“Do I have a choice?” I asked weakly, already thinking about other things.
“Not really,” Maysie giggled.
“So they’ll be back…” My voice drifted off.
Maysie gave me a sympathetic smile. “Yeah. They’ll be back. Look, I’m not sure what happened between you and Mitch, but maybe with him being home it’ll be a good time to talk. To sort everything out,” she suggested.
“I tried that this weekend. It didn’t turn out so well. He doesn’t want to hear anything I have to say.”
Maysie squeezed my hand. I knew she wanted to ask more but she didn’t push. “Come to Garrett’s tonight. We’ll all be just hanging out, ordering pizza. The guys will no doubt be playing a million rounds of Minecraft. Vivian and I will both be there. Please come.”
“I’m not sure—”
“You can’t avoid your friends, G. Not now that everyone is one place again. Think about it.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Good. Now let’s go to the store to get something to clean these floors. They’re filthy!” Maysie exclaimed.
And I was happy to help her. It was better than thinking about what I was going to do now that everyone was in the same place again.
I had driven this road to Garrett’s house so many times I could do it with my eyes closed.
I maneuvered my car around the potholes and the fence post that had been lying on the side of the road for almost three years. I turned the corner and pulled in beside Cole’s Jeep and cut the engine.
I recognized Maysie’s car and Garrett’s van. I also noticed a half a dozen other cars, most likely people from Barton’s. It seemed I was the last person to arrive.
I grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and slung it over my shoulder. The guys had only gotten back into town a few hours ago, but already I could see the bonfire raging behind the house and could hear the loud thump of music coming from inside. There were a few people sitting on the front porch smoking and laughing.
It was a typical scene at Garrett’s house. I had been coming to parties here since I was a junior in college. Since before Maysie and Jordan began dating. I used to tag along with his ex, Olivia and my former sorority sisters. Back then we had been the college chicks slumming it with the townies. A place to get free booze and not much else.
But then these townies became my friends and I still felt a sting of shame when I thought of how little I regarded them back then. How easy it was for me to look down my nose just because they didn’t go to Rinard. I had been a total snob.
“Hey, Gracie!” someone called out. I looked over to see Paco and Fed, who had been dishwashers at Barton’s Bar and Grill for as long as I could remember.
“Hey guys,” I called back. I opened the front door and let myself inside. It wasn’t packed the way parties used to be. In fact there was only a dozen or so people standing around talking with beers in their hands. Just the normal people that had been friends with the guys for years.
I made my way to the kitchen where I could hear Vivian’s voice over the music. She was like my own personal beacon.
I found Vivian and Cole arguing, which wasn’t new. Her face was flushed and Cole looked ready to spit nails. Maysie was standing against the counter looking amused.
“What did I miss?” I asked, grabbing a bottle of water and uncapping the lid. I discreetly looked around but didn’t see any of the other guys. More importantly I didn’t see Mitch. Or Sophie.
“I’ll tell you what you missed!” Vivian screeched, pulling away from Cole’s restraining grasp.
“Tell her she misheard me, Mays. Get her to see fucking reason!” Cole pleaded, pulling at his hair in frustration.
Vivian whirled around and pointed her finger into his chest. “This asshole just told me to get a boob job!” she shrieked. “A fucking boob job! As if these aren’t good enough!” She squeezed her breasts together, giving us all an eyeful.
“I have the best boobs you’ve ever seen!” she yelled. Stan, a friend of Jordan’s from school had the misfortune of walking into the kitchen at that particular moment. Vivian grabbed his arm and pulled him over. “Stan, look at my boobs. Aren’t they nice?” She lifted her shirt and poor Stan’s face turned beet red.
“Uh—” He cast a nervous look at Cole who seemed ready to commit murder.
“Don’t you fucking dare look at my girlfriend’s tits or I’ll kick your ass!” Cole roared. “Put your damn shirt down, Viv! I don’t want everyone to see what’s fucking mine!”
“Run, Stan,” I whispered and he nodded, hurrying from the kitchen.
“These aren’t yours! They’re not good enough apparently! Not big enough! Well maybe I just need to go find someone who will appreciate them!” Vivian made to leave and Cole grabbed her from around the waist. He picked her up and set her onto the counter, his hands trapping her.
“I love your fucking tits. I worship them! I would eat my meals off them if I could! You said you wanted a damn boob job and I said, verbatim, ‘whatever makes you happy, baby.’” Cole grabbed her face and kissed her roughly. “I’ll love you no matter what you decide to do with your body. But don’t you ever fucking think about letting someone else touch you! I’ll kill them! I swear I will!”
Then they were kissing and there was the distinct tearing of fabric. Maysie and I looked at each other.
“Well, that’s our cue to exit,” I said, rolling my eyes, knowing that in about thirty seconds we were going to be witness to parts of Cole and Vivian that we would be happy never seeing.
“Yep. Let’s get out of here quickly,” Maysie agreed, taking my hand as we hurried from the room. She stopped a girl who was about to walk in. “I wouldn’t go in there right now,” she warned. Maysie and I snickered as we walked into the living room where most of the party was congregated.
There was some shouting as a group of guys, including Jordan and Garrett, sitting on the sofa in front of the 50-inch television.
“Gracie! There you are! These guys suck! I need someone to go against that’s an actual challenge!” Garrett called out as something exploded on the screen. Jordan yelled and threw his controller onto the floor.
“I give up! Fuck this!” Jordan groaned, running a hand over his buzzed head. He glanced up at us as we entered the room, his eyes sparkling at the sight of his fiancée. “There’s my girl,” he murmured, grabbing her hand and pulling her onto his lap. He looked like such a tough guy with his shaved head and tattoos, but he was the biggest softie I had ever met. Particularly when it came to Maysie Ardin. I noticed how he tenderly touched her stomach as he kissed the side of her neck.
I noted that Mitch wasn’t in the room. Neither was Sophie.
Don’t think about it, Gracie. Don’t even go there!
“Do you want to play?” Garrett asked, picking up Jordan’s discarded controller.
“Does a one legged duck swim in a circle?” I asked, flopping down beside him.
“Uh, I’m not sure. Does it?” Garrett asked, looking perplexed.
“Don’t be a smartass and let me show you how it’s done,” I told him, focusing on the game.
“Trash talk already. I like it,” Garrett grinned as my character blew something up.
We were firmly entrenched in gaming warfare when I heard Jordan call out a greeting to someone that had entered the room.
I glanced towards the doorway and my fingers fumbled on the controls, causing my character to die.
“Dude, G, what the hell was that?” Garrett complained.
Mitch walked in, looking freshly showered. His hair was still dripping and the collar of his button down shirt was wet. His jeans hung low on his hips and he still hadn’t shaved. He looked good with a little shag on his face.
My mouth was suddenly dry and I was having a hard time swallowing.
Mitch leaned against the recliner where Jordan and Maysie were cuddled up together. He crossed his arms across his broad chest and smiled at something Maysie said. Then he threw his head back and laughed.