Page 157 of Shade
And here’s where my life spins out of control. Literally before my eyes.
Shade’s standing next to me and downs his drink, his body and shoulders stiff as they were when the women were all over him.
“Dude, I remember you obsessing over him,” Tom says, motioning to Shade with a lift of his drink. “How crazy that you’re here together as a couple now.”
I want to cry. No really, the tears are damn near surfacing. “We’re not a couple. I work for him.”
Tom winks. “Uh-huh. Sure you do. Work his cock.”
Beside Tom, Shade sends Tom a death glare, his jaw tightening. These two are not going to be friends.
Tom downs his beer, then shakes his head. “You wereobsessed.”
“I was not.”
“Yes, you were.” He nods, nudging my shoulder with his like we’re the best of friends. And we were, but now I want to slap the shit out of him. “It was your life mission to fuck him. You fuckin’ stalked him on Instagram for months. All you talked about was Shade until you finally fucked him that one night.”
Shade’s face is all I see in that moment. He’s looking at me as though he doesn’t even know who I am, because in reality, he doesn’t. I hate the look. Make it go away. Who he thinks he knows, and who I really am are two totally different people in this situation.
Tom keeps talking, and I straight up punch his shoulder. “Shut. Up. Go away.”
Tom acts like nothing’s wrong with what he said, shrugs, and walks away and I’m left to explain what happened and what this means.
Do you see Shade? Do you see the confusion? No?
That’s because it’s not confusion. It’s fucking devastation.
“I uh. . . I don’t even know what to say about him. . . .” And I leave it at that because my mouth is so dry I don’t think any more words can form let alone come out. I look over my shoulder when the crowd near the dance floor claps at Izzy and Zane dirty dancing on the dance floor. They’re kissing and I’m nearing tears. Isn’t that how it usually works for the maid of honor at the wedding. They realize how shitty their life really is?
Maybe it’s just been my experience.
I force a breath and a smile, facing Shade and nod to the terrace. “Come with me?”
I don’t want to talk about this in here because the last thing I want to do is ruin Izzy’s wedding if Shade freaks out.
He nods and follows me outside.
