Infatuated (24 page)

I couldn’t argue with the first points, because I didn’t know any better. But the last? I was pretty sure she was wrong about that one.

D
ebbie stumbled out a while later to go see Rob, leaving me alone with Max and Laura who were both passed out cold and snoring. Laura had a cute snore, but I was pretty sure Max’s could raise the dead and cause a zombie apocalypse. Laura had popcorn stuck to her face and Max had her arm tucked under her head at the weirdest angle. I had no idea how she slept that way. She’d been sleeping like that as long as I’d known her.

Quietly, I tried to pick up the mess without waking the others. A shot glass was missing from Kale’s collection, but I was pretty sure Max had fallen asleep with it—and the nearly empty bottle of Jack. When I finished with the worst of the mess, I decided the rest would have to wait until tomorrow unless I physically moved Max and Laura.

I grinned down at them and debated taking pictures of them for later blackmail. If I didn’t think Max would have kicked my ass for it, I’d’ve done it, too.

I wasn’t tired yet, but neither did I really want to do anything. I looked around for another minute before heading outside. Maybe Kale and the guys were still out there.

I paused right outside the door. What did I say to him? I wasn’t mad about Kale’s past at all, because neither of us had really talked past relationships. Still, I couldn’t get what Debbie had said out of my head.
He hasn’t said the words ‘I love you’ in over three years.

But she said things were different with me.

Were they?

I had no idea. I felt different with him, but…what did Kale think? His opinion of things was the important one. His opinion was the one I needed and wanted.

And why do I have to mess with things when they’re going okay?

I could wait until he told me. I wasn’t in any hurry, was I? We were together, that was the important part.

I heard him laugh and followed the sound, smiling to myself. I spotted him and Debbie sitting at a table near the pool.

“Ally’s different,” I heard her say.

Kale nodded. “Yeah, she is.”

My heart soared. Maybe I didn’t have the words, but they could wait. As long as I could hear him and see him, I could wait for the rest.

“I’m glad you met her, Kale. She’s a hundred times better than Monica could ever think of being.”

“Monica? Why would you think—you told her.”

“Sorry. You know how I am when I drink.”

“She can’t get information from me, but she’ll wait until you’re drunk to get it? Seriously?”

The sudden anger in his tone had me frowning. I almost said something, but before I could, Debbie slapped his hand. “No, you idiot. She didn’t ask me anything about you, and you know anyone else would have. What’s your deal? You’ve been on cloud nine since you met her and haven’t shut up about her. And now, what?”

He swirled the glass in his hand and then chugged the drink back. “Even clouds evaporate sometime.”

I tried to turn away, because I didn’t want to hear more, but my feet wouldn’t move.

“Is that what’s happening? Because I think she has other ideas. She’s head over heels about you. And until a few minutes ago, I thought you were, too.”

“I care about her, a lot, I won’t deny that. But I’m not right for her. She’s not right for me. She—”

The air in my lungs evaporated.

“What?”

“She thinks she loves me.” He said it with such a misery-filled tone that I didn’t even know what to think.

“Thinks?”

“Yes, thinks.” He leaned forward slightly. “Look, it’s the thing with her stalker. I was there when she needed someone, so she’s…I don’t know. There’s a word for it, I just can’t think of what it is.”

“You’re either thinking too damn highly of yourself or not enough of her.” Debbie shook her head. “Do you love her?”

He didn’t answer.

“Then you need to make up your mind and tell her. Time to man up, Kale. Or are you trying to pull a Monica on her?”

“Of course not! She has a lot going on, especially now, with Earl getting out of jail. When things settle down—”

“Oh.” Ice dripped from Debbie’s tone. “So you’re staying with her out of responsibility.”

“Yes. I don’t know.” He jerked his hand through his hair. “It’s complicated.”

“You, my dear friend, are officially the king of douchebags.”

“And you’re shit-faced.”

“I’m drunk, not brain dead. Jesus, Kale. I thought you were better than that. You’re Monica with a dick. She broke your heart and I’m sorry for it, but even she didn’t jerk you around like this. What you’re doing is worse. So maybe you’re right. Maybe she’s not right for you, because she deserves a hell a lot better for what she’s done for you. She made you live again. You smile, you laugh. Before she came along, you were there, Kale, but not completely. You weren’t yourself again until you saw her in the bar. You were infatuated with her and it pulled you out of that hell you buried yourself in.”

“Infatuated.” He slammed back the rest of his drink and slid the glass on the table. “Yeah, I guess that sums it up.”

Debbie shook her head at him and stormed away.

I turned back, unable to hear more, wishing I’d heard less. Wishing I didn’t know what it sounded like when a heart broke.

B
y the time I woke up the next morning, Laura had already left. Max was still passed out on the floor, in the same position I’d left her in last night. The blanket I’d put over her before I fell asleep on the couch was twisted at her feet and half under the couch.

I hadn’t seen Kale and I was glad for it. I wanted to get out of here before I saw him.

I reached down to shake Max. “Wake up. I need you to drive me home.”

Her eyes fluttered opened and narrowed on my face. “What?”

“Can you drive me home? Please.”

“You okay?” she asked through a yawn.

“I just…I need to go, okay?”

Something in my tone or expression had her getting to her feet. “Yeah, of course.” She looked around. “Have you seen my shoes?”

“I’ll help you find them.”

As I gathered my own things, I helped Max search for her missing shoes. One was behind the couch and just as I found the other behind the entertainment center, Kale walked in. I froze to the spot with her shoe in my hand.

“You guys leaving?”

“Yeah.” I tossed Max her shoe. She hobbled, bouncing up and down to put it on, and glared at Kale the whole time.

He didn’t notice. “I can drive you,” he said, walking forward. He reached out for me, but I sidestepped to pick up my bag.

“No, it’s fine. Max is driving by there anyway, so she can drop me off.”

Kale frowned at me. “What’s going on, Ally?”

“Nothing.” I smiled up at him as I sat on the edge of the couch to put on my own shoes. “I have a shift later, and I need to look over an assignment that’s due soon.” Both were true, but the last part was exaggerated a little, because I’d already checked it over.

“Are you sick? You don’t—”

“I’m fine.”
Though if I don’t get out of here soon, I might be sick.

“You coming, Ally?” Max called from the door.

“Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute.”

She glared again and left. The room seemed to shrink in size. All I could see, smell, or hear was Kale.

He drew his brows together. “Okay, what the hell is going on?”

“Nothing. Sorry. I’m just stressed about school.” I wasn’t about to make a scene over this. I refused to, even though that’s exactly what I wanted to do. Even though I wanted to yell at him, to shout and scream and make demands. Even though I wanted him to love me and wished I could make him. But I couldn’t. Wouldn’t. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

He stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, sure.”

With nothing else to say, I left. As I walked to Max’s car with hot tears sliding down my cheeks, I couldn’t help but wonder how Mr. Right had turned into Mr. Wrong.

CHAPTER 19

L
ater never came. I didn’t call Kale and he didn’t call me.

I didn’t have a clue what I could say to him without yelling or screaming or becoming one of those girls I disliked, the ones who made scenes and cursed and yelled at everyone. My mood definitely suffered though. Laura noticed it before anyone else, despite my best efforts to keep my emotions in check and not bring them to work. But it was hard to keep them at bay when work was how I met Kale.

“Closing time,” Laura said, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Yeah. I’ll take the tables, okay?”

“Sure thing, honey.”

I cleaned the tables for the monotony, because it didn’t require any thought. Spritz on cleaner, wipe, wipe, wipe, and move on. Easy.

“Uh, Ally?”

I looked up. “Yeah?”

“I think you’ve cleaned that one about four times.”

I laughed. Hell, I couldn’t even do the easy, brainless job. “Did I at least get the others first?”

“Yeah, you kind of moved in a big circle a few times. Pretty sure the tables are the cleanest they’ve been since they were bought.”

“There’s something at least.”

“Come on. I’m going to walk you home.”

I walked over to the bar and set the washcloth and spray bottle down. “You don’t need to.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I said I was going to walk you home and I’m going to. So get your stuff and let’s go.”

“When’d you get so bossy?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“When you went catatonic.”

“Point.” I sighed. “Sorry. I’ll snap out of it soon.”

“Maybe you should talk to him. Maybe you can—”

“No. I told you and Max what he said, and you both agreed. If it’s not there for him, then it’s not there for him. Period. The end. I’m not going to force it.”

“Honey…”

“Don’t use that I-pity-you tone on me tonight, please. This is the first day I haven’t cried in a week and I’d like to keep my pitiful record for at least a solid twenty-four hours.”

She let out a loud breath. “Okay. Let’s lock up and get out of here.”

When we finished up and Laura walked me across the street, I said, “Thanks, Laura. I appreciate this.”

“No problem. Why don’t you come stay with me tonight? It’s a little out of your way for school in the morning, but not by much.”

“Thanks, again, but I’m good here.”

With her trailing behind me, I went to my door. Immediately, I noticed something was wrong. It was open, just a crack, and light filtered through. “I didn’t leave it unlocked.” Slowly, though my brain told me to stop and run, my arm reached out and pushed the door open.

Behind me, Laura gasped.

I stared ahead, incapable of even that much.

Polaroid pictures covered my walls.

The same word was written over and over in bold, blood red letters.

Mine.

I took a step forward without thinking and didn’t stop until Laura grabbed me. “Ally! Call the cops!”

I nodded but didn’t move.

Mine.

The word repeated in my head in Earl’s voice. A choked sob poured from me. The one man I wanted didn’t want me, and the one man I didn’t want wanted me. The irony was sickening.