Page 50 of One Pucking Destiny

“Whatever, man.” Max stands and rejoins the others in the pool.

Gunner returns and places a tumbler full of brown liquid in my hand. “Sip it,” he orders.

I lift the glass and down the entire thing. “I need more.”

“Get it yourself. That isn’t on me.” He shakes his head.

“Fine, I will.”

Leaving my lounge chair, I find a bottle of whiskey on the bar and bring it to my lips, gulping it as if I were drinking a soda. I loathe the way I’m feeling, and I hate it even more that I can’t stop it.

Ari has been gone since I woke up. She, Elena, Beckett, Cade, and Iris went sightseeing. I didn’t ask where they went, and I don’t care.

I’m not even mad at Ari. She feels the way she feels, and I respect that. She can’t make herself want me when she doesn’t. What I am is furious at myself. I have no right to feel what I’m feeling. I shouldn’t be so miserable and hung up on a girl I never had. I want to go back to feeling how I felt before walking into that bookstore in September, before I reached for that book and saw her face. That’s what I want.

My dad always used to tell Hattie and me that when we felt out of our depths, all we had to do was “fake it till we make it.” He said it’s foolproof. Just fake it until, eventually, we’re no longer faking it.

New bye week model. Faking it.

Seems solid.

I chug some more whiskey, the liquid burning my throat as I swallow.

Putting the half-empty bottle down on the bar, I run toward the pool with a scream as I cannonball into the water.

The guys are cheering as I come up.

“There he is!” Max yells.

Ournew friendscome to introduce themselves as Krystal, Destiny, Jasmine, and Champagne.

“What bar did you meet these girls at again?” I murmur.

“Just a local bar.” Max shrugs, looking off to the side.

“You mean a local strip club?”

“Same thing.”

As the alcohol that sloshes around in my stomach reaches my brain, I channel my inner Zen. The old Sebastian would’ve welcomed some beautiful women regardless of their occupation. After all, I am single.

Destiny skips through the water and wraps her arms around my neck. “I was wondering when you were going to get in.”

Her breath smells like rotten fruit. It’s an unsettling combination. “What’s your name?”

“Destiny.”

“No, your real name.”

With a downward gaze, she softly mumbles, “Carol-Anne.”

“Okay, Carol-Anne. I’m sorry, but I’m in a relationship, so I just don’t want to waste your time.”

“You are? Jaden said you’re single.”

“Well…” I sigh. “It’s a relationship with myself, and it’s vital I stay true to it.”

She lowers her arms from my shoulders, her eyes blinking rapidly—confused.

---