his arms up on the pillow. “I don’t have any other choice. Someone has to look out for you.”
“I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that myself for the past twenty-one years, thank you.” I wasn’t exactly in the mood for his knight in shining armor stuff and I was probably coming off like a bitch, but I didn’t know how else to get the point across. Ever since we moved from Chicago to Atlanta, it felt like I’d been on my own. My mom didn’t give two shits about me and I was afraid that I was going to end up like her with one fucked up guy after another. I was already half way on that path as it was. Dylan was the latest in a string of guys that I’d used for what I wanted and broke up with when they got too close. It was another big reason I couldn’t afford to do the same with Brad and get too close, though I had to admit I liked him far more than I should.
“We all think we have our life straightened out. One day you could be working what you think is your dream job and then you get a call your uncles health is bad and he’s about to lose his business so you sell everything to help him out. Because of that, your fiancée dumps you and you’re left to start over. The only thing that makes it better is when a gorgeous brunette walks into your pizzeria and makes you feel whole again.”
I blinked, closing my computer screen and turning toward him. He was staring at the ceiling but as soon as he noticed me looking he turned toward me, raising an eyebrow. “That m
ake sense?”
“Did all that really happen to you?” I swallowed. We didn’t talk too much about our past. Most of our conversations were about work, the video game we were playing, or dirty talk. It was the first I’d really had him open up to me.
“Yeah. That’s my sob story, but I can’t let it bring me down. I’ve tried to distance myself from that life as much as I could. That’s why I stopped going by Bradley and haven’t really let anyone in. You’re the first girl who I’ve been with in the past year and it may be fucked up, whatever we have, but I don’t mind it. I like having something different in my life.”
I laid down next to him. “You know, you’re really making me feel like a total bitch now.”
“I’m not trying to.”
I turned to my side. “I’m just...” I let out a deep breath through my nose. “Look, I’ve been burned by too many relationships. Obviously you’ve had the same problem. I like you. You have to know that I like you, but I’m trying not to jump into anything again.”
“You don’t need to keep explaining yourself to me. I want to be with you, badly.” He ran his thumb along my jawline. “But I’m okay with what we have right now. I know you just got out of a relationship and that you were jealous that I went off with Mac at the mall the other day.”
I frowned. “I was not jealous.”
He laughed. “You totally were. Preston told me.”
“I’m going to kill that little granola fucker.”
“Leave the guy alone. He’s just looking out for me. And for you.” His fingers trailed from my jaw down to my neck and shoulders. “You don’t need to worry about me being with other girls, especially not Mac. The girl looks almost exactly like my ex and it’s kind of weird.”
“Is that the only reason you didn’t go for her?” I raised my eyebrows, suddenly very self-conscious. I knew I had what most guys wanted: I was tall, worked out, knew how to do my makeup, and flirted when I wanted something, but when it came to other girls, I kind of sucked. I was always jealous. I had to be the center of attention or else I was afraid of getting thrown out on my ass which had happened too many times to count and not just by boyfriends, but my own mother.
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