“That’s just what he always wears.”
“Always?” Kate asks and frowns when Charly nods yes. “I didn’t like that he wasn’t very gentlemanly. I mean, it was a first date, and he didn’t hold one door for you or offer to pay for dinner or your drinks.”
“I was mortified that Eli paid for everything,” Charly says with a sigh.
“He didn’t care about that,” Kate says and pulls out a pair of royal blue heels, then passes them to me. “These would look great on you. He just didn’t like Harrison.”
“Well, then it’s unanimous, no one likes him,” Van says and zips up a super hot pair of black leather knee-high boots. “We do, however, like these.”
“Indeed,” Charly says, admiring the boots. “I’ll sell out of those real quick.”
I drain my glass and walk to the counter to pour more. “Does anyone else want more wine?”
“Me!” Gabby says with a giggle and joins me. “This wine is pretty strong.”
“I hope you’re not driving home,” I reply with a smile.
“Nah, she’s staying with me tonight,” Van says and holds her glass out for more too. “We’ll call Uber.”
“Or Eli,” Gabby adds. “He can take us home when he takes Kate.”
“Yeah, that,” Van says and takes a sip of wine, then waves a hand. “Oh! I forgot! I brought food.” She runs into the back room, then comes back with a bag of chips and three containers full of different dips. “This will soak up some of the alcohol.”
“Good idea! I still have some paper plates back here somewhere,” Charly says as she disappears and comes back with a stack of plates and utensils.
For the next hour, we proceed to eat, drink and try on shoes. When all is said and done, I have four pairs picked out, but Van leads us all with six pairs.
“Now I need a man to impress with my new shoes,” Van says with a pout.
“You’re not ready for a man,” Charly says.
“How do you know what I’m ready for?” Van asks, slurring her words and pointing to Charly’s left. “Which one are you?”
“Over here.” Charly moves Van’s finger in front of her. “You told me you’re not ready.”
“I’m ready.” Van sniffs, her nose dripping from the hot jalape?o dip, and flips her dark hair over her shoulder. “I haven’t gotten laid in a long time, and maybe I just want to get laid. Laid.”
“How many times are you going to say laid?” Charly says and drains a bottle, not bothering to pour it into a glass.
Atta girl.
“I’ll say laid all day. Laid laid laid,” Van says and then snorts. “Some of you are getting laid. Even Callie is getting laid.”
All eyes suddenly turn to me. I look around, then simply drink the rest of my wine.
Oh God.
“You’re fucking Declan,” Kate says, pointing at me.
“Kind of,” I reply. God, I can’t feel my lips. What if they say stuff I don’t want them to? Dumb wine.
“You don’t kind of fuck, even I remember that,” Van says with a giggle.
“Well, I mean, she could be kind of,” Gabby says diplomatically. “I mean, maybe there’s just oral.”
“Oral doesn’t count?” I ask, surprised. “I thought it counted.”
“For the sake of right now,” Charly says and plops right down on the floor, “we’re gonna say it doesn’t count.”
“And please remember that he’s our brother, so we don’t want details, because ew,” Gabby adds.
“Um, well, um… yes.”
“Yes to what? Oral or everything?” Kate asks, leaning forward like she’s watching a riveting TV show.
“Everything,” I whisper. “Please don’t hate me.”
“Oh God,” Van says and waves me off. “We know that Declan has sex, but he doesn’t have sex with girls he actually likes. He’s a man-whore.”
“Savannah!” Kate cries and covers her face. “Don’t tell her that.”
“No, I know about his reputation,” I say with a shrug. “But he’s having sex with me, and he even takes me out on dates.”