Blind Kiss(46)



“I can take care of myself, but thank you.” She turned to Gavin. “You staying for a while?”

He nodded.

“Great. You can give me a ride if things don’t go well with the hot guy.”

“No problem.”

She looked back at Lance. “I think we’re covered, Lance. Penny has the okay from her doctor to drink, and I think she wants to celebrate a little longer—that is, of course, unless Penny wants to go home with you.”

They all turned and looked at me. “Sorry, Lance. I just want to hang out for a bit. Do you mind?”

“It’s fine,” he said before leaning down and kissing me on the cheek.

“Please don’t be mad. Good luck tomorrow. I know you’ll get the job.”

He shrugged and walked away. “We’ll see.”

Gavin pretended like Lance wasn’t annoying because, honestly, what could Gavin really say when Loonie Lottie was on his arm?

“You’re just gonna play Mr. Cabdriver to these girls?” Lottie said.

“Yes, I am,” he shot back. I think he was past the point of taking her shit. Lottie was a year behind us at Colorado State, so she wasn’t in celebration mode. Still, she could’ve been a little less whiny and clingy and let the rest of us bask in the glory of our achievements, if you ask me.

I continued to drink from my perch on the stool with my leg propped on a chair. After Gavin triple-checked to make sure I wasn’t going to take a plunge face-first onto the floor, he and Lottie went out onto the dance floor. He was a good dancer even though he swore he wasn’t. Meanwhile, Ling sucked face with Romeo at the other end of the bar for about five minutes and then eventually came over to hang out with me.

“What happened? I thought you were into that guy?”

“He was supersmart and great to talk to . . . and then he kissed me. Ick. He practically stuck his whole tongue down my throat. I was like, ‘Dude, it’s not a race to Tonsil Town.’ Just a total turnoff, you know?” She looked out onto the dance floor. “Figures that Gavin’s a good dancer.”

“Most guys who are good kissers are good dancers. Have you noticed that? Not that I have that much experience. It’s just a rhythm thing, and an understanding of the way another person moves.” I started to feel sad.

I was pretty out of it by the time we left. As we headed for Ling’s, I was surprised when Lottie asked to be dropped off first. “Why?” Gavin asked. “You don’t want to come back to my place?”

“No, I have to work early.” She lived in a complex on the way to Ling’s, and I lived closer to Gavin, so it actually made more sense to drop her off first. I didn’t think Lottie thought of me—The Gimp—or even Ling as much of a threat anymore.

When we got to her building, Gavin got out and walked her to her door. When he returned, he quietly drove the rest of the way to Ling’s. She hopped out, shot us a peace sign, and said, “Thanks, G.”

“No problem.”

“Penny, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you,” I said.

Once we were back on the road, Gavin looked over at me and said, “I like her. You were right; she is a good friend.”

“I don’t want to go home, Gavin.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Okay then. You want to stay at my place? Sleep with Jackie Chan?”

“I thought we could spoon. I’m just cold and lonely.”

The honesty wasn’t hard under the influence.

“I’m pretty sure Lance would be willing to solve that.” There was an edge to his voice.

“You can take me home then.”

“No, we’ll go back to my apartment. Mike’s at his girlfriend’s place. But don’t you need meds from home?”

“You have Advil, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That should be fine.”

“Okay.”

We drove the rest of the way in silence. He carried me up the stairs but seemed so far away.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

“Tell me.”

“Nothing at all.”

He laid me on his bed and very carefully took off my shoes. “I’m not going to break,” I said.

“It’s only been a few weeks since your surgery.”

“I know but I’m tough and drunk and I’ll be okay. I just need to call my parents.”

I dialed them from my cell phone, but oddly no one answered. I left a message on the machine saying I was staying at Ling’s. I didn’t want to explain why I was staying at Gavin’s.

Lying down, fully clothed, I turned on my good side and curled up. Gavin left his clothes on, too, and curled up behind me. I dozed off in his arms, with his face nuzzled in my hair. Nothing was awkward and nothing hurt. It felt exactly right to have him there, but he wasn’t mine; he was Lottie’s.

At four in the morning, I woke to the sound of my phone vibrating on the bedside table. I didn’t recognize the number so I didn’t answer. Ten seconds later, I had a voicemail. I pushed the voicemail button and instantly recognized my aunt’s voice—my mother’s sister. My heart started racing. It was unusual for her to call me at all, let alone at four in the morning. As I went to call her back, I noticed that I had several missed calls.

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