Always Have: A Bad Boy Romance(15)

I know what it is. I’m bummed because both my besties are in relationships and I’m the odd one out. That’s definitely the reason this news is hitting me so hard.

“That’s cool, I guess,” I say. “I won’t get too excited, though. It’s not like she’ll be around for long.”

“I don’t know,” Selene says. “Like I said, this one seems different. He seems different with her.”

I push my plate away. I need to quit shoving cake in my mouth, and I really need to change the subject. “I have got to quit eating this, or I’ll definitely regret it later. It’s so good, though.”

“I know,” she says. “You should take half of the leftovers home with you so I don’t eat it all myself.”

Why don’t you just invite Braxton and his different new girlfriend and let them lick it off each other’s fingers?

Fuck, Kylie, calm your shit down.

“Hell no, you are not pawning that plate of sinful temptation off on me,” I say. “Toss it if you don’t want to eat it.”

She picks up her phone. “I’ll just text Brax.”

It’s the weirdest thing, but the thought of seeing Braxton right now makes my stomach do another flip-flop—and it isn’t the good kind.

“Sounds good,” I say. “But hey, I have to get to work early in the morning, so I’m going to head home. Thanks for the cake. Let me know when I get to meet your new guy.”

She smiles. “You bet. Thanks for coming over.”

I head out to my car, hurrying just in case Braxton is close by. I don’t want to deal with seeing him with this Aubrey chick. Not right now. If it lasts between them, I’ll have to meet her eventually. I don’t know why that thought makes me feel so sick. It must be the cake. I ate it too fast.

It can’t be because I’m upset that Braxton is with someone. That thought doesn’t even make sense.





When Kylie and I toasted to different, something shook loose inside me.

I’ve been living my life this way for years, doing the same things over and over. Why am I surprised at getting the same result? Maybe it’s time I accept that Kylie and I aren’t going to happen. I’d like to blame it all on bad timing, but I know the truth is deeper than that. We’ve been friends so long that it makes any change in our relationship complicated. Risky.

Plus I have no idea what Selene would do if I got together with Kylie. I see how she looks at me when I look at Ky. She does not like it. And that presents a problem.

If I want something other than meaningless sex and relationships that don’t last, I need to be the one to change. So, like Kylie, I’m trying something different.

That’s where Aubrey came in. I did not pick her up at a bar. I did not sleep with her the first time we met. Okay, I did the second time, but that’s different for me. She’s not my typical fling. She’s petite, with brown hair cut short in a sporty bob and a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. I met her in a f*cking grocery store of all places, and she hit on me first.

All different. Which is why I’m giving it a real shot.

It’s Friday night, and we pull up to Brody’s Brewhouse. It used to be one of our favorite hangouts, but it’s been a while since I’ve met up with Selene and Kylie here. Aubrey is dressed in a short-sleeved black shirt that shows off her toned arms, and a polka-dotted miniskirt. We head inside and find Selene already at a table. Her new guy, Matthew, sits across from her.

I wouldn’t say I’m nervous as I lead Aubrey to the table, but I do have an extra kick of adrenaline running through my system. It’s the first time I’ll see Kylie since I started dating Aubrey. Kylie’s not here yet, but she’s supposed to come, and I’m not sure how this is all going to go down.

It shouldn’t be a big deal, but I already feel guilty that Ky’s going to be here without a date and both Selene and I brought someone. It’s not the first time this has happened, with someone being the odd person out. And it’s certainly not the first time I’ve introduced Kylie to another woman. But this time feels … different. Like maybe I’m closing a door for real this time.

That hits me in the gut, but I push the feeling aside.

“Hey, you two,” Selene says when we get to the table.

We make the round of introductions. I’ve met Matthew once before. I eye him with open suspicion. There’s something about him that rubs me wrong. I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s because he was an athlete. I don’t like it when my sister dates athletes; they’re too much like me, but she’s drawn to them like a f*cking bee to a flower.

After getting settled at the table and ordering drinks, we start the customary small talk—what we do, where we’re from, that sort of thing. Matthew is from Texas originally, and he played college basketball; a knee injury kept him from going pro. At least that’s what he claims. I’m wondering if he just didn’t get drafted, and the knee injury is his story to make him sound better than he is. Aubrey grew up in California, but went to college in Seattle and decided to stay.

I’m turned at an angle so I can’t see the front door without moving. I force myself not to look too many times. Is Kylie coming? I wonder if it will raise Aubrey’s defenses if I ask Selene. I told Aubrey she’d be meeting my best friend, and I told her about Kylie. She just smiled and said she was excited to meet her. I wonder how long that friendliness will last, but it’s kind of a moot point—at least for tonight, if Kylie doesn’t show. I check my phone, but I don’t have any texts. Not that I’d expect Kylie to text me tonight. She and I haven’t talked much recently, and Selene made the plans for tonight. Still, I’m disappointed.