Mercedes
THE OCEAN BAY HOTEL and country club was alive with bustle and noise when we arrived at the dance. The football game that had taken place between Academy and their arch rivals, Jefferson, earlier on tonight had everyone riled up and in good spirits.
As predicted, the Falcon’s kicked the Jaguar’s butts, with my man scoring all but three of the Falcon’s scores tonight. Pride was an understatement for how I felt when I walked into the foyer of the hotel on Rourke’s arm.
He loved me. Or so he had said earlier today – and proved it tonight when he showed up late to the game because he’d stopped off at a late-night pharmacy on the outskirts of town to buy Plan B for his girlfriend. The same girlfriend whose vagina he rescued just hours earlier from a rogue condom.
God, I was dying to hear Rourke tell me he loved me again, but I didn’t want to sound like one of those needy girls who needed her boyfriend to tell her how much he loved her to feel validated– I could do that in secret.
“You look gorgeous, Six,” Rourke whispered in my ear as he led me through the foyer and into the huge venue room that had been decorated and transformed for tonight’s dance.
I knew I looked good tonight – courtesy of Molly’s freaking fantastic taste in dress wear, and my mother’s fetish for skyscraper stilettos.
The full-length, strapless, mermaid-style red dress I had on felt like it had been made for my body type. The plunging neckline emphasized my boobs in the best possible way, and the thigh high slit on the side gave the illusion of long legs. I was short and curvy, but this dress made me feel proud of my shape.
“I love you in red,” Rourke added, slipping an arm around me. “Reminds me of the first time I saw you.” I felt like he was claiming me. I knew that sounded absurd considering I’d been sleeping with him for the past four weeks, but it did. Cameras flashed around us and I didn’t care. They could take all the pictures they wanted. Hell, I might even download them. This gorgeous boy was mine.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I told Rourke, fighting down a blush. The boy cleaned up well in a tailored black suit, crisp white dress shirt, and red tie. The bruise forming on his left cheekbone, the one he’d received during the game tonight, only made him look sexier…edgier. Bad!
“Do you want something to drink?” he asked, leading me over to one of the several dozen round tables skirting the dancefloor.
“I’ll just have whatever you’re having,” I replied, smiling at some familiar faces on the way.
“You want a whiskey?”
Whiskey? “I thought you meant punch.” I turned and gaped at him. “Wait – they have an open bar here?” I looked around the room in surprise. Ocean Bay really was a different world to the one I’d come from. “Jesus.”
“Not here, Six,” he chuckled, pulling out a chair for me to sit. “But they do in the resident’s bar downstairs.” Rourke grinned. “And you and I happen to be residents for the night.”
“We also happen to be seventeen,” I shot back. “In case you forgot.”
“Pssh,” Rourke muttered, batting his hand in the air. “Semantics, baby. Ain’t no one gonna refuse these hands a drink tonight.” He winked and waggled his fingers in my face. “Five touchdowns.”
“Oh, my god,” I laughed, taking the seat Rourke pulled out for me. “You’re so full of yourself.”
“Maybe,” Rourke shot back with a chuckle. “But we both know I can back it up, Britt.”
Yes we did –wait! “What?”
“We both know I can back it up,” Rourke repeated with a smirk that quickly faded when he took in my expression. “What?” he demanded, face suddenly serious. “What’s wrong?”
“My name is Mercedes,” I forced myself to say even though it was hard to speak with the lump climbing in my throat.
“Yeah,” Rourke agreed with a frown. “I know.”
“You called me Britt,” I bit out.
He called me fucking Britt!
His eyes widened in surprise before denying it, “No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did,” I pressed. “You said ‘We both know I can back it up, Britt.’” Swallowing deeply, I forced myself not to blink. Blinking was a really bad idea right now. Especially since I could feel my traitorous eyes watering. “You called me Britt.”
“Fuck,” Rourke muttered before running a hand through his hair and loosening the tie around his neck. “I didn’t mean to,” he added, blue eyes locked on mine. “It’s a habit.” Shrugging helplessly, he added, “It didn’t mean anything, Six Don’t overthink this, baby.”
Too late. “Okay,” I whispered, lowering my gaze to look at my hands clasped in my lap. I was already overthinking absolutely everything from the moment I met him right up to this very moment.
“Okay?” Crouching down beside me, Rourke placed one hand over mine and tipped my chin up with the other, forcing me to meet his gaze. “So… you’re okay?” he asked, tone gentle, as he scanned my face for any hint of hidden emotion. “You’re not mad?
“No. I’m not mad, Rourke,” I whispered. And I wasn’t mad; I was fucking crushed. Rourke could have beat me until I’m black and blue and it wouldn’t have hurt as much as him calling me Britt had.
“I didn’t mean it,” he continued to say, letting out a frustrated sigh, his eyes imploring me to believe him. “It was a slip of the tongue, Six.”
“I believe you, Rourke,” I replied, forcing myself to look at him. And I did. I knew Rourke didn’t mean to call me his ex-girlfriend’s name. I knew he hadn’t intentionally sought out to hurt me. Problem was, he did and he had…
“Alright, come on.” Rourke announced. He stood abruptly, shrugged off his suit jacket before dropping it down on a nearby chair and rolling the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows. “Get up.” He didn’t give me a chance to think about his demand before taking my hand and yanking me to my feet.
“I thought you wanted something to drink?” I asked as he dragged me towards the dancefloor just as the DJ began to play Hunter Hayes’ Wanted.
“I’m taking you dancing first,” he replied tightly, leading me past several couples swaying to the music.
The slow, achingly sweet melody wrapped around my heart as Rourke placed his hand in mine and drew me closer. My heart was racing at a ridiculous speed. I mean, seriously, there was no need for me to be hyperventilating right now. But I was.
“Stop, Six,” Rourke said, tone gruff. He had one hand splayed across my lower back, the other held my hand to his chest. “Please stop thinking about it.” His head was bowed, his cheek resting on my hair intimately. “It meant nothing.”
“Okay.” Closing my eyes, I pressed my cheek against his chest and gave myself over to him, allowing him to lead me, trusting his every step, all the while praying he wouldn’t break me. Praying this wasn’t a warning I needed to take heed of.
“THERE YOU ARE!” Molly’s familiar voice filled my ears moments before she appeared in front of me, looking incredible in a long sleeved, full length, white lace gown. “I’ve been searching all over for you guys.”
“Wow,” I breathed, stepping out of Rourke’s arms to take a better look at my best friend. “You look…”
“Overdressed?” Molly offered with a nervous chuckle.
“Amazing,” I corrected, pulling her in for a hug. “You look fricking amazing, Molls.”
“So do you,” she replied, squeezing me tightly. “Oh, you too, Rourke!”
“Thanks, Molly,” Rourke replied with dimpled smirk. “I’ll go get those drinks,” he added before pressing a kiss to my cheek and then striding off in the direction of the double door entryway.
“Where’s he going?” Molly asked, looking from Rourke’s retreating frame to my face. “Something I said?”
“No. He’s just getting us some drinks,” I replied, forcing myself to smile and sound as upbeat as I could. I didn’t want to ruin Molly’s night by telling her I was two seconds away from bursting into tears. “So, where’s Daryl?” I asked instead, slapping on the brightest smile I could muster. The smile Molly had been proudly sporting quickly faded at the mention of Rourke’s best friend.
I literally had no clue of what was going on between those two; Molly was exasperatingly tight-lipped when it came to Daryl, but I knew they had come here together.
“Who knows,” she mumbled. “I’m sure he’s around here somewhere talking to random girls.”
“Molls…”
“I’m okay,” she stopped me by saying. “Honestly, Mercy, I’m cool.”
“Do you want to dance?” I asked then as Cher Lloyd’s Want U Back blasted through the speakers. I needed a distraction and by the sound of it, so did Molly.
“Hell yes!” she squealed, catching my hand and dancing like a maniac.
Rourke
I CALLED HER BRITT.
I fucking called my current girlfriend by my ex-girlfriend’s name.
What the hell was wrong with me?
Six was pissed with me and I didn’t blame her. My latest mistake was one of epic proportions. There probably wasn’t a damn thing else I could have said in that moment to insult her more.
Hell, I hadn’t even been thinking about Britt.
It honest to god had been a slip of the tongue.
Six’s face though. She looked devastated with those big grey eyes full of pain.
Goddammit!
“Great minds think alike,” Daryl announced with a wolfish grin, dragging me back to the present.
I was standing in the foyer of the hotel wondering what the hell I could do to make this up to Six. My hands were full with four large glasses of Jack and coke.
Daryl was carrying his own supply; two tall glasses of what I assumed was rum and coke – his drink of choice.
“I fucked up,” I blurted out, eyes locked on my oldest friend. “I called her Britt.”
“Who?” Daryl asked before his eyes widened. “Tell me you didn’t!”
“It was a mistake,” I groaned. “I swear to god, dude, I have no fucking idea why I said her name. I sure as hell wasn’t thinking about her.” I hadn’t thought about Britt at all recently. Not since Six walked into my world and turned everything on its ass.
Returning to the ball room, we headed back to our table and set our drinks down before claiming a couple of empty chairs.
My gaze immediately sought out and honed in on Six. She was out on the dance floor with Molly. The smile on her face was so fucking beautiful as she danced and laughed and it hit me like a wrecking ball to the chest.
I had made some pretty poor decisions in my life, but she wasn’t one of them. Six was the only thing I’d managed to get right.
“What should I do, D?”
“You’re asking me for girlfriend advice?” Daryl replied, looking me dead in the eye. “Dude, how the fuck would I know? The longest relationship I’ve ever had is with you!”
“Not helpful,” I muttered, returning my focus on Six.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Daryl offered. “You keep staring at her like that and your damn eyeballs are gonna fall out of your head.”
I didn’t look away from Six. I just continued to stare – stare and covet and fucking worship her from a distance. She was wearing the sexiest red dress I’d ever seen and had her black hair was curled down one side of her neck. Christ, I needed to get her alone. Maybe, if I took her up to our room, I could persuade her to forgive me with my tongue. Yeah, Six loved my tongue. Girl couldn’t get enough, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her later tonight.
“Where’s your date tonight?” I asked when we were sitting, emphasizing the word date to piss him off.
Daryl deserved it. He’d given me enough shit about Six in the beginning. I figured it was only fair I returned the favor now he was hung up on Molly.
“Please don’t,” Daryl said with a heavy sigh. Reaching over, he grabbed one of his glasses off the table and drained the contents before saying, “I’m holding onto my control tonight by the skin of my teeth.” Slamming the empty glass back down, he picked up the second glass and tipped it back. “Bring her up to me, and I’m gonna lose it.”
I held my hands up in defeat. “Fair enough.”
“I can’t believe you called her Britt,” Daryl announced a few minutes later with a sudden burst of laughter. “You’re such a dumbass.”
“I’m not proud of myself for it.”
“You shouldn’t be,” he agreed. “You’re the happiest I’ve seen you in years with that girl, and you go and call her Britt?” Daryl snorted and shook his head. “It’s like you have a self-sabotage button, dude.”
Didn’t I know it.
“You need to apologize,” Daryl added in a serious tone.
I blew out a breath. “If I apologize then it means I’m guilty of something.” I turned my attention to Daryl. “Six will think I’m guilty.” And I wasn’t.
“And if you don’t apologize, you’ll be an asshole.”
“So, this is one of those, I’m damned if I do, and I’m damned if I don’t situations?” I asked, tone weary.
“Exactly,” Daryl replied with a grin. “Good luck with that by the way. If you live to see the other side, tell me how you did it.” Shrugging, he added, “You know, in case I ever fuck up and call the girl I love the wrong name.
“That’s exactly it,” I hissed with an eager nod. “Why would I even think about anyone else when I’m in…fuck!”
Daryl grinned. “Go on.”
“I love her.” I looked at him, eyes widened. “I love her?”
He nodded. “Yeah, you do!”
No. I didn’t. When I told Six I loved her tonight, I hadn’t even thought about it. She looked so scared and worried that I’d just wanted to put her at ease. I didn’t even think about saying it; it just came out. When she’d asked me about it afterwards, I had panicked and rambled on about something or other to change the subject. I didn’t love her though.
What I felt for her was a combination of lust and fondness; friendship and the pleasure of her company. I liked being around her. Okay, I loved being around her, but that didn’t mean I was in love. Six was funny and kind and beautiful and she made me laugh. Any guy would feel the same. This tightening pain in my chest wasn’t love. No way. It couldn’t – “Jesus Christ, I’m in love with her.” Awareness hit me like a freight train and I turned and looked at my friend, reeling to my fucking core. “Fuck, I’m in love with her, Daryl.”
Daryl winked. “I know.”
“You know?”
“Hell fucking yes, I know,” he said, laughing his ass off. “Everyone knows. We’ve been waiting on you to get with the program for a while now.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” Fear trickled through me. “I don’t want this, man.”
“You don’t get a choice, I’m afraid,” he shot back with a smile. “When that special girl comes knocking, your balls start dropping.”
“I love her,” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else, as I desperately tried to rationalize this in my mind. I couldn’t though, because it was true. I was in love with Six and it was the strongest, most intense emotion I’d ever experienced. Reaching for one of the glasses of whiskey and coke, I knocked it back and, ignoring the burn, quickly chased it with a second glass.
“And FYI?” Daryl offered with a smirk, watching me attempt to drown my feelings. “She loves you too, bro.”
What? “Did she say something to Molly?”
Daryl shook his head. “She didn’t need to,” he explained with a knowing smile. “It’s written all over her face every time she looks at you, Rourke. The girl is head over heels in love with you.”
Well shit…
“Come on,” I ordered, jerking to my feet. “Let’s go.”
“And where exactly are we going?” Daryl asked, but he stood up anyway. It didn’t matter where I told him we were going; he would have come with me anywhere. It’s the kind of friendship we had.
I didn’t bother replying; I figured the direction I was striding off in was answer enough. Shoving past groups of kids from school, I stalked onto the dancefloor with only one thing on my mind.
Six.
It was high time I claimed my girl.