Page 67 of Tease
Thanks for the laugh :P Now I’ve gotta get back to this girls’ night.
Me
Anytime. Text me or Beau if you ladies need a ride home tonight. We will be your DDs.
Kailey
I might just hold you to that.
Me
:)
Beau and I continue our night with popcorn, flavored water, and the first Die Hard movie. I guess I’d never seen all of them, just always remember the joke about it being a “Christmas movie,” even though it’s really not. When the movie goes to the end credits, I look over at Beau. “So, does Ajani know?”
He continues to stare at the screen. His tone is cool and collected. “Know what?”
“That you love her?”
“You’re crazy. I do not. That’d be a death sentence for me.”
I take our empty bowl and place it in the sink, leaning my lower back against it. “I know the look. And you’ve got it bad for Ajani. Shit, other people must notice it too. I’m new and picked up on it right away.”
Beau finishes off his water, crumples the bottle, and shoots it at the trashcan, making it in. “It’s not like that. We just get each other, and I do care about her. And would kill anyone who hurt her. But reallove, that’s not in the cards for us.”
I see the sadness in his eyes. “Then you better start working on your poker face, because that, right there,” I point at his face, motioning all around it, “sucks ass.”
Beau’s phone lights up on the counter next to us; it’s Ajani calling. “Huh, speak of the devil,” I tease.
He shoves me in the back on his way to pick it up. “And she’s not the devil.” His finger goes up to flip me off before he answers the call in a sweet tone. “Hey, what’s up?”
I walk past him, wanting to give him privacy, and go sit on the couch. I don’t want to eavesdrop on their personal conversation. Looking at his entertainment center, I notice a gaming console is tucked away in the back. Maybe we can take a break from the movies and play some games before going to bed. I pull it to the front and check out the games that are behind it. Hell yes, and two controllers—score!
Beau walks back into the living room, phone still at his ear. “Sure, no problem. We can be there in five… Okay, wait inside… Alright, bye.”
He kicks my foot. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“To be DDs.”
Ahh, Ajani must’ve told him that I told Kailey we would. I run to my room and grab the hat off of my bed. “Alright, I’m ready.”
Beau rolls his eyes and opens the front door. “Did you really just go put on a hat?”
I grab ahold of the bill, making it sink lower on my head. “Yeah. Kailey likes seeing me in a hat. Maybe you should try it, forAjani.”
Beau parks his dark green Range Rover right outside the doors of Darla’s Pub. He told me on the drive over here that this place is the girls’ personal favorite spot to hang out and have drinks. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much, just a small, rinky-dink bar. There’s a sign lit-up that reads, “Wednesdays: Karaoke!” I bet that’s an interesting show.
Once we walk in, Beau starts laughing. His stare is on something in front of us, and he points to the stage. It’s Kailey and Ajani, standing—maybe more like swaying—in the middle, belting out the lyrics to “I love Rock ‘n Roll,” the Brittney Spears version. They end their song with a bow, and when Ajani stands upright, she notices Beau standing there and squeals. She jumps off stage, and thankfully, Beau is close enough to move up the few big steps to catch her.
“Okay, pretty woman. You’ve had way too many this time.” Beau swipes her light brown hair out of her face.
Ajani nuzzles her nose into the center of his chest. “I like it when you call me pretty.” Her words are slurred.
“We may or may not have gone overboard on the drinks and oversharing tonight.” Kailey squeezes in between Beau and me. Ican smell the lavender, mint, and pear. She still wears the same perfume.
“I can only imagine what the three—” I don’t see Brittney. “Where’s Brittney?”
