Page 46 of Stone Rules

Ethan leans over to me and whispers, “So do I,Tate. And I’m all about water conservation.” His eyes burn into mine and the thought of us showering together almost makes me moan out loud.

Instead, I grab the champagne bottle from the ice bucket and hold it to my neck as he laughs.

Chad asks Nikki, “You need to stop at your place and get anything? We may be out pretty late.”

She guffaws. “Lord, no. It’s Laurie’s night to have the little brat.” She turns to us. “Laurie—that’s my roommate—she has a two-year-old daughter who normally lives with her dad. But Laurie gets her every Friday night. I try my best to be gone, because, fuck, that kid is annoying. I mean some people just shouldn’t reproduce, you know? I wish that child would just vanish into thin air and quit ruining my Friday nights.”

Ethan chugs his drink and then slams the glass into the cup holder. “You are such a bitch, Nikki,” he says, shaking his head in disgust. “Did you ever consider that maybe the so-called ‘brat’ acts up because her parents aren’t together? I mean, I’m sure it’s not easy having to share her time between two homes. How about a little fucking compassion?”

Chad looks at Ethan with sympathetic eyes while Nikki looks like she just ate a shit sandwich. I, on the other hand, am not quite sure what just happened here, so I just sink back into the comfy leather seat.

Chad breaks the awkward silence. “Thatwasa pretty crappy thing to say, Nik. Why not just find a new roommate?”

“Are you kidding?” She laughs. “We have one of the best rent-controlled apartments in the city. I’m not about to let it go. Not all of us can afford to live in the Taj Mahal, you know.”

“I don’t live in the Taj Mahal,” Chad says. “In fact, I live in a modest two-bedroom in the valley.”

“Well, whatever,” Nikki responds. “Youcouldlive in the Taj Mahal if you wanted to.”

“Why would I want to live in India?”

“I didn’t say you should live there; I was just saying you could live anywhere because you’re so damn rich.”

Chad sighs. “There’s more to life than being rich, Nik.”

I notice Ethan refilling his glass again when I’ve barely touched mine.

“Maybe,” she says. “But being rich makes everything better. Rich people don’t have problems.”

I notice the three of us shaking our heads in disagreement of her statement. I’m not exactly sure why Chad and Ethan are doing it. But I’m doing it because this woman makes me want to scream. She is so goddamn superficial. Money does not equate to happiness. Just ask sixteen-year-old Piper Mitchell and her best friend Charlie Tate.

Ethan reaches into the limo bar compartment and pulls out a bottle of whiskey. He pours a couple of fingers of it into a glass and downs it.

I didn’t know he was such a big drinker. He’s obviously a good athlete and he keeps in such great shape, it kind of surprises me. Maybe he’s nervous about tonight. We’ve had sex twice before, but neither time was as intense as what happened at the concert. Every time we are together, things just get better. More emotional. Scarier.

Maybe he feels this too and needs a few drinks to calm his nerves.

The limo comes to a stop and a few seconds later, the door opens. I thank Chad for the tickets and tell him what a wonderful time I had. I bid Nikki goodbye and exit the car.

Ethan gets out behind me, whispering something to the driver. He walks me up to my building but I notice the limo does not pull away from the curb.

I’m starting to put two and two together. “You’re not coming up?”

He shakes his head in quiet confirmation.

“I don’t understand. Am I missing something here? What about the water conservation? And the grinding at the concert? And the‘Don’t’?”Frustration spills out of me in a fiery sigh. “Is this about the argument with Nikki?” I ask. “She’s a classless bitch, Ethan. She clearly hit a nerve, but there is no reason to let her ruin our evening.”

He looks at the ground before he looks back at me. “Charlie, stop. I’m sorry. I just can’t do this. I . . . I forgot about a case I need to work on.”

“A case? Seriously?”

We stare at each other silently and I can see right through his bullshit like the clear glass shard he’s stabbing in my heart. “What the fuck, Ethan? You have to quit messing with me. Do you want me or don’t you?”

He runs two frustrated hands through his hair. “Yes,” he says. “And no.” He walks towards the wall and hits it with his open hand. “Fuck!” He grabs the back of his neck. “Go inside, Charlie. I’ll see you tomorrow at the gym.” He walks back to the limo and gets inside, but not before I hear him curse at himself one more time.

That’s it. I’m tired of his hot and cold. His up and down. His on and off. I don’t have to put up with this shit. I storm through the lobby of my building and go up to my apartment.

Then I fall on my bed and scream into my pillow. Because I’ve never been in love before. And it fucking hurts.

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