Always Us (We Were Us Series Book 2) (7 page)

I felt more at ease once he’d said that. I could tell he was disappointed, but he respected me and us as a couple. I turned away from him and bent over to pick up the box we’d spilled. I scooped up the decorations and began to sift through them again. Andrew joined me, once he’d completely dressed himself.

“Well, since you went through the trouble of buying all these decorations, we might as well put them all up,” I said.

Andrew did his famous half smile that I fell in love with the first time I saw him. I smiled weakly back at him and got to work hanging up gauzy spider webs and orange and black streamers from the ceiling. We worked in silence for the next thirty minutes, then flopped on the leather sofa to admire our handy work.

“Good job,” Andrew said.

“It kind of looks like a bad middle school attempt at Halloween.”

“Shut up,” he said defensively. “It does not.”

“It kind of does.” I turned to face him and tell him honestly that his decorations sucked.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He glanced around the room at the pathetic array of decorations. “At least I can blame you.” He laughed.

“What? No way.” I pushed him playfully.

“Yes way.” He pushed me back and I fell back dramatically on the arm of the couch.

Andrew took advantage of my position and hovered over me. He leaned down close to my face, his lips grazed my cheek as he whispered in my ear.

“I blame you,” he whispered. “For distracting me to the point where I can’t concentrate on anything but your beautiful green eyes, you’re incredibly soft lips, and the feel of your perfect body in my arms.” He kisses down my neck and across my collarbone and up the other side of my neck to the opposite ear.

I was frozen in place by his words, just stuck there beneath him, unable to do anything but stare up at him, wide-eyed. He was feeling for me, exactly what I was feeling for him. Except Andrew’s only thought was of me, while my thoughts of him were peppered with memories of Josh.

“I think about the same thing,” I breathed. It was true. Mostly.

Andrew rose up away from my ear and placed a quick, barely there kiss on my lips. I started to reach my arms up to pull him closer, but my phone chose that instant to be obnoxious. We both sighed as he rose up off of me and walked off to the back of the apartment. I pulled out my phone and swiped it open to reveal a text from Josh.

Please call me
it read.

No, I will not call you. I have nothing to say to you and you just ruined my day, I said to myself and slammed the phone into the seat of the couch. I will never be rid of Riverview at this rate.

CHAPTER SEVEN

I sat on Andrew’s bed and attempted to read the history assignment. Attempted because I just ended up asking him what happened because I was too distracted by what happened on the couch. His kisses played across my lips, his arms were still around me. I couldn’t concentrate. He on the other hand, was totally cool. He was playing some stupid game on his computer as he rattled of what Professor Field said in class, verbatim.

“How do you remember all this stuff?” I asked as I closed my book.

“I pay attention,” he said without turning around to face me.

“I see.”

“You should try it sometime,” I could hear the smile in his voice.

“Hey! I do. I had a 4.0 last year.” I slammed my book closed and shoved it back in my backpack. I leaned over the bed and picked up the sack that held my costume.

“Well, it’s a new year and new classes. You can’t start slacking yet. That’s what senior year is for,” he laughed.

My phone pinged, but I ignored it.

“Who keeps messaging you?” Andrew asked and finally turned around.

“No one,” I said quickly.

“You’re boyfriend back home?” He tilted his chin up and turned back around to his game. He didn’t want me to see how jealous he was.

“No! God, it’s Michelle. She wants to know where I am.”

“Oh, okay. Well tell her to come over. There’s still an hour before the party starts though.”

“Yeah, she just wants to show me her costume.”

“Oh, well yeah, that’s cool.” He wasn’t even paying attention.

“What are you playing on that thing?” I asked and walked up behind him. I got daring and slid my hands around his neck in a hug.

“I’m not playing anything,” he said and pulled my arms down so my fingers brushed against the bulge in his pants.

He cleared his throat and threaded his fingers through mine, bring my hands to his lips. He kissed them lightly then feathered kisses up my right arm. I closed my eyes and rested my cheek on the top of his head. My phone pinged again. I pulled it out half expecting it to be Michelle asking where Andrew’s apartment is. It’s hard to find because it’s in a neighborhood in a real house. No one really knows about the back entrance.

I was just about to reply with
go around back
before I noticed it was actually from Josh.
It’s important
, his text read. I lifted my head from Andrew’s soft, messy hair and sat back down on the bed. I was actually debating whether or not to call Josh. It probably wasn’t important. He probably just wanted to get me on the phone to apologize again. Or just stutter awkwardly until one of us hung up. Well, no thank you. I do not want to do that again. I put my phone away and turned my attention to my own costume.

“I should change,” I said.

“Okay,” he said, still distracted by his computer game.

“In here?” I asked.

“Sure, if you want,” he didn’t take his eyes off the computer screen.

“What game are you playing?” I asked as I removed my shirt and pants and slipped into the skin tight running pants and long sleeved shirt.

“It’s nothing.” And he slams the laptop shut and spins around in his chair. “Nice,” he said when his eyes connected with me.

“Just nice?” I did a little turn.

“A black widow? Are you going to kill me when you’re done with me?” he laughs.

I laugh too. “No,” I said seriously.

“Is Michelle on her way?” Andrew changed the subject.

“Yeah, I guess.” Disappointment washed over me. Andrew’s mood seemed to have changed from earlier. He was on edge and distant now as opposed to the playful, sexiness he had been showing me.

“What’s wrong, Jenna. Who was texting you?”

“It was Josh,” I blurted out.

“Josh? The guy from Riverview?”

“Yes.”

“What does he want?” Andrew had positioned himself in front of me. He stood with his legs apart and his arms crossed, like he was my drill sergeant and I had broken some rule.

“I don’t know really. I don’t want to talk to him, so I haven’t.”

“Has he been bothering you?” Andrew placed both hands on each of my shoulders. I shuddered mildly at his touch.

“No, yes. Not really. I think he wants to apologize for what happened this summer.”

“Well what happened?”

I’d kept quiet about my summer in Riverview. Only Michelle knew the full story. I hadn’t told Stef, and Lauren only knew bits and pieces. And I didn’t want Andrew to know the reason I’d ignored his calls and texts was because I was too busy making out with Josh. And now I was too busy kind of making out with Andrew to talk to Josh. But I had a valid reason to not talk to Josh. He hurt me.

“I don’t want to get into it right now,” I said.

“That’s fair. But if we’re going to do this thing, you and me, we need to start telling each other things.” He drew me into a hug.

“Like, what you were doing on the computer.”

His chest bucked against the side of my head in a laugh. He hugged me tighter and kissed the top of my head.

“I will tell you about that, but not right now. Right now, I need to get dressed before Michelle shows up.”

“Too late!” Michelle chimed in. “I let myself in. Hope you don’t mind.

“Not at all,” Andrew said, releasing me. 

“Having a heart to heart?” she asked, plopping herself down on his bed.

“No, just talking normally,” I said, joining her on the bed. “What costume did you get?”

“Slutty nurse!” Michelle squealed.

“Interesting,” Andrew said. “I’ll leave you two alone now.” And he left.

“Why that?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Just looked fun I guess. Plus, I know nurses, and they are not slutty. They could use a night out.”

We both laughed.

                                                                                    ***

A short while later, people started showing up. Michelle and I had spent the last twenty minutes setting up snacks and drinks. We moved the red leather couch against the side wall so there was more room to mingle. Andrew opened the sliding glass door for more room as well. It led out to a small patio with a community lake further back. The people Andrew lived with owned a pontoon boat. Maybe this summer I’d stay in Brookhaven and spend the baking hot days laying out on the boat with Andrew.

“Jenna,” Michelle snapped me out of my mini daydream.

“Yeah,” I said, still a little dazed.

“What’s up with you and Andrew?” She was whispering.

“Nothing,” I whispered back. “Why?” I glanced around but didn’t see Andrew anywhere in the small crowd.

“I don’t know, I just felt like I’d interrupted something earlier.”

“Oh.” I wanted to tell her, I needed some feedback about what had happened. I wanted to be intimate with Andrew, but I don’t know what was stopping me. In the middle of a costume party, wasn’t the place though. “Yeah, I’ll tell you later. Not here.”

Michelle grinned a stupid grin. She knew what I was going to tell her. Or at least she thought she knew. I realized that I missed just chatting with her. We hadn’t had any girl time lately. She used to be my go-to girl about everything. I don’t even know if I’d told her the full story of what happened to Josh and me, or that he’s been calling and texting.

She shrugged and said okay. We mingled with the party. More people showed up along with Stefanie and Lauren. I bet they had driven together. Lauren was clinging to a tall, beefy guy. He wore a Brookhaven Community College football jersey with the number twenty-seven on the back. That took the guess work out of where he went to school and what he did. He looked vaguely familiar though. He’d probably been in one of my classes at some point. I was going to reserve my judgment of him until after I met him in person, but at first glance, he looked a little dim.

I took Michelle’s hand and dragged her over to the door where Stef and Lauren were lingering.

“Stefanie!” I called out. She turned to find me and smiled when she saw me. We hugged.

“You look great,” she said to me.

“So do you,” I reply. She spins and sparkles as her glitter dress catches the light. “What are you?”

“I don’t know,” she laughs. I had this dress and needed an excuse to wear it so I wore it here!”

“Well you look amazing. Like a disco ball.”

“I’m going to go scope out the guys and grab a drink,” she said and slips away through the growing crowd.

I turned my attention to Lauren, who was talking to Michelle. “Hey,” I waved to the group.

“Jenna, this is Brandon. He goes to your school,” she waves her hand at him.

“Hi there,” Brandon said as he shook my hand. He didn’t sound dumb. But he’d only said two words to me.

“Hi. I think I’ve seen you around. Maybe in a class or two last year?”

“Yeah, and this year. I’m a psychology major too.” He let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around Lauren’s waist.

“Oh, cool. I will have to look for you next week. Sometimes I’m so focused on the book or the teachers that I hardly notice anyone else.”

“I know what you mean. Dr. Field’s class is crazy hard.”

“Oh, I know. She’s a beast. I feel like I’m already behind.” I really did too. There was so much reading, I barely had time for anything else. “Are you in a study group or anything? I feel like I should join one.”

“Jenna, let’s not discuss school at a party,” Michelle said. “Let’s go get drinks.”

“Sorry. I’ll catch you later, Brandon. Lauren you look fantastic!” I called after them. Michelle had me by the hand and was pulling me into the kitchen.

“Beer?” she asked.

“No, just a soda. I really am behind in that class. I don’t want to waste a day being hung over.”

“It’s a party,” she said frankly.

“I know that. I just don’t want to get wasted. And neither should you.”

“I’m nineteen. This is what you are supposed to do.”

She poured herself a cup of something blue and found me a soda in the fridge then wandered off to meet people. She had a one track mind tonight and it was to meet a guy. I followed her around until she found a group of guys and stopped to talk. She was a natural at meeting people. She slipped into their conversation with ease and was laughing and joking in no time.

I surveyed the rest of the room and found Andrew and Stefanie in a group with a few other guys and girls as well. Stefanie seemed keen on a tall blond in a baby blue polo. I’d never seen him before but I guessed he was a friend of Andrew’s. I think a boyfriend for Stefanie would be a good thing. She needed the distraction, she’d been working a lot and going to school. I still hadn’t had a chance to talk with her about what’s been going on in her life. I knew something happened, but I just didn’t know what.

Everyone seemed to be having a good time so I slipped away to Andrew’s room. Crowds weren’t really my thing, everyone knew that. I shut the door and pulled out the book for Dr. Field’s class. I was at least a chapter behind. I cracked it open, but didn’t read it. Instead, I thought about the last time I was at a party.

It was at the river with Josh on the Fourth of July. It was a disaster. I got drunk and yelled at half the crowd then made Josh drive me home. It was basically the beginning of the end of the two of us. After that, Michelle woke up from her coma and Josh couldn’t decide which of us he needed to be with. Turns out, that wasn’t his decision to make because neither of us needed him.

I flipped through the pages of the book some more and read the same paragraph over and over again before I gave up and flopped backwards on the bed in defeat. My head was spinning with Josh, my roommates, school, and Andrew. I was being pulled in so many different directions and not giving anything my full attention. When I was at school, I thought about Josh, and home, I thought about Andrew. When I was with Andrew, I thought about Josh. Who was I kidding? I seemed to always be thinking about Josh, and he was infiltrating every aspect of my life. Even when I tried to forget about him, he was there, in the back of my mind, waiting to be acknowledged.

The door burst open and Stefanie and the blond guy tumbled through the door.

“Jenn! What are you doing in here?” Stef asked.

“I, um, I was just, um, doing homework.” I smiled weakly.

“At a party?” She sounded like Michelle.

“Yeah. I was bored, but I can leave if--”

“No. It’s okay. We’ll leave.” She pushed blond guy back out the door and shut it behind her. She gave me a sympathetic smile as she closed the door.

I was pathetic.

Hiding in a back room while a party rages on out there. Yep, pathetic. I slammed the book closed and decided to rejoin the party.