AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Drunk already, Pops?” Cameron asked his little sister.
She laughed. “Getting there.”
Adaline, the middle Wilder sister, slung an arm aroundPoppy’s shoulders. “She made a list of all the drinks she wants to try. What kind of sisters would we be if we didn’t help her?”
Cameron sighed. “Good ones, I’d reckon, depending on the size of the list.”
Poppy laughed. “Three checked off already! It’s gonna be a good night.”
Looking desperate for a subject change, Cameron lifted his chin at the gift bags that Adaline set in the middle of our table. “What did you guys get her?”
Poppy hissed something under her breath. Adaline merely smiled. “Greer got her a vibrator,” she proclaimed loudly.
The people at the table next to us swung their gaze in our direction immediately.
Cameron and I froze. He pinched the bridge of his nose while his other sister Greer laughed. Poppy picked up another brightly colored shot from the table and knocked it back. The motion made the length of her hair sweep down her back, and all the blood rushed between my legs as I registered it.
No.
No.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m out of here,” I told Cameron under my breath.
“Take me with you?” he begged.
I slapped him on the back again. “Not a chance. You have to stay and babysit.”
I said my goodbyes, leaving my unfinished beer on the table, and even though I could feel Poppy’s gaze on me as I weaved through the crowds, I ignored the fact that I could breathe just a little bit easier when she wasn’t in sight.
Chapter 2
Poppy
Present day
Some day, in the very distant future, I might blame all of what happened next on my propensity for making decisions through a pros and cons list. It wasn’t that the system was flawed. Lists weregood. I loved making lists on paper. Seeing things in black and white with the ability to cross off what was already done was very helpful. In this case, the list was titledA confrontation with Jax to be able to move on.
The list was a solid one too.
Pros:
-Life is short. If I died tomorrow, I refuse to feel regret that I didn’t at least try, and regrets are bullshit.
-My mom is out of town, which means there will be no roommate interference. (side note: start a new list re: because I’m twenty-five and my MOM is my roommate)
-Jax isn’t expecting me, so the element of surprise is on my side. He won’t be able to talk me out of it.
-Seeing him in his home element could negate my feelings for him. Maybe he’s messy, and it looks like a frat house. (check for posters of naked women on the walls)
-I’ve had an out-of-control crush on him since I was fifteen. Zero clarity has been gained in that time. Confrontationsgain clarity.
-Clarity will allow me to finally move on.
There was really only one con. And sure, it was a doozy, the sort of crusade-killing truth that would negate all of the above.
Cons:
-Jax will never let me in his home because he refuses to be alone with me. Which means the risk of mortifying embarrassment is high. I would never be able to show my face in front of him again once it’s done. If he laughs, I might consider moving away and starting a new life.
