The rehearsal with the guys was productive. Anderson helped to write some fire lyrics that we’re going to sample for our next show. We even have Ivy’s sultry vocals layering our sound for an extra punch. Our fans are in for a treat. Never thought I’d be riding high from a collaboration—I like flying solo. I like solitude during my writing process even more. A lazy grin forms on my lips as I replay the past few hours. Everyone’s gone their separate ways for a little Sunday fun day, or what’s left of it anyway. Xander and Lily waste no time claiming the sofa for a little movie time. My stomach grumbles, and I consider ordering takeout. I don’t want to be anywhere near those two if some chick flick is about to commence. My phone pings in my hand as I head to the kitchen to search for menus.
“Meet me at the beach.”
That’s it. The message from Lourdes is straight to the point. I assumed she was upstairs in her room since she doesn’t travel far without her sidekick, Lily.
“Why should I?”
I already know that I’ll meet her as she so eloquently asked. I just want to make her sweat a bit. Where’s the fun in being whipped like her brother? I chuckle at the sight of them. I’m not hating. If you find something real and doting is your cup of tea, then drink that shit. I just need to be more reserved with my feelings. It’s not a good look on me. I don’t do weak or subdued. Control is the epitome of my being, and I have the internal scars to prove why it can’t be any other way. Just when I think she is resisting my obvious charm, her next message pops up on my screen.
“Up to you. Would be a shame to miss my surprise, though.”
I don’t bother responding. I grab a Heineken from the fridge and make my way to see what this surprise could be. I’m intrigued. She’s been stepping out of her comfort zone a lot lately, making an effort to eradicate this imposed distance that I’ve created. The two lovebirds give me a curious stare as I leave. Hopefully, they don’t have wild sex on the furniture now that they have the house to themselves.
I remove my shoes before strolling down the beach. It doesn’t take long to see what Lourdes has been up to. A lighted path of candles in glass jars leads me to a romantic setup near the ocean but far enough away from the current. I’m speechless. A throw blankets the ground along with several large square pillows. More candle lit jars illuminate the space. A serving tray and picnic sit off to the side with wine and hidden food. The delectable smell is enough to make my stomach stir again.
“My, my. Somebody has been busy. What’s the occasion, princess?”
Her white cotton sundress looks so simple and girl next door. A single fishtail braid lays to one side over her shoulder. I can’t help but take in her understated beauty. Her eyes so gray, so clear in contrast to her raven locks. I don’t know why I pick this moment to study her, but I do. I know I should shut this whole thing down. The fucking was one thing, but we’re chartering dangerous territory—getting further and further away from neutral grounds. I need to focus on the goals at hand. The thing is, even knowing what the right thing is to do here, I can’t walk away. I can’t shit on her effort. Tonight, I’ll relent. Tomorrow, I’ll set things back on course. Melissa will be back tomorrow afternoon anyway.
“No occasion. Just felt like doing something nice.” She downplays her little ‘I want some dick’ setup, so I let her think she’s being obtuse.
“What’s that I smell?” I take a seat next to her, and her gorgeous, enigmatic face lights up.
“Pizza,” she explains enthusiastically. “But not just any pizza. Homemade pizza.”
“So you made this pizza?” I look at her suspiciously, continuing to give her a hard time.
“You sure have a lot of questions. Yes, I made it. Homemade pizza is the best. You’ll see.” She leans over to grab the pizza from the picnic basket, and the roundness of her ass against the fabric of her dress makes me want to take a bite of something else. “I had to cut the slices into squares to fit in this baking dish after it came out of the oven. You know, to keep it warm until you guys got back. I tried to time it as close as possible to when you got home.”
“How did you know when we’d get back or that we wouldn’t stop for a bite to eat afterward?”
She pushes my shoulder. “Psssh. Mr. Inquistive, I couldn’t be sure you’d come straight back, but Lily messaged Xander to get a heads-up on when he was heading back. I just crossed my fingers you’d be with them.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I’m glad I didn’t ruin your surprise. It’s sweet, so thank you.” I sound nauseating even to myself, but I genuinely appreciate her thoughtfulness. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about how this little dinner would end. Maybe we could check off beach sex from both of our lists. I’m sure she’s never done so before now. “Pass me some of that homemade pizza, then.”
Her eyes gleam against the flickering candlelight as she watches me sink my teeth into the warm, cheesy goodness. She kept it simple, only adding pepperoni, but it’s perfect. Garlic toasted crust with just the right amount of spices means I could probably eat my weight in these slices. She passes me a glass of merlot before she grabs her own slice.
“Don’t you two look cozy,” a familiar voice cuts through our moment. When the fuck did Melissa get here? I wasn’t scheduled to pick her until tomorrow.
Lourdes straightens, guilt etched into the rise of her eyebrows. She’s not pleased with the intrusion.
“Melissa. I didn’t hear you come up. When did you get back? I thought you weren’t flying back until tomorrow.” I don’t know why the hell I’m rambling. It’s not like she walked up on us having sex. Thank God.
“Obviously,” she deadpans. “Did I interrupt some romantic rendezvous?”
The question is directed at me, but her daggers are aimed at Lourdes.
“Of course not.” Lourdes’s head snaps in my direction, but I press on—working to salvage my plans. “I saw the glow from the house, so I came down to investigate.”
“Oh, and you just happened to stumble upon this lovely setup for two, right? Lourdes was just waiting for someone to come out to join her.”
“First of all—” Lourdes begins, but I cut her off quickly. This will only escalate if I don’t stop her, and my plan to find out what Melissa is up to will be ruined.
“Lourdes had a date tonight, but the douche didn’t show. She had plans to meet some dude she’d been talking to on Cupid Match. This wasn’t for me. I just thought it’d be a shame to let the pizza go to waste.”
Lourdes looks away from us and my overt manipulation of the truth. Melissa smirks, unconvinced, but decides to let it be.
“I agree. It would be such a shame.” She takes a seat in front of Lourdes and me, grabbing the wine glass from my clutches. “Sorry to hear about your date girl, but hey … his loss, right? I mean, look at all you’ve done for a first date. Hell, what would you have in your bag of tricks for a second date?”
Lourdes takes a sip of her own wine, but I don’t miss her subtle flinch. Guilt swirls in my gut. She doesn’t deserve this. I totally dismissed her, and then Melissa added a crushing blow by joining us and her jab.
“It’s fine. Maybe I dodged a bullet. Some people may not be worth the effort, so when they show you who they are, it’s best to believe them the first time.”
Her gaze pierces mine as she gulps the rest of her wine. She stands, dusting the sand that has accumulated on her dress.
“Where are you going? Don’t let me run you off. This is your setup, after all. I’m just joining my guy here.”
“Melissa, stop,” I snarl.
“Oh dear, you’re not running me off. Like Diesel explained, he just happened to come out here to see what the glow was. Now that you’ve joined your guy, just thought I’d keep this lovely setup from going to waste.” She leans down and places the pizza between us. “Enjoy.”
She walks away, and I have an overwhelming urge to go after her. Fuck. I look back at a smiling Melissa—devious and contrived.
“I don’t know what the real story is here, but I know that wasn’t it. Her spirits were too broken for the truth to be anywhere near this scenario.”
“You don’t fucking get to question me. This is not an inquisition. You’re not in a place to even be jealous if this was more. You fucked up and have a ways to go to make things right. I don’t have to appease you with lies.”
This is only partly true. I have every motivation to feed her lies. I need to keep her threats at bay and unravel her motives. Keep your enemies close and all that.
“Whatever. You don’t have to keep reminding me that I need to fix what I destroyed. I made a mistake, one that I deeply regret, but that girl wants you. I know what it looks like because I feel the same. She can’t have you. I will do whatever it takes to make things right again.” She blows out a frustrated breath. “If what you say is the truth, then she’s lying. There was never a date with a guy from Cupid Match. No sane person goes through this much trouble for some random stranger they’ve yet to meet. You meet at a public place to see if that person is even worth a second date. I call bullshit. This setup was intended for you.”
She grabs a slice of pizza and sips on the wine she took from me. “The pizza is good, though. Nice try on her part. Glad I came back early.”
It takes everything in me not to snatch the pizza from her—the pizza, by her own admission, made for me.
“Why did you come back early?” I have to school my features so that I don’t show my annoyance and concern for Lourdes.
“My mom has a little flair for the dramatics. She had to get her gallbladder removed laparoscopically and insisted I be there in case she didn’t make it out of surgery. The procedure is pretty routine, but her Wikipedia and Google searches turned her into a basket case.” I have no idea what half the shit is that she’s spewing. The call came from her father, not her mother. She has no idea that I know. She continues with her lies, and I pretend to listen intently. “Of course, everything went fine, and they discharged her later that day at her insistence. She wanted to get as far away from the hospital as possible, happy to have escaped the many complications from her search.”
“Well, I’m glad your mom is fine. Just know that you can’t be all accusatory. I’m not your guy. I’m giving you more leeway than I probably should. My brother couldn’t even stand to stick around. His disappearance is his disapproval, so don’t try to take advantage of my kindness. See the situation for what it is—a fucking third chance.”
She nods her understanding. I gave her the scenario she needed to hear—a real reason that I’m allowing her to stay. Tonight’s cluster fuck has been saved, at least from her perspective. Now I need to fix things with Lourdes. I said I was going to set things back on course tomorrow, but I can’t leave things this way. I know my dismissal of her tonight hurt. I stand and start packing everything up.
“What are you doing?” Melissa asks, confused.
I refuse to have a romantic evening with her and make a mockery out of Lourdes’s intent. “You were wrong,” I start. “Lourdes did have a date tonight, and I wasn’t a very good friend. I let your jealousy and accusations distract me from doing the right thing.”
“Which is?” She crosses her arms, a pout forming on her lips.
“Be a friend that she expected me to be. She was a friend long before you came back around. She and Lily both are. She is the kind person who would show this much kindness to a stranger, and she didn’t deserve your digs.” I continue packing up everything as she stands and tries to hold on to me. “I’m going to go find her and apologize.”
“I’ll go with you,” she suggests. “Apologize for my jealous behavior.”
“It won’t be received the same. I’m the one who’s supposed to be her friend—not you. You can apologize on your own, so it’s more genuine.”
She’s not happy with my suggestion, but she knows better than to keep pushing. I tweaked the truth, but it was there all the same. Above all else, I failed to be a friend. That dismissal was necessary, but I don’t know how I’m going to explain around that. All I know is that I have to try.