I awoke with a start, breathless, to Spencer kissing my stomach, head beneath the covers.
Giggling, I tugged on his golden brown head, causing him to look up at me with those shocked, yet incredibly endearing cerulean eyes.
"Good morning, handsome." I bit down on my bottom lip, suddenly feeling incredibly shy in front of him. I seriously needed to get over this, he was my man for goodness sake!
"Hmm." He grinned, sliding up the bed – and my body – to seal his lips to my neck.
I gasped, twisting my fingers in his hair and pulling him closer.
Spencer chuckled, burying his face in my neck, "Good morning to you, beautiful."
"What a wake-up call!" I exclaimed, "Remind me—to get rid of the alarm clock."
He grasped my chin between his thumb and first finger in his trademark show of affection, "Will do, baby. I'll wake you up like this every morning if you let me."
Lowering his lips to mine, he planted a soft, yet incredibly sexy kiss to my lips.
"Spence!" I groaned, attempting to roll over, "I have morning breath!"
"You know what I think about your morning breath?" he raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Suddenly he pounced on me, pinning my arms to the bed and kissing me thoroughly, "That's what I think. Adri, I couldn't care less. Unless you care about my morning breath?"
I scoffed, "Yeah right, you smell like a toothpaste factory constantly, Spence. Plus, you wake up looking like a male model."
"Whatever," he poked his tongue out at me, in a childish gesture.
Rolling my eyes to the heavens, I slapped his chest, "Oh yeah, real mature, Haywood."
He squeezed my behind, rolling out of bed, "Come on you, I think it's about time we got some breakfast."
"Let me guess," I smirked, "Sustenance to keep up with you in bed?"
His face was serious and he frowned, pursing his lips, "No, I was just really hungry."
"Oh." I blushed, embarrassed in every fiber of my being. This is why I didn't talk about sex...
Spencer chuckled, leaning down to kiss me, "I was kidding, Adri."
"Oh." I repeated, looking down.
"Hey, relax, sweetheart," he kissed my forehead, "There's nothing I'd love more than to spend the day in bed with you. Especially before this afternoon."
My eyes snapped upwards to read his expression. Of course, we were telling my brother and Alicia about us over a late lunch today. The secret we'd been keeping for months now. Why the hell had we waited so long?
I swallowed the lump that materialized out of nowhere in my throat, "Can we...cross that bridge when we get to it, Spence? Everything is going to be fine. But...you know, I'd rather forget about it for now."
"Hey," he smoothed my hair backwards and kissed my forehead, "Of course. What would you like for breakfast? Pancakes? Syrup and bacon...your favourite..."
I grinned, all thoughts of angry big brothers and arguments over the dinner table forgotten, "I love you, Haywood."
*
I sat at the breakfast bar, or rather on Spencer's lap at the breakfast bar in his shirt, which had begun to double as my pyjamas.
Cookie, my kitten, who was now practically full grown, paced up and down the hardwood floor, following a toy with a bell attached that Licia had bought him as a gift.
Spencer and I had spent the morning just laughing and joking around, reminiscing mostly about the holiday we'd taken to Cancun years ago. It was shortly after we'd all graduated from Columbia, and I'd taken Licia and Spence to my home for a two-week vacation over the summer. We'd spent most of the time baking ourselves on the beach, or going on excursions to explore my home country. It'd been the best time with so many memories that would last forever.
A trip to Mexico was long overdue. Licia had loved the grounds of Chichen Itza, it spoke to her interest in all things that needed to be figured out and understood. And Spencer had fallen in love with snorkelling in the waters of the Riviera Maya whilst Licia and I – non-swimmers – had watched from the shore, waving at him in between sips of our cocktails from the nearby beach hut. Perhaps a return trip could be on the cards for this year?
"And, of course, it was the first time I'd seen you in a bikini." Spencer mused, wiping syrup away from his mouth with a napkin, "Floored, to say the least."
I rolled my eyes, slipping off the stool and to the floor, collecting both of our plates, "Of course you'd get onto that. Pervert."
He grabbed my waist and pulled me backwards, making me squeal, "Only around you. But then, you know that. Oh yeah, you were sexy alright. Literally had to fight for my jaw not to drop, or to give myself away. It was the closest I'd ever got to telling you how I felt about you."
Giggling, I nudged him with my shoulder and walked back to the sink to deposit the dirty plates inside, "You also looked very good shirtless, but unlike you, I don't dwell on that."
"Oh right," he smirked, "Because you're not using me for my body."
I laughed, "Well, I wouldn't go that far..."
"You're annoying, Rodriguez." He grinned.
I stuck my tongue out at him, "Of course, you'd know, being the dictionary definition of it yourself."
"Come on over here and say that again." He challenged.
"You don't want to catch these hands, Haywood." I joked, "It won't end well for you."
He scoffed good-naturedly, "A little girl like you? I'll go easy on you, Adriana, pinky swear."
I fumed, "You don't have to go easy on me!"
Spencer laughed, folding his arms across his chest, "God, Adri, it's so easy to rile you. You're a tiny, little ball of pent up anger aren't you, my love?"
I melted at the 'my love'. That was new. And I think I liked it...
"Come here." He smiled fondly at me, evidently aware of how affected I was by the endearment.
Arching an eyebrow skeptically at him, I scooted across the floor and into his arms where he planted a loud, wet kiss on my lips.
"Ew, Spence!" I whined, trying to pull away, as he chuckled heartily, "That's gross!"
"Ah, you adore me really, Rodriguez. I know you do." He grinned, peering down his nose at me, "I'm a loveable rogue at heart."
"Hm, and don't I know it!" I slapped his chest playfully.
He pouted, using that age-old expression that he knew would get me hook, line and sinker. Spencer pouting...well he knew exactly the outcome of that. His mother, a kind yet formidable lady, seemed to be the only person in the world not affected by Spencer's pouted mouth that he brought out like a tool every time he wanted forgiveness, or to get his way. Seriously, there was nothing like it in the world. And with the man pinning me in his arms, what else could I do but give in?
"Not the face, Spence."
Predictably, he turned it up a notch, widening his big cornflower blue eyes, and pulling me further into his chest.
"God, you're annoying." I whispered, pulling his head down towards mine.
The cheeky smile I could feel against my lips as we kissed, told me that he'd got me exactly where he wanted me. But I wasn't one to complain. His arms had to be the best place in the world.
His arms were wrapped around my waist now, and he practically danced me over to his white baby grand piano, kissing me thoroughly all the while.
All of a sudden, I was lifted up into the air, making me scream and wrap my legs tight around his waist.
Spencer chuckled, pressing his forehead against my chest, "Relax, baby, I'm just trying to get you comfortable."
He lowered me down onto the lid of the piano, and kissed me again, "How are you so perfect, Adriana?"
"You flatter me, Haywood," I smiled, "Now stop talking and kiss me."
Spencer groaned, nodding, "Now that's something I can definitely do."
I leaned towards him and pressed my mouth to his, and the kiss was instantly electric, like always. Immediately, my hands dove into his hair, tugging on it, as he stroked his tongue into my mouth and groaned again, loudly. I wrapped my legs snugly around his waist, pushing his grey bottoms down with my feet, and he slammed me into his chest, undoing the buttons of the shirt I was wearing. All in all, we were a mess of lips and tongues and hands all over each other. What better way to start the morning than waking up to a beautiful, beautiful man, having him cook you breakfast and then make out with you on top of a piano with a view overlooking New York? Now that's a perfect distraction.
What I had failed to realize, being as distracted and pre-occupied with Spencer Haywood as I was, was that the doorbell to the apartment had probably rung several times before the lift rose to the top floor and pinged itself open. But it was the movement from the other side of the room, and the voice that I would know from anywhere that made me freeze, tongue still half way in Spencer's mouth.
"Hey, Spence, I know I'm early, but I picked up some groceries, so I thought I'd dro—"
Spencer paused at the sound of his name, and the blood drained from my face seeing my best friend standing at the other end of the room, the grocery bags in her hands thumping to the floor as her jaw dropped open and her eyes widened.
It was like Spencer and I moved in high-speed synchronisation, with me pulling closed the shirt I was wearing, and him swiveling on one foot to pull up the trousers around his ankles.
We'd been caught, literally with our trousers down, by our best friend.
The silence was deafening, ringing loud and sharp in my ears. It was like everything was immediately oversensitized, playing in super slow-motion, each second lasting hours, every movement the length of a feature film. But all the while there was the silence. More and more horrifying with each moment that passed.
Spencer broke it like a sledgehammer through a sheet of glass, "Licia...I can—we—This is—I—"
I immediately hopped down from the piano, buttoning the shirt back up and pulling myself away from Spencer, all the while watching as Licia remained as frozen as a statue, the shock evident all over her face.
"Licia, we can explain all this, I swear." I said, surprised at how soft my voice was coming out. We were all in shock.
Then I watched as the shock on Licia's face quickly morphed into something else...anger...betrayal...and what was worst...hurt.
"Oh. No. No." She said, her voice almost as quiet as mine, "I see."
"Licia—" I started, but she raised her hand to stop me, her eyes closed.
"Whatever spiel you have, you can save it, I don't want or need to hear it."
"Licia, please, let's just sit down and talk about this." Spencer attempted to reason, moving towards her.
"If you take one more step, Spencer, I will lose it, I swear to God." She hissed, venom dripping from every syllable, making Spencer stop fast in his tracks, "Pardon me to interrupt, but I thought I'd bring groceries around to my best friend."
"Licia," Spencer all but stammered, "I didn't know you were coming over this morning."
She laughed humorlessly, lips pressed into a thin line, "No sh*t, Haywood."
"We were going to tell you, Licia, I swear," I piped up, suddenly finding the volume in my voice, "I swear, tonight we were going to tell you, that's why we organised the dinner, I swear. We just...we couldn't find the right moment...the right time, before now."
Licia let out a thoroughly unimpressed snort, and when she looked at me, I hated what I was seeing in her eyes, "Bullsh*t."
"What?" I said breathless.
"Bull. F*cking. Sh*t." She shouted, "When would you possibly fit telling me this huge thing into your busy schedule? Because it's not like we don't see each other every week, or text each other every day, or speak on the phone. Is it? You two have been f*cking, and lying to everyone about it, of course you have. Why the hell would I expect anything better from the pair of you? Huh? Why the hell would I expect anything better from the two people I actually let in?"
"Licia, please, you've got to believe me, we never meant to hurt you. I never meant to hurt you." The emotion was balled up tight in my throat. How could I sleep tonight knowing I was responsible for the look on her face?
She shook her head, dragging a hand through her hair, "You knew."
"Licia—"
"All this time you knew," she cut me off again, this time pointing an accusing finger at me, "You knew since college that I liked him, how I felt about him, but you always told me—hell, you even told me months ago that it wasn't worth it, that there was no point chasing him because he wasn't interested, that he would never be interested in a relationship. And here was me thinking that I was an idiot, a stupid fool to still be crushing on a guy I've known since I was eighteen years old, a guy that's told me we were better off as friends, a guy who's never even once crossed the line with me, despite his reputation. So, what were all those words then, Adriana, lip service? A ploy to get his undivided attention? Please explain that to me, because clearly I'm missing something."
"No!" I exclaimed, "Licia—it was never like that! Look you've got to understand, this—me and Spence, it just...happened."
Licia began to laugh again, the anger evident in every intake of breath, "Oh, so it's like that then, is it?"
"Like what, Alicia?" Spencer interjected, seemingly hesitant in case he felt her wrath again.
"Her." She nodded towards me, instead directing her line of questioning towards my boyfriend, "Just another notch on the bedpost, eh, Spence?"
"Not a chance," Spencer said vehemently, "Licia, this has nothing to do with Adriana. I pursued her. Me. Because I wanted her."
"Ah, that's where you're wrong Haywood." She smiled maliciously, "Because Adriana Rodriguez was always the one so blissfully unaffected by the Haywood charm. When other girls, girls like me, would fall at your feet, begging for the crumbs off your table, she'd roll her eyes and say she didn't know what all the fuss was about. Were you playing the long con, Adriana? Huh? Were you waiting until he picked off all the competition? Until he was bored with the rest and ready to stick his d*ck inside you now?"
I flinched like she had hit me, and my chest ached with the blow. She'd gone for the jugular and she knew it, because she knew me. She knew us.
"That's enough!" Spencer shouted, "I'm not having you come in here and make all these accusations without knowing the full picture! Now either we sit down and talk about this like mature adults or we don't talk at all. The choice is yours, Alicia."
"Oh, don't worry. I'm going." She said, "Just...one more thing."
"What?" I asked, my voice no louder than a whisper, still winded by the comments she'd hurled my way. This wasn't my best friend. This wasn't the girl who braided my hair, or danced with me in our dorm to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, or fed me Krispy Kreme doughnuts when I was sad. This wasn't the girl with the braids and the huge smile who rescued me on my first day on campus.
"How...long...have you two been....?"
The implications of her words were clear. Was this a fling? Another one of Spencer's conquests? Or was it more? Was it a relationship?
She shook her head again, a disbelieving laugh half-dying on her lips, "Don't even bother. I can see it written all over his face. I don't know why I didn't notice it before."
"Licia—"
"It's been a few months..." Spencer spoke grimly, his expression flat.
"Months." She nodded, her eyes shut, "I see."
"Alicia," Spencer tried again, "It's not what you—"
"It all makes sense." She said, staring us both down, "The way he is with you. Your fight over Thanksgiving...your date with the guy you wouldn't talk about afterward...Oh God—" I could hear the sob rise and lodge in her throat as she smiled humorlessly, "Your birthday...the sports car...he bought you the sports car, didn't he?"
I didn't know what to say. She'd robbed me of the words to communicate. I just wanted to tell her that it wasn't like she was making it out to be, not at all, we'd never meant to keep it a secret for this long. I'd never meant to hide it from her, I loved her too much to hide anything from her.
"Licia—"
"I...I think I'll go now." She replied, the tears finally brimming in her eyes and spilling over onto her cheeks as she looked back at me.
"Licia, please, let me explain." I asked, wiping my own tears away now, "I love you, I never meant to keep this from you."
She swallowed, turning away, "I think it's best if we don't speak for a while."
"Licia!" I sobbed, desperate now, moving towards her to try and embrace her.
She stepped away, back towards the lift, pressing the call button.
"Licia, come on, darling, please..." Spencer tried, "You don't understa—"
"You've said enough, Spencer. I'm done. I'm done with it all."
The lift arrived, and without another word to Spencer or I, she stepped in, eyes filled with tears.
As soon as the doors closed, it was as if the flood banks burst. I sank to my knees in the middle of the living room and sobbed, deep hard cries from the pit of my soul. In the distance, I could feel Spencer's arms around me, his consoling words in my ear, telling me everything was going to be okay, but I was numb to everything else.
I'd seen my best friend's heart break right in front of me, and it was at my hands.
Nothing else mattered.
It was over.
*******************************************************************************************
[Author's Note]
Yikes.
Enough said.
How are you doing today? I hope you enjoyed this chapter (well, as much as you possibly could given the events above!).
I've been building up to Alicia finding out about Spencer and Adriana for a long while now, and here, it just seemed right - just before they were about to tell her themselves (sorry for cutting you off, guys!)
What is next for the relationship between Alicia and Adriana, and of course, Spencer? Is their friendship done for good or could it possibly be repaired? Is this the final straw? Leave me a comment letting me know your thoughts!
In personal news, it was 36 degrees in the UK yesterday - in case you're not aware of the climate over here, that is literally insane. It rains all the time here, and rarely breaks the mid twenties. I survived (just about) on ice lollies, a fan, and tying my hair up. I'll be going on holiday very soon, but somehow the hot climate abroad is a lot more tolerable than when it's hot over here!
The song attached is 'September Song' by JP Cooper - one of my favourites.
For now, wishing you a blessed summer, however you choose to spend it.
Love,
- Bex 'xo