“They’re not done. Told you to stay out there.”
“Why? It’s too hot out there.”
Theo’s jaw clenched. “Whatever, Trixie.” He collected all the cucumber, put it on top of the prepared salad, and then grabbed a pan for the hotdogs. He was out of the kitchen, but not before looking at me with guilt running deep in those brown irises.
I watched him disappear around the corner, and from behind, Trixie cleared her throat. I turned, looking straight into her blue eyes. She stood with her arms folded, looking me over as if I was the ugliest thing she’d ever seen. “If you know what’s best for you and Theo, I suggest you stay away from him tonight. Actually, stay away from him period.”
My mouth fixed on a heated response, and I stepped forward, but a hand touched my shoulder. Sterling appeared at my side. “Hey, got anything to drink in here?”
Trixie was surprised to see him. She liked what she saw. That was obvious. “Oh, sure!” She went for the fridge, stepping in front of me and pulling it open. “I bought some of Theo’s favorite beer and some wine coolers for myself… and the girls.” There was venom in her voice when she referred to us… well, me. “Help yourself!”
“Thanks.” Sterling took charge of the fridge, and Trixie sauntered past me, giving me one final lookover before leaving the kitchen and returning to the balcony. When she was gone, I uncurled the fists that I hadn’t realized I’d made, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Alright?” Sterling asked.
“Fine,” I muttered, leaving the kitchen. I went down the hallway and into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me and locking it. It was hard not to slam it, not to break everything in sight, but I kept my emotions stable.
Breathing evenly through flared nostrils, I stared into the mirror above the vanity, gripping the edge of the granite countertop. The tears had already started, and two slid down my cheeks. A knock sounded on the door seconds later.
“Chloe?” It was Izzy.
“Yeah.” I cleared my face, but she heard the thickness in my voice.
“What’s wrong?” She jiggled the doorknob, her voice sincere. “Come on. Open up.”
I contemplated opening the door. I didn’t want her to see me crying. Not only that, but I needed a lie to back the tears up.
So, like Sterling did, I knew I had to use the very thing that made me volunteer to spend my summer in Bristle Wave. Unlocking the door, I stepped back and sat on the edge of the tub. Izzy walked in, looking right at me with concerned eyes. “Chloe?”
“I’m okay. I swear.”
“You don’t look okay. See, I knew I wasn’t crazy. Something seems so off about you today. I didn’t want to say anything in case you were on your period or something, but now I see it’s not that time of the month for you.”
“Next week,” I sighed.
“So what is it then?” She sat beside me. When I didn’t speak right away, her face changed, and she justified herself. “Look, I know we don’t see each other as much as we used to, but you’re still my best friend, Chlo. You can talk to me about anything.”
“I know.” I cleared my face. “I know, Iz. I’m just so stressed out about my dad. I keep wondering why I tortured myself by coming back here.” Lies.
“That’s not torturing yourself. I was supposed to come but… college is a lot harder than I thought.” She sighed. “We were supposed to hang out too, but… shit happens. Plus, you have a good heart. You did good by coming back to Bristle. He needed family around. Your mom didn’t want to step up to the plate, so you did. No one can blame you for that. If anything, your mom should be to blame… leaving him alone like that. What kind of wife does that to her husband anyway?” Her face pinched.
I shrugged. “Selfish ones.”
“Yeah,” she scoffed. “Exactly. But you’re not selfish. So calm down and come with me. Dad said the food should be ready in a bit. You can help me set up the table.” I nodded, allowing her to pull me up to a stand. She playfully pinched my cheeks when I was upright, giggling as she then bumped my hip with hers. I couldn’t ignore her silliness. I laughed, dropping my head as we exited the bathroom. From the hallway, the soccer game sounded louder. I heard Sterling hooting, cursing, and cheering for God knows what team.
Izzy went to the kitchen to pull down some Chinaware, and I went for the cupboard, pulling down four glasses. I purposely forgot the fifth one. Fuck Trixie. After setting up the table, Theo was inside with the rest of the food. I placed the salad down, and Sterling assisted Theo with the meat, placing it in the center of the table.
Then we took our seats.
And dinner was served— a really fucking awkward dinner.
Izzy, of course, talked as if the world revolved around her. She went on and on about summer school and even the wreck and how it all went down as if we hadn’t heard that story a million times.
Sterling was nice enough to comment and chime in on her stories when Theo and I couldn’t stand to. And Trixie glared at me the entire time as she nibbled on a hotdog without a bun. She downed three glasses of wine like it was a ritual, but she was afraid to eat a piece of bread? She was ridiculous.
She purposely leaned in to Theo, whispering to him. He’d ignore her until Izzy would glance their way and force a smile at the weird couple. Despite the sick control Trixie had over our lives, I couldn’t help but think she felt out of place. She finished off her glass of wine and took three wine coolers out of the fridge, making those alcoholic beverages her friends for the night.
Dinner was a wrap within twenty miserable, desolate minutes. I was ready to go. “I think I’m gonna hit the pool.” Izzy looked out the window. “It’s so nice out right now. Hey, Chloe, you wanna join me? Sterling?”
Sterling and I looked at each other. “Nah, Izzy, I think I should just get home. See how Dad’s doing.”
“Oh! Right.” She nodded, and surprisingly, she didn’t pout about it. She understood, especially after my fib about being stressed over him. “Well, what about you, Sterling?”
“I… should probably get home too.”
“Aww.” She whined this time. “But we haven’t even lit the fireworks yet! I have a car too, you know? I can take you back if you want.”
Sterling glanced my way for a brief moment. I remembered him saying how he hated passing up the opportunity to swim. I had no reason to hold him back, so I shrugged. “Okay. Sure,” he agreed.
“Cool. I’ll go change. I think my dad has some trunks you can borrow.”
Once Izzy had given Sterling a pair of trunks and then changed into a gold and black two-piece bikini, they left the condo. I blew a breath as I collected the dirty plates from the table, bringing them to the kitchen where Theo stood. It was then that I noticed Trixie wasn’t around.
“Where’s your girl toy?” I asked.
He walked around me, going to the table for the half-empty trays of grilled meat. “Drunk as fuck in the bathroom. Probably shoving a finger down her throat to get rid of the little bit of carbs she ate today.”
“She acts worse than me.” I helped him clean off the rest of the oak table, picking up the cups, beer cans, and the one wine glass that belonged to the trick. “She isn’t staying the night, is she?”
Theo didn’t answer. He dropped everything on the counter as I tossed the cans in the recycling bin and then the cups in the sink. When my hands were free, he pulled me into his arms, clutched my face in his hands, and devoured my lips whole. He crushed them but not too much to the point it caused pain. Just enough for me to feel it—to know that he’d wanted this to happen all day long.
Like always, our tongues did a slow dance, mingling and swirling, my body pressing into his. A moan filled the kitchen, one I couldn’t hold in, and then I sighed as he groaned. I felt his cock hardening through the jean material, and when the kiss broke, his brown eyes were like hot coals, black and burning.
“No.” He finally answered my question. “But I wish you could stay tonight.”