Adjournment (The Fate Series) (13 page)

“Just keep your opinions to yourself.” I glare at her.

She steps back giving me a puzzled look.

I need to forget whatever just happened in my head because that’s as far as that’s going to go, and I won’t allow it to happen again.

I’m completely blaming Lexi for this. If she would just let Simon go, this wouldn’t have just happened.

You are calm, you are in control.

GQ gets up and begins to walk over to me while they set up for the next shot. Keeping my daggered stare on Lexi, I start walking to meet him half way. I’m so focused on her and that horrible daydream that I don’t feel the cord catch my heel, and I’m heaved forward into his sweaty bare chest. He reaches out and grabs my one arm with his hand.

“Are you okay?” he laughs.

I can hear Lexi laughing from behind me.

He’s still holding me as I nod into his chest and start to replay what just happened.

“Your. Hand. Is. On. My…” I shakily breathe out.

Partly because of his hand and the other part is embarrassment that I tripped into him.

Now it feels like a thousand degrees in here and not in a good way.

Is this day over yet?

Leaning down so his lips are close enough to my ear he begins to speak. “Your mouth was on mine,” he says in a low tone.

I can feel the burn of humiliation rush instantly across my skin. Pulling me away from him, he holds me straight, and kneels down to release my heel from the cords. 

Don’t look down…

Don’t. Look. Down… Don’t-I can’t help myself I have to look.

I’m instantly met with his humored stare.

This is the worst day of my life.

It isn’t until he moves his hand off the back of my ankle that the heat registers, leaving a burning sensation behind. He stands back up, slowly dragging the tips of his fingers up my calves causing them to tense and quiver under his light touch as he takes me all in.

Please let me go home now…

“Are you okay?” He runs his hand through his hair, watching me closely like I’m about to faint.

Seriously? I will be shocked if words come out of my mouth right now.

“O-oh me, I’m fine.” I start waving my hands in the air as I back away from him to put distance between us. 

“I am so sorry about my face into your chest…” I trail off when I see where my lips hit his chest. 

Great! Great! Just freaking great!

Looking down at his chest he runs his fingers slowly over where my lips made their mark I notice the side of his lips turn up…

“I see a brand for a brand then. But you really don’t need to throw yourself at me this much,” he teases.

What does that mean?

I’m about to ask him when Andrew comes over.

“Sidney are you okay?” he asks, holding my arm.

“Umm yes I am—so sorry. I know the cords-I-I didn’t notice this last one.” My skin begins to heat up again.

Oh how I miss my button down and pants that cover everything.

“It’s okay as long as you didn’t get hurt. Could you fix right here where the bruise is on his neck, and… where did the lips on your chest come from?” he asks confused.

“Oh I…” I begin to explain.

“Leave it…” he finishes and walks away but not before commending me on a good idea.  

Yup, you know me; always—one step ahead.

“You look very nice today,” GQ says, looking straight.

Widening my eyes at him, I stand there dumbfounded.

“Uh… well it took a whole team to help with that.”

What is happening right now?

“You don’t need a whole team.”

Looking down at me his gaze is intense, and I can’t help but feel awkward under it.

“Thanks.” I shift around in my heels.

I finish touching up his bite mark as quickly as I can so I can make a break for it before he says anything else.

“Okay! We’re finished. Well we aren’t finished because we aren’t a thing.” I drift off feeling myself become stupid in front of him. “I just meant you’re done and I’m done. So… off you go!” Giving him a bump on the arm, I spin on my heel to walk away. Lexi’s body shakes with silent laughter as I flip her off and continue on toward my case.

What is it about that guy that turns me into such an idiot?

After hitting the gym for a much needed workout, aka “stress relief”, from the events of the day, we head to the store so I can get food to eat my feelings…

Yeah, yeah, I know I’m avoiding going home, but you don’t know what it’s like having my sisters in town.

“Soooo…” Lexi says, side-stepping down an aisle pretending to be searching for who knows what.

“I was just wondering. Have you spoken to your parents? You know, usually when we are about to get infest-I mean visited-by your sisters, we have a warning of some kind.”

I can tell by the look on her face she’s nervous.

“With the charity event being last week I kept ignoring the calls, I don’t want to talk about it,” I mumble back.

“So avoiding your family is still the go-to plan?” She gives me a sideways look.

Avoiding my family has always been the plan. I can’t be that girl anymore, and I like who I am now. My life is simple, it’s average, and most of all, it’s predictable. My life, like my wardrobe, is black and white.

I stare at the bags of peanut butter cups, debating on how many I’m going to need to get me through this crisis.

“Well,” she drags out, “…with the holiday weekend coming up maybe it will be a short visit?” There is hope in her tone as she rocks back onto the heel of her sneakers.

The sad truth is—it is a holiday weekend. The first holiday of the summer, actually. Which means the Fourth of July is next. But I am the avoider so I should be able to get through this relatively unscathed.

Maybe this year will be different… maybe there will be no mishaps with fire. Who am I kidding, there’s always mishaps with fire…

Have my sisters always been pyros?

Yes, for as long as I can remember.

Why you may ask?

I have no idea, but if you haven’t guessed by now, the Fourth of July is their favorite holiday and my least favorite.

We had all hoped that the more famous they became the less destructive they would be. Not. Even. Close.

They are fashion designers who can miraculously compose themselves in public. But behind those smiling eyes, wheels are turning. Like I said before, they’ve never actually been arrested, because they are so pretty or someone’s wife “would just love one of their gowns”… For what? To get the paper?

I’m just saying had the Fourth of July just been like normal people with ash snakes, small firecrackers, and sparklers, they would be fine. But nooo, not our parents. 

“Let’s ask the fire company to come and oversee the show this year, dear,”
my mother would say.

“Oh just let them light it real quick, and we’ll pick them up and run,”
she would also say. And our father is such a sucker, he wouldn’t say no. In most families, it’s the father and sons who are into this kind of destruction. However our mother, even as posed as she is now, was raised with all boys so a feminine touch is something we were never exposed to at that young age when girls are supposed to dress up in princess clothes and pretend to go to the balls. No, that came later when we were too far gone to the dark side. 

I’m told that my father’s sister was very ladylike but unfortunately I never got to meet her since she passed away before I was born.

Our father’s thing is paintball… or anything war related for that matter.

So raising three girls like boys wasn’t a hard decision for him to make. He used to host an annual paintball game when we were younger. He still might actually… not that I would participate even if I could. I am an adult, and I don’t have time in my life to run through the woods like a goofy child.

“I think we have enough food to keep them in the apartment for a month. After we go to the thrift shop they won’t have any spare time between eating, napping, and sewing.” Lexi smiles at the cashier.

She has so much hope in her voice, even though her eyebrows are worried together, and she’s gnawing on her bottom lip.

I don’t think she really believes it.

I’m sure I sound like a terrible sister and an even worse daughter. I love my family very much, and for a long time there was a pain that hurt so much in my chest I never thought I would get over them. But what I did, I did for the right reasons.

Why did she give them a key?

I could be an actress…

Rolling her eyes in disgust, Molly paces the room. “So what you’re saying is no fire of any kind, and we’re basically stuck in your apartment?” she says, snapping her head in my direction, causing her long blond hair to flip over her shoulder.

“What is wrong with our apartment, leech?” I can’t help but spit back.

“Nothing—it’s nice and all, we haven’t seen you in years. Let’s go dancing and hang out with Jacob. We promise no fire,” Molly sings, holding her hands clutched under her chin while batting her eyes at us. 

Like that works on either of us.

“Fine,” Lexi gives in. “But no fire! Especially if we are drinking. We all remember what happened the last time. It took me two months to grow my eyebrows back in. I looked shocked all the time—it was awful,” Lexi finishes, touching her eyebrows as she zones back to that tragic night. 

I can’t believe she caved to Molly’s eye batting.

Shaking my head at Lexi, I grab the remote to turn on one of the gossip shows that we are so helplessly addicted to. I turn up the volume and throw the remote onto the couch. Taking off my sweatshirt, I’m left in a sports bra revealing my never fading brand. 

“Sid, did you get a guy’s name tattooed on your chest? That is both badass and a terrible idea. What were you thinking? How am I going to cover that with a wedding dress? Mom is going to freak! Look it’s Brett Davis giving an interview. He is so hot!” It’s all muffled as Molly shoves a chocolate chip Pop-Tart into her mouth. 

Talk about ADD.

I can’t help but squish my face up at the way she eats. She shovels it in like it’s going to disappear from her hands.

I’m just about to say, “Wedding dress? Like I will ever need one of those,” when Lexi pipes up.

“Oh that isn’t a tattoo. That is what you get when you look like a groupie, and the man that you have worked with for oh the past four or five years doesn’t recognize you and signs your chest.” Lexi laughs loudly, breaking off a piece of Molly’s pastry.

It’s not that funny.

“Wait, Brett signed your chest, and you haven’t washed it off yet!” Morgan who was so quiet before is now all ears.

“You should have seen what she did to him at the shoot today!” Lexi begins to laugh uncontrollably, as she tries to finish her thought, which merits her a pillow to the head.

Sticking my tongue out at her, I get up to make dinner.

“I have tried. I can’t get it off, and now I have to wear clothes that cover it until its fades or I die… whichever comes first?” I exhale.

I reach up to grab the wine glasses out of the cabinet in the kitchen.

When they are all filled, I slide three drinks across for them and then put a pot of water on for the pasta.

See, pasta at home yes, on a date… no freaking way.

“I heard he and his ex-lead broke up.” Molly is so excited to inform us, she comes over to the breakfast bar to watch TV and talk to me.

“No,” I gasp. “I wonder why? She’s so fascinating.” I make sure to lay the sarcasm on real thick so she gets it.

When the water begins to boil I pour in the pasta and lean back over the counter across from Molly.

“It’s because she died… duh,” Lexi says.

Molly gasps at the sudden news.

“I meant in the movie she dies… oh dammit! I forgot you don’t know!” she shouts, covering her mouth.

Morgan laughs hysterically from the couch.

“Lexi, please don’t go on a talk show ever! You have no idea how to keep things quiet,” Morgan says.

“Good, I hate that girl. Like Grams would say, “She seems like a mindless twat,” Molly says reaching for another noodle to toss.

“It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t like me like that, and I don’t date actors.” I wave them off.