No Strings Attached | ✓ 18+

twenty six .ೃ࿐

Clay left the house the next day. He'd sent me a text just before he pulled out of the drive, telling me he'd be at a friend's house for the next little while. He claimed it was to give me space to help me figure things out.

Though he was gone, he'd still left me a list of groceries on the counter that he purchased in advance that would be delivered at a certain date so I didn't go hungry. My heart constricted in my chest a little at this and I wanted to run and hide in my bedroom all over again.

I spend the majority of the day tidying the house that's already pretty clean, just to avoid sitting around and sulking. In my mind it's a constant argument, half of me believes that it was for the best, but the other half thinks I should have just stayed quiet.

Most importantly, I wondered why falling in love was such a terrible thing to Clay. Partly because he'd probably been in love with someone else, like the girl his friends had told me about. I was just a distraction, something merely to keep him busy.

It hurt, but I'd agreed to it. I hadn't ever thought I'd fall for someone in such a short period of time after what happened between Gina and I.

Deciding I needed to get out of the house, I sent Amber a quick text.

Adalyn : Any help needed for last minute wedding plans?

She replied almost instantly.

Amber : YES. You're the best babe

[ ♡ ]

When I pulled into the driveway of Amber and Trent's home, I was thankful to see that Clay hadn't crashed there. I hadn't wanted to ask Amber, because then it would seem like there was something wrong with us. Which there wasn't...because there was no us.

After the feeling of gratefulness disappeared, it was replaced with a feeling of despair. What if the friend he was staying with was the girl he liked?

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the window that made me jump. It was Amber, grinning excitedly with a pair of scissors and white lace in her hands, clearly in the middle of some sort of crafting.

We'd made our way inside the house, which was quite messy for being the home of a couple that is usually spotless. It was easy to tell that Amber and Trent were very busy, trying to make sure they had everything perfect for their big day.

I was super excited for them, the fact being that even if I hadn't known them for more than a year, they were some of the best people I'd ever met. They also were perfect for each other.

"Thank you so much for offering to come and help," Amber said gratefully as she sat at the kitchen table.

There were all sorts of papers and materials around her, there were also at least three different lists that she'd been working on, too. Currently, it seemed like she was doing table pieces, seeing as there were multiple different bouquets of fake flowers.

"No problem," I smiled. "I hadn't been doing anything else anyways."

Amber didn't waste any time on showing me what had to be done. She put me in charge of typing out little cards on the computer for seating arrangements and little menus that will be given to each guest. She also poured me a sparkling water with fruits in the glass and offered me some sort of cheese and cracker snack, which I denied.

"I have almost everything finished," she said. "After finishing the table decorations, I only have in-person appointments to attend, like hair and makeup the day of the wedding. We all have our outfits, I made sure Lou also got her alterations done. Trent's tux is ready to be picked up, too."

I grinned at her. "Cheers to that! I'm glad you've got this all under control. I would lose my head if it wasn't attached to my shoulders...so you can imagine how well I'd do planning a wedding."

She laughed and took a sip of her drink. While she organized the last of the flower vases, I completed the name tags.

"So, where's Trent tonight?"

"Out with Clay and Wes," Amber replied, frowning at me. "Didn't you know? You live with him."

"Oh," I bit my lip, knowing I can't get out of this one. "Well, we haven't been staying together recently." Amber's frown deepened as she gave me a not-so-subtle onceover. "He said he was going to stay at a friend's house...we had an argument. That's all. It isn't a big deal."

We both quieted, Amber turned back to her crafting and I went back to finishing the computer work. It was almost like I hadn't said anything at all. My mind was in the middle of a spiral, cussing me out for opening my mouth on what had been bothering me after all. I hadn't assumed that the boys would be out together, but now saying it out loud it felt silly to assume that they wouldn't be.

"You like him," she said after awhile.

I opened my mouth to object but I felt that it was useless. "I have for a long time," I breathed. "Probably longer than I was supposed to. While I was still dating my girlfriend, maybe."

"Oh, Adalyn," Amber said. "Your argument. You told him, didn't you?"

"Not exactly," I replied.

The whole story poured out after that. I told Amber everything. From how he'd come into work, to how he offered me a place to stay, to how we agreed to sleep together, no strings attached. Every little detail about how I'd liked him more and more with every passing day, except leaving out the fact that I knew he liked someone else.

I had tears in my eyes at the end, feeling mostly sorry for myself. It was pathetic, but I'd had it all cooped up for such a long time that now it was finally weighing me down and it felt good to get it all out. Amber was understanding and very empathetic, telling me that it wasn't my fault that he had left. She agreed that it was kind of him to give me my own space to get it all out and figure out what I'd want to do about the whole situation.

"I can't tell you the whole story," Amber began, taking a sip of her drink. "Clay has had a hard time in relationships in the past...hence the whole 'don't fall in love with me' thing. It made him sound sexy, like a badass, but that was genuinely him attempting to protect himself. Maybe you won't end up together, but it'll figure itself out."

I nodded and felt my phone go off.

Clay : Going okay at the house?

Even though he had his own reasons, it hurt like hell seeing him check in on me. It was like salt to a wound. I responded with a simple 'yes' and shut my phone off, turning to Amber to distract me further with wedding things.

I wouldn't let him ruin my evening, even though I desperately wanted to beg him to come home.