Page 138 of Now and Forever

Spencer was the total opposite of Drew. Whereas Drew was ripped and honed, Spencer was lean and couldn’t care less about working out. And since I had declared there must be change, I had yet to figure out what type of men would interest me.

I still hadthree hours until Spencer was due, so I decided to take my time while getting ready. I would have preferred to be in leggings or something much more comfortable than a dress, but it was the easiest option for me. Bohemian chic was the look I aimed for tonight with an off the shoulder, white lace dress topped with a gold chain headpiece embellished with tiny rice pearls and crystals. The headpiece might be overdoing it, though. Then, skipping the sandals, I simply walked around barefoot, showcasing my yellow painted toes.

Jackson and Drew had gone to a pre-season Knicks game, so it would seem like I had this place all to myself. I was surprised they had taken the time to hangout. Jacks had been so preoccupied with this chick Yvonne, whom I had yet to meet. And as for Drew, I wasn’t sure where he went off to. Nevertheless, he was seldom home.

There were a lot of holes, and piecing the story together hadn’t gotten me anywhere. Neither of them were talking, which led me to believe that maybe they’d just had a falling out. Jacks had admitted he’d had a hard time finding his way, while Drew had his future mapped out. Could it be jealousy? I wouldn’t have considered it before since those two had shared every toy, every sport, every game—anything I could think of. Then again, with Drew paving his way toward his goals and Jacks lagging behind, that could put a huge strain upon a friendship. No matter how strong the bond, it only took one thing to break it.

Something told me that,before I had come to live here, they’d had a lot of parties in the apartment. However, since I was a girl, Jacks and Drew, who were protective of me to a fault, didn’t want to surround me with drunken people at all hours of the night,. Courtney, my best friend, used to call them fuckboy pansies. Both were “fuckboys” but were “pansies” where I was concerned.

Drew had always been worse than Jackson ever was. If Jacks had tried to warn some boy back in high school about going out with me, Drew would take it to another level. He was the type ready to battle it out just to make a point.

Courtney had a way with words. Bright, quick wit, beach blonde with a tongue sharper than a knife. She was always at war with Jackson. My poor brother got whiplash each time he tried to win an argument with her. She was the epitome of Queen Bee. If she weren’t my friend, it would be wise of me to stay the fuck away from her. It was a good thing she had met someone; it had mellowed her out somehow. Not a whole lot, just enough that someone could mistake her as friendly.

She was quite a character, one I secretly admired because she went after what she wanted. She was fearless like that. That was why it had sort of saddened me when she’d settled in San Diego just to be close to her boyfriend. It was very unlike her. Then again, she had changed since things had gotten serious with him.

I hoped to God I wouldn’t get so caught up in another person if I ever got involved with anyone. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. With how I already was with Drew, I had to wonder how I would be once I started dating someone. It could get terrifying if I gave it my all and then got my heart broken for the second time.

The doorbell chimed loudly, ending the miserable thoughts that had plagued my mind for the past hour. Spencer was dressed like the men from a Ralph Lauren catalogue, emitting old money, which wasn’t surprising when he had told me his parents lived in the Hamptons.

Cali rich folks compared to New Yorkers were a whole different playing field. Here, it meant global economy, while the former were geared toward local and national economy. The stark difference was alarming.

As I put those contrasting thoughts aside, Spencer came in with two bottles of Cristal and an extra-large pepperoni and cheese pizza.

“You brought not one but two? I hope you don’t have any designs to get me drunk, because I’m on some strong meds. Mix that in with alcohol, and you might not like the result. My mouth tends to run until your ears bleed.”

“I’ll consider myself forewarned.”

Spencer was kind when it came to making sure that my injured foot was always on a cushion. It was an unexpected surprise, and I began to like him more as the man himself and not the person who had been painted for me by other people’s opinions.

Drew had cautioned me about Spencer’s only interest being the thrill of the chase, but I was on the fence on that one, not knowing him well enough to form my own belief yet. For now, I had concluded that Drew’s advice should be taken with a grain of salt.

As chick flicks went, I chose something that leaned toward drama with a side of temptation, regret, and cheating. The movie Last Night starring Kiera Knightly and Sam Worthington got me in all sorts of twisted emotions. My tears were unstoppable as I watched Joanna and Alex, the boy she fell in love with while studying abroad in Paris. It was one of those rare moments when you were so invested in the story, in the characters, that you experienced what they went through, gripping you. It evoked such powerful emotions that I bawled until I could no longer tolerate Spencer’s teasing.

“There’s still half a box of tissues left. What’s next?” Spencer grinned before popping another champagne bottle. We had gone through the first one while eating the pizza.

Scrolling through the movie list, I was wiping the moisture off the side of my eyes when Drew entered the living room, shocking Spencer and me into an awkward silence. I could feel the tension radiate off him in powerful waves.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” I said, glancing at him, hoping he wouldn’t cause a scene. Spencer’s name alone never failed to bring out the Neanderthal in him.

Drew’s face was a dark mask. With one look at him, you would know he was a ticking bomb, waiting for the right time to explode.

Before Drew had the chance to speak, Spencer cleared his throat. “You’re more than welcome to join us on our date night, but I’m sure you have better things to do than be a third wheel.” Spencer’s remark could easily be portrayed as showing off wanting to drill it into Drew’s head.

“Date night? Since when the fuck did you begin dating this shithead, Chloe?” he roared so loudly my ears literally rang.

My holy hell. He had just gone straight in there, guns blazing, ready for a showdown.

“Drew—”

“Shithead? Who the fuck do you think you are, calling me names? You better fucking recognize, or I’ll make you regret it!” Spencer chided, turning red from anger.

I saw Drew take a few steps toward me. I flashed my eyes at him in warning him, wanting him to stay away. He looked like he was ready to pummel Spencer to the ground.

“Stop it! You guys need to fucking stop!”

The warning barely made a dent. Drew’s attention was honed in behind me, straight on Spencer.

“Your words don’t hold any weight,” he spat out. “Why don’t you come here and threaten it to my face instead of yelling across the room like the skinny, little bitch you are!”

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