Chapter Twenty-Two
Lindsey
Tuesday
There was something of a skip in my step when I arrived back at the apartment. I was flying on air. I probably had a wide grin spread across my face like a mad person but I didn’t care. I was happy, falling, desperately in trouble but I really didn’t care.
“Hey, Denise, what’cha doing?” My smile faltered only slightly when I saw that she had suitcases piled up at the front door. “Are you going somewhere?”
She huffed and rolled her eyes at me. “Have you forgotten? I’m going home for Christmas. I’ve been trying to call you to see if you want to come, but your cell phone has been off for nearly two days.”
“Oh, yeah.” I giggled, I just couldn’t help myself. “I’ve been out and my phone died.”
“Out for days?” Denise gave me a disbelieving look. “That isn’t like you at all. Where the hell have you been?”
I blushed but the words spilled out of my mouth anyway. I couldn’t control myself I was so happy that I felt compelled to share. “I was at Adam’s house. Things have taken a very positive direction.”
“Positive?” Denise didn’t look impressed as she grabbed her purse. “You mean you slept with him? Is that really a good idea? Didn’t I warn you that this will end up being a whole lot of trouble?”
I could see why she’d think that way if I wanted to look at things from her point of view but I didn’t want my bubble burst. I wanted to relish in this post orgasmic bliss for a little while longer. For a lot longer, actually. It felt wonderful. I was the happiest that I’d been in a really long time.
“I know what you think, Denise, but trust me. I know what I’m doing.” She thought I was naïve, I could see it in her eyes. I needed to lie just a little bit so she thought I was telling the truth. “I know that this might not work out, but I also know that things are good for the moment. It didn’t happen on a night when any money exchanged hands, so it isn’t weird. It’s just…” There was that grin again, I just couldn’t control it. “I’m just having a really good time at the moment. That’s all.”
“Did you want to come for Christmas then, or not?” She ignored my point and tried to drag me away from the city for a break from it all. I guess she assumed that was what I needed. “I’ve told Mom you might…”
“I’m going to Adam’s parents’ house for Christmas dinner. His mom invited me as way of an apology.”
“Are you serious?” Denise flung her arms out in utter despair at me. “Don’t you see how messed up this is? Now you’re hanging out over the holidays – you are putting yourself in the dangerous path of falling in love.”
I know that… I don’t think I mind.
Of course, I couldn’t say that aloud, so I went for something different instead. “I know that, I’m not foolish. I’m just taking each day as it comes until it ends.”
She cocked her head to one side and she stepped closer to me. “Lindsey, I just care about you, you know that. You need a break from this. You need to come home with me for the holidays to get some distance. Try to work out how you really feel about all of this. Maybe with some perspective, you’ll see that this isn’t as straightforward as you think.” She breathed deeply as if she was really trying to keep her emotions locked away. “Maybe this thing between you and Adam can work, even if I don’t think it can. Maybe I’m wrong, but I just think the smartest thing to do would be to give the pair of you a bit of a break.”
Maybe she was right. Maybe I did need that – but it wasn’t what I wanted. Usually I did the right thing, but this was the one time that I really didn’t want to. I just wanted to bathe in this incredible feeling and to have it last for as long as it could. It wasn’t smart, but I didn’t want to be smart.
“I’m going to stay,” I told her firmly. “And, I’m going to have Christmas dinner with Adam’s family. I want to. I promise you, I’ll be fine.”
Her mouth tightened as she grabbed her things. “Fine. I can see that you have your mind made up. I guess I’ll just get going then.”
As she stomped towards the door in a fit of anger, I realized that I couldn’t let her go like this. The last thing I wanted was for me and Denise to spend Christmas on bad terms. It’d be too long until we saw one another again and things could sour.
“Denise, don’t leave yet.” I thought on my feet, trying desperately to get her to stay. “I know you don’t like it, but it’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing. Let me take you to lunch before you go.” She folded her arms across her chest, looking very unimpressed, but she didn’t leave which I decided to push that little bit further. “Come on, we’ll go to that bakery where the hot guy works. Maybe today will be the day you get his number.”
“Fine,” she conceded unhappily. Her facial expression said it all. She didn’t want to, but she didn’t want to spend Christmas with us fallen out either. “But you’re paying, you realize that, right? I know you can afford to these days, what with your fancy ass job.”
I ignored the malice there. I let Denise get her little dig in – it was clearly what she needed right now. Thankfully, she was staying so I knew for a fact that we would be able to sort this out. “Yes, I’m paying. Come on, let’s go.”
***
I chuckled to myself as I watched Denise overtly flirt with the hot guy behind the counter. She had no shame as she leant across to him, revealing her cleavage and laughed at all his jokes in a cutsey hair flipping way. Why he wasn’t responding I would never know, but that was the mystery of men. Why he wouldn’t want the super sexy Denise and why Adam wanted me… I would never understand.
Quite frankly, it was a relief when she gave up and she joined me at the table. At first, I thought the look of resignation on her face was about him, but then she spoke again and I realized perhaps not.
“So, I suppose you better tell me about you and Adam,” she grumbled. “I might not like it, but I best know all the details before things get way out of hand. Is he still a bum with no job?”
“He isn’t, actually,” I declared proudly. “He volunteers at the orphanage, so that takes up too much time for him to do anything else. He’s a good man, he gives so much of himself…”
“He volunteers?” she scoffed, much to my surprise. “How the hell does that pay the bills?”
“Oh, well…” I wasn’t sure how to answer that. “He doesn’t need to, does he?”
“Oh that’s right: Daddy’s money. How could I forget.” She rolled her eyes and ate a huge slice of cake. The she continued to talk, despite the fact that her mouth was full. “Come on, Lindsey, don’t you want more for yourself? Someone with a bit of ambition.”
“I don’t think working at an orphanage is a bad thing,” I shot back rapidly. “I think he’s doing something really good. I know what it’s like to have no parents, remember?”
That shut Denise up but I could tell that she still thought the same thing. She assumed I should want someone whose main goal in life was to make money – clearly that was what she wanted for herself, but that wasn’t me. I didn’t think it had ever been me, but now I knew that with utter certainty, more than ever before. I wanted someone with heart, with integrity, someone that wanted to give back. That was Adam, I just knew it.
He had opened my eyes to all sorts. I now knew myself better just from spending time with him. He gave me a confidence in myself that wasn’t there before. I wouldn’t give that up for anything.
“Look, that’s what he does, and like I said before I’m happy with him. I just want to keep things as they are. I like that he volunteers, I’ve seen what he does to make the kids lives better. I honestly do know what I’m doing.”
Denise sat back in her chair and she regarded me closely. I really didn’t want this to end in a fight, not when things were finally back on track. I just wanted this to be done. I always accepted Denise for her choices, why couldn’t she do the same for mine?
“You don’t have to keep seeing him for money, you’ve got enough to pay the rent for ages now. Please don’t keep spending time with him for that.”
I shook my head fast. “No, I won’t. This isn’t about the whole fake girlfriend anymore. It’s all about me and him. I won’t take another penny from him.”
I hoped that would be the end of it, and when she changed the subject right back to the hot guy at the counter, I let out a breath that I hadn’t even realized I was holding. At least with random small talk, nothing could escalate. Like she already said, Denise didn’t have to accept me with Adam; there was no part of her that had to like it. She just needed to let it go until whatever would come next. Whether it was good or bad, I hoped she would be there for me.
Eventually the time came where we had to go back to the apartment so Denise could get her things and go. By the time that happened, the atmosphere had completely changed again. She was much more jovial, which allowed me to relax, as well.
“I guess I’ll see you soon then,” she said while wrapping her arms around me. “You just be careful. Look after yourself over the Christmas break and don’t let yourself get in too deep, okay?”
“Sure, sure,” I chuckled. “And you take care of yourself, too, although not too much. I want to hear all about your drunken escapades. That always cheers me up come New Year.”
“There’s bound to be some.” She winked at me playfully while putting her hand on her hip and striking a sexy pose for me. I couldn’t help but laugh at her silliness. “And maybe some sexy stories to tell, as well.”
I hoped that I’d have some sexy stories of my own – not that I would tell them. I wasn’t really the kiss and tell type, not even with my best friend. God, I wanted to get my hands on that amazing body of his again. Adam was something else, he was on a completely other scale. Those muscles, those shoulders, everything about him was phenomenal. I just wanted to touch him.
“Yeah, I hope so! Have a good time and I’ll see you soon.”
As she walked away and closed the apartment door behind her, I didn’t feel as locked away and alone as I normally did at this time of year. For the first time in a very long time, I had plans that I was actually looking forward to. Sure it would probably be awkward and incredibly uncomfortable with Adam’s father and brother there, but at least I’d be with him. That was really all I cared about. I could suffer the arguments and the crappy moods as long as I got to be with him.