Sixteen
“We should’ve gone out last night, you know,” Erica said as she finished brushing on her mascara. She was leaning over the sink and looking in the mirror, her mouth a perfect O as she worked.
“Shoulda, woulda, coulda,” I said, shrugging my shoulders as I sprayed my hair one final time in an attempt to keep the style I’d been working on: my sides pulled back with the rest of my hair hanging down in loose waves.
“You’re sure you’ll be okay for work tomorrow?” she asked, standing upright and putting the lid back on her mascara.
“I’ll be fine. We’re not staying out late. We’ll have a few drinks. Maybe dance a bit. I’ll be in bed before midnight.”
“Still, last night would’ve been better.”
“Not really. Adam wouldn’t be coming if we’d gone yesterday.”
“Very true,” she said with a smirk. “Clubbing with Adam DeLain is bound to have its benefits.”
“We’re not clubbing. We’re going out as friends before you guys head back to Silver Falls.”
“Pure technicalities.”
“Are you two almost ready?” There was a knock on the bathroom door and I swung it open to see Adam standing there, looking especially sexy in his dark jeans and button-down shirt. It was a deep blue that made his eyes jump out. His dark hair was styled just right and his skin looked soft from a fresh shave.
“We’re just finishing up,” I told him as his eyes moved slowly up my body. I could tell by his grin that he approved of my outfit, a black ribbed jersey dress that stopped right above my knees. I thought it was cute and fun while comfortable at the same time. The way Adam was looking at me though, I thought I should add sexy to my list of adjectives. “Give us five more minutes and we’ll be down, okay?”
Adam sighed, his frustration obvious, but then he smiled.
“You’re lucky you’re cute, Caroline Hale,” he said, leaning in and kissing me on the forehead before turning and walking downstairs.
“The natives are restless?” Erica asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah. They’re waiting on us.”
“I’m just about done,” she said, gliding on some lipstick, smacking them together before closing the cap and putting it away in her makeup bag. “How do I look? Presentable enough to possibly catch the eye of one of Boston’s bachelors?”
“You look perfect,” I said, smiling at my cousin, who was undeniably adorable with her corkscrew brown curls and matching eyes. While Erica had always been on the shorter side and blessed with curves and a chest I’d kill for, she’d never found herself attractive. She was completely wrong on that.
“Let’s go then,” she said, taking my hand and leading me downstairs to where Adam, Sawyer and Lindsey were waiting.
“Some things never change,” Sawyer said with an eye roll and I glared at him. “C’mon, Care. You know I’m right. We were always waiting on you as kids to get ready.”
“Shut up, Sawyer,” I said in the same way I did when I was still ten years old and he just chuckled as Adam took my hand, leading me outside.
We took an Uber to the club, the driver dropping us off in front of Venu, Adam’s favorite place to hang out in Boston, the same club he’d brought me the first time I’d spent time with him in the city. The same place that gave me my first true taste of the way Adam DeLain lived once he left Silver Falls.
There wasn’t a line to get in since it was a Sunday evening, but when we glided past the bouncer and walked inside, it still appeared filled to capacity. Per usual though, Adam talked to one of the hostesses, dressed in the sexy black cocktail dresses that showed off too much cleavage, and she led us to an open booth.
She told us her name was Evette as she smiled at Adam and then over to my brother. Erica, Lindsey and I might as well have been invisible. It’d been a while since I’d been out with Adam like this and I didn’t like the feelings of jealousy creeping inside of me. I wasn’t sure if Adam sensed it somehow, but I felt his hand on my knee under the table, resting it there in a silent gesture of commitment.
Once we’d given our orders, Evette was gone and we were left to try and talk over the pulsating sounds of the dance number pumping from the DJ.
“This place is incredible!” Erica said, leaning in so we could hear her. “So much different than the bars in Burlington.” Her eyes darted over to mine then, a coy grin on her face. “At least Adam’s here so you won’t hook up with the bartender and break his nose.”
I felt my face turn beet red as memories from that incredibly awkward night came flooding back when I’d decided to go bar hopping to try and forget about my horrible ex and my new feelings for Adam. No matter how much time passed, I was fairly certain I’d never forget the look on poor Robert, the bartender’s face, when I kneed him right in the nose just as we were getting up close and personal.
“What?” Sawyer asked, his eyes moving between Erica and me.
“Seriously, Erica? Why’d you have to bring that up?”
“I didn’t know it was off limits!” she laughed.
“Of course, it’s off limits! You have to bring up probably the single most embarrassing moment of my life in front of my brother and his fiancée as well as my boyfriend?”
“You’re forgetting about the naked eye doctor. What was his name? Dr. Dylan?” Adam was joining in the roast now and my face turned even redder as Erica and him began to laugh hysterically since they were the only two who knew about the incidents I wished could be locked away never to see the light of day again.
“Would someone please tell me what in the hell is so funny?” Sawyer asked, looking around to each of us for answers.
“You never told Sawyer?” Erica asked.
“No! Neither of those times was my proudest moment. I wasn’t exactly going around broadcasting them,” I said, recalling the night I’d confessed to Adam what had happened on my blind date with Dr. Dylan with whom Erica had set me up. I’d gone to Adam for advice and what I left with was a mess of feelings about him I couldn’t make heads or tails of.
“You can laugh about it now though, Care. I can see how it was traumatizing at first, but now, it’s just plain funny.” Adam looked at my cousin again and again they burst out laughing.
“Tell us what the hell is so damn funny!” Sawyer demanded and once Adam and Erica looked at me for approval, they spilled both stories to my brother and Lindsey who were both in fits of laughter when the story was over and I was thoroughly mortified.
“You know, it’s been over a year now and Dr. Dylan still won’t look me in the eye. I don’t think we’ve said one word outside the scope of work since the conversation where I set you two up.”
Erica grinned and I finally cracked a smile, laughter following a few moments later. They were right. It was the past. At the time I’d been mortified. At the time I’d thought there was something wrong with me to cause the streak of dating bad luck I’d endured during that time, but now, just as Adam had said, it was just plain funny and it felt good to laugh at my past.
Evette returned just then with our drinks. The only two not drinking alcohol were Lindsey, for obvious reasons, and Adam, to keep at the top of his game.
The pounding techno song started to fade out and was replaced by a slow song. I felt Adam’s gaze on me then and when I turned to face him, he had a smile on his face.
“Wanna dance with me?” he asked and I couldn’t resist. I didn’t get to dance with Adam nearly enough.
“You know my answer,” I said, placing my hand in his and we slid out of the booth and onto the dance floor.
It was crowded, but not how it’d been that first night he’d brought me here. His hands slid around my waist, pulling me to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we moved slowly, neither one of us paying much attention to if we were actually on the beat or not. We were just enjoying this moment together. I knew people would eventually recognize Adam and I had already mentally prepared myself for that. There was a good chance someone would snap a photo of us and a few tasteless remarks, usually directed at me, would follow on social media the next day, but I didn’t care. I was used to it. I used to think I couldn’t handle the stress that came with dating Adam, but as I swayed in his arms, I knew I was past that. I was past the fact that haters out there could never understand why someone like Adam DeLain was with an ordinary girl from Vermont. All that mattered was that we, Adam and I, understood why we were together and we both knew perfectly well why that was. We loved each other. Plain and simple. He brought out the best in me and I in him. He was my best friend and he loved me with everything he had. To hell with anyone else. That had become my mantra and so far, it was working just fine.
“It feels good to hold you like this,” he said as we danced.
“It feels good to be held,” I told him, looking up into those blue eyes before he brushed his lips over mine for a few perfect seconds. “I’m glad you’re here tonight. It’s nice being out with everyone.”
“I can’t complain there,” he said, his lips meeting mine again.
When he pulled back, I noticed Lindsey and Sawyer had left the booth and had joined us on the dance floor. And just as I suspected, when I looked back to our seats, there sat Erica, alone. I felt a pit in my stomach. How insensitive we must look, lost in our little world while she sat by herself.
Erica was looking down at her phone while sipping on her cocktail. She was pretending it didn’t bother her, but I knew it did.
“We can’t leave Erica to sit alone,” I said and Adam looked up, noticing my cousin’s plight for the first time. His eyes moved back to mine and he knew I was right. A second later, our dance was cut short and we were back in the booth.
“The song’s not over,” she said when we’d returned.
“We got bored,” I said.
“Liar,” she scoffed. “You felt guilty leaving your pathetic cousin here to accept her role as a wallflower.”
“Stop it,” I said, giving her a quick squeeze, before standing up and holding out my hand to her. “Now, I’ve gotta use the bathroom, and you’re coming with me.”
She laughed and shook her head, but then took my hand. I winked at Adam, who smiled back at me before Erica and I began making our way through the congestion.
I was happy to see there wasn’t a line like there usually was and we walked into the bathroom. When I’d finished, Erica was waiting for me at the counter. She was fixing her hair. I washed my hands and then tended to my own hair that was starting to hang in that stringy way I detested so much.
“You really didn’t have to stop dancing with Adam on my account,” she said as our eyes met in the mirror.
“We were done.”
“You’re the world’s worst liar, so just stop, okay?” She smirked at me and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“I didn’t want you sitting alone.”
“I was fine, Care. Really and truly. I’m a big girl who doesn’t need the approval of a man to feel good about myself. I’m here to drink and have fun with my bestie who’s abandoned me for life in the big city with Prince Charming.”
“You know I always wanted to marry Prince Eric, not Charming,” I said.
She rolled her eyes and started to laugh as she took my hand, pulling me out of the bathroom and back into the crowd. She didn’t lead me straight to the booth though. Instead, we found ourselves at the bar. She’d guzzled her first drink and was in need of a second.
“Cosmo, please,” she said to the bartender, who looked at me for my order, but I politely shook my head. My drink was still waiting for us at the booth.
Erica leaned her back against the bar, her eyes scanning the club as I stood beside her.
“Find anything good?” I asked her.
“There’s lots of great eye candy here tonight,” she said with a wry grin. “I’m considering my options.”
“Options? Exactly what options are you considering?” I laughed.
“I don’t know. Meaningless hook up, dance partner, cash cow, one-night stand.” That grin was on her face as one eyebrow raised. She loved getting a reaction from me.
“You’re not serious, are you?” I asked and I saw the satisfaction she was getting from baiting me.
“It’s me we’re talking about, Caroline. Of course, I’m serious. You only live once, right? Might as well make the most of it.”
Just as she said it, my eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar head of hair. Brown, too long around the ears and messy curls. It was Sean from work and I couldn’t help but think Venu didn’t seem the type of place he would hang out.
“What’re you staring at?” Erica asked me.
“My co-worker,” I told her and I watched as my cousin’s eyes focused on the area I was pointing to discreetly. Sean looked up just then and I knew he saw me. I could tell he found it just as strange as I did seeing him outside the office. We had to say hi to each other. It’d be awkward in the morning otherwise and he started walking over to us, not looking much different than he would at work.
“Hey, Sean,” I said as he walked up.
“Hey. How’s it going?” he asked.
“Good. You?”
“Same,” he answered and his gaze moved over to Erica, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I thought I saw a spark in them.
“I never pegged you for this kind of place,” I said to him.
“You pegged me right. I do some freelance work on the side and my buddy’s brother manages the club. They’ve been having some networking issues and I came by to check it out.”
“Did you get everything fixed?” I asked.
“Pretty much,” he answered and his eyes moved to Erica again.
“This is my cousin, Erica,” I said, finally introducing them. “Erica, this is Sean Ericson. We work together.”
“Good to know you, Sean,” she said, flashing her toothy smile at him.
“Likewise, Erica,” he said and then a few seconds of silence settled in.
“Do you want to join us for a drink at our table or are you still working?” I asked him and he seemed a little uneasy.
“I just finished up. I don’t want to intrude though.”
“You’re not intruding and I can finally introduce you to Adam.”
I watched as Sean’s face changed at the mention of Adam.
“Adam’s here? I thought the Sox were in Tampa.”
“They are, but they sent Adam back early to prepare for his next start. I’m sure he’d like to finally meet you.”
“He won’t mind?” Sean asked and I could see his nerves.
“No. Not at all,” I assured him and then Erica snickered.
“Just try not to go all fangirl on him, okay?” Sean’s eyes moved to Erica again. He seemed annoyed at first, but when she smiled at him, he seemed to soften.
“I’ll have a drink then,” Sean said just as the bartender handed Erica’s to her.
“Good. Adam’s always asking me about work, so he’ll be happy to put a face to one of the names,” I told him as we walked back towards our booth. “He keeps telling me he wants to come by the office sometime. I’ve told him absolutely not.”
“That’s probably a good idea. He might give Father Time a heart attack.” At that, Sean and I both started laughing. He was probably right. Old Frank wouldn’t know what to do with himself if Adam DeLain showed up.
As we approached the booth, I saw Adam. Sawyer and Lindsey must still be dancing. Adam wasn’t alone though. There were three women standing at the table, trying to talk to him. All of their skirts were too short and they’d obviously put a lot of time into their appearance in hopes of hooking up. From the looks of it, they’d set their eyes on my boyfriend. I wasn’t surprised. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. I told myself to push my jealously aside. It was hard when I knew women threw themselves willingly at Adam. He loved me though, there was no doubt in my heart about that.
“Hey,” I said in an overly cheerful voice, which caused the girls’ heads to turn in my direction. One looked particularly annoyed at my presence as I slid into the booth next to Adam and he draped his arm around me, pulling me close to him.
“It’s was nice to meet you,” one of the girls said and then they turned and walked away.
“I can’t leave you alone for a second,” I teased and he laughed.
“I’m sorry. I was trying to get rid of them. You know how irresistible I am though.”
“And humble too,” I said with a laugh and then Adam looked up at Sean who was still standing at the edge of the table. “Adam, this is Sean. We work together at Logics.”
Adam stood up and shook Sean’s hand.
“It’s nice to finally meet one of Caroline’s co-workers.”
“Yeah. It’s good to meet you, too.” I could tell Sean was trying to act cool as if Adam was just a regular guy and not a member of his favorite baseball team.
“Take a seat,” Adam said, gesturing to the bench seat across from us. Sean sat down and Erica slid in beside him.
“Sean was here working on the club’s network,” I began.
“That stuff’s all Greek to me. I’m glad Caroline has people at work she can engage in her nerd talk with,” he said and we all started laughing.
“We’re not nerds,” I said.
“Of course not,” he said and I hoped then he hadn’t offended Sean. Adam made a motion with his arm and a moment later, Evette was back. “What’re you having, Sean?” he asked.
“Beer’s fine. I’ll take whatever you have on tap,” Sean answered.
“Put it on my tab,” Adam said. Evette smiled and then walked away.
“That wasn’t necessary…putting it on your tab,” Sean said.
“No worries. I’m happy to do it. Caroline says you’ve been a good friend to her at work, it’s the least I can do to say thank you.”
“She’s been a real asset to our team,” Sean said and I smiled at him in appreciation. His eyes moved back to Adam then. “You pitched a great game last night. Too bad the run support wasn’t there.”
“Hey, you win some, you lose some, but thank you,” Adam said and then Evette appeared, setting the beer down in front of Sean, just as a slow song came over the sound system.
“Dance with me, DeLain,” I said, standing up and holding out my hand to him. Adam looked at me, his brows furrowed in confusion, but I took his hand and pulled until he stood up. “You don’t mind, do you guys?” I asked looking between Sean and Erica. They both shook their heads and I knew they didn’t.
“That was kind of rude, don’t you think?” Adam asked as I draped my arms around his neck on the dance floor. “Sean had just sat down and you dragged me off.”
“I wanted to give Sean and Erica some time alone.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I think he’s interested in her. You are so dense sometimes,” I teased, reaching up and giving him a quick peck.
“I didn’t read that at all.”
“Because you didn’t see the way he was looking at her earlier.”
“So, you’re playing matchmaker now?” he grinned, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m just trying to help. Sean’s a great guy. Much better than the losers she always finds herself with. It’s worth a shot,” I said as both of our eyes drifted discreetly towards the booth where Erica and Sean seemed to be engaged in conversation. They were both smiling and Erica was twirling one of her curls around her finger, something she always did when was nervous.
“You’re a good person, Caroline,” Adam said softly, bringing his eyes back to mine as we danced. “You’re always looking out for everyone else.”
“I just want Erica to be happy. To find someone to share that happiness with…the way I have with you,” I said softly, smiling up at him. He smiled back and then his lips were on mine.
“I hope she finds that too,” he said when he pulled back.
We continued to dance and a while later, I saw Sean and Erica had joined us. I hadn’t pegged Sean as a dancer and he seemed awkward at first, but if anyone could get someone to loosen up, it was Erica, and soon they seemed to be having a good time. Every time I looked over to them, she was smiling and that made me happy.
~~~
I had to work the next morning and Adam had a workout scheduled so we decided to leave the club around nine. I’d known it was going to be an early night, being a Sunday, but I was disappointed as we said goodbye to Sean and left the club, making our way back to the house. Erica had been tightlipped on the Uber ride home, but I cornered her in the bathroom as she was washing her face after changing into her pajamas.
“You haven’t said anything about Sean,” I said, shutting the door behind me.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she said and I thought I detected a harshness to her voice.
“What’s going on? You two looked like you were having a really good time. You seemed to hit it off.”
“We did. He’s a very sweet guy,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.
“Yeah, he is,” I agreed.
“He’s too sweet,” she sighed, reaching for a hand towel and drying her face.
“How can a guy be too sweet?” I asked, folding my arms as I waited for her explanation.
“You know I’m not into sweet guys.”
“Maybe that’s the problem.”
“No, the problem is, I gave Sean every possible signal that I’d be willing to go back with him to his place and he shot me down.”
“So, you’re upset because Sean wasn’t down for a hook-up?” I asked with a laugh. “You should love that about him.”
“No, Caroline, I don’t love that about him. After the connection between us, I wasn’t looking for just a guy to share the dance floor with tonight, I was looking for a guy to end my dry spell in the sack or at least make out with a little. I got nothing though. Nothing, except a kiss on the cheek,” she said with an eye roll.
“I think that’s so sweet! A kiss on the cheek.”
“What did you miss about this conversation, Caroline? I don’t want sweet. I wanted raw, uninhibited, red hot passion tonight and I got a damn kiss on the cheek.”
“Maybe that’s just not him and I, for one, find it very romantic that he was so respectful towards you.”
“I love you, Care. You know I do, but not everyone wants the fairy tale. Not everyone wants what you and Adam have,” she began, but I knew her words were just for show. We’d had conversations before and I knew she wanted something deeper, she just pretended not to. “Some of us just want a good lay.” I felt my eyes get wide at her words and I was left speechless. “And I didn’t get that tonight, when I thought the chances were good, so I’m a bit frustrated.”
“Erica…” I began, but she cut me off.
“Just let me be frustrated and take solace in the fact that while my sexual needs are not going to be met tonight, yours are, so enjoy it…for both of us.”
My cheeks turned bright red and she grinned at me, slapping me on the butt before walking out of the bathroom.
I stood there for a few moments as her footsteps disappeared down the stairs to take her place in the den. With Adam home, he’d taken his spot back in our bed and I left the bathroom to find Adam already in it, waiting for me.
I shut the door and he looked at me curiously as I walked towards my side of the bed.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just had the weirdest conversation with Erica though.”
“What about?” he asked as I climbed in beside him.
“It seems she’s upset that Sean is a gentleman and didn’t agree to a hook-up tonight,” I said with a quiet laugh. “She says she doesn’t want the fairy tale like you and me.”
The right side of his mouth curled up into a cute smirk.
“Well, to be fair, no one can have what we do.”
He reached for me, pulling me close and pressing his lips softly to mine, moving them slowly for a few moments before pulling away.
“Seriously, Adam,” I sighed. “How can she be frustrated that he’s too nice. That he values her too much for a one-night stand?”
“I have never been able to understand women so I have no clue.”
I huffed and then slid down under the covers, my head resting on the pillow as I stared at the ceiling before I felt him next to me. I turned my head to see he’d propped himself up on his elbow and was looking at me.
“Erica will find her place,” he began. “She’ll figure her life out, maybe not as fast as you’d like her to or in the way you think she should, but she will.”
“I hope so,” I sighed.
“Now, enough about Erica,” he said softly. “Let’s focus on us.”
His lips were on mine then, so soft and sweet. I was thankful he was home and he pulled me even closer, our bodies pressed against each other.
“I love coming home to you,” he whispered between kisses.
“I love you coming home to me,” I whispered back.
“I’d stay with you forever if I could,” he said into my ear. “I’d never let you go.”
“I never want you to let me go,” I said just before his lips met mine again, so deep I was instantly lost in him and I didn’t want to ever find my way back.