He tipped his hat to me before making his way to the table. You heard right. He tipped his hat. It’s as hot as it sounds. I’m not going to lie.
The guys all shared some macho fist bumps before the card game started. Josh had pulled up an extra chair between him and Garrett for me to sit down so I took my spot.
Shit. For the first time, I noticed that Fox was there. I’d invited Letty, and she was supposed to be there in an hour or so. She was going to flip out when saw Fox. Or I assumed she would. She was pretty pissed about their first encounter.
“Wish me luck Lee,” Josh winked at me. I hated when he did that because that single gesture made me powerless.
Swallowing hard, I replied, “You don’t need luck. These guys don’t know what’s about to hit them.” It was the truth. Josh had been playing cards with his dad since he was old enough to see over the table. He was no stranger to the game, and he’s probably won more money then some of these guys have ever seen, sad but true.
“Yeah, yeah,” Garret said leaning towards me. “You haven’t seen me play yet.”
I had to laugh. Poor Bear was about to be shown up. “Sorry, Bear,” I patted his cheek. “It was nice knowing you.”
Josh chuckled and patted my leg. “Tell him, Lee. I’m about to wipe the floor with him.”
Nodding my head and tightening my lips, I leaned over pressing my cheek to my shoulder. “You should probably just push all your chips to him now.”
“DAYUM!” Garret yelled. “I thought we were tight, girl.”
“You guys are too much.” I shook my head.
Fox started the deal, and I watched the guys play a few hands. Nothing big was happening yet except for my possible snooze fest. I kept thinking about all the Netflix shows I could be watching if I weren’t there.
Josh rested his free hand on my leg under the table, and suddenly I didn’t feel so tired. His fingertips made all my senses heighten by a thousand percent.
When I glanced up at him he was focused. Not on me, but the cards that were in front of him. He hadn’t even looked in my direction, and I wondered if he was only touching me out of habit.
It wasn’t fair.
He knew my feelings. I wasn’t obtuse about them. Surely he wasn’t just toying with me. Was he? Because if he was, I was going to break the fingers that were touching me.
Looking across the table I noticed that Jude was staring at me. His golden brown eyes were searing into mine. It felt like no one else was in the room. Yet, under the table, a hand rested against my thigh.
Breathe Paislee…
This couldn’t be happening. In eighteen years I have only ever loved Josh. I’ve only ever had eyes for him. If Josh said, “I’ll be with you right now,” then I’d drop everything for him, because he’s mine. He’s supposed to be with me, and I’ve been waiting idly by for him to see the light.
After my love admission to him, it seemed like everything was different. For instance, the way he touched my leg. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve had him rest his hands on my legs. We’d slept over in the same beds for years. But it was different now that he knew how I felt. He had to know what it did to me. He had to understand that I could barely breathe at his touch. Yet, his fingers still lingered there.
Maybe I was wrong to think that he was sending me little signals or signs, but what else was I supposed to think?
I placed my hand over his where it lay against the warm skin of my thigh, and the moment I did he gave me a gentle squeeze. Then his hand was gone. Just like that.
Do guys have no understanding of the human feelings? Do they just assume that everything goes away over a cup of coffee?
You’d think he was fourteen years old. I leaned over close to him where no one could hear. “You are a pain in the ass.”
His eyes shot up to mine. “What did I do?”
“I need a drink.”
I walked over to the table and poured myself a cup of beer thinking it would take the edge off. I sipped it slowly. I was thinking about what my Mom would say if I told her about the situation. She says women overreact. That we jump to conclusions if things don’t seem to be going the way we want them. Cleary, she’d be right.
Everything became complicated the moment I opened my big, fat mouth. Honestly, it seemed easier when he didn’t know. But stupid me thought that by some slim chance he might’ve felt the same way.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone come through the door.
Yes, Letty.
All eyes turned around to see who it was making their appearance. I couldn’t hold back my excitement. It was a big deal that she showed up, because Letty was the type who preferred the more subtle life. She chose to keep to herself. I was breaking that hard shell she had going on, and slowly weaving her into the crazy life of college. She deserved to experience it too. She worked her ass off.
“Hey, you made it. You don’t know how happy I am to see you.”
“I smell like bacon,” she groaned.
I stepped closer to take a whiff. “Right you are. You smell delicious.”
She scoffed. “I still have on my apron. Maybe I should go to the room and change.”
“Oh no, you don’t.” I cuffed my arm with hers. “Come meet everybody, and take a deep breath before you do.”
“Paislee.” Her voice was gravely.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I didn’t know that he’d be here.”
I led her to the table as fast as I could pull her. I didn’t want to give her the chance to bolt. She could do this. Besides, if her bite were as bad as her bark then I’d say Mr. Foxy Pants better hope he’s vaccinated.
Her free hand pinched my side when she spotted him. Oh, she was furious.
“Letty,” I spoke above the noise at the table. “These are the guys.” I went around the table and told them all their names. Everyone was friendly enough to look up and acknowledge her except Fox. He gave a slight head nod, but never looked up. His eyes remained focused on the cards in front of him. I quickly continued around the table because I didn’t want any more added friction between the two of them.
Garrett was the last one I introduced and he wasted no time showing her his lovable self. “You single?” He asked eyeing her bare legs.
There was a bit of fire in her eyes when she responded, “No. I’m sorry. I’m married, and I have six babies.” Her stoic voice was beyond believable, and Garrett’s jaw dropped wide enough to catch flies. I had to look away to keep from laughing. Letty was a pistol. You never knew what was going to come out of that mouth of hers.
Josh held out his hand to her. “Nice to see you again.”
“Yeah. You too,” she responded.
Garrett cleared his throat. “You really married?”
“No, Bear,” I pushed the back of his head. “Get back to your cards before you lose all your money.”
Josh eyed me curiously, probably wondering if I was still mad at him. With Letty by my side, I didn’t give it much more thought. I just childishly ignored him because I knew it would tick him off. It was the least that I could do after he had his hands on my leg earlier. I think the two of us needed some time together, just the two of us. It’d been a while since we had a movie night, or a long walk, or even an escapade in the rain. It was long overdue.
Letty and I finished off a couple of beers, but the card game was pretty lame. We decided that we were ready to go back to the dorm and call it a night. We had more Gilmore Girl’s episodes to get through.
We said our brief goodbyes, but everyone was so focused on the game that we were ignored equally. Men and their cards, it was an enigma. I reminded myself to play sick the next time Josh asked me to come over for another game of cards. It just wasn’t my thing.
Letty and I pushed our beds together in the middle of the floor and set the laptop up in between us. I was so happy that I got her for a roommate. Who else would spend Friday night slumbering with Netflix in their dorm room?
Now, if I
could just get her to go shopping with me, we’d be soulmates.
I was just dozing off when I heard my phone beep. Opening it, I saw a text from Jude. He was the last person I was expecting a message from.
I just got my ass kicked in cards. Thought you’d want to know that there is something I’m not good at. –Jude
I texted back,
I knew you were a loser. -Paislee
Just kidding. Night Jude! -Paislee
He replied back quickly.
Very funny! Night Darlin! -Jude
Sixteen
Josh
After a clean sweep at the card table, I told all the guys that I’d treat them to food. We were all starving after the four grueling hours that we’d spent around the table. Fox seemed to be my toughest competition, but I finally broke him. It felt good too. The guy was always so serious. He was the only one at the table that I really wanted to beat. Well, except for Tex, but I just wanted to beat him for bragging rights.
After we cleaned up, I called a cab to pick us up. We’d been drinking for the past several hours, and none of us could drive. We were by far, too drunk.
Only four of us decided to eat, Garrett, Tex, Obi, and me. I didn’t complain. That was less money I had to spend.
We were seated at a booth next to the window that overlooked the main street. Garrett sat next to me, and Tex was directly in front of me. Maybe I’d had one too many drinks, but Tex’s smug looking face was getting under my skin. I just couldn’t get past the whole Paislee thing, at least not until I understood his intentions. So I just asked him.
“What’s up with you and Lee?” My question was cut and dried, and to the point. If you want to know something, then you ask, right? She wasn’t divulging any information, so I was hoping I’d get something out of him.
“Nothing much,” he shrugged like it was no big deal.
“Didn’t you guys just have a date?”
“It wasn’t a date.” Here we go. He was trying to play the no-date-card too. Now both of them were completely full of shit.
I shook my head back and forth, fiddling with the paper to my straw. “It’s funny how she said the exact same thing. Yet, the two of you were alone in her room with dinner. I don’t know about you, but where I come, from that’s a date.”
He smiled smugly. “Then I’d say that the two of you are dating too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I leaned over the table with my arms braced against it.
“Guys,” Garret interrupted.
I snapped my head in his direction. He had no dog in this fight, so it was best for him to stay out of it.
“She told me that the two of you hang out all the time. That you watch movies, you have dinner, and sometimes you even spend the night together, so I’d say that if anyone is dating her then it’s you.” Tex moved in a little closer. “What we did wasn’t a date. We were just hanging out.”
There was so much that I wanted to say to him. Maybe a quick punch in the face would wipe that look off of it. I hated being wrong. I never thought that what Lee and I were doing was anything more than hanging out. There I was accusing him of what we’d been doing all along.
Son of a bitch…
“She’s my best friend. I’ve known that girl since she was nine years old. I’m sorry if you feel threatened by our friendship, but you oughta know that no one’s going to hurt that girl. Your intentions with her, and mine, are two totally different things.” I explained with threat in my voice.
“Maybe you should take your own advice.” He inched a little closer. “Seems to me that the only one hurting her is you. It doesn’t take a genius to see that she has feelings for you, and you know it. You’ve got her hooked like a tight fish on a line, yet you just keep letting her dangle,” he huffed. “She’s the finest fish in the sea, and you’re the dumbass that won’t reel her in.”
“You fucking bitch,” I bit out before tossing my fist towards his face. Guess he didn’t see it coming because it felt good when it connected.
He didn’t punch back. He simply ran his thumb along his lip. That pissed me off even more. Garrett was up on his feet in seconds, so I slid out. Reaching in my pocket I fished out a hundred dollar bill and slapped it on the table. “Enjoy your breakfast.”
I heard someone calling after me, but I didn’t give a damn. I was too mad to turn back. The door flung open when I shoved it and pushed my way out onto the sidewalk. I’d had enough for the night. He was a complete dick.
No one understood the relationship that Lee and I had, except us. We were close. Hell, we were inseparable.
The cool air felt good, as I made the long walk back to campus. It gave me a minute alone with my thoughts, and that’s what I needed. Just some time to think things through and clear my head.
Stretching out my hand, I could feel the soreness in my knuckles. It was a good sore though. It let me know that his lip was probably feeling the same way, and the asshole deserved it after what he said. He’s lucky there was a table separating us or it would’ve been worse.
The sidewalks were crowded to be so late. I must’ve passed by twenty people on my way back to campus. I only had a few more blocks to go when I heard the crackling of thunder in the sky. The loudness of it made me feel like it was right on top of me. I could feel the roar in my chest. Looking upwards at the sky I couldn’t tell if it was about to rain or not. It wasn’t until a bright flash of lightening lit up the sky that I realized I wasn’t going to make it back before the clouds opened up on me.
That was just my luck. Too bad Lee wasn’t with me because she’d be the happiest person in the world at that moment. She loved the storms, and the rain. She’d plan an entire schedule around a storm so that she wouldn’t miss being able to play in the rain. No girl I’d ever met would do that. It was a thrill for her, but man, she’d be even happier if it caught her off guard. If I listened hard enough I could almost hear the sound of her laughing.
My feet were moving as fast as I could get them to go, but the sprinkles had already started to fall. I could feel them hitting the top of my head, and my cheeks. In a matter of minutes, it’d be pouring.
“Shit,” I started to jog, but I was too sloshy. I could feel the alcohol in my system. Each time my heavy feet made contact with the hard concrete of the sidewalk, it felt like my head was spinning. I could’ve sworn the adrenaline would have sobered me up.
I made it through the campus parking lot and was only just a few buildings away when the sky opened up on me. The raindrops fell hard and fast with a sting, making it nearly impossible for me to see.
“Josh, is that you?” I heard someone yell.
I cupped my hands around my eyes trying to create a shield. There was just enough light on campus that I could see someone up ahead. I squinted, but I still couldn’t tell who it was. Making my way a little closer, I heard a laugh.
I heard her laugh.
“Lee!”
She giggled. “Duh! Who else would be dancing in the rain?”
No one, that’s who. “You’re so crazy.”
I finally made it over to her and she stood there with the biggest smile on her face. That damn smile was contagious. She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed me tight. There wasn’t a single care in the world for her, at least not while it was raining.
I hugged her back hard, lifting her up off the ground so that her feet dangled beneath her. She was a sight for sore eyes, or a sight for wet eyes. Either way, she was a sight, and one that I was longing to see.
As I stood there holding her up off the ground, I glimpsed into her eyes. I watched as the rain fell from her eyelashes and rolled down her cheeks. Her hair was a mess, but in that moment she was beautiful. She was my girl, my best friend. The way she tilted her head to the side and looked at me stirred up something inside. It was a mixture of want, and something else. I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Loosening my hold on her, I let her slide slowly to the ground until her feet touched the wet gra
ss below.
Never, in all the years that we’d been friends had I ever felt so lucky. She was stunning. So much so that I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
What the hell was she doing to me?
“Lee,” I said as I bit down hard on my bottom lip. I needed to feel the pain to make sure that this moment was real.
She licked the rain droplets from her top lip and moved in closer to me. We were soaked to the bone, but we stood there unmoving.
“What is it, Josh?” Her facial expression hardened in concern.
I couldn’t believe what I was about to say. Literally, my hands were shaking. I shouldn’t have even been thinking it, but after the night I’d had, I couldn’t help it.
“I want to kiss you, Lee.”
She sucked in a breath, and her eyes grew wide. I could feel her body slacking against me.
I moved my hands up to her face, and her eyes never left mine. It was a heart-stopping moment, and we both knew that there might’ve been no turning back. It could ruin everything, but it didn’t change the fact that I wanted to kiss her so badly in that moment.
Our relationship had already altered the moment she told me how she felt about me. I thought it wouldn’t. I thought that the two of us would be able to forget about it, but I was naïve.
Tex was right, and I hated to admit it to myself. I treated her like I’d treat a girlfriend. Emotionally we were connected. Physically, well, I couldn’t wait another second to get to that part.
I lowered my lips so that they were as close as I could get to hers without touching. I was waiting for her to give me any kind of signal not to do it, but when her hands gripped my waist tighter I couldn’t hold back.
Do you love me? (Trinity Series Book 1) Page 10