Leighton’s eyes dart up to mine. “What are you doing here?”
“I…I wanted to see you. I love you,” I blurt out, and I watch as Skyler’s eyes almost bug out of her skull making me wish that all I had to do was win Skyler over. I’ve only met Aidan a few times when we’d all been at Leighton and Skyler’s, but it seems like he’s turned Skyler into a true romantic.
Thank God. I’d be dead if all she had was cynical ass Peyton.
Although, I watch as Peyton’s eyes soften slightly before looking at Leighton. “I’m going to go take a shot. You want, Leigh?”
Leighton shakes her head. Before I can blink they’ve left us alone, and for the first time maybe ever things feel awkward between me and Leigh. I clear my throat before I lean in closer and whisper, “Do you want to go somewhere quieter?”
She visibly shivers and I watch as the goosebumps pop up all over. I smile to myself as I watch the effect I have on her. “Don’t get cocky. Just because my body responds to you doesn’t mean my mind and heart are on the same page.” She takes a step back. “Don’t touch me,” she whispers.
I swallow and nod. I don’t know how I’m going to respect her wishes, but I follow behind her as we make our way up the stairs and into Seth’s bedroom. I peek my head in the connecting bathroom just to make sure no one is around before I let out a sigh of relief.
Alone, thank God.
“Talk.” Her words slice through the quiet and the mounting tension between us and I turn to look at her. She’s standing against the door, her arms crossed over her chest, a look of anger, pain, and worry across her face.
“I made a mistake,” I whisper. “But it’s over. Alli and I are over.”
She snorts and rolls her eyes. “Great.”
“Leigh…”
“What happened? How…how could you sleep with her?”
“I don’t know…and I still don’t remember any of it.” I hate to keep using that as an excuse, but I have spent the majority of the day trying to jar my memory and I’ve come up empty every time. Maybe we tried? But based on how hard I blacked out, there was no way I could have stayed hard long enough to fuck her.
“That’s not an excuse! What does that matter? What would you do if I slept with some other guy? What would you think if I told you I slept with Adam? Or woke up in bed naked with him? God, you flew off the handle when Rob touched me just now KNOWING that I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.” She stamps her foot. “You’d be losing your mind if you knew I’d slept with someone else. And I’m supposed to accept that you fucked Alli or whatever because you tell me you love me and you ended it with her?” She scoffs and begins to pace the floor angrily. “That was certainly one hell of a parting gift.”
“It wasn’t like that, Leigh. I don’t know what possessed me to go back to her place after we went out. I broke up with her before we even went out, and—”
She stops in her tracks and glares at me and immediately I know this isn’t going to end well. “WHAT? Wait…” She puts her hand up. “You broke up with her and then still went out with her to some sorostitute shit? How desperate can she be? How dumb can you be?”
“I…I don’t know. I’m sorry…I just thought I owed—“
“Owed? You didn’t owe her shit. You guys spent three months making out and holding hands. Jesus Christ, Everett. Sometimes, I really resent this nice guy bullshit. Grow a pair, seriously.”
I let out a breath, steeling myself for bitchy Leigh to make her presence.
Don’t fight back. Just take it. She’s just angry. And Leigh only knows how to fight one way. Dirty. As. Fuck.
My jaw ticks as I remember this fight isn’t going to lead to makeup sex.
“You have something you want to say?” She stares at me, daring me to challenge her. Her black eyes narrow and her lips purse into a scowl.
“No,” I tell her. “Leigh, I’m sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am for fucking things up between us.” I sit on Seth’s bed and stare up into her angry eyes. “But…are you ever going to be able to forgive me? You’re…my best friend and…fuck, like the best person I know. You’ve been the most important person to me since we were what…fucking nine? If you’re going to tell me this is it, then I need to know now so I can…I don’t know…try to figure out what the new normalcy is,” I gulp, “without you.”
The words come out harsher than I intended. I know full well that Leigh probably needs time. Time I’ll give her if she asks for it. I hadn’t intended for it to sound like it’s now or never. But she doesn’t bite back. Her lip trembles and then it’s between her teeth. “If I’m your best friend, and the best person you know how…how could you do this? You made me feel like I’m not enough.” She fidgets with her hands and stares at the ground, one of the signs that she’s embarrassed and I’m off the bed in an instant to try and combat her humiliation.
“Stop,” I tell her.
I reach for her wrist and turn it over, running my finger over the tattoo she has there. The one that matches the one I have on my ribcage. Hers said no matter where and mine said no matter what. My parents went through a nasty divorce my senior year of high school and the night my dad moved out, Leighton showed up at my house with a fifth of Bacardi and the idea to get matching tattoos.
We shook on it…well, fucked on it, and the next morning we had permanent ink solidifying our friendship forever.
I bring her wrist to my mouth and run my lips over the skin. “No matter where, no matter what,” I murmur and she gasps at the intimate touch.
“I…I told you not to touch me,” she whispers, but I hear the conviction leaving her voice. She sounds fragile, scared, and not like my strong, brave girl. I hate myself for doing this to her. To her self-confidence. “I knew I’d crumble if you touched me.” Her eyes are glassy and I wonder if it’s out of sadness or because of the shots I’m assuming she had before I got here.