Page 5 of Make No Mistake
Two
“Let me in!”Aubrey had been pestering me for the past hour. First, she reminded me to shower. Because I’m a child that needs to be told when to bathe? Then, she barged into my bathroom while I was still in the shower and laid out an outfit for me. Again, because I’m a child that can’t be trusted to dress myself? While I was putting on my makeup, she stood over my shoulder making recommendations on eye shadow color and whether or not I needed another coat of mascara. She claimed I did. I really didn’t.
I finally kicked her out and locked my door, but for an added precaution, I slid my desk to block the door. My door had been locked the previous three times she’d broken in, but she was a determined little sneak.
“Aubrey, I’ve got this. I promise!” I rolled my eyes and went back to pulling my skirt down. My efforts were in vain. Aubrey could wear tight, little skirts without looking like she belonged on a street corner. I could not. The end of the fabric was barely an inch below my butt. There was no way I was going out like this with her brother and his coworkers.
I filtered through my closet, hoping something would jump out at me.
Suddenly, there was a thud against my door.
“What are you doing?” I stared at my desk while the thud occurred again, shaking my laptop.
“Let! Me! In!” She huffed and the thud sounded. This lunatic was trying to break down my door!
“Aubrey, stop it! I’ll open the door.” I grabbed the edge of my desk and heaved it over. Before I could flip the lock, the door burst open.
“Why are you trying to keep me out?” She looked genuinely confused. I opened my mouth to call her on her insane behavior, but she beat me again. “You look amazing!”
“I look like a hooker.” I tugged at my skirt for emphasis.
“No way. I wish I had your legs. You look like a model!”
She had absolutely nothing to be jealous of. Aubrey had a dancer’s body that came from over a decade of hard work and dedication. Her lean, toned body, coupled with her curves, made men drool. I, on the other hand, had no curves to speak of. I might be tall and thin, but fitting into something other than a preteen’s training bra would be great too.
“It’s too much. I’ll just put on some jeans.” I turned back to my closet, but Aubrey grabbed my elbow and turned me around.
“No,” she deadpanned. No further argument needed in her world.
“I can’t meet Brandon and Carter’s coworkers like this!”
She poked me in the chest, forcing me to backup. “You look amazing! You’ve been acting like a zombie for the past five months, and I’m not letting it continue. It’s time to move on and have fun.”
“I haven’t been that bad.”
“You stopped showering for eleven days.”
“I …” She cut me off with the threat of her finger.
“You wore sweats, exclusively, for two full months. It’s only been in the last few weeks that you’ve been coming back to me, and I’m forcing you to snap out of it once and for all. Sean is a moron for giving you up, but there is someone much better out there waiting for you to come back to the real world.”
“Like someone from Brandon’s office?”
“I don’t know! Maybe! You’ll never find out by sitting in pajamas and eating ice cream while bingeing on Netflix.”
She was right, but I would never give her the satisfaction of telling her that. I just scowled and left the room. I didn’t need to be bullied into going out. I needed her to tell me it would be fun and she would have my back.
I was stuffing my keys in my purse when she wrapped an arm around me. “You know I love you, right?”
I nodded and hugged her back. “I love you, too, Bree.”
We broke apart when the front door opened.
“Ready, ladies?” Carter stepped in and smiled at Aubrey. Those two were so in love it was boarding on disgusting. It would be cute, I guess, if it didn’t make me feel so alone.
“Yeah, let’s go.” Aubrey looped her arm around mine and we locked elbows. When we got to Carter, she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a brief kiss before leading us down the hall to the elevator.
“I’m glad you’re coming, Mac. There are a few guys that are excited to meet you.”
