Chapter 118

I stand laughing at Christian’s awful attempt to get the ball down the ten-pin bowling alley with the help of Jenny; they are both equally poor at this and Claire, one of Arrick’s friends I have known a long time is standing laughing beside me. She loves Christian and seems to find him equally amusing. Her short sassy red hair, framing an elfin face and almost lavender grey eyes are homed in on the two of them mirroring my amused expression.

“Chris is way too hot to be gay.” She appraises him bending over and sighs hopelessly, despite being married to Jason, she does have an eye for a nice ass. I like Claire, she’s one of Arry’s oldest friends and has been around this group as long as I have known him. She is married to Jason, another long-termer and are pretty much the unofficial mom and dad of this group. Everyone looks to them for advice.

“Trust me, he’s way gay. That much drama would never be found in a straight man.” I giggle as we both watch him grab Jenny’s ass rather ruggedly, grasping it boldly to push her along with the ball, his idea of helping keep her straight. Jenny squeals, batting at his hand in a bid to keep her dress down, modestly covering that sexy body and drops the thing on her foot. The following yelp is smothered by Chris’s hand on her mouth as he dies laughing and tries to apologize without drawing attention to the fact, he probably just broke her foot. The comedy double act isn’t unusual to see, I witness this hilarity almost daily at school and I love these two even more because of it. It’s like sibling love, hate in the cutest way.

“There you are.” Arrick’s voice encompasses me at the same time as he spins me and meets my mouth with a kiss, taking me by pleasant surprise. His hand instantly cupping my face and the other slides around my waist, so I have zero opportunity to react. He leans in to tilt me back a little, pushing the kiss to a little tongue action, heating me up in full view of everyone he knows and devouring me with ‘God, I missed you’ lip action, before breaking away. He leaves me breathless and very warm with that little maneuver, knowing fine well it’s the reaction he always gets and hits me with a sexy smile that is still practically attached to my mouth. I have to tame the inner tingles and uncontrollable urge to slide my hands under his shirt and feel out that sculpted abdomen. He has no idea how crazy with longing he can make me with just a swift kiss.

Still makes my toes curl, every time.

“Gray dress? Trying to tell me something?” Arrick’s eyes scan the jersey dress over slouch boots I opted for instead of his favorite of the moment and sexy heels. I only raise eyebrows in challenge and feign innocence poorly.

“Don’t know what you mean!” I narrow my eyes with a smirk. I don’t know why I still feel the need to do silly things like this, I guess a part of me is still punishing him in subtle ways, even if I am wrapping my arms around his neck for that much needed hug I’ve yearned for all day. Relaxing finally into the only place I ever want to be.

“I love your little passive-aggressive stands, baby, reminds me to keep on my toes where you’re concerned.” He grins, squeezing me, fully encircling me and tightly bringing us together as he moves in for another kiss. Someone makes loud vomiting noises to our left and completely ruins the moment.

“Get a room.” Nate chuckles at us, suave in navy tonight with freshly trimmed hair, as I swat a hand at him, and notice how his eyes immediately scan out towards where Jenny and Christian are still trying to throw one ball between them. I swear for a moment he looks positively nervous and then turns and walks off, my eyes suspiciously following him.

“What’s that all about?” I nudge Arrick who seems to be focusing on my mouth still, lost in thought and push him a little to indicate Nate. Still trapped in muscular arms, holding me tight with no intention of letting me go anytime soon.

“Who knows. He’s a guy … we’re all fucking weird when it comes to women.” He shrugs, smiling in that dazzling Hollywood special as if that’s going to excuse either an answer and I screw up my face at him.

“I forgot you were also an emotional cripple with an aversion to drama.” I point out, more truth in that statement than I like to admit. Even I know that he’s a guy who will bury his head when things get messy and avoid any sort of conflict until it passes. I guess growing up as a kid in a time where Jake was making his family’s life chaotic, taught him he hated to get caught up in an emotional mess. I wonder how much of that is to blame for the fuck up he made of things between us.

“Yet somehow that made me perfect for you. Go figure.” He chuckles, screwing up his face to match mine and laughing heartily when my expression drops to one of complete deadpan when I click on his sarcasm. That I clearly attract over emotional drama.

Asshole!

He leans in and covers my glare with another swoon-worthy kiss that makes me forget to knee him in the balls, and instead get lost in how good that tongue always feels in my mouth. I don’t think I will ever stop having butterflies from the way he kisses me. He knows how to make me feel like I am the sexiest and most beautiful woman on the planet when he does. Moving back and leaving me light-headed and giddy, still wrapped up tight in our happy cocoon, Arrick frowns past me at my friends and shakes his head.

“Maybe next time we pick something the two of them can actually do.” He laughs and hauls me back with him towards the seats. Arm around me possessively and I notice he has brought me a fresh Pepsi refill and a hot dog with a side of fries. Despite the constant lectures and always telling me to order healthier options, he indulges my diet.

“Aww, you love me.” I grin picking up the food, throwing fluttering lashes of adoration at him with a grin.

“I clearly do … I even bought you this.” Arrick pulls a bag from his jacket pocket, a flat, striped paper bag I don’t recognize and take it from him. Opening carefully, I realize it contains a wrapped cookie in rainbow colors with a sticker that reads.

Magical Unicorn Cookie

It’s a colorful, chocolate and candy stuffed cookie in supersize and looks like he brought it back with him from wherever they were today. My heart does a happy little skip and almost melts with the gooeyness of how incredibly cute he can be when I least expect it.

“Aww, Arry, I thought you put me on a candy ban?” I throw my best loving look, knowing fine well he has tried several times to do that and failed spectacularly.

“Like anything I ever try and enforce works with you.” He winks at me as Nate shoves him from the back rudely, almost making him bang facially with me as he was so close, and turns both of our attention to him.

“One of you two take the shot, Jason has teamed you as a pair.” I turn and look up at our names on the screen for the next shot and smile merrily at the little names linked together as one. Stupid, juvenile, but whatever floats my boat.

“The Dream Team … You are so going to get your ass kicked.” I poke fun at Nate, pointing my poky finger in his face and almost getting him in the eye. He bats me away with a scowl that’s meant to intimidate and Arry raises a mock slap hand as if to say ‘try it buddy and I’ll hurt you’, that only encourages my smug side and I stick my tongue out at Nate instead. He shakes his head at me, knowing fine well my bodyguard is more than capable of breaking his face and then is instantly distracted seeing Jenny walk by quickly, avoiding looking his way; he turns to follow her without hesitation.

“We’ll see.” Nate winks back at me over his shoulder and then disappears after my girl as she heads for the bar at the back. Arrick watches him too, looking like he isn’t even surprised by Nate’s slinking after her, lifts his beer from beside the food I am happily stuffing in my face over his arm. I try and ignore it and hope Jenny really does have the strength to end things tonight.

“You show them how it’s done, beautiful. Make me proud.” Arry pats my ass affectionately and gives a little nudge towards the alley, despite my handful of fries that I gracefully dump in his hand. I don’t hesitate, secure in the fact he has taught me how to throw a strike for years. I’m his little prodigy and he knows it.

Picking up my size of bowling ball I wander to the perfect spot, limber up like a pro and wiggle my butt while glancing back at him watching me with a smile. He gives me an encouraging wink, eyes homed in on me like we are the only two people here. I lean into the swing, down low for the let go and give my practiced bowling throw, the ball sliding out at speed and a straight line down the center to a perfect strike that has an eruption of cheers from our group of friends. Inwardly I swell with a “YESSSS” moment, giggling to myself and acting like the cat who got the cream. I jump up and down in satisfaction giving a little squeal. I have not lost my touch, before turning and trotting back to Arry’s open arms. He’s equally proud of me, grinning crazily as he picks me up, planting a kiss on my mouth with a smile. His arms crossed and held tight under my butt, so I’m sitting at his abdomen level and so much taller than him.

“That’s my girl, perfect, as always.” He keeps me up with my arms around his neck, legs bent so my heels are kicked up and he carries me back to our table of junk food with his eyes on mine.

“Like there was any doubt?” I giggle, unable to tear my gaze from that face which melts me in every way. Something out of the corner of my eye catches my attention, spying someone over his head and I start tapping him subtly s my joy fizzles away with the recognition.

“Arry, put me down.” I nudge him again, instantly bristling then take hold of his chin and turn his face towards Natasha’s approaching figure across the back of the hall. Through the crowds of milling bowlers, like a bad mood walking into a happy day. Instantly feeling like we shouldn’t be flaunting ourselves like this as it just looks callous to everyone here, and last thing I need is her playing victim while spoiled brat Sophie acts like a jealous baby.

Arrick slides me down to my feet and lets me go slowly, sliding a hand over my dress to smooth it down and depositing a chaste kiss on the corner of my mouth. It’s obvious he feels uncomfortable about her presence too and I’m in too much of a state of surprise to react. I didn’t think she would come here, I guess it’s not hugely unbelievable though as these are her friends also and I guess someone had to tell her we would all be here tonight.

“I better go say hi or else it will be more awkward. You want to come?” He turns to me in complete seriousness that makes me almost blanch. I honestly blink at him for a full three seconds, like he has completely lost his mind. I don’t even have space for the hints of green eye hatred while my brain is on ‘What now?’

“Umm nope … Think I’ll stay right here.” I frown at him sarcastically, as though he has lost his mind, and can’t help the spike of anger when he walks off towards her and leaves me here. That spike of jealousy hitting hard because he did what he said he was going to do, and yet I clearly expected him not to when I said I wasn’t coming. I know I was the one who pointed her out, so we wouldn’t rub salt in the wound, so to speak, but I never thought he would willingly go over there and speak to her while he has me standing like a spare part over here. That inner erratic rage rises again, and I scowl at his progress across the floor towards her. All inner happy bubbles burst, and I’m back to thinking my boyfriend is the biggest idiot on the planet sometimes. I know it’s dumb … but right now, I am beyond livid.

Stupid Sophie, get a grip!

I glare at his back as he wanders off towards the group of people who have arrived with Tasha, relieved to see they’re not mingling with our friends and not part of this group after all. I guess there’s hope in the fact she won’t be coming over here to mingle and play, and we might lose her again, sooner rather than later.

“Is that the competition?” Christian slides in, dropping an arm around my shoulder and glares with me. He knows fine well about the Natasha thing and I guess the venomous look of ‘die bitch die’ probably crossing my face was been pretty obvious to him. I turn a scowl at him, his eyes fully zoned in on them across the room with a look of loyal hatred, clearly not impressed with either her or Arrick.

“Nope. According to him, there is no competition. Sure doesn’t look like that now.” I pout, turning back towards the group of chatting friends all taking the piss out of Nate as he makes a throw. He isn’t bad at bowling, he just likes to turn clown and make everyone laugh and is trying to throw the ball backwards, through his legs with a stupid expression on his face. Jenny is laughing too, despite herself and the wink he casts her way makes her blush and glance away rather obviously.