Chapter Nine
Brooke
My knees banged against the bed as I tried to take off my heels. Austin grabbed me just before I fell into the nightstand and I gave him what I’m sure was a sloppy smile.
“Easy there, tiger,” he teased.
I ran my hand up his chest. His cologne was making me crazy. Honestly I wasn’t sure if I wanted to sleep with him or just stand next to him and shove my nose in his neck. I giggled at the thought and sat down on the edge of the bed. My fingers trailed down to the button on his pants. It didn’t take much for me to tug my shirt off over my head, but I’m positive it wasn’t as graceful as I would’ve liked. He cocked his head to the side. It wasn’t his fault. I kept sending him mixed signals about what I wanted.
I tried to give him a sexy pout, but as drunk as I was, I probably resembled a puffer fish. The thought made me giggle again. He shook his head and smiled.
“You’re adorable when you’re drunk,” he whispered as his hands trailed up my ribs.
His eyes roved down my exposed skin, but he stopped himself. Austin was different than what I thought he’d be. We’d semi-officially been dating for a little over a month, and to my surprise, he hadn’t pressured me to sleep with him at all. Every time we got close, my Southern sensibilities had kicked in and for some reason I couldn’t pull the trigger.
“I’m sorry. I’m—”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “You’re just fine. I’m going to go find Jared and Drew. Sleep it off, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
I murmured and yawned, stretching my arms above my head. His eyes fell to my breasts. At least if Dom ignored me, someone else was still interested. Damn it, I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about him.
“Austin?”
He stopped just inside the door.
“Thank you.”
He winked. “Good night, tiger.”
I wanted to rawr at him, but he left before I could actually do it. I dissolved into giggles again. All the wine I’d drunk had gone straight to my head. Dom was going to be so pissed at me for what I said to Talia. I’d been a bitch, but seriously, someone had to tell the poor girl. None of it would have happened if Dom hadn’t made that stupid comment in the kitchen before we left.
Austin and I had messed around some and everything that had happened was perfectly acceptable. Sure, I didn’t scream like a stuck pig, but it still felt amazing.
Gah, it sounded boring, even to my drunken self.
We just didn’t have the chemistry I thought we did. It was like craving chocolate cake. All you can think about is getting that sexy, decadent piece of heaven in your mouth—that’s what she said—your mouth waters and you can almost taste how amazing it’s going to be. Except when you get the cake it’s old and dry. It’s still cake, so you aren’t going to say no, but it’s not what you’ve been craving for days. In my case, years.
I really was going crazy. I’d resorted to giving cake analogies about my sex life—or lack thereof.
The door to the room next to mine shut and I knew Dom and Talia were back. Of course, their room had ended up next to ours. Because why the fuck not. It suddenly occurred to me they didn’t know Austin wasn’t in here with me. I could totally give them a dose of their own medicine. My fingers trailed down my stomach and into the top of my shorts before I realized how ridiculous I was being.
Just my luck they’d run into Austin in the hallway when he was leaving and they’d realize I was in here making sex sounds all by myself. Hilarious thoughts of me trying to be louder than Talia while reading a magazine came to mind. My brain was so scrambled.
There had to be a sitcom that had an episode about that somewhere. My thoughts were, if it wasn’t a headboard, it just wasn’t worth it. Maybe there was some chocolate cake downstairs. Before I could stumble my way down, embarrassing myself further, thank the merciful God above, I fell asleep.
***
I stumbled downstairs looking, and feeling, like hell. Austin was still sound asleep in our bed. There was no reason for him to be up this early too, so I left him sleeping. Lucky asshole. My head pounded and I needed so much grease to make this hangover go away it wasn’t even funny. Jared was sitting on the couch looking at something on his phone.
“Why is there a pineapple in the center of the coffee table?” I asked.
Jared grinned. “We decided to play a new game.”
“Should I even ask?” I threw myself down on the couch beside him and curled into his side.
He laughed. “Probably not, but I’ll tell you anyway. Last night at the bar we were all slightly intoxicated—”
“I’m shocked,” I said sarcastically.
He shushed me. “Of course you are. Anyway, we decided that this vacation needs a mascot.”
“And you idiots decided that a pineapple was our mascot?”
“Yep.”
I shook my head. “Were there any other contenders?”
Why in the hell am I even asking?
He nodded enthusiastically. “Several. A goat, Fergie’s song ‘Glamorous,’ and—”
I climbed off the couch to go in search of coffee and food. “Never mind. Forget I asked. By the way, my vote would’ve been ‘Glamorous.’”
“It made the top two, but it didn’t beat out Matilda.”
I stared at him in confusion, and he laughed.
“We heard you got a little feisty last night. Bet your head is killing you.”
“Good morning,” Caroline practically shouted as she came into the living room.
“Shhh…too loud. My brain hurts. If you’re going to talk like that, you need to go back upstairs.”
She scrunched up her face and lowered her voice slightly. “Like how?”
I waved a hand. “All Southern and shit.”
Jared started laughing again. “You do realize it’s like hearing double when you two talk, right? You have the exact same accent.”
“Shut up with your dumb logic. I need coffee.” I paused before I got out of the room. “Is there anything important I need to know about the pineapple?”
He grinned. “Expect it to show up everywhere. And treat it right—like a fucking lady.”
I shook my head but stopped quickly as pain flashed behind my eyes. “That wasn’t cryptic or anything. Not creepy at all.”
His laughter caused me to start shaking my head again. Caroline followed me into the kitchen and pursed her lips while I avoided her gaze. My transgressions from the night before had made it through the house apparently. God help my friends who love to gossip. She was going to give me a lecture about how ridiculous I was being and how I needed to try to fix things with Dom before it got so far out of control we couldn’t fix things. This wasn’t my first rodeo. I knew what she was going to say. I just didn’t want to hear it.
I wasn’t the girly girl type, whereas Caroline totally was. She was the ultimate Southern belle, down to the sorority sister pledge class of Phi Mu—the ultimate Steel Magnolias. She loved all things pink and Lilly Pulitzer, while I favored changing my look weekly, and I liked to get dirty. That included throwing dirt at women who deserved it.
Okay. Maybe Talia didn’t deserve it—under different circumstances we’d probably be friends—but I wasn’t willing to admit that to anyone. It smarted to admit it even to myself.
“You can avoid me all you want, but I’ll just follow you around all day.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t have anywhere to be for a few more weeks.”
I set my coffee cup down on the counter and faced her. “Let’s get this over with, Care. I know what you’re going to say. I’m just not interested in the lecture anymore.”
She pursed her lips and leaned back on the cabinet. “Why do you think I’m going to lecture you?”
This was a trap. I needed to back away quickly.
I shook my head. “Nope, not falling for that. We’ve been friends long enough that I know all your tricks. Go yell at Dom if you want us to kiss and make up. I’m done trying to play nice.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t have to bring Talia into it. Just because she’s dating Dom—”
I turned back to the coffee maker and finished doctoring my cup. “I get it. Don’t be mean to the innocent bystander. I’ll try to be nicer.”
She came over and wrapped her arms around me from behind. “Honey, you’re a hot mess, but I still love you.”
I leaned my head back on hers. “Back at you, Care. Are we spending the day at the beach again?”
“I think so. Unless you want to head out and find some local shopping. We could probably convince Riley and Quinn to come,” she said innocently. “But if they come, we should probably ask Talia.”
I groaned. “Just set it up. I’ll be nice.”
She grinned, happy she’d won this round. “Yes, ma’am.”
***
By the time we sat down for lunch, we’d probably bought every piece of clothing on Padre Island. I’d also made sure I was nice—or at least tolerable—to Talia. It’s not like I’d gone out of my way to speak with her, but I hadn’t made any snarky comments. That had to be an improvement, right? My friends had made sure to keep us a respectable five feet away from each other at all times. Mainly for her safety, not mine.
As we settled in to order, I noticed Quinn sat as far away from me as possible. We hadn’t really spoken since my first date with Austin. She either felt guilty about something—how she acted with Dominic to make me jealous—or she didn’t agree with my decision to date Austin in the first place. We needed to talk about it soon because I missed my friend. With all this drama going around, I needed my girls to help me. The whole avoiding me like the plague thing was getting old. Plus, I needed someone who could handle my snark. Caroline was too nice. Riley was too wrapped up in my brother. But Quinn and I had always been the outspoken ones.
In some ways, we were closer than me and Caroline.
I stared down the table at her over my menu. She caught my eye and tried to look away quickly. I cleared my throat, and her eyes snapped back up to mine. Her eyes wordlessly agreed that we would meet up later. Apparently the impasse was over, and we were going to discuss whatever was going on between us.
“Brooke, how did you and Dom meet?” Talia asked. “I know you two aren’t really speaking right now, but he still talks about you all the time.”
What? I assumed he purposely avoided all things to do with me.
“He does?” I could hear the shock in my voice.
Her eyes fell to her glass of water, probably scared to death of what would come flying out of my mouth. “I’m not sure if he even knows he’s doing it, but he tells me stories about you two all the time.”
“Huh, that’s surprising.”
She smiled tentatively at me, so I continued. If she was going to make an effort, I suppose I could too.
“We met my freshman year. Josh had talked about his best friend Torres for months before Caroline and I made our way to Texas. I was standing in the middle of the student union—completely overwhelmed—waiting for my coffee before my first class. I grabbed for the first one that came up and of course it wasn’t mine. Dom called me out on grabbing his coffee, but I was convinced I was right. It took all of two seconds for the barista to set down the other coffee. Dom held out the cup with my name on it and gave me that irritating smirk thing he does when he’s right.”
I took a sip of my water, letting myself fall back into the memories. “He ended up walking me to class because I was lost. I didn’t realize he was Josh’s friend Torres until I walked into the apartment later that afternoon. Apparently Dom didn’t realize I was Josh’s little sister either.”
Josh loved giving us shit over that one.
It was startling, walking into that apartment and seeing the guy I’d been crushing on all day sitting on my brother’s leather couch. Dom and I had a connection from the beginning, and if Josh hadn’t made the stupid comment about how I couldn’t be friends with a guy, I think we would’ve…something. Our relationship could’ve been completely different.
“Anyway, that’s how Dom and I met,” I finished lamely.
Talia cocked her head, the expression on her face unreadable. Did she suspect that my feelings for Dom were more than what they seemed? It would piss me off if she was actually able to read that much into my story.
"That's incredibly sweet."
I shrugged. "We just clicked. He’s been one of my best friends ever since."
Quinn stared at her menu even harder, and Caroline stepped in before I was able to say something else.
"Talia, why don't you tell us more about yourself? Dom has been so busy with finals lately we haven't seen much of him."
It took everything I had to hold back my snort.
Sure.
Dom was busy. We could go with that one, not that he’d been avoiding me like the freaking plague.
The girls continued talking, but I ignored them and started looking at the menu. This was going to be a long afternoon. If I had to keep listening to them talk about how happy Dom looked with Talia, I might puke. When the waitress came around to take our orders I made sure to get a margarita. We were on vacation after all. And if it helped me not reach through Riley to strangle Dom’s girlfriend, so be it.
***
As soon as we got back to the house, I went upstairs to lie down for a nap. The guys were going to be at the beach for a few more hours. I tossed and turned as I lay in bed. My mind wouldn’t shut off so I could sleep. Maybe I should just sleep with Austin and get it over with. Warning bells went off in my head. If I had to get it over with, sleeping with Austin was probably a horrible idea. I didn't want to be one of those girls who slept with every guy she dated. Over the past few years I’d only slept with two guys even though I dated a lot.
I flipped over and shoved my arm under the pillow. We were supposed to have a game night tonight, so there would be no escaping all of our friends. Drew would probably demand we play Cards Against Humanity. All the sexual innuendos would put even more pressure on me, which would make me even more uncomfortable. At this point, I didn't even know if I should be dating Austin. Sure, he was damned hot and could be one of the sweetest guys around, but I didn't have the same feelings for him that I did even a month ago. I felt like he was a stand-in for he who must not be named.
A soft knock on the door pulled me from my ridiculous attempt at a nap. Quinn looked sheepish when I finally answered. She held out a bottle of tequila.
"Peace offering?"
I motioned for her to follow me into the bedroom. We settled on the bed, leaning back against the headboard, side by side. Instead of taking the lead, I waited for her to speak.
"First off, I'm really sorry. I wanted to make you realize your feelings for Dom, but I never wanted any of this to happen. I feel like I'm the one who ruined your friendship. He told me what happened."
I shook my head. "It's not your fault. I never should have said what I did to him. If I hadn't opened my big fat mouth, I’d still have Dom as my best friend and Talia would be non-existent."
She took a drink from the bottle and passed it over. "You don't like Talia?"
I shrugged. "I guess she's okay."
Quinn looked at me in shock, dropping the bottle into her lap. "Are you not saying what I think you’re not saying? Brooke, do you have feelings for Dom?"
I swiped the bottle from her and took a large gulp, relishing the burn. "Hypothetically, say I did. It's too late. He's with Talia now, and he's incredibly pissed off at me."
She took the bottle back and drank. "You're with Austin. He's the guy you've wanted to be your boyfriend for years now."
I shrugged again. "Some things aren't as good as they seem. He was kind of like the forbidden cookie."
She giggled and handed me back the bottle. "The forbidden cookie?"
I took another drink. "You know, when you're a kid and your mom says you can't have a cookie, but then all you can think about is how amazing it's going to be when you can have it. You think it's going to be chocolate chip, but it's not. When you do actually get the cookie, it's an oatmeal cookie with raisins. It's kind of dry and boring."
"Are you comparing your sex life to an oatmeal cookie?"
Apparently my sex life was a dessert tray, first with the chocolate cake reference, now the cookie. "What sex life?"
Her mouth dropped open. "You're kidding me, right?"
I grimaced. "Nope. We've messed around some, but…" I trailed off. "I just can't do it. Literally."
She snorted a laugh. "You're ridiculous. What's the matter? Is he tiny or something? Does Austin have a micropenis?"
Of course the bitch had waited until I was taking a drink to say something like that. I gulped the tequila and coughed a few times, gasping for air as I laughed. "You're trying to kill me!"
She laughed. "No, just make you actually look happy for the first time in a month."
I wiped at my eyes, brushing away the tears that had started while I was choking. "Austin doesn't have a micropenis—he's just fine in that department—but I can't sleep with him. Not when I have all these...feelings for someone else."
"Dom."
I played with my fingers and tried to avoid eye contact. "Dom."
She leaned her head back against the headboard. "What are you going to do about it?"
"There's nothing I can do. He's with Talia, and for better or worse, I'm with Austin." I paused, trying to gather my thoughts. "He’s really sweet and I do like spending time with him. I just don't feel that spark I do with Dom." I rested my head on her shoulder. "I miss my friend more than anything."
Quinn paused for a second. "What did you say to him, B?"
I closed my eyes, regret filling me. "I can't even say it out loud, Quinn. I was awful to him."
"He'll forgive you. I know for a fact that he misses you too. This is just a temporary blip in your friendship."
I bit down on my bottom lip. "I hope you're right."
"I am. I know I am because there's not a thing in this world Dom wouldn't do for you, B."