Page 72 of Fifty First Times (Sharing You 0.40)
His party? This was Garrett’s party? Of all the annoying coincidences . . .
“I said I’d come back for her,” Zach says, his voice a little edgier than I’m used to.
Garrett shrugs. “Suit yourself man. I’m just saying, by the time you get Twin A home, who knows what Twin B will have gotten herself into . . .”
“He’s right,” I say reluctantly. “You take Haley, and Garrett and I can get Corrie.”
“You know him?” Zach asks, jerking a shoulder toward Garrett.
“We work together.”
Zach looks between the two of us before nodding slightly. “Cool. Thanks man,” he says to Garrett. “I r
eally appreciate it.”
It’s subtle, but I’m pretty sure Zach’s use of the first person just then is his way of letting Garrett know that we’re all on Zach’s turf. That I’m on Zach’s turf. And I guess I am . . . sort of.
Garrett just nods. He still hasn’t really looked at me, and that bothers me for some reason. Surely he’s not mad that I backed out on his party? Well, I thought I backed out on his party . . .
Zach promises to come over as soon as he gets Haley home, and then disappears into the crowd.
I expect Garrett to give me crap, but instead he just jerks his head in the direction of the other room. “Your girl’s this way. Does she have a jacket?”
“Yeah, it’s in that pile by your front door,” I say.
“You grab that. I’ll get her.”
I reach out and snag his sleeve, pulling him to a stop before he can move away. “Garrett.”
He glances at my hand, before meeting my eyes, his eyes oddly unreadable.
“Thanks,” I say simply.
He nods once. Twice. “Any time.”
HALF AN HOUR later, Garrett and I are sitting side by side on my bed, and trying not to laugh at the unattractive mess that is Corrie when she’s passed out drunk.
“Do think we should, like, close her mouth?” Garrett asks.
“Only if she starts snoring,” I say, watching as Corrie flings a hand over her head before making a soggy, snuffling noise before rolling onto her side.
“So,” Garrett says after several seconds.
“So,” I say, thinking his next line will be something along the lines of I should be going.
“Two lies, Ms. Gilmore. I’m surprised at you.”
Huh? I turn my head to look at his profile, which is surprisingly close. We hadn’t turned on any lights in an effort to get Corrie from party mode to sleepy mode. It apparently worked. She was asleep the second her head hit the pillow.
And now I’m kind of tempted to turn on the light, because I’m all too aware that I’m sitting almost hip to hip with Garrett Reed, only the soft glow from the streetlamp outside to break up the darkness.
“You’ve lied to me twice.”
I frown. “About what?”
“First, about coming to the party . . .”
I held up a finger about that. “I never said for sure that I’d come to the party, I said I’d try. Plus, it’s not like I went MIA. I texted you and said I couldn’t make it.”
