Chapter 34

Despite my shame that after my nineteenth birthday I got arrested, Casen never missed a chance to remind me of it.

I would walk around the house – cook or bake something or just watch a movie – and Casen's head would pop out of nowhere and say something insulting but also funny.

And since it was Casen we were talking about, I would never hold his sarcasm against him.

Sometimes even Leigh would joke about it and after a few days I could only laugh about it.

Emilia had told me that they told ran to Seeley who was the only person home since Casen and Austin went out for a football match with the locals, and he was both shocked and worried about me apparently.

I knew I shouldn't have felt this way but after hearing that my breath had gotten taken away.

Maybe the lines started to fade a little in our game.

Or maybe they were never even there to begin with.

At Friday, despite having a gut-wreching feeling about the BBQ party where Perkyn had invited me, Leigh decided to help me and kept me company while shopping.

We ate hot-dogs and kept looking at every store we could. While we were drinking a shake to fight the heat of the summer, we were walking on the busy streets, surrounded by strangers.

I still haven't found the best dress I could imagine for both introduction and a BBQ party, only had plan B and C if we couldn't find anything.

I had a few dresses in my suitcase but I didn't want to be too informal. After all, I would be introduced to Perkyn's family and I didn't want to give the wrong impressions that I hadn't cared at all.

"Are you nervous? About tonight?" She asked while walking.

I took a sip from my vanilla shake and tapped my fingers against my thigh.

"No, I'm not." I lied. "Do I look like who is nervous?"

Leigh narrowed her eyes while eyeing me from the top of my head to my toes.

"Actually…"

"I was joking." I cut her off. "I'm not nervous. I'm terrified."

Leigh laughed and crossed her arm with mine.

"I understand that." She answered. "It's almost the same when your boyfriend introduces to his parents. You're going to be an emotional trainwreck, I can already tell."

I glared at her and pulled her arm and she yelped.

"You're not helping." I said. "If you're trying to make me feel better, you are fired from your position."

Leigh shrugged while leaning her head on my shoulder.

"That's my job, Heddy."

I gave her a side glance.

"To make me feel miserable about myself?"

"To be honest with you." She grinned.

Ouch. To be honest with me… Her words cut through my heart at least ten times before I decided to breathe out.

Only if I had the courage to be that honest with her. I owned her that much. But whenever I started to speak, Seeley's words started to echo in my head.

And they refused to leave until they convinced me not to say anything. I had to remember that it was Seeley's decision, not mine. It was up to him how hel felt and didn't feel.

Whatever Seeley would say to Leigh once they sat down to talk, it had nothing to do with me.

"Leigh?" I asked softly, feeling guilty.

She gave me a small smile as she looked up at me. She was so happy and full of light. I didn't want to ruin that but eventually she had to hear what she had to hear.

Caring for a person and having them not liking you back felt like a thorn in the heart. And I didn't want her to get hurt like that.

"Yes?"

"Do you…" I started and when I saw the light in her eyes, my voice was muffled. "See that dress?"

She turned to the direction my eyes jumped and she gasped.

"Oh, mighty… It's perfect!" She exclaimed and dragged me toward the store. "We have to buy it!"

"But what if they don't have one in my size?"

Leigh didn't seem happy for that possible option.

She glared at me and nodded to the store.

"Then we'll sue them for fake advertising."

"What…" I couldn't help but laugh at her ridiculous answer. She was very serious when it came to buying a dress for important events.

And I didn't dare cross her path while she was that focused on her task.

Half an hour later we walked back home with the final dress in a bag in my hand. Half of me was relaxed now that I've had something to wear while the wheels in my brain kept rolling toward the call it quits direction before it was too late.

I was nervous as hell to meet Perkyn's family while we were… friends? Something told me that he might consider taking things too seriously if I actually showed up.

I had another fear that if I'd ditch him, he'd think that there might besomething between Seeley and me.

I didn't want neither to happen. And I didn't want to go or ghost him.

Why were things with men so difficult?

When we got into the house I saw Seeley in the kitchen, eating a slice of pizza. When I looked around there was no body else there.

"Where are the others?" I asked after closing the door.

Seeley swallowed the piece he has been chewing on and pointed to the hallway.

"There is a party this evening, so they are sleeping so that they could stay awake." He answered and I scoffed.

"I didn't know working in a bar was this exciting." I said.

Seeley shrugged and finished his pizza as if he couldn't say anything else.

"Em is somewhere in the garden, I suppose." He said then noticed my bag and furrowed his eyebrows. "Where were you two?"

Before I could speak up, Leigh stepped forward.

"We were shopping for Heddy." She said, feeling the need to answer instead of me.

"I can see that." He gave her a weird look.

"She is going over to Perkyn tonight." She continued with a grin and my stomach flipped when Seeley tensed.

He cleaned his hands and slowly turned to me.

The only emotions I could read from his face were slight confusion and anger.

"Does she?" He asked me.

I bit into my lip while balancing the bag in my hands. Suddenly it felt heaver than it was.

Leigh seemed like who wasn't even with us. She was walking on clouds that Seeley was talking to her, so she couldn't notice my nervousness.

I didn't know why but I was afraid of his reaction. Perkyn wasn't his favorite person in the world, he had made that pretty clear. Once he might have made an exception because of my birthday but that time was long gone.

"He invited her in the beginning of the week." She explained and I wished she would just stop talking. "Isn't it cute? He likes her so much and now introduces her to his family? That's dedication right there."

Whenever Seeley's eyes found me, I felt like someone was grazing a needle on my skin. It was painful and gave me discomfort.

"Kind of messed up the order of things, huh?" He asked standing up and half-sat on the table.

"Why?"

Seeley rubbed the back of his head while he made a face.

What order? Because he was so right in everything? What should someone do if they liked someone? Have sex with them then send them mixed signals?

"I thought something like this only happened when the other partner has also agreed to do it." He started it. "No first date? Or first kiss or holding hands? Kind of pathetic if you ask me."

I crossed my arms and took a step forward to silence Leigh because I could already feel her need of standing up for me.

"Good thing nobody asked you." I spat. He could make my blood boil in seconds which was a real gift that he had been born with.

There was a micro change in his face but it was almost invisible.

"And I also happen to like him." I said which was true, in a way.

"You do know?" He asked.

"I don't think it's a new thing." Leigh added. "Have you not seen how Heddy has been looking at Perkyn?"

How was I looking at him? I didn't think it was anything special.

Perkyn just made me smile almost all the time with his awkwardness. And sometimes I wondered how my life would change if we were more than friends.

Seeley looked more and more frustrated.

"I didn't see anything." He remarked. "But that must be because I don't care about childish things like that."

I felt my anger crawling up to my veins into my brain as I glared at Seeley. If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead on the floor in a second.

Why was he so rude and heartless about this? Can he have a girlfriend but I'm not supposed to go out with someone?

He had to be the most unpredictable man I have ever met.

"Good thing we do." Leigh said just when her phone started to ring which I was grateful for.

I needed a few minutes alone with Seeley. So that I could scream his head off for being a douche.

"It's my mother." Leigh said with a painful expression. "Just an hour and I'll be back."

"Okay."

Leigh walked out of the house and disappeared while answering her phone.

I sighed and put the bag on the couch and Seeley scoffed while shaking his head.

"You're not serious about that." His eyes met mine, holding nothing against me but coldness.

"What if I am?" I crossed my arms.

"You don't even know him." He glared at me, not believing what I said. "And you're willingly going over to him? You can't be that gullible."

My face was burning from how much I focused on not going over to the kitchen to kick him. We were miles away from what we had been.

And I missed how calm but sexy things used to be between us.

"I'm not." I argued. "I know Perkyn, I've spending quite a lot of time with him."

"At work."

"And sometimes after work. What is it to you anyways?" I asked with a sinister glare.

"I'm looking after you. We are friends after all."

I let out a forced laugh and put my hair back behind my ears.

"We are only friends if you are in a good mood." I told him, standing my ground. "And friends also don't try to control other people's lives for the sake of their ego."

Seeley sighed and lifted his fingers against his lips.

"I'm not controlling you." He said quietly.

I won't buy his poor argument. Not now.

"Aren't you?" I asked. "You're constantly telling me if I can or can't go out with someone. Last time I checked you weren't in any kind of position to tell me what I'm allowed to do. I'm sick of your attitude."

"But not sick of my dick?" He asked and I turned around to sse if anyone could hear us.

With trembling lips I walked over to him and pushed his massive chest.

"You're such an asshole. What if somebody hears us?" I asked. "Use your brain for once."

"I don't think that's much of a deal anymore." He shrugged.

"What is your problem exactly?" I asked fiercly. "Is it because I have a life outside of you? Good thing there is nothing serious between us because your lack of presence wouldn't affect my life at all. If you can't hold yourself back and have to lecture me like a brother all the time then feel free to never talk to me again."

Seeley's face slowly softened, even his eyes seemed to be bigger as he was listening to my rant.

I felt relieved after spitting out everything that's been crossing my mind since I started to sleep with him for fun.

"Perkyn is a great guy."

"And he likes you." Seeley said in a defeated tone.

"What about it? Can't people like me?" I asked coldly.

Seeley looked into my eyes before tearing his gaze away.

"I just don't like it."

"Why?" I asked. "We are just friends and sometimes have sex. No strings attached, remember?"

I hated it to throw it in his face because he got close to me, especially lately, but I had to remind him of that.

Not giving him a chance to say anything about his hatred toward Perkyn, I turned around and went into my room.

I couldn't help but thinking back to the new argument we have had with Seeley while getting ready. Which wasn't fair because I was dressing up for Perkyn. He was the reason I bought a dress and made my make up.

I liked the white long dress with pink flowers and white wheels. The fabric was thin but also gave my legs freedom.

I was putting my earrings in when Leigh walked into the room.

"Your prince is here." She grinned proudly and I fixed my hair before grabbing my purse and walking out of the room.

No matter what, tonight I'll have fun and no one can ruin that. Especially Seeley.

"You don't even look bad," Emilia complimented me while laying on the couch, holding her tablet.

"Thank you." I smiled.

My eyes met with Seeley's for a brief second but I instantly turned away before I'd let myself get lost in his gaze.

"Have fun, beautiful." Leigh grabbed my hands. "Don't rush to come home."

"I won't."

When I opened the door, Perkyn was just about to walk up the stairs. He was wearing shorts, black sneakers and a blue unbuttoned shirt and a white shirt.

When Perkyn saw me, he stopped walking and examined me silently.

"You're beautiful." He said and I closed the door behind me.

"Thank you."

"If I would have known you'd wear something like this, I would have brought my suit. Now I look like a street guy next to you."

I chuckled and when he reached out to me, I grabbed his hand to walk down the stairs.

"I'm nervous, to be honest."

"Nervous? You?" He joked, referring to my first day at the hotel. I smiled at the nostalgic memory creeping into my mind.

"I know it's hard to believe it but it happens to me too." I smiled when he opened the passenger door for me to his red car.

"I would have never thought."

When he jumped into the car, I placed my purse in my lap and waited for him to pull into the doorway.

"So, any advice I could use?" I asked and he gave me a side glance.

"Don't be yourself." He joked and I slapped his arm slightly.

When my eyes dropped to his lips, I smiled.

"I don't have a piercing unfortunately." I teased him about his lip piercing. "Is that okay? Or should we just turn back?"

"Believe it or not, my dad almost closed me out of the house when I came home like this." He pointed to his piercing.

"I don't blame him."

"I'm sure he'll like you." Perkyn reached over the consol and put a calming hand over mine. I dropped my eyes to our hands, noticing how much I actually enjoyed his soft touch.

"I hope so."

Ten minutes later we arrived. Perkyn lived in a one-storey house with white walls and brown roof. It was about the same size as our rented house was.

When he helped me out of the car, I heard the front door open.

"Finally, son, I started to worry you forgot where you lived." Said a deep voice.

"I can't, even if I wanted to." Perkyn said, closing the passenger door.

I smiled at their father-son interaction and turned around, glancing up.

When I saw a man in his forties, with dark hair and lightly wrinkled face, I froze in my place. I couldn't look away as shock and confusion paralyzed my limbs.

I didn't even need to think to recognize his face. Even though I only saw him once, his face burnt into my brain after our graduation ceremony.

I wanted to doubt myself but the clear green eyes were as solid proof as a rock. It was Seeley's father.