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CHAPTER TWENTY
Honey
Lila’s grim expression makes it clear she’s unhappy with me, even as she opens the door wider to let me in. After spending the day with Jaxon, a day that included music, orgasms, and unending foreplay, I have to work to tamp down my good mood and look appropriately regretful.
I am regretful. Lila is probably my best friend these days, and I let her down for no good reason.
Holding out the pink bakery box, I step inside. “I brought donuts. Maple bacon.”
She shuts the door and crosses her arms over her chest. She’s got more style in her little pinky than I’ve got in my whole body and looks fabulous in fitted sweats, standing in her sparsely, but well-decorated studio apartment. She’s changed her hair, and it’s in an intricate updo that brings out the sharp lines of her cheekbones. “Are these apology donuts or celebration donuts?”
“The six maple bacon are apology donuts, and the six strawberry shortcake are to celebrate how amazing you are and how bright your future is looking.”
The first hint of a smile sparkles in her eyes as she takes the box and sits on her small sofa. She opens it and stares thoughtfully, before pulling out a maple bacon and taking a bite. She closes her eyes in pleasure and moans softly.
When she opens her eyes, the smile has spread to her cheekbones, even though her lips are still pressed tight in indecision. “Okay, give me the apology.”
“I was an idiot. You’ve been an amazing friend, and my sisters never show up for me. I should have gone straight to your celebration. I’m a terrible friend.”
The sparkle leaves her face and turns to sympathy. “Your sisters never showed?”
I shake my head. “You were right. We didn’t have plans together, but the white board was clear. They could have come home if they wanted to, and they didn’t.”
“You feel like they didn’t choose you, but they don’t know you’re waiting on that. You need to tell them.”
I shrug. “Enough about me. How was your celebration? What are your plans for next year? How did you find out? I want to know it all.”
She puts the donut back in the box and gently cleans the glaze from her fingers with a napkin. She grabs her phone from her coffee table and swipes for a few seconds before passing it over to me. “Not until you explain this.”
I only have to watch the video for a few seconds to know what it is. “How did you get this?”
She puts the bakery box on the coffee table and shakes her head. “You tell me. You’re hanging out with the world famous Jaxon Hayes. How can you call me your best friend and not have told me?”
I watch the rest of the video and scroll down. It’s had over two million views and the lions’ share of the comments are about me. Some are hateful and cruel, but most are wondering who I am and exclaiming about how much Jaxon must love me if he’s willing to get into a fistfight in a diner.
To the regular person watching the video, it looks like I was there with Dell, sharing a booth and having lunch. It looks like they fought over me.
Have my sisters seen this? Has my mother? What if people look into Dell or my past?
“Honey. Breathe.” Lila is right next to me, staring at me as she rubs my back. “It’s going to be okay. Just breathe.”
I do as she says until I can catch my breath and calm my spiraling thoughts. “I thought he was just a regular guy. He was helping me find the treasure and then he was helping me with Dell. I found out he was famous in that diner.”
Lila strokes my hair. “He was lying to you?”
“What if people find out, Lila? What if they find out about what I’ve done?” Lila only knows the bare basics about my past, that I got into some trouble with Dell, but it’s enough for her to understand immediately.
“Then we’ll deal with it. You’re a good person and people will see that. If we were all judged for our past, none of us would have a future.”
That ‘we’ll’ eases some of the hard ache of panic in my chest. I’m not alone.
Lila knows some of my worst parts and she still loves me. I don’t want her to know all of it, but I trust her to understand in a way I don’t think my sisters ever could. “There’s more than what I’ve told you.”
She chuckles mirthlessly. “Oh, I know that. I’m not blind or deaf. I have a past, too, and I don’t care to talk about it. I won’t judge you for yours. Now, let’s get back to your rock star. Are you pissed at him for keeping his identity from you?”
I wave a hand. “I knew he was lying from the beginning. I’m just annoyed I didn’t figure out on my own that’s he a famous musician. Looking back, all the clues were there. He had a good reason for the lie and he’s made up for it with a lot of orgasms.”
She laughs joyfully, with the abandon to happiness she seems to possess so easily. “Orgasms can make up for a lot.”
