He slowly shakes his head with a sad smile that tells me this conversation clearly isn’t going anywhere so he’s giving up. And it’s for the best, because yeah, Bentley is one of my best friends, but the truth of the matter is we come from two completely different worlds.
I look at Caleb to see if he’s got anything to add and he just shrugs. That’s one of the things I like about Caleb. He doesn’t throw in his input. He does his thing and let’s everyone else do theirs. I grab my keys from the bowl near the garage and we head out in my SUV.
The entire ride none of us says a word. I know for me, I have a lot to think about. Liz’s going to be there tonight, and judging by the way she looked at me, I think she might have missed me as much as I missed her. But is it right to be with her again, knowing I can’t give her anything more? Maybe if I explain it to her, she’ll accept me the way I am. I know it’s wrong to ask this from her, and I know she deserves more, but I am a greedy fucking bastard and I want her.
We pull up to Kaden’s house and can hear the music thumping from the road. He has some nice ass neighbors to ignore all this, that’s for damn sure. If I so much as sneeze too loudly in my community, somebody is all over me hitting me up with fines and citations. I’ve thought about moving to somewhere with more land, but I don’t really see the point. It’s just me and most likely will always be just me.
For about four years, when we all lived in Colorado, Kaden, Bentley, and I were roommates while Caleb was living elsewhere. When we all moved out here to Vegas, Kaden and I decided to get our own places, and Bentley and Caleb decided to rent an apartment together. I’m actually shocked Caleb agreed, because while he’s one of my best friends, he’s definitely more of a loner. Nobody really knows much about his life except that when he fights it’s like he’s chasing off some demons.
I moved into a four-bedroom townhouse in a gated community only a couple miles from the gym while Kaden decided to move a little further out of the city and into a more rural area where the houses are a bit more spread out, which is why the parties always end up taking place at his house.
I park my vehicle along the road but away a little bit, so I don’t get blocked in, in case I want to leave early. Walking around back to where the bonfire is going, I immediately start looking for Liz. I look over at Bentley and I can swear he’s looking for Kayla as well.
After we left Miami, I asked him about her, and he said she was a cool chick but wasn’t the girlfriend type. When I asked him what he meant by that, he just shook his head and changed the subject.
There are people scattered everywhere. I walk around the fire pit, over by the patio, and around the side of the house, getting stopped every five seconds by another person congratulating me on my win. I don’t want to be rude, so I force a smile and say thanks but try to keep moving along to find her.
When I don’t see Liz anywhere outside, I head inside to look for her. Generally, Kaden tries to keep the party outside. He even has people use the bathroom in the guesthouse near the pool instead of in his house. I’m hoping he’s made an exception for her because if she isn’t inside that means she might not be here. The thought of not seeing her again makes me feel ill. How did a girl I only spent thirty hours with manage to turn me into such a damn pussy?
I get inside and go straight to the living room, where I find her sitting on the couch with Kayla and Kaden. I watch her for a second as she throws her head back in laughter, her thick head of curls flying around her face as she continues to laugh with abandon and all I can think is that I want to be the one to make her laugh like that. C’mon Coop, get that shit out of your head.
I make my way over to her and it’s as if she can sense me getting closer. Her back goes straight and she stops laughing. Maybe she hasn’t missed me after all. But then I crack a smile and her face completely lights up, telling me she feels something of what I’m feeling.
She stands from the couch and brushes down her dress. It reminds me of the one she wore that night at the club. I take a minute to check her out and notice that time has been good to her. Her looks have matured. While she still has the same beautiful curly hair and amazing tan, her face appears to be less girlish and more woman, her body is still curvy but again womanlier. She’s filled out more in all the right places. Don’t get me wrong, she isn’t by any means fat. She’s still fucking perfect. It’s just that something is different about her.