I take a sip of my beer and ignore Gabe’s eyes on the two of us as he approaches. “So, what would we do, you and I just hanging out together?”
“Beats the fuck outta me. What do you like to do?”
“Eat pizza and drink with our toes in the sand, laugh at the weirdos on Muscle Beach. I like thrifting too.”
Gabe sits on the other side of me, his body just as close as Mace’s. “Why are we talking all Lo’s favorite things?”
“No reason,” Mace says.
I turn on him and give him a what the fuck expression. “Mace wanted to know why we never hang out on our own.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah. Guess it doesn’t matter though, right? It’s not like it’ll ever happen in this lifetime.” Mace gets up and walks into the kitchen and I’m left staring at my best friend in confusion.
“Is it me? Or is he more hormonal than this apartment when Clem and I are on our periods?”
“Who the fuck knows what his problem is?” Gabe brings his big palm down on my knee and squeezes. “Tell me you’re coming to Tahoe.”
“Oh my god, I said I’d try.”
“You’ll be there,” he teases. “You can’t stand missing out on all the fun.”
“I should make you go without me as punishment for unleashing Annie on us all that weekend.”
“Maybe.” He places his hand on top of our joined knees, palm up. “I’m really glad we’re talking again.”
“Me too, Dash.” I slide my fingers through his and squeeze. “As loathe as I am to admit it, life kind of sucks without you.”
“Then you just shouldn’t try to live a life without me in it.”
“Screw you, dude.” I roll my eyes and slide my hand free of his, despite thinking he might be right.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lo
The throaty growl of Gabe’s sleek, black 1970 Dodge Charger fills our tiny apartment. I take a deep breath and steady my nerves as I stare at the doorknob, unable to open it and leave. It’s fine. Everything will be fine.
I hadn’t even seen the pictures from that article, but Clem’s face when she’d dragged my ass to the newspaper stand, made me purchase every damn copy, and then peeked inside had turned my blood to ice. I didn’t look at it.I couldn’t. I was too afraid that the evidence would be damning, and that he’d see in print what I’d been trying to hide all along.
I’m in love with my best friend, and now the whole world likely knows it—or at least everyone who picked up that damn magazine. I wonder if calling every news stand in Venice to inform them of a misprint would get them to toss them out rather than sell any more copies?
“Maybe he hasn’t seen it yet, either,” Clem supplies from the couch. I whirl around to face her. “I mean, wouldn’t Annie be banging down our door right now if she’d seen that article?”
Oh Jesus. Annie was likely going to actually murder me over this. “Gabe said she had to work last minute. Apparently, a bunch of nurses came down with the flu.”
“Maybe that’s code for ‘she wants to murder you and I’ve finally had her committed’.”
“Oh my god,” I close my eyes and tip my head up to the ceiling. “How bad is this damn shoot?”
“It’s not bad, not bad at all. It’s fucking hot. I might even keep a copy in my toy drawer for lonely nights.”
I cover my ears. “Eww. I do not need to hear this.”
“You know they’re waiting outside for you, right?”
I frown at my roommate and fake cough. “I know, but I think I’m coming down with some kind of virus. It’s probably best that I just stay here.”