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“I thought you would stay until Monday.”
“I can’t. We were supposed to spend the weekend together alone and I promised Noah we would at least have a full day or two together.”
“I’ll go with you. Hunter and his buddies can get pretty boisterous.”
When we walk in, the place smells like a bar. Seven men sitting at the table and all of them are smoking cigars. Noah is doing well and has a big stack of chips in front of him. I’m upset to learn that besides the three beers he had at Vincent’s, he’s consumed several more and is drunk. I tap his shoulder.
“Hey baby, I’m beating the pants off these guys.”
“I’m sorry to spoil your fun but if you want to leave early tomorrow, we need to go to bed.”
“I decided we should stay for the rest of the weekend. Everyone is.”
This is news to me since he wanted to get home. I wonder what changed his mind.
“Fine. I’m tired and I’m going to bed.”
“You’re mad, aren’t you?”
The guys around the table let out a big “Ohhh” in unison. I’m embarrassed. JC tells them to shut up and to make sure they clean before they come up to bed. He ushers me out and grabs my hand to take me upstairs. Brianna is asleep with Nikki on the couch. I can feel my face burning with embarrassment.
“Come on. We can sit on the terrace.”
We go through the French doors in my bedroom and sit on the cool tile floor. I can feel tears threatening to spill over my cheeks. Noah has never disrespected me like that before.
“Don’t cry Lexi, he’s drunk.”
“I’m so embarrassed. Noah isn’t like that and I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
JC rubs my back and before I know it, his hands are under my sweatshirt and stroking the soft skin of my back, tickling my spine. When we were together, he would lie behind me stretched out on the couch and do this very thing. It would always soothe me especially if I had a rough day.
“I always loved how smooth your skin is.”
The only reason I let him continue is because I’m so angry at Noah. I know it’s wrong and what makes it worse is that JC is still in love with me. I’m leading him on and after the display in the pool house; he might think he has a chance.
“You need to stop.”
“I know you don’t want me to.”
“I do. Please.”
He removes his hand and pulls me onto his lap. Another mistake that I allow to happen, but I’m upset. I cling to him and bury my head against his neck. He smells like the ocean and fresh air. I feel his arms embrace me and he begins to rock. Then the kisses come. First on the top of my head and then my cheek and finally my lips. I respond, then push him away and scramble from his lap.
“I’m so stupid. I’m sorry JC, I can’t do this.”
“It’s alright, I shouldn’t have done that, but you feel so good in my arms again.”
I rise from the terrace floor just in time to see Noah helped into the bedroom by Hunter and another guy from his group. He stumbles to the bed and lies on his back. Within seconds, he’s snoring loudly.
“Sorry, Lexi. He just kept asking for beers,” Hunter says.
I thank him and realize that JC is no longer on the terrace. This is very unlike Noah and I wonder what’s eating at him. Perhaps I nagged him to much about going away and he just wanted to let off some steam.
When I’m left alone with Noah, I pull off his sneakers and get ready for bed. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep with the racket from his snoring, but I somehow manage to fall asleep.
During the night, Noah rolls over and hogs the bed. I try to push him over but he’s all dead weight and my efforts are futile. I end up taking a blanket I find in the closet and sleeping on the small sofa in the sitting area of the bedroom. It’s not as comfortable as the bed, but I’ll make do.
I keep tossing and turning most of the night. My brain won’t shut off about Noah’s behavior and more troubling, JC’s. I need to set both of them straight. At dawn, I hear movement and see Noah trying to figure out where the bathroom is. He finally turns on the light and without looking in my direction, goes toward the door.
