The Love Square (16 page)

Besides Steve’s recap of his weekend with Penny, they didn’t talk about women at all. Mostly, they talked about high school. About where they had imagined they’d be ten years out, and where they ended up. Steve and Alex gushed about their careers, while Dylan complained.

“You are in California, dude, surrounded by beautiful women,” Steve said. “You’re famous.”

“The money. You make so much goddamned money,” Alex said.

“I’m grateful, I am. I hate the whole Hollywood system. All anyone really cares about is how I look. I’m not a real actor.”

“Do you want to be a real actor? Go take some classes. Get your agent to get you different roles,” Steve said.

“I can’t picture myself doing this for very long.”

“Why don’t you do it for your fifteen minutes of fame until you get old and fat and ugly, then do something else?” Alex suggested.

“My sisters depend on the money.” Dylan had supported his sisters since his parents died. They never asked him for help, but he gave it nonetheless. He didn’t know what to do with all the money, anyway.

“They can learn to support themselves, Dyl. They are grown-ups,” Alex said.

“What do you want to do long-term?” Steve asked. “You want to get out of Cali and go live on a farm in Nebraska or something?”

Dylan’s eyes bolted to Steve, and he reminded himself that Steve knew nothing about Clare or Nebraska. Still, his stomach flipped. Now that he had a little physical space from Jenna, he thought about Clare, wondering if she was mad. She hadn’t called or texted, not that he’d been calling her. He couldn’t blame her if she was pissed about sitting around the airport waiting for him.

“Funny you should mention Nebraska,” Dylan said. The men looked confused as he excused himself. He went outside and called Clare.

She didn’t answer. He sent her a text
—

Miss you, NE.

The more he thought about her, the greater the urge to hear her voice. On a mission, he called the bookstore.

One of the employees picked up. He asked for Clare, and when the employee asked for his name, he said, “Mr. Lusty.” He heard the intercom in the background as the employee said over the loudspeaker, “Clare? Mr. Lusty, line two.” Dylan smiled, knowing she would be rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

A few seconds later, she picked up. “My Lord, Dylan. Are you trying to get me fired? Mr. Lusty sounds like another one of your porn characters.”

Dylan grinned. “I needed to hear your voice.”

“I talked to you yesterday. Hey, I’m glad you called, though. Thank you so much for the book. I love it. New York is officially on the top of my list of places I need to see.”

He had forgotten he’d sent the book from the hotel when he checked in. “You’re welcome. I want to look through it with you and tell you about all the photos. How are you?”

“Busy at the store tonight. You? How are things with Jenna? I saw your pictures. She’s…really…she looks like a model.”

“She’s great. You know, I was sitting here at dinner with the guys, and one of them by coincidence mentioned Nebraska.”

“Stop! Why? Nobody mentions Nebraska.”

“He asked me if I wanted to move there. I thought of you.”

The line was silent for a moment.

Dylan continued, “I’m really sorry about yesterday and the airport.”

“It’s all right. I’m just glad you were okay,” she said quietly. “You’re coming home Wednesday?”

“Yes.”

“For sure?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon then, right?”

“I’ll try and call tomorrow. I miss you,” Dylan said.

When he hung up, he realized he had wandered to the corner. He stood for a minute and watched the city move around him. Everyone had someplace to be. They all knew where they wanted to go. Dylan wished he knew that feeling himself.

He spotted a gift shop nearby and wandered in, looking for something for Jenna.

Chapter 14

Alex

Alex and Steve finished another pitcher of sangria while they waited for Dylan.

“Holy shit, with Dylan and Jenna,” Steve said. “How are you handling everything?”

Alex groaned. “They’re both so fucking happy. I had breakfast with them this morning and thought I would throw up. They’re like teenagers making eyes at each other.”

“How can you watch?”

“The whole thing makes me angry, but I know I don’t have a right to be.”

“You’re angry because you’re jealous, you jackass. Because you love her.”

“She told Dylan, you know,” Alex said.

“Told him what? That you’re a jackass?”

“Ha. No. That she loved me.”

“She did? Is she nuts?”

“She told him, ‘It is what it is’ and asked him if he could handle it.”

Steve shook his head. “She’s something.”

“Yeah, something,” Alex agreed. “Anyway, he’ll be gone in a couple of days. Dylan says they are going to try the long-distance relationship thing, but I can’t imagine that working. This has to fizzle out, right?”

“Do you want it to? At least with Dyl, you know he’s not some wacko guy she met online. He’s not the worst person she could be with,” Steve said, then grimaced as he sipped the last of the sangria. “Ah, this is so sweet. I feel my teeth rotting. Anyway, Dylan’s never around, which means you get her to yourself. If you’re not ready to deal with your shit and tell her how you really feel and you’re willing to give her up, at least it’s to Dylan.”

“Like I could compete with D-Barnes. There’s no way she’d want me after being with him.”

“You’re wrong,” Steve said. “If it’s a competition, you already won. You forfeited, though.”

Alex leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. A blonde woman at the table next to him smiled his way. All he could think about was Jenna. “Yeah, I guess I forfeited. Why’d I do that again?”

“Because you’re fucked up.”

***

They settled the tab and tracked down Dylan in the gift shop. Together they walked the streets, weaving their way through the foot traffic, stopping at their favorite bars. At the end of the night, they stumbled to the nearest subway entrance but couldn’t figure out the trains, so Dylan and Alex took a cab to Brooklyn, and Steve Uber-ed his way uptown.

Dylan shut his eyes as he slumped in the backseat of the cab. “I love you, man. I miss you. I wish you lived in Cali. You and Steve are my brothers.”

“Brothers forever,” Alex slurred. “No matter what.”

At the apartment building, Alex and Dylan leaned on each other, climbing the stairs one slow step at a time. By the time they reached the sixth floor, they were practically crawling.

“I want to say hi to Jenna,” Alex said.

“Shh. I don’t know if she’s back yet,” Dylan whispered and burped. “Fuck. Excuse me.”

“You are a mess,” Alex said. “I have a key. Let’s see.”

They zigzagged to Jenna’s door, banging into the hallway walls and laughing.

Dylan knocked. “Jen?” he tried to whisper.

Alex laughed and fumbled with his keys until they fell into the apartment.

Inside, Alex peeked into the bedroom and sighed at the sight of Jenna sleeping. Dylan gave him a hand signal, and understanding the plan, they tiptoed in and then jumped into bed with her.

“What the—?” Jenna sat up straight. “You idiots,” she said, lying back down between them as they laughed. Dylan put his arms around Jenna as she faced Alex. It felt like forever since he’d lain down with her.
I can do this. I can share her with Dylan.

“You both smell like whiskey,” she said. “Alex, you have a game tomorrow and you’re drinking? You’re going to be so hungover.”

“No, Stecs. I didn’t mix. I’ll be fine. I’m fine, right, D?”

“You’re fucked, man,” Dylan said.

“Are you two coming to my game tomorrow, or are you going to be too busy getting it on?” Alex joked.

“We’ll come to your stupid game,” Jenna said, eyes shut.

“Jenna,” Dylan said seriously, rolling on top of her. She opened her eyes to look at him. “Baseball is not stupid.”

Alex laughed as Jenna shook her head and wiggled down to the foot of the bed. She disappeared into the bathroom.

“D-Barnes,” Alex said. “We’re in bed together with no chick.” They started laughing again.

Jenna came back and handed them each three pills and a cup of water. “Take these,” she said. “You two are quite a sight.”

“Hop in, Stecs,” Alex said. “Let’s play out the fantasy.”

“You two drunks? Nope. One of you has to leave.” She tugged Alex’s shoulders. “Out, Alex.”

“Why do I have to go? Make him go,” he said, pointing to Dylan.

“I should make both of you go, actually. But he’s going to fly away soon,” she said, pointing to Dylan. “So you’re getting the boot. Can you make it upstairs?”

Alex tried to pull himself together. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched the floor spin. Jenna grabbed his hands and helped him stand. “I can make it,” he declared. But Jenna kept a hold of him and walked him to the door.

“You remember where you live?” Jenna teased as she opened the door for him.

Alex stopped and turned to her in the doorway. She looked sleepy, sexy, and sweet. As they stared at each other, Alex remembered the first time he’d danced with her at Uncle Nino’s party.

“What’s wrong?” Jenna asked quietly.

“I miss you,” Alex whispered.

Jenna smiled and sighed, then kissed him on the cheek. “Go,” she said, and when he walked down the hallway, he heard her lock the door behind him.

“Fucking Barnes,” he said as he made his way to the eighth floor.

***

Jenna

Jenna woke on Tuesday afternoon to Dylan kissing her shoulder blade.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi,” he said back. “Sorry we caused a scene last night and I passed out on you.”

He trailed a line of kisses down her spine, and she melted right into the bed. When he got as low as he could go, he put his palm on her leg and ran his hand down to her ankle. “I missed you last night,” he said, resting his head on her back.

“I missed you too. It’s our last day together,” she said as he ran his hand up her leg. He flipped her around and laid his head on her belly. His bloodshot eyes looked into hers. “You smell good,” she sang as she ran her hands through his hair.

He looked up at her face, his chin resting on her ribs. “I showered.”

“I wish you could stay.”

“Me too. But we have to go back to real life. When can you come to LA?”

She stretched and moaned. “Tomorrow?”

Dylan grinned that gorgeous, white smile. “For real?”

“No,” she said. “I have to go to work one of these days, and Scott will murder me.” Jenna mentally ran through her schedule. “Maybe for a long weekend, middle of August? Like two weeks from now? Then maybe you can meet me in Vegas for nationals at the end of August?”

“So I’ll get to see you in LA in two weeks and then in Vegas in four?”

Jenna nodded. She couldn’t believe this beautiful man wanted to spend time with her. The heat from his chest radiated against her thighs. “I wish I could bottle this feeling,” she said.

“Which feeling?” Dylan asked.

“The way you feel against my skin. Your warmness. The way your hair feels in my hands,” she said quietly.

“Oh no.” He tsked and playfully bit her waist. “No emotional good-byes today. I have another plan for us.”

“More plans? I’m not listening to any plan that involves leaving this apartment.”

“No, really. It’s a good one.” Jenna grimaced, but Dylan continued. “Let’s go up to Central Park, pack a lunch, a blanket. Walk, get some fresh air, talk, hang around. Then we’ll come back here, order Chinese, go to Alex’s game, and stay naked until I have to leave for the airport tomorrow.”

Jenna squinted. “You promise we’ll be back by dinnertime?”

“Promise. If I make it that long.”

“I might need convincing,” she said. “And since you passed out on me last night, I think maybe you should make it up to me.”

“My pleasure,” he said, as his lips trailed up her side.

***

After a joint shower, Dylan and Jenna walked into Central Park with their packed lunch and a blanket. Dylan hid behind sunglasses and wore a baseball cap but looked adorable in his shorts and a polo. After they ate lunch, they stretched out on the blanket.

Jenna’s foot twitched uncontrollably.

“Why are you so jittery?” Dylan asked.

Her gaze trailed his long body as he lay on his side next to her in the sun, his glasses hanging down around the tip of his nose, and she sighed at the sight of him.
“I can’t remember the last time I sat so still for so long. How do you do it?” She flipped onto her stomach and played with the grass.

“I like being still. It settles my brain.”

“Alex is the opposite. He’s always jumping around like a maniac. I think the only place he sits still is in front of the television.”

“He’s always been like that,” Dylan said. “We could never watch a game without him wanting to get up and play. As soon as we’d find a place to sit on the beach, he’d pop up and be like, ‘Let’s go for a walk’ or ‘Let’s go eat.’ Me and Steve wanted to relax and watch the girls, and he was all hyperactive needing to move.”

“It’s nice you guys are still close after all these years,” Jenna said.

Dylan lay back and shut his eyes to the sun. Jenna did the same. They held hands on the blanket. “What about you? Who do you hang out with?” Dylan asked. “Besides Alex.”

“I guess Scott is the friend I’ve had the longest,” Jenna said. “I met him in high school. We’ve been partners ever since. I met Penny in college.”

“Penny seems okay. A little intense.”

“I think the weekend with Steve calmed her down a bit.”

“Last night, he said he was really into her.”

Jenna made a mental note to tell Penny. “Alex hates her.”

“He’s probably jealous when you hang out with her. He’s been complaining about having to share you with me. He’s pretty possessive.”

“More like psycho,” Jenna said.

“Hey. Be nice to Pops. He’s got issues.”

“Believe me, I know. I asked him why he never told you about me, and you know what he said? He was afraid we’d hook up and you’d steal me from him.”

Dylan pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head and rolled on top of Jenna. “Maybe he’s psychic, not psycho. The moment I saw you, I wanted to hook up with you.” He brushed his lips against hers lightly, and she sighed, reminding herself they were in public.

“Yeah, I vaguely remember you kissing me at a bar in Long Island and declaring yourself my boyfriend.”

“I did do that, didn’t I?” Dylan murmured before he kissed her cheek. “You didn’t seem too upset.”

“‘Upset’ is not the word I would use to describe how I felt when you kissed me in the club.”

“I’ve been around beautiful women, Jenna Stecco, but you? Friday night? That dress? Irresistible.”

Jenna pouted and held him close. “Please don’t leave. I want to fold you up and keep you in my pocket, then take you out to say sweet words to me.”

Dylan pulled back onto his side, eyes wide. “Why don’t you come to Hollywood? You can be an actress…or a model.”

“There’s that sweet talk again. I’m a New Yorker, Dylan.”

“I know. And Alex would kill me. And Scott. And Penny. They are ready to kill me after these five days. If I tried to steal you forever, they’d come hunt us down. It’s back to real life, I guess.”

Real life, yuck.
“Work tomorrow will be a major bummer after such a fantastic weekend.” Jenna rolled onto her side to face Dylan. “We only have a few more hours before Alex’s game tonight. I’d say we should skip, but maybe it’s better we go. It will be like weaning off you.”

“You promise you’ll come to LA in two weeks, right? I’m getting you a ticket. Promise me. Makes it easier knowing I will see you again soon.”

“Definitely,” Jenna said. “I can’t wait.”

Dylan pulled out his phone and looked for flights while Jenna wondered how a long-distance relationship with Dylan could ever work in the long run.
Does the prince ever live on the other side of the kingdom?
She’d have to check her fairy tales.