Alec returns a moment later and takes a seat. He's easy enough to talk to and we spend the next few minutes discussing his latest job before he decides the evening heat is too much and jumps into the pool. In my opinion, it's perfect. The thought of jumping into the water now is about as appealing as watching Mike chat up the brunette in the corner. Is he really so clueless as to how that might make me feel or does he honestly think I'm not here? It's hard to know because he hasn't bothered to move from his seat even once since arriving.
"Hey," a voice says, settling down in the seat Alec just vacated.
I turn to find Andy lounging comfortably beside me, water dripping from the ends of his hair and trickling over his naked chest.
"Hi." I can't help but perk up around Andy. Other than Gavin and Chris, who are both busy grilling up burgers and chatting with a couple guys milling around the patio, Andy's the only one I'm entirely comfortable with here.
"Thought you'd like to know that Jessie won't be showing up," he informs me. "Gavin doesn't know the details about you two—figured you'd want to give him that info—but I warned him against inviting him."
"Oh." I blink before letting my face soften into a grateful smile. "Thanks, Andy." I'm only now realizing that that should have been a real fear, but my mind's been so distracted I'd totally forgot about him. "You left the pool to tell me that?..." A teasing smile lifts my lips. "Do I seem uptight or something?"
"Eh," he shrugs. "I mean, it does sort of look like you sat on a pine cone... or a vertical stick, but—"
I slug him in the shoulder, evoking an exaggerated grunt from his throat.
"You didn't even let me finish," he gripes. "But... you still look stunning. Speaking of, when'd you decide to go for brown?" He lifts a finger to play with a chunk of my hair, dragging it across my face in the most obnoxious way. It feels like I've just walked face-first into a cobweb and I swat his hand away, tucking the strands back into place.
"A while ago," I answer, shrugging one shoulder. "Just wanted something a little new. Why? Do you hate it?"
There are a full two seconds of hesitation before he cocks his head to the side, gaze roving over my hair with a critical eye.
"If I'd met you like this," he says, picking up a lock of my hair again, "then I'd think nothing of it. It suits you, but I'll always think of you as my blonde buddy."
"So you prefer me as a blonde?" I infer.
"Not necessarily," he tells me, scratching this eyebrow with his thumb, eyes squinted as if searching for the perfect words to convey his thoughts. "So," he begins, as if ready to dive into a deep explanation, "my dad used to always have a mustache or goatee when I was growing up and every once in awhile—maybe once every year or two—he'd randomly shave it all off. I just remember thinking, 'Wow, dad, your face looks naked,' but I'd eventually get used to it and think nothing of it."
"You're comparing my hair to your dad's naked face?" I snort, using the back of my hand to hide my smile.
"No—yes," he sighs. "Lindsey, you look great, okay? Blonde is just how I always picture you. It's not a preference... just a feature that pops into my head when I think about you."
"Aw," I coo. "You think of me?"
"You sound shocked," he frowns. "Does this mean you never think of me?"
He doesn't give me chance to respond.
"I'm wounded," he chokes, flicking an invisible tear from his cheek. "And all this time I thought you were head-over-heels in desperate love with me. I'm gonna go drown in the pool now." He starts to stand but I yank him back down by the arm, producing a deep chuckle from his throat.
"Please don't," I beg, feigning exhaustion. "I don't think I'd have the upper body strength to lift you out of the water if you did that, and I know nobody else would bother."
"Oh," he gasps. "That was harsh." Then he shrugs a single shoulder. "Kinda funny, but harsh."
"Burgers are ready!" Gavin hollers from behind us and Andy perks up.
"Hungry?" he asks, pushing himself into standing and then reaching for my hand to help me up.
"Not really," I respond, gathering my hair up into a sloppy ponytail before taking his hand.
We turn, heading toward the food along with the two bikini-clad girls who'd been sunbathing when I'd first arrived. Their towels are still on the grass and they're walking in front of us, hips swaying purposefully. One of the girls shoots a sly glance over her shoulder at Andy, and I glance up expecting to find his eyes riveted to their bubbly behinds. Instead, he's watching his feet, a contemplative look on his face.
He must feel me watching him because he glances sideways at me, brows lifted in question.
"You've got a secret admirer," I tell him, nudging my chin at the shapely girl in front of us who's now diverted her attention straight ahead again.
"Oh yeah?" He puckers his lips thoughtfully, letting himself casually glance in her direction. Then he shrugs, not seeming to be all that impressed.
"Really?" I balk, noticing how his eyes didn't even flicker south of the girl's long blonde hair for even a millisecond.
In truth, I'm not that surprised. Andy's the epitome of a gentleman. He doesn't ogle women or disrespect them in any way unless it's playfully. I tend to think it's because he's far more sensitive about those kinds of things than others. His level of empathy is borderline dangerous. He literally feels other people's pain or embarrassment, which I've come to learn is why he's so goofy and lighthearted all the time. He wants people to feel comfortable around him, because when they're comfortable, so is he.
"What?" he defends. "You that anxious for me to find a lady and settle down?"
"No," I tell him. "Just surprised that you have zero interest in her. Anyone with eyes can tell she's beautiful."
"True," he agrees. "But what makes you think I don't already have a special lady waiting for me back home?"
"Do you?"
He chuckles. "Wouldn't you like to know."
We reach Gavin and Chris then and Andy gives Chris one of those man handshakes, effectively ending our conversation as the two of them dive into talk about the last scrimmage they had a couple of days ago. Grabbing a plate, I load it with a burger and add a couple carrots and ranch dressing to the side as my 'healthy' food choice for the day. I crunch down on a carrot, waiting for the line to move forward so I can add the perfect condiments to my burger and that's when my gaze flickers up and meets Mike's.
He's watching me expectantly as he approaches, the brunette still seated behind him on the outdoor couch. He smiles timidly, obviously unsure about my feelings of seeing him here with another woman. I'm prepared for him to stop beside me and attempt some level of civil conversation, but other than a quick 'hey, Lindsey', he just walks on past to the back of the line.
Deflated, I force my lips not to twitch downward as I finish up in line and return to my seat. Gavin joins me a moment later, three brimming burgers on his plate. He sighs heavily as he slumps down into the seat.
"You hungry or something?" I tease, eyeing him as he shoves the heaping burger into his mouth, ketchup and mustard oozing off the side and a tomato plopping back onto his plate.
Sucking the sauce from his thumb, he smiles over at me, his left cheek bulging. He chews a couple times, swallows and then nods.
"Hungry," he answers. "Definitely hungry. I mean, I haven't eaten since lunch."
"As have most of the people here," I remind him. "This is dinner, you realize?"
"That's no excuse," he says, looking appalled. "I had to skip linner to prepare for this thing. I'm nearly dying!"
"I'm sure you are," I comfort, rubbing my hand up and down his arm tenderly.
We fall into a comfortable silence, but I continue to watch him from the corner of my eye, impressed when he manages to finish off two of his burgers before I even finish half of mine. He truly is a growing boy. He better watch it, though, or he's gonna start growing the wrong direction. I suppose I should heed my own inner advice. I look fine now—not model worthy, or even swimsuit worthy—but okay. My carbs do seem to enjoy riding on my hips and rear end though, even though I've told them repeatedly that they're not welcome.
"You alright?"
Gavin's half-amused voice breaks my stare-off with my burger and I glance up to find him smirking at me, a potato crumb dangling from his lip.
"Yeah." The exhale that leaves my lips says otherwise and Gavin definitely catches it.
He quirks an eyebrow at me before taking another bite of his burger and mumbling, "spill," around the mound of food in his mouth.
"Do you—"
My words are cut short when Andy returns, demanding his seat back. Gavin shakes his head stubbornly, proceeding to eat in an unhurried manner until Andy plops down on the grass beside us.
"So," Andy begins, stabbing at a grilled bell pepper. "What you two chatting about?"
"Oh," Gavin says, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "Lindsey was just about to confess her absolute, undying love for you. But then you arrived, so..."
"Is that so?" Andy drawls, bright blue eyes narrowing at me tauntingly as a smirk crawls across his face. With deliberate eye contact, he grabs his water bottle and takes a sip, purposely allowing some of it to trickle past his lips, down his throat, and over his bare chest. Then he slides his tongue over his lips with a tantalizing smoothness and flings his damp, slightly disheveled, hair so that it swoops to the side. He finishes off his act with a smoldering lip pucker and a wink.
"That," Gavin says, burger frozen halfway to his lips as he stares wide-eyed at Andy, "was the most disgusting thing I've seen all day."
"Doubtful," Andy argues, laughing at his own ridiculous display of attempted sexiness.
"And that's including the dog I watched from my front window as it, quite literally, crapped and then proceeded to roll in it."
"That's... pretty sick," I say, not finding a better adjective to describe the dog's actions. "But wow, Andy," I say, turning appreciative eyes toward him. "That lip thing you just did there, that was hot."
"Did you like that?" He shrugs casually, dismissing my sarcastic praise with a modest duck of his head. But he fails to keep up the act. He chances a quick glance at Gavin's disgusted face and a second later the two of them are busting into unrestrained laughter. It's the type of guy laughter that's completely uninhibited—ugly almost—but somehow adorable because it reaches that higher octave and forces those around to smile at the sound even though they don't have a clue why they're smiling.
I'm smiling even as I take a sip of my Pepsi, but then Andy attempts his sexy duck face again—failing miserably—and suddenly Pepsi is forcing its way through my sinuses and out my nose. My nasal cavities are on fire and somehow I'm choking and laughing at the same time. With eyes burning and throat spasming, I jump from my seat, careful to keep my plate balanced as Pepsi drains from my stinging nostrils.
"You guys!" I squeal, setting my drink on the ground and swiping my hand across my dripping nose.
"What?" they both laugh, Andy clutching his stomach as he watches me struggle to regain bodily control.
"There's a bathroom inside—" Gavin tells me, still cackling.
"No duh."
"Hallway. First door on the left," he continues, ignoring Andy's sarcastic interruption.
Setting my plate on my chair, I hurry toward the house, past Mike's curious stare, and through the sliding glass door. I cough one last time, my hand still under my nose in case more liquid finds a way out. My watery eyes search the room until I remember where the hallway is and make my way to the bathroom.
I've got light brown stains on the front of my dress, and I grab a washcloth from the bathroom closet and begin wiping myself down. Wetting my hands, I pat down my flushed cheeks and then still when I catch sight of my glossy eyes in the mirror.
I look tired. Painfully tired. Like a fraud who's pretending she's gliding through life on a rainbow escalator.
But it's more than exhaustion. Seeing Mike here with someone else hurts. I'd placed him on the back-burner of my life without realizing it when what I should have done was turn off the flame. I'd tried to move on, but the moment he showed back up, I realized I'd been waiting for him all along.
I had imagined him returning from war broken and beaten and desperate for my support. In my imagination, I saw his smile, the gratitude and love gleaming from his eyes as he realized how much he needed me and still loved me. Now, that's just a foolish fantasy. I'm not who Mike needs because I don't know how to handle him. He's not just broken; he's mutilated. I can't just pick up the pieces and carefully place them back together because, somehow, his experiences mangled every single piece and some pieces are missing altogether. It'd require an emotional surgeon to fix him, and I'm most certainly no expert at keeping my emotions in check.
We're both rubble from completely different disasters. We may have existed well together at one point, but now we're unrecognizable. Strangers.
Patting my cheeks dry, I inhale a quiet, steadying breath, and prepare to fake my way through the rest of the evening. What I'm not expecting is to bump into Andy waiting at the end of the hall when I exit.
"You okay?" he asks. There's a small smile on his lips, so I assume he still finds my little mishap amusing, but there's concern twinkling from his eyes as well.
"Yeah," I laugh.
"I haven't seen Pepsi shoot from someone's nostrils like that in a long time," he admits, brows lifted as if he's actually impressed with my accidental talent.
"Well," I say with a small curtsy. "Glad you enjoyed the show at my expense."
"Gavin and I both appreciate your sacrifice in bringing us quality entertainment." He shoves me playfully as he passes by me and slips into the bathroom, sending me a quick wink through the crack of the door before shutting it.
I smile softly before turning and heading back outside. That's when I catch Mike's eye for the third time tonight, only this time he's waving me over. My worst nightmare is about to come true: the man of my dreams is about to introduce me to the girl of his.
---
Not sure about you guys, but I loved loved loved writing this chapter. I know I keep throwing little moments in there with Andy and Gavin, but I just love those guys!!!!! Who's with me!? (If you don't agree, I will cry) :'( <--- just look at that face. So sad.
If there's one person you absolutely DO NOT want Lindsey to end up with, who would it be?
Teaser: Lindsey gets to meet Mike's new lady friend. *gasp*