Page 105 of Perfect
“Nothing.” She blinks and purses her lips, humming slightly.
“Given the circumstances, I won’t speak to Officer Dent about this.” I look at her in surprise. “However, we should revisit some basic anger management skills today.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” She pointedly stares at my black eye and raises her eyebrows impatiently, and I roll my eyes. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, fine.”
Never mind. I still don’t like her.
***
“This is a one-time thing,” Alex hisses as we walk into the bar and towards her friends, her hand interlaced in mine. “Guys, this is my boyfriend, Theo. You met the other week, I think?”
My mind empties out for a second, but I can’t help the smug grin on my face as I greet her friends. The other guy at the table, Zach, is quiet and very stoned, Jessica is chatty and fun, and Anna is sweet like Alex, but much more open.
Ben doesn’t show up.
Once trivia starts, I realize I hate it and have no interest in participating. I can’t tell if Alex actually likes it, but she seems to have a knack for remembering obscure bits of information, probably because she was a total overachiever as a kid. She’s also highly competitive, constantly checking her team’s scores against the other teams, which is adorable.
She leans over in between rounds, her hand drifting up my thigh. “I shouldn’t have brought you,” she whispers. “You’re atrocious at this.” She grins at me, squeezing my leg gently.
“I’m very good at other, less trivial things,” I say quietly, smirking down at her. Alex blushes a deep pink and turns away, leaving her hand where it is, and she seems happier than she has all week.
During the short intermission, she goes to the bathroom while her other two friends go to the bar for another round ofdrinks, leaving Anna and I alone. We make an awkward attempt at small talk that neither of us seem interested in, and she gives my still-bruised eye a curious look.
“Do you know Ben?”
I shrug, taking a sip of my beer. “We’ve met.”
Anna’s eyebrows jump, looking back at my eye. “Did you know he got mugged last week?”
I snort. “Must have happened after he drove Alex home.” Anna’s face drops, and she frowns at her beer. I don’t know her, but I can tell the tightness around her mouth and eyes probably isn’t normal for her.
“He was really messed up,” she says quietly.
“He was asking for it,” I say, looking at her pointedly. Her mouth thins out until her lips are barely visible.
“Is she okay?” My eyes flick over to Alex joining her friends at the bar, her posture extremely straight and her shoulders slightly higher than normal. A week later, she’s still more anxious than usual, but only if you know how to see it. “Sorry, you don’t have to tell me anything,” Anna says quickly. “I just care about her.”
I give Anna a warm smile. “She’s fine. Nothing happened,” I say, and her face relaxes. “If Ben knows what’s good for him, though, he’ll listen to me and stay the fuck away from her.”
“He’s not big on listening to people,” Anna says quietly. I glance at her, immediately concerned, but she’s smiling at everyone as they return to the table, the tenseness from her face completely gone.
Alex sits closer to me than before, and I place my arm around the back of her chair, loving how she leans into me and the feeling of her hand gently pushing down on my knee to keep it from bouncing.
As much as I like finally getting access to this part of her life, I’m glad this is a one-time thing. Her friends are boring, trivia isboring, and I don’t understand why they do this every week. Still, I sit through it and participate and engage with her friends, and when it’s over, I drive her home and fuck her in the car because I can’t wait the two minutes it would take to get her inside.
Shefinallycalled me her fuckingboyfriend.
31
ALEX
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I paste a smile on my face even though I’m so anxious I want to cry.
“Nothing,” I say, smiling tightly. I fucking hate Thanksgiving, but I don’t want to be mean to Bailey. She loves Thanksgiving, and her entire November revolves around planning a themed Thanksgiving dinner for her friends every year. “It’s too much fuss for me, but the guy I’m seeing might want to cook.”
Theo willabsolutelywant to cook, and I need to find a way to avoid him.
