Within the next hour, the party began and hundreds of people were present. The party was held in the backyard where there was a live band singing all of Giana's favorite songs. There were a bunch of high school and college aged kids, but also a lot of family. Within 30 minutes, I met at least 50 of Andy's cousins, 5 aunts, and 10 uncles. Friends were there too. Lin and Leo showed up and Lin brought her fiancé. Giana was traveling around the party trying to greet everyone that she could. Andy seemed a bit overprotective over her. Every time Giana talked to a guy around her age, she tensed up. It was cute but kind of unfair because I'm sure she was sleeping with plenty of girls at Giana's age.
"So how long have you been dating Andy," Lin's girlfriend, Jenny, asked me. Andy had left us two alone and wandered off somewhere with Lin and Leo. Jenny claimed they always ventured off together and left her by herself all the time at parties. She was happy I was here to keep her company.
"Oh, we're not dating. We're just friends," I quickly told Jenny before she could put any other ideas together.
"Just friends? That's weird. Andy never brings girls around unless she's really with them. She must really like you. Where are you from again?" Jenny was a gorgeous girl with wavy blonde hair. Her and Lin fit together perfectly. They were so nice and chill all the time.
"I'm from San Francisco. I moved to Santa Monica a few months ago, so I'm pretty new to everything here. What about you?" I knew Jenny couldn't have been from around here. She had a strong country accent which stood out above everyone else's.
"I'm from Tennessee. I move here five years ago. I just haven't gotten rid of my accent yet. I don't think I ever will."
"I love your accent. It's really adorable." Jenny giggled and I looked around the party. Everyone was having a great time and I was too. I was just wondering where Andy went. She, Leo and Lin left thirty minutes ago. "You said they always walk off?"
"Yeah. They're inseparable. They probably went somewhere to smoke. They'll be back. Don't worry about it. So, what do you do? Do you work anywhere," Jenny kept up the casual conversation as I kept looking around for Andy. I'm not sure why I was so worried about where she was at. It just felt weird for her to walk off without saying anything.
"Well, I just graduated college so I'm not doing much. I want to be a doctor. Hopefully within the next year, I'll try to get into a good medical school. Right now I'm kind of just getting a breather, you know?"
Jenny's eyes widened. "Smart girl! I can't believe you're going to be a doctor. I'm just a hairstylist, but wow, you know, that's really amazing, Delaney. You're going to save lives. It's kind of ironic that you have a thing with Andy when you guys kind of have such different lifestyles."
"Well, I don't have a thing with Andy."
"So, you guys are legit just friends?"
"No. We're more than just friends. I like her a lot but we're kind of just seeing where it goes. It's not like we're trying to date right now or anything. And yeah, I know it's weird that I want to help people while Andy is kind of the opposite in a way. But she's not that bad." My answer to Jenny seemed so unsure and she caught it. I felt like a dumbass. I really wasn't sure what Andy had going on and I didn't put in much thought about how our careers conflicted with each other. If we got together, how was I going to go somewhere and save lives just to come to someone who takes them? It was contradicting. But Andy didn't kill innocent people, did she? I doubt she did. Maybe I was just overthinking.
"I'm marrying Lin and I admit, I don't agree with most of the things she does. When I first started dating her I thought all of this wasn't a big deal, but it is. Once you're connected to Andy, it's really going to affect your life and your relationship with her. I'm not trying to scare you away but you're not like the other girls. You really want to be something. All the other girls Andy has been with had no goals. All they wanted to be was Andy's girlfriend. They didn't have any self-worth, but it really seems like you do. You're level headed and I know you're tough. I can see it from your eyes." Jenny paused as if she was getting ahead of herself. She took a deep breath and gave me a reassuring smile. Her hands rested on my shoulders. "I just wanted to warn you before you get too invested. But I really like you and I really hope you and Andy give things a try, but just know, it's not all peaches and cream."
"Thank you for being honest, Jenny. I might need to catch up with you one day and figure out whether I can actually do this." Jenny really opened my eyes. Because of what she said, I wasn't thinking negatively of Andy just more realistically. Her and I could possibly date and possibly have a future together but it wasn't going to be easy. I doubt she was used to girls like me. She was probably used to girls who were dim witted and she was able to walk over, but that definitely wasn't me. I had a big mouth and I needed to be heard.
Andy, Leo and Lin walked up at just the right time and they brought the smell of marijuana with them. "What have you girls been talking about," Andy asked as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder.
"Just girl things. You tomboys wouldn't understand," Jenny said before I could answer. She kissed Lin's cheek. "Want to get a drink, baby?" The two walked off and I rolled my eyes, knowing that that'd leave me with Leo and Andy. I loved being with Andy but not when she was with Leo. Leo was an asshole and it pissed me off when Andy encouraged it.
"Should I go talk to her," Leo asked Andy as she nodded her head over to a girl who was standing alone and nodding her head to the music.
"Dude, she's like fifteen," Andy protested.
"But she's hot, right?"
"I mean she is, but she's young. You don't want that. How about that one?"
"Which one?"
"The one talking to her gay guy friend. She has pink f-cking hair. You can't miss her."
"She has no ass. You know I love ass."
"Can you guys not talk about that," I asked with annoyance. The last thing I wanted to hear or see was Andy picking out hot girls. I admit it. I'm a jealous b-tch even though we're totally not together.
"Sorry, darlin'. You know you're the most gorgeous girl here."
"Whipped," Leo muttered before walking off to approach the girl with the pink hair.
When she walked away, Andy turned to me and put her hands on my hips. "I'm sorry for just walking off. I needed a smoke. I'm stressed about some things right now. Are you enjoying yourself?"
I gave Andy a soft smile. "It's okay. I'm having fun. Jenny was really nice. I got to know her a bit. Everyone seems to be having a good time, especially Giana." I spotted Giana dancing with a group of her friends. They were dancing pretty tacky. I wasn't sure if they were being serious or silly.
Andy chuckled. "She's a f-cking goofball. I'm glad she's enjoying her party. She deserves it."
"You said you were stressed about something. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's nothing," she answered vaguely before kissing my forehead. "Everything's good."
I knew she was lying. Her stare was wavering and her lips twitched up into a fake smile. "Promise? You know you can tell me anything," I told her as I cupped her cheeks.
She took one of my hands off of her cheeks and kissed the back of it. "I can't, actually. I opened up to you a little too much," she admitted.
I laughed a little. "What? You don't trust me?"
"No, I do. I trust you but if I open up I'm just afraid that you'd get upset or walk away."
"I didn't walk away when you told me you burned down your ex-girlfriend's house. What makes you think I'm going to walk away now," I half-joked.
She chuckled and nodded her head. "That is true."
"So, tell me. What's going on in that head of yours," I encouraged as I ran my hands up and down her arm soothingly.
"Let's go inside." Andy took my hand and led me inside her parents' house. Not many people were in there and the people that were was casually talking or on their phones. For privacy, Andy took me up the spiral stairs of the grand home. We entered a room and closed the door behind us. It had to be Andy's old room. Posters of half-naked girls, gangster movie posters and even guns were mounted on the wall. It just screamed out her name.
Andy sat down on the bed and I sat beside her. I put my hand on her knee to encourage her to spit out what was on her mind. "I've just been thinking about us ever since you met my parents. They really like you. They never like girls I bring over and you just met them. It's just weird. I'm sorry if they may have pressured you with all of that girlfriend talk. I know we're just seeing each other, nothing too big. You'll probably be over me and my sh-t soon."
"What makes you think that?"
"I don't know. We're just different. I'm not like anyone else you've ever been with I'm sure. You're most likely going to be a doctor. I'm most likely either going to wind up dead, in prison or invested in this life for as long as I live. I kill people almost daily. While you're going to be somewhere saving a life, I'm going to be taking one. What kind of sick sh-t, is that? It isn't right and it's not fair to you. You deserve someone who is actually in your league because I'm honestly just a f-cked up person."
"Don't start trying to push me away. I already told you that I don't care about that. You kill bad people. You do what you have to do. You're invested in your lifestyle, I know that. It's one of the main things I like about you. I like that we're so different. I love the idea of me coming home to you after I've worked a long day at the hospital. Then I hear you tell me about your day and how you killed some asshole and then I'll tell you how I saved someone's life. If we get that far, I'd love that. Don't belittle yourself. You're no less than anyone else I've ever been with. You're actually better."
"You keep saying that you're okay with my life, but I'm just afraid that we go further and then all of a sudden you're out."
"That's not going to happen. If you treat me right, that's not going to happen. And just so you know, I'm not like anyone you've ever dated either."
"I know. You have a big ass mouth. You give me sh-t all the time but you don't take sh-t. I love it. I love how different and crazy you are." Andy leaned in and kissed my cheek. "You're special, Dee."
The smile that was on my face slowly fell. My heart quickened and I looked down at our fingers which were intertwined. "Don't call me that, please."
Andy squinted her eyes but nodded her head. "Okay, I'm sorry," she said as more of a question than anything. I kissed her softly to let her know I wasn't upset. I just genuinely didn't like it when people called me that. She smiled and nodded her head towards the door. "Want to go back to the party?"
The rest of the night went by smoothly. Andy and I danced to a few songs, drank a little bit and her mother forced us to take pictures together. She acted like Andy and I were going to prom or something. As she orchestrated the poses, and positioned us correctly, Iggy took the picture. In each one, Andy looked unamused. It was cute how I always had a goofy smile while she looked like she was ready to kill. It was kind of ironic, but then again nearly everything between her and I was ironic.
When I got home, I offered Andy to stay the night. She accepted. "Can't believe my mom made us take pictures," Andy said. All the lights in the apartment were off. I shushed her. Mia was a light sleeper and I didn't want to deal with her complaining whenever she woke up the next day.
Andy wrapped her arms around me from behind and kissed my neck gently. "Don't shush me, baby girl. We're about to get loud anyways," she muttered.
I giggled, and grabbed her hand to pull her into my room. "We're just cuddling so don't even get your little hopes up," I told her.
Andy stood there with a frown on her face. "But I thought you had a good time," she said as she kicked off her shoes. As I took out my earrings in the mirror, she continued to look at me with that adorable glower.
"I did. I had a lot of fun with you and your family. Honestly, my family could never be that entertaining. My dad is goofy and my mom is too stuck up to let loose." My parents could be funny when they wanted to but usually they didn't get along with people outside of their social group. My dad got along with the rich boys who played golf that I dated while my mother liked the ones who were also working on becoming a doctor or lawyer.
Andy walked around my room picking up random objects and expecting them. While she was occupied, I quickly changed out of my dress and into a long, old t-shirt. "What's this," she suddenly asked. "It's really cool."
I looked towards her to see her holding a small, shiny object in her hand. "It's a ring," I told her casually.
"But it's so antique. Was it your mom's or grandma's or something?" Instead of answering her, I got into bed and cuddled up against Mr. Snuggles. When she noticed I didn't answer, she looked back at me. "Hey, what are you doing? He can't sleep with us. He's taking my spot."
"Are you jealous," I asked as I wiggled my eyebrows. Andy chuckled and shook her head. "Are you sure," I asked before kissing Mr. Snuggles. She laughed harder and bit her lower lip. God, she was so sexy. That twinkle in her eyes in the moonlight made my stomach turn.
"He better be out of the bed by the time I get over there," she warned me as she took off her shirt.
"Or what," I asked her as I licked my lips. Her tone and tanned abs looked even more defined with the dim lighting coming from the streetlight outside. Why did God make her so perfect?
She shrugged her broad shoulders as she pulled down her jeans. "You'll find out."
"He's staying."
"You've got three seconds to kick him out of the bed before I get over there," she told me with a small smirk.
"I'll count for you. 3...2...oh sh-t!" I didn't get to finish counting. Within those three seconds, Andy jumped on top of me and began tickling my stomach. "Oh my god! Andy! Stop," I begged as I pushed her shoulders. I was laughing loudly as her fingertips tickled my body. "Andrea, I'm-I'm going to call your mother," I threatened.
Andy laughed but instantly stopped tickling me. She f-cked up by actually giving me her mother and father's numbers. I was going to use them against her all the time. "Fine, I'll be good. But he can't sleep with us, okay?"
"Okay," I compromised. Andy pushed Mr. Snuggles off the bed with glee and laid beside me. I cuddled into her and she wrapped her arms around me securely. "I'll tell you all about the ring tomorrow, but I'm really tired now," I promised her.
She kissed my temple. "Alright. Goodnight, baby girl."
"Goodnight, Andrea." I knew she hated when I called her that. I looked up at her just to see her roll her eyes.
"You're lucky you're cute."
-
Do you think Delaney and Andy can be together with conflicting lives?