Toni
I smoothed out my skirt for what must have been the hundredth time. There were no wrinkles, just my nerves and the need to keep moving. Since eight this morning I hadn't been able to sit still for more than sixty seconds.
This was it.
Moving day.
Eighty percent of his things were already piled in card board boxes, just sitting in the living room.
I'd been sitting cross legged on a stool beside the island for the past hour, just watching the movers. What was Sawyer going to do with all of that? My eyes skirted over the living room, full of my picture frames, knickknacks, furniture. I couldn't bear to get rid of anything. There was the guest room, where I'd planned on putting most of his things, but would that be enough? Would he have pictures and knickknacks of his own that he'd want to display?
This whole situation was giving me a headache. Closing my eyes, I pressed my fingers into my temples. It will be over soon.
"That's everything." Sawyer said.
My eyes popped open to take in the damage. On a scale from one to ten--
"I'm fucking starving, let's order a pizza!"
Oh no.
My best friend strode in through the open door, pushing her hair out of her face. Her gaze went straight to Sawyer. This was bad. This was very bad. She will know something's not right, she's perceptive.
"Did you finally order a stripper?" Her eyes lit up with excitement.
My entire face flushed red. I glanced over at him off the corner of my eye, watching his broad shoulders tense and his blue eyes narrow. This will not end well.
Her tongue darted out, tracing her upper lip. If anyone else had done it, it would have looked ridiculous. But this was Kaylee, and she could make anything look sensual.
"No," I said quickly, winding my arm around Sawyer's waist. "This is my boyfriend, the one I told you about. I said he was moving in today, don't you remember?"
She gave me her, I thought you were kidding look. Slowly, like a lioness stalking her prey, she circled him.
My stomach twisted into knots watching her take everything in.
At the end of her examination, she stepped in front of us. "Okay, what the fuck is this?"
I struggled to keep my voice strong and even. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I'd fuck him, and if I'd fuck him, then he isn't your type."
My face turned every shade of red there was. Rather than face the awkward tension that my best friend had put us in, I hid behind my hands and started shaking my head. "Oh my God, Kaylee! You can't just say stuff like that."
"I just did."
Unbelievable.
She looked to the right, where the boxes stood out like a sore thumb. Confusion fell over her expression. She bit her bottom lip, taking it into her mouth. "You're serious?"
I couldn't answer, I was too scared she'd be able to see right through me, so I nodded.
The playfulness in her eyes disappeared like the flick of a light switch. She inched closer, until she was toe to toe with Sawyer, glaring up into his emotionless blue eyes.
My breath hitched for fear of what she was about to to. "Kaylee--"
"Listen here, eye candy, Toni is my best friend. I've known her for years." She said sharply.
To my horror, she fisted a handful of his black dress shirt until it became untucked from his pants.
"Just because you're here now, doesn't mean I'm going to change my routine." She said gravely. "I eat breakfast for dinner, vodka for breakfast, and I dance to my hearts content. You being here doesn't change shit, kapeesh?"
He looked at her, really looked at her. Then, without delay, his fingers wrapped around her wrist. He pulled her hand away, flicking it back to her side like it was a bug. "I don't like alarm clocks, or being touched, I won't watch chick flicks or listen to shitty music. If I find you snooping through my stuff, I'll throw you out of this condo on your ass, kapeesh?"
Oh dear lord.
Please God, please, I beg of you. Stop this from turning into a blood bath.
My silent prayers up to heaven, were unnecessary, it would seem.
There was a dangerous glint in my best friends eyes, but it wasn't the threatening kind. A wicked grin curled the corners of her lips upward. "I like him, now, can we get pizza?"
"The numbers on the fridge." I said, my mind in whirling over what just happened.
Kaylee liked very few people. Me, her cousin, and that's it. She had a mild interest in our friends, but she always referred to them as my friends, instead of ours.
She laughed as she walked around me, digging her phone out of her pocket. "Honestly, don't you know me at all? I memorized their number before I learned math."
"Sure you did."
"What'll it be for you, hot stuff?" She asked my supposed boyfriend.
"Barbeque chicken and bacon."
"We should start putting your things in the spare bedroom, until we can find a place for them." I suggested.
He nodded, swiping one of them from the top. "Lead the way."
I reached for one of the boxes, flinching at the weight and flushing in embarrassment. "Umm.. I can have some friends come over to help."
"No need," Kaylee said from behind the kitchen, phone pressed to her ear. "I'll lend you a hand as soon as I'm done."
"No." Sawyer said firmly. He gave her a look, like he knew she was looking for an excuse to go through his stuff.
"This way," I waved him over.
The guest bedroom was at the end of the long hallway. It hadn't been used since my sister came to visit. I'd kept it clean, almost spotless, and still it seemed to lack the warmth and comfort that the rest of the house had. Maybe the white bedspread clashed with the yellow curtains. Or was it the mini chandelier style light in the middle of the ceiling?
He set the box down against the far wall, underneath the double windows that overlooked the backyard. "Your friend isn't what I was expecting."
No one ever knew what to expect from Kaylee. She was a mystery, like the Bermuda triangle and the Egyptions. Only I didn't think solving her mystery was possible. "We should go over our next steps."
"Okay." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, walking across the room to stand in front of me. His scent was intoxicating, dark and alluring.
"When we aren't moving around, put your hand on the small of my back." I said. He told me last night he needed instructions, so I was giving them to him. "From time to time, say something sweet. We're suppose to be in the "cute love stage" so let's act like it. Kiss my cheek, laugh at my jokes."
His jaw twitched with obvious irritation. "Got it."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded, turning me around and placing his hand on the small of my back to lead me out of the room. "Yes, let's do this."
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