Leah
I loved Marissa. She was young, and some people underestimated her, thinking she was shallow because of her beauty, but I knew differently. She was very intelligent and brutally honest. It was what first drew me to her. She, unlike the other fake people who flaunted their wealth, was real. She didn't pretend to be anything but who she was. She was born into a wealthy family, but she loathed the social circles her wealth launched her into. We had met at the club years ago and had quickly become friends, sharing the same dislike for some of the arrogant, stuck-up women who pretended to be better than everyone else in the world.
It was a little weird to have her and Blake in a relationship, if that's what they were calling it, but I was totally fine with it. It was cute, and Blake would learn a lot from her. She was a loyal friend, and I knew she would never do him wrong.
I still didn't see how that would ever work out, but if they wanted to give it a go, who was I to say anything different? Marissa usually went after powerful men. Her last boyfriend had been an attorney in some big law firm. It was very odd she would be attracted to Blake. He was certainly good looking, but he was a senior in college. His typical plans for the day were to attend a class before taking a nap and then getting drunk. He wasn't exactly driven. I assumed that had been immaturity and didn't really fault him for it.
With graduation only a few months out, I knew he would have to change. He was hoping to become an architect once he graduated. It was a tough field to get into, but with his family connections, he would probably land a job fairly quickly. Maybe that's what Marissa was counting on.
I looked at Blake, waiting to see if he wanted to say anything. He didn't. I would have to make the first move.
“Blake, I'm sorry. I don't feel I’m cheating on your dad if that is what’s bothering you the most. I've been lonely. You’re pretty far away, and it’s just me in the house. But if me being with Chase bothers you to the point you won't come and stay here, I won't see him anymore,” I said softly.
I could feel Chase's eyes on me, but I ignored him. This was Blake's choice. I wouldn't abandon Dennis's son. He needed me, whether he thought he did or not.
Blake didn't say a word. He reached for the bottle of Jack and poured another shot before slamming it down. No one moved or said a word, each of us waiting on Blake to say something.
“It's okay. I'm sorry for being a dick and saying those things. I may have overreacted a bit,” he said sheepishly.
I felt the tension leave my body. The entire atmosphere in the room changed. It was as if we could all breathe again.
“It's okay,” I told him. “We both made some mistakes. I’m really sorry you had to see what you did,” I said, feeling my cheeks growing red at the memory.
He grinned. It was the grin of a man who had a good buzz going. “After all, how can I be mad at you when I'm in love with your best friend, right?”
There was a gasp, and I knew it had come from Marissa. I turned to look at her. She had frozen in place with a chip halfway to her mouth. I realized Blake's revelation was news to her. I had to smile. It really was very sweet. If they were happy, I was happy for them. I just hoped it worked out, or if they did part ways, it was on good terms. Things could get very awkward if they had a nasty breakup.
“So, are we okay?” I said, turning back to Blake.
He grinned, stood up, and wrapped me up in a bear hug. “We're good.”
I laughed. “Thank you.”
“I was a little shocked though. Please, for the love of god, never let me see that again,” he teased.
Chase choked, and I started laughing again. “Hey, I was a little shocked myself. You came home way early. A little warning would have been good.”
He groaned. “If I had known what was going on, I would have definitely called to let you know we left the mountain early.”
Blake looked at Chase. “Sorry, man. I didn't mean to be such a dick to you.”
Chase nodded. “It's cool. I'm sorry, too. I should have talked to you about the whole thing.”
I cleared my throat. “It wasn't his fault. I mean, we were both willing parties. It just happened.”
Blake shook his head. “I don't need details.”
I laughed.
“I do!” Marissa said, wagging her eyebrows, looking between me and Chase. “I want lots of details.”
“I'm right here,” Blake said loudly. “I don't think I want you to hear details about my best friend's—” he waved his hands at Chase “—you know!”
We all laughed except for Chase. He looked like he wanted to fade into oblivion.
“My lips are sealed,” I said, hoping to make Chase feel a little better. I knew he certainly wouldn't be talking to Blake about our sex life, and I would give him the same respect. What we had between us was incredibly intimate, and I didn't want to share it with anyone else. That was ours and ours alone. Even if there was no us, I wanted to hold on to those memories and selfishly keep them to myself.
With Blake and me in a good place, I felt much better. Now, I just had to figure out me and Chase. There was some definite tension there. A lot had been said, but we hadn't actually spoken to each other. We needed to talk, but I preferred to do that without an audience.
“How about I make us some real lunch before we all fall flat on our faces?” I said, sliding off my stool and feeling a little unsteady.
Everyone eagerly agreed. I quickly made some sandwiches. I wasn't quite sober enough to make anything too fancy. The sandwiches were a hit and helped soak up the alcohol. We ate in relative silence, the conversation focused on safe topics like the weather. There was still some tension in the room, but I was glad to have cleared the air with Blake. He was my priority.
I was never really upset with Marissa, so we were fine. It was me and Chase who were putting out the negative vibes in the room. We had a lot to talk about. I supposed that was the problem when the sex was as good as it was between us. We talked little and screwed a lot.
We were all coming down off our buzz and like mature adults, we decided to get drunk all over again to avoid the giant elephants that had dropped in the room.
Instead of sitting down to a nice, elegant Christmas Eve dinner, we raided the pantry a second time and ended up ordering pizza. Chase and Blake had drifted off to the game room to play some pool while Marissa and I attempted to play, but with our inebriation and complete lack of skill in general, it became dangerous.
We ended up watching and cheering from the sidelines before heading off to the den to get some girl talk in. It had been fun, and I felt much better by the time I floated upstairs to pass out. The alcohol had dulled some of the tension, but Chase and I had yet to talk. Neither one of us was willing to make the first move. Instead, we pretended to be friends hanging out on Christmas Eve.
Except now, I was lying in bed and feeling very alone. The buzz had worn off and all the feelings I had been trying to ignore all day came rushing in. I had to do something. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I would get up early, make breakfast for everyone, and invite Marissa over. We could have a nice holiday without any tension, I hoped.
I drifted off to sleep, thinking about what I would cook. I wanted it to be festive, filling, and impressive. It wasn't long before my thoughts about cooking brought up memories of Chase. The smell of burned cookies wafted through my mind as I reminisced about that time in the kitchen. I would miss him when he left and not just the sex. Him. His warm smile, his protective nature, and his ability to make me laugh.
Dammit. Was I actually falling for a guy ten years younger than me who was also my stepson's best friend? There would definitely be coal in my stocking this year. I had been a very naughty girl.