“Why the hell did you go there after he treated you like that?” Adrian leans back, digging his fingertips into the tops of his thighs.
I try my best to explain that I needed to try for the sake of work, for the sake of Rae. I steady my inflection when I share details about finding Ainsley there, trying to deflect my emotion from that part of the story.
“It hurt you to see her there, didn’t it?” Adrian rubs his eyes.
“It did. But not because of Bo. Ainsley’s a whack-job. It was disappointing on a friend level.” I sit back and reach for Adrian’s hand, but he pulls it away and stands, heading for the door.
“I love you, November. I’ve loved you since we first met and I’ve loved you ever since—”
“Oh that’s fucking bullshit, Adrian, and you know it. When you’re that in love with someone, you don’t disappear into scores of women for years before resurfacing.” His attempt at a guilt trip is starting to piss me off.
“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Adrian holds out his arms like he’s in a courtroom. “Disappearing into me, despite being in love with him?”
“I’m not using you, Adrian. Man, you’re on a roll. First, you walk into my apartment and accuse me of cheating on you, now you’re accusing me of using you. Anything else you’d like to tear into me about today, or will you be on your merry way?” I defensively wrap my arms around my stomach.
Adrian takes his hand off the knob and walks toward me. “Look, Ember. I know that you were in love with him. I also know that he broke your trust. What I need from you is to know that you’re with me, one hundred percent. Here. And Here.” He points to my head and my chest, over my heart.
Instinctively I lunge forward and smash my lips into his, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding on tightly. Adrian’s hands press into my sides as he returns my kiss. I can’t find the words to explain to Adrian that I care about him; those words still seem assigned to someone else. People are in love with more than one person all the time—right? This is just one of those times. I need to continue on with Adrian, while begging Bo to fade to black in the memory of my heart. When we pull apart, Adrian smiles foolishly.
“I’ve got some things I have to get done in town before the party tonight. I’ll see you there, OK?”
“Absolutely.” I kiss his neck once before backing away.
Adrian leaves, but stops the door from closing behind him and peeks his head back in.
“I do love you, Blue.” He grins again and quickly shuts the door before I can respond, which I’m grateful for.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“It looks great out here, Ember, you did an awesome job!” Marley, one of the summer bartenders, admires the twinkle lights and flowers adorning Finnegan’s back deck.
I admit, the place looks amazing, a slice of heaven right on the beach. I can think of no two people who deserve this more than Monica and Josh—they’re the real deal.
“Thanks for your help, Marley,” I smile. “So where are you from?” I step down from the small ladder I’d been using to hang lights. Her black, bobbed hair nearly matches her eyes; her olive skin would lead me to believe she models full time.
“I’m from Framingham, but my family has a house here in Barnstable. I’m in law school, Columbia. When I graduated from BU, I immediately went to get my MBA without much thought—I hate it.” She giggles and tucks some hair behind her ear. “I worked in the corporate world for a couple of years before deciding to go get my law degree. I want to help struggling companies survive attempts at large takeovers.”
“That’s impressive. Do you mind if I ask why the hell you waste your time here in the summer?” I fold the ladder and tuck it behind the fence.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. Now that I’m saving for an apartment in the city, I need as much extra cash as I can get. Have fun tonight, Josh and Monica are lucky to have a friend like you.” Marley walks back inside and easily picks up the slack at the bar, where I notice Adrian sitting.
I walk in and he turns to me with a smile.
“Hey you,” I lean in and kiss his cheek as I spot Rae, Bo, and Regan out of the corner of my eye. Bo’s back is to me and, admittedly, I’m thankful. “Where’s Pace?”
“An ex-girlfriend is in town.” Adrian’s mischievous grin is the only answer I need. “Damn, I can’t say this enough, you’re gorgeous.”
I playfully spin in the spaghetti-strapped, floor-length, flowing dress my mom bought me. Sometimes one must embrace their inner flower child. “Thank you. Finish your beer, I’m gonna go say “hi” to Rae and make sure Regan’s all set to go tonight for the song we wrote.” I give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. I hear him mumble, “Columbia, huh?” to Marley as I walk away.
I’m surprised Bo came, honestly. He said he would, but I thought he might bring Ainsley just for “fun.” She doesn’t seem to be anywhere around, so I smile and slide into the chair next to him.