One Night with Calvin (One Night Series Book 2) (9 page)

“Me?” Pip explained. “Hell no … wait …” She turned to Reece. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I thought everyone knew after your big announcement at Cody’s party. I just blew your news, didn’t I? Bad friend award.”

Spencer’s face paled and he gripped his drink so hard his knuckles became white. “What? Since when? How far…?” He cleared his throat again. “Congrats.” His voice didn’t match the distraught look on his face. He must’ve had it worse than I thought.

Really? Reece?
I shuddered. She was way too much drama for me to even look at in that way. Plus, being Cole’s ex, it would’ve broken the bro code to even consider it.

“Uh … thanks,” Reece muttered to Spence without looking at him. Her skin flushed.

Before I had a chance to analyse
that
reaction, my phone rang and Georgie’s name lit up the screen. “Excuse me,” I said, climbing out of the booth.

“Hey, sweetness. What’s up?” I walked outside so I could hear her.

“Nothin’ much. Uh … umm …”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, good. Umm … so I’m setting up a photoshoot for my line and I want you. I mean … to be in it. I want you to model my clothes … not
my
clothes. My designs.”

Her stumbling for words amused me. “I don’t think I’d fit into your clothes anyway. You have short legs and a tiny waist.”

She laughed on the other end of the line.

“But I definitely want in. You’ll have to go through my management team again, though.”

“I know. I figured I should call you and double-check you’d be okay with it after I embarrassed myself at Fashion Week.”

I pursed my lips. “You got drunk and we had some fun. You didn’t do anything embarrassing. Well … apart from throwing up throughout the entire show the next day. Total rookie mistake, by the way.”

“You could’ve stopped me from drinking!” she shrieked.

“I tried. You’re stubborn when you’re drunk.”

“Yeah, that sounds like me. You might need to come to Brisbane for the shoot. We haven’t picked a definite location or anything yet, but my people will get the deets to your people.”

“How awesome is it that we have people? It makes us sound way more important than we are.”

“I know, right?” She chuckled. “Well, I look forward to working with you again. I won’t drink so much this time.”

“No worries. Thanks, sweets.”

10

- SARA -

Danny:

Will u be my date to my Dad’s wedding on Saturday?

Sara:

To the evil stepmother? I guess I should be there for Paige.

Danny:

But not me? I need moral support too u know.

Sara:

I didn’t realise you were having sex with Cole too.

Danny:

Ha Ha. Dying with laughter over here. Pls? We were meant to hang out but ur still avoiding me.

Sara:

I’ll be your date.

“Who was that?” Paige asked from my couch. She had her head in a torts textbook, and I was across from her in my single armchair nursing a legislation book.

“Looks like I’m going to your dad’s wedding.”

“With Danny?” Her entire face lit up.

“Yeah.” I didn’t mean to sigh, but apparently, I did.

“You don’t sound too excited.”

“I like your brother. I do. It’s just …”

“He’s not Calvin-worthy?”

I cringed at his name. “He’s certainly the closest I’ve ever come to feeling a smidgen of what was between Ryan … Calvin and me.”

“So why don’t you just go out with Hunter? Also, I think we need to pick a name and stick to it. This whole Hunter, Ryan, Calvin thing is confusing.”

I ignored the name comment, although she had a point. “So, just like that? I should go out with the guy who slept with me and then someone else less than twenty-four hours later?”

“Yeah, it was a dick move. But it was four years ago, and he thought you stood him up. To him, you guys were over.”

“I can’t go there. I was devastated after only one night with him. Could you imagine if I had an actual relationship with him and it didn’t work out? I wouldn’t recover.”

“Melodramatic much?”

I threw my couch cushion at her. “Says the girl who had sex with her stepmother’s ex-husband and has been moping ever since it all blew up in her face.”

“Hey, I never said I wasn’t being hypocritical. At least Cole and I gave it a shot. I’ll always have those six weeks with him. Six blissfully hot, sweaty, sexy weeks.” She sighed. “Damn you. Now I’m all depressed again.”

“Welcome to the club.”

There was silence for a beat. “What are you going to do about Danny? You can’t lead him on.”

“I’ll tell him after the wedding I just want to be friends. I don’t want him to throw away his life in America for me. Not when my feelings for him are only lukewarm.”

“As much as I would love to have Danny home, it’s unfair to pimp you out to him so he’d come back. Although, I could do it …” She possessed a conspirator’s smile.

“You’re lucky I have no more couch cushions left.”

***

Paige looked pale … and a little constipated during the whole wedding ceremony. I sat by myself in the back row of the small chapel, seeing as Danny was best man and Paige was maid of honour. I couldn’t believe her stepmum forced her into that position. Their whole dynamic was insane.

Throughout the entire ceremony, I felt his eyes on me. Ryan was sitting a few rows up and across the aisle from me. Every time he turned his head to stare, I tensed. I didn’t even need to look at him to know he was staring. My gut pinched when he pinned me with those chocolate eyes.

To add insult to injury, I found I was seated at the “young” table at the reception, meaning Ryan was right there at my table along with all of Reece’s other friends. Danny and Paige were too, but they were still getting wedding party photos when I arrived at the reception hall.

I dumped my purse on my chair and took off towards the bar, refusing to make eye contact with Ryan.

Unfortunately, before I was out of earshot, I heard “Damn, who was that?” from one of the guys at the table followed by “Don’t bother. Been there, done that,” from Ryan.

Asshole.

I turned back towards the table. “And it wasn’t worth the penicillin. Just sayin’.”

Feeling smug, I walked away again to sounds of “Ooooh” and laughter at Ryan’s expense. If he was going to be a dick about it, then I was too. An STD joke may’ve been below the belt—pun intended—but I knew of his reputation. I knew it’d get the biggest reaction.

I hadn’t heard from him in weeks, ever since he told me he’d back off. That’s not to say I wasn’t still checking my phone, hoping for something. Anything. At least I hadn’t caved and messaged him instead.

Naïve as it was, I thought we could at least get through today without drawing attention to ourselves. I was hoping I could ignore him. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen, because my entire body was wired from just being around him.

Paige suggested the only reason I accepted Danny’s offer to be his date at this wedding was because I wanted to make Ryan jealous. And up until I saw him, I thought she was wrong. As it turned out, Paige knew me better than I knew myself.

I hung out by the bar until a warm arm wrapped around my waist.

“Hey,” Danny said in my ear.

I was on my fourth wine, so I leaned back into his chest.

“Ready to find our table?”

“Sure.” Only, I wasn’t. Because
he
was still sitting there.

We took two steps towards it before I paused.

Danny looked at Ryan and then back at me. “Oh. Is it going to be weird sitting with Hunter?”

I tore my gaze from the table to make eye contact with Danny. “Paige told you?”

“Not the whole story. Just that you guys have a history.”

“It’ll be fine,” I lied.

But it
was
fine. Because as soon as we reached the table, Ryan stood to take himself to the bar and his friends followed him.

Paige joined us a short time later, and she placed three drinks on the table before taking her seat.

“Oh, did you get us a drink?” I asked, reaching for one.

She swatted my hand away. “Get your own.” Her voice was slurred already.

“P, how much have you had to drink?” Danny asked.

“Just a wittle bit.” She giggled.

I couldn’t help laughing with her until Danny glared at me.

“You’re encouraging her?”

My hand found his upper arm and gave it a squeeze. “It’s a rough day for her. If I was in her position, I would’ve been drunk standing at the altar.”

Ryan approached then, standing over Paige with a smile as he watched her down two of her drinks. When she went for a third, he asked, “Are you sure you should have another drink?”

She turned to him, glassy eyed. “Been counting my drinks, Hunter? That’s a bad habit you have. Even when Cole’s not around, you can’t help yourself?”

“Yup. Just as I thought.” Ryan grabbed her drink off her, drank it, and then offered her his hand. “You’re drunk, and I want to dance. Therefore, you’re my perfect lady.”

“Shocker,” I mumbled under my breath. Danny and Ryan both heard me. Paige did not.

When they disappeared to the dancefloor, Danny leaned back and placed his long arm along the back of my chair. “Okay. I think I’m going to need the story.”

“What story?”

“You and Hunter.”

I waved him off. “It was a long time ago.”

“How long were you together?”

A loud “Ha!” escaped me. “It was a one-night stand. It was nothing.”

He pursed his lips while I gulped down the remainder of my wine.

“I’m wasting my time here, aren’t I?” His question was quiet.

“Hmm?” I pretended not to hear him.

“It doesn’t take a genius to work out you two are still into each other.”

Deny it, say something, do anything.
My mouth dropped open but nothing came out.

“Okay … I told myself I wasn’t going to do this, but I feel you should know why I really came back.”

I swallowed hard.

He let out a loud breath and looked up at the ceiling. “You’re totally going to hate me for this, and I probably deserve it, but I hope we can remain friends …”

“Wait,
you’re
ending this?” Not that it mattered, because it was my plan to put a stop to it after the wedding anyway, but still—
ouch
.

“There’s someone back home I didn’t tell you about. It’s been a long and confusing on-off type relationship for years.”

“
Years?
”

“She drives me crazy. We constantly argue over the small things, she’s a pain in the ass most days, but … I can’t beat the pull I have towards her.”

A headache started to kick in. “I don’t get it. Paige never said anything about you having a girlfriend.”

“P doesn’t know. I mean … last she heard, we were broken up again so she assumes Ellie is out of my life. Which, right now, is true. I think.” He grunted. “It’s complicated. I had so many what-ifs floating around about us, that when she told me I had to come home and sort my shit out before we could get serious, my first thought was of you.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve never felt the calm or easiness with anyone else like I feel with you. It’s easy to be around you, which is so different than being with her. I thought that by testing the waters with you, I’d know for certain one way or another whether I truly wanted to marry her.”

“
Marry
?” I squeaked. “So, you were using me?”
Kettle, meet pot.

He huffed a laugh. “Well, it’s not like you actually gave me a chance to do that, right? You’ve made me work hard just to spend time with you. And now, seeing how you look at him, I know why. You don’t want me. You weren’t even willing to give me a shot.”

“I-I … umm …”

“I’m not angry. If anything, this has made me see how much of an ass I’ve been to Ellie. I’m always on her about needing to calm down. Whenever we fight, I think of you and how we never fought.”

“We had a two-week fling,” I remind him. “That’s not really long enough to judge whether or not we’d fight.”

“True. But even now, after I just told you that I was using you, I’m seeing someone else, and I basically lied to you, you’re not blowing up at me.”

True. But …
“Don’t take this the wrong way … I mean, you’re great and everything, and I know exactly what you mean about it being easy between us, but do you think that could be because we don’t actually care that much?”

He smiled. “Why are we torturing ourselves being hung up on people who drive us crazy? It could be so easy for us to be together.”

I thought about it for a moment, and I wanted to feel something more towards Danny because he was right—it would be easier, but it also wouldn’t be fair to either of us. “Maybe we do it because nothing beats that feeling of when we’re near them.”

He wrapped his arm around me. “Want me to beat him up for whatever he did? I could take down the pretty boy in less than a minute.”

I laughed. “And then get sued for loss of wages. You know he’s a model, right? He has to remain pretty at all times.”

“I’ll leave the face alone.” He grinned.

“Umm … he mostly does underwear stuff.”

“Holy hell. Well, I never thought I’d offer to hit a guy in the dick, but I’d do it. For you.”

“You’re really hoping I tell you no right now, aren’t you?”

“So much, I think I’m sweating.” He wiped his forehead and then loosened his tie, and I laughed even harder at him. “Why don’t you go ask him to dance?”

His question threw me and my laughter died. “Just because I’m into him, doesn’t mean I should act on it. He’s still an asshole. Besides, he seems to be having plenty of fun with my best friend right now.”

“From what I know, he’s a pretty decent guy. He wouldn’t really be hitting on P—she’s his roommate’s ex, and that would break bro code. He’s probably trying to make you jealous.”

“That sounds like the level of maturity I’d expect from him.”
And from me, apparently.

“Well, there’s only one way to get back at him.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “We need to stoop to his level. Taking the high road is overrated.” Standing, he held out his hand so I could follow him onto the dancefloor.

“So, we’re cool, right?” I asked him as he started twirling me around.

His lips turned up at one side, showing off a dimple in his right cheek. “We’re cool. Although, we probably could’ve come to this conclusion at lunch a few weeks ago if you were honest.”

I scowled. “Me? If I—”

He laughed. “Okay, if we were both honest.”

We danced awhile, but my eyes kept gravitating towards Ryan and Paige. He dragged her from the dancefloor to the bar where they were drinking bottles of water, not more alcohol. My brow scrunched in confusion, but Danny put his fingers under my chin and forced me to look at him.

“You’re the worst date ever. Just so you know.”