Page 57 of F*ck You

I shrugged. “Well, not necessarily over the top, but a little nicer one, yeah.”

“You look beautiful exactly the way you are.” Larsen kissed my cheek, pulling a smile from me. “Besides, you could show up wearing nothing and you’d still be the most gorgeous one here.”

I slapped his arm playfully, but then my grin fell away when I spotted the familiar blond girl in a hot pink halter dress that barely reached her thighs. Did the girl even own anything in another color? Maybe I could introduce her to something blue.

Seeing one of the waitstaff carrying around a tray of wine, I reached out and grabbed two. Larsen held out his hand, expecting me to pass one off, but I downed one of the glasses in a single gulp, set it back on the tray, then grabbed a third one and held both of the full glasses close to my chest. “I think I’ll need these more.”

His eyes widened in surprise, but I still saw a glint of humor in them. He smirked before reaching out and grabbing a glass of the cool red liquid for himself, but Chase didn’t budge. Looking at him, I noticed his stiffened jaw where he clenched so hard, he would probably grind his teeth together from merely breathing. I was about to ask him if something was wrong before we were interrupted by the hot pink harlot.

“Larsen, Chase, darlings, I’m so glad you could make it.” She greeted them with a smile that split her entire face, giving them each a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek. Her smile turned strained when she saw me, and she cleared her throat. “Natalee, hello there, I didn’t realize you were working tonight. We could definitely use you. You know where the mop and bucket are, right? There was a tiny spill over by the railing.” She twisted her body to point out a general direction, but I didn’t budge.

Larsen placed his arm around me, resting his hand on my hip and pulling me into his side as he turned to face her. “Actually, Giana, she’s with us. You said we could bring someone, so we did.” He gave me a squeeze with his last words. Despite my uncomfortable state, he let me know that it was okay I was here, he wouldn’t let anything happen.

Chase grabbed my hand and kissed me as he stepped up on my other side, keeping his hand clasped around mine when he faced forward. Giana’s smirk fell as she looked between all three of us. The realization of what was going on hit her like a five-ton hammer, and she struggled to regain her composure. I couldn’t keep the smug smile from my face.

I won, bitch. Back off.

Larsen guided the three of us away and we left her a gaping mess on the deck. She’d eventually regain her senses and possibly work harder to make my life hell, but if I was lucky, she’d fuck off and stay that way.

We spent the better part of the party mingling with their friends, and when Chase and Larsen introduced me as their girlfriend with no shame in sharing, my insides melted into a puddle at their feet. I had no idea I could feel this strongly about another human being again, let alone two of them, and I didn’t even want to leave it all behind in a pile of ash. All it did was make me realize that fighting for someone who made your heart patter was worth it.

I was so caught off guard the first time they introduced me as their girlfriend, all I did was stand there speechless and let them talk. Now that I’d gotten more used to it, I proudly declared them as mine as well and reached out to shake everyone’s hand. That was what I most preferred, I wasn’t one who could be owned or controlled, but they were mine.

By the time I was three glasses in and explaining the near brush with death Larsen and I recently had, with all the big arm motions to supplement the story minus the grand finale, Giana joined us at our standing table with a glass of wine in her steady hand and a big smile plastered on her face. I tried to ignore the cherry red shade of her lipstick—hell, I tried to ignore her in general—but she insisted on joining in.

She gasped and nodded at all the appropriate moments, glaring at Larsen when I figured, fuck it, I’ll vaguely allude to what happened after. Apparently, she must have caught on without my help, so I would give her props for the occasional smart observation.

When the story was done and everyone was animatedly murmuring about their own experiences with sharks in the oceans, or stories they had heard from others or even theorizing what their own reactions would be, Giana set her glass down and leaned forward on the table, clasping her hands and resting on her forearms.

“So, Natalee” —I cringed, I hated it when people used my full name, especially since it was only used by people I didn’t like, and she seemed to notice— “tell us about where you’re from. What brought you here?”

I felt the guys stiffen up on either side of me. They both knew the entire story, every depressing and anxiety inducing detail. “You don’t need to explain anything if you don’t want to,” Larsen whispered into my ear, disguising his words as a kiss to my head, and I waved off his concern. I wasn’t going to give this bitch everything about me, but I would tell her the same story I’d tell everyone else who asked.

“My fiancé was fucking around with other girls. I burned his shit, jumped in my truck, and ended up here.”

The crowd around us gasped. Apparently, the guys hadn’t told their friends anything about me, which rather pleased me. It was good to know I could trust them with the tough shit.

“Oh?” Giana furrowed her brows. “Have you talked to him at all since?”

Not sure what she was getting at, I answered, “I ignored all his calls and texts. He did show up here the other night, but I kicked him out and haven’t seen him again since. I’ve gotten a new phone and a new number since then. I have no other connection to him, I’m done. That part of my life no longer exists.” I shrugged, waiting for whatever shit she would say next.

“If he showed up here looking for you then he might really love you. Have you tried talking things out with him?”

I felt Chase’s hand stiffen on my back, but I kept my demeanor cool and grinned at her. “It’s kind of hard to talk with someone who can’t stay out of other women.”

Choked snickers filled the air around us, and I noticed the gleam in Meg’s eyes. I smiled, pleased with myself. Despite what society might tell me about how I should feel and cry over it, I was way past that. It no longer fazed me.

Unless the bastard showed up at my fucking door again, at which time I might cut off his dick.

My mind instantly went to the knife block on the kitchen counter, and I shook the image from my head. “The point is, it’s over, and I’ve moved on.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Her eyes flashed between Chase and Larsen, and then to me as she smiled. “You seem to feel things when people you care about sleep with other people.”

“What the hell are you getting at, Giana?” Meg asked, her eyes sharp as she glared her down. All this time I thought she’d hated me, but after seeing her getting upset with Giana over the way she was acting toward me, I might have to reconsider things. Maybe I’d invite her over for a drink later and find out if she just hated Giana in general, or if she was actually a decent person with a resting bitch face.

Giana downed the rest of her glass to the surprise of everyone around her, and then held it in the air. “I need to get a refill, and I’ll be back.” She disappeared before anyone could form a single word, and I shrugged.

Well, it was best if she was out of here anyway.

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