“Carys.”My best friend sits cross-legged on the bed, completely lost in whatever she’s looking at on her phone.
She pops her head up, clearly distracted.
“Come on. You’re supposed to be helping me pick something to wear to Max’s tonight.” I stomp out of my closet in my bra and panties and snatch her phone away. “What are you looking at, anyway?”
It only takes a second before I feel like an ass when I see the screen, immediately understanding why she’s ignoring me. An up-close selfie of her and her ex fills the screen. She’s looking right into the camera, but he only has eyes for her. She’s been in love with him for a long time, and while I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut on why they broke up, I still think I’ve been a shitty friend.
I sit next to her on the bed and give her phone back to her. “Have you heard from him?”
“No.” A sad smile stares back at me. “Not since he left.” She throws herself back against my mattress. “I really screwed it up this time, D. I pushed him away because I thought it was the right thing to do. Now... I’m not so sure.”
I lay down next to her and link my pinky with hers. “He loves you, Care Bear. You need to talk to him,” I say, her childhood nickname slipping from my lips. “Have you called him?”
A fractured breath escapes from her as her voice cracks. “He didn’t answer.” She rolls to her side, facing me and shoves her hands under her face. “I don’t know if he’s going to call back this time. I think we’re really done. I know that’s what I thought I wanted, but maybe... Maybe I was wrong.”
I’ve got to tread carefully here because I told you so’s aren’t what she needs right now. Instead, I roll over, mirroring her. “He’ll call back. Just give him time.”
“Maybe.” She closes her green eyes, then smacks her hands against the duvet and wipes at her face. When she opens her eyes, they skim over me in horror. “What are you wearing?”
I shove her away. “Like you haven’t seen me in my underwear before.”
“Just because I’ve seen you naked doesn’t mean I want to see you in granny panties.” Carys rolls off the bed, then pulls me up too. “Please tell me you aren’t considering wearing those panties or that bra to get naked in front of Max freaking Kingston. I mean, come on... That man looks like a Greek god. You need to up your game, D.” She bends down and picks up a small bag from the floor and shoves them into my hands. “Go try these on, then let me see.”
“Carys...” I peek inside the bag and finger the delicate blue lace. “These are stunning.” Carys and Chloe have been quietly working together on an upscale lingerie line for the past two years, and I’ve been the beneficiary of quite a few of their original pieces, but none have been as lavish as this set.
I step into my bathroom and slip into the sheer, crystal-blue demi-cup bra and matching French cut panties. They’re trimmed in a slightly darker blue silk with a small bow between my breasts and at my hips. And they feel luxurious against my skin. Plus, they look great against my late summer tan. Sometimes, I long to be as naturally thin as my best friend. I wish I was as delicate and petite. But wearing these, I want to celebrate my curves instead of envying someone else’s.
“I want to see them on you, D,” she hollers from the other side of the bathroom door.
The two of us have been changing in front of each other for years. This isn’t new. So I don’t even hesitate to walk back into my bedroom nearly naked.
“Damn...” Carys walks a circle around me, adjusting the straps of the bra and tightening the tiny silk ties at my hips. “Perfect.” She takes a step back and smiles to herself. “Now let’s find something that he can rip off of you without messing up what’s underneath.” She holds me with a glare and a finger pointed at my face. “Do not let him take your panties off before he takes off your dress. I want this man to see you just like this.”
I laugh at her. “See me or see the lingerie?”
She tilts her head and thinks about it. “Both. The lingerie is perfect, but you’re spectacular. Now, let’s find you something to put on over it.”
My anticipation has been building all day, and with it, so has my anxiety.
Max has said one thing, but his actions and words painted a very different picture last night. I’m not sure which Max I’ll get tonight, and the harder I think about it, the less sure I am of which one I want more. Mutually beneficial sounded great last weekend. Less stress. Less chance of heartbreak.
But more... Is he worth the risk?
And can I survive the inevitable fall?
When your best friend is a designer, it’s easier to willingly hand over control of what you’re wearing to her because she’s going to take over anyway.
Carys picks a black-eyelet sundress with thick straps that’s fitted to the waist before it flares out around my knees, along with a pair of hot-pink strappy sandals. My white pedicure pops against them.
I spin around and check myself out in the mirror. “Not too bad.”
She smacks my ass. “Not too bad... Please. That man is going to be eating you instead of dinner. I’m calling it now.”
I raise my brows and swallow my laugh. “Yeah. He’s good at that.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “You like him, don’t you?”
I spritz a little body spray in front of myself, then walk through it, playing down the question. “It’s not like that.” But even I don’t believe my own words.