Filed to story: Swallow Me Whole (Sadie & Ashton) Book Free
“Oh wow.” Mandy glances at the blond guy at her side. “Best friend duty calls.” Rising on her tiptoes, she kisses him. “Text me later?”
“Sure will.” He kisses her cheek then greets me with a nod on his way out the door.
“That must be the new flavor of the month?” I ask.
“Yep.” She crosses into the kitchen and pulls out a pint of rocky road ice cream from the freezer. “You look like you could use this.” Settling next to me on the couch, two spoons in her hand, she grins. “I think I can too. Never a better time to splurge than after a horizontal workout.”
I laugh. “Who needs a gym, right?”
She pulls the lid off the pint and spoons out a bite. “Exactly.”
“You’ve been into this guy for a while,” I say, scooping up a spoonful of creamy chocolate goodness. “Is it serious this time?”
“Maybe.” Her noncommittal shrug doesn’t bode well for the guy. “He’s good to me, and even better in bed.” She points her spoon in my direction. “Enough about my sex life. What’s going on with you?”
Shit, where do I start? You’d think we’d be more involved in each other’s lives, but we’ve both been too busy lately to have real downtime—not since the night I got drunk and decided going down on her brother was a good idea.
“Well, I already told you how the dinner at my parents’ house ended.”
“Ugh. I can’t believe your father tried cornering you into an engagement. That’s low, even for him. Good thing Ash was there, huh?”
Warmth spreads across my cheeks. I pray to God she doesn’t notice. “My dad’s still pressuring me about Jake. That’s why I quit today. I just couldn’t take it anymore.”
“You stuck it out way longer than I would have. You’re practically a damn saint when it comes to your father.”
“I think it’s safe to say my sainthood is over.”
We fall into a companionable silence for a while, taking turns spooning out ice cream, and I realize I’ve missed this. We used to be so close that we could tell what the other was thinking with just a glance.
But we’re not kids anymore. We’re grown ups with jobs and school and boyfriends.
And secrets.
“What’s really bothering you?” Mandy asks, breaking the silence. “You haven’t been the same since the night you caught Jake cheating. Are you still hung up on him?”
“No.”
“Then what is it? Something’s wrong.” Her tone is soft, a cajoling melody inviting me to confide in her.
“It’s Ashton.” Now that his name is out there, I can’t pull it back. I’m not sure I want to. I force myself to meet her eyes. “You’re going to think I’ve lost my damn mind, but I’m…in love with him.”
She blinks, and the most shocking thing about her expression is the lack of surprise I find there.
“This isn’t news to you, is it.” It’s not a question.
“Well, I’m surprised you’re using the L word, but I’ve gotta say it’s been obvious for a long time that there’s something between you guys.”
“How can you know that?
I didn’t even know until a couple of weeks ago.”
She sets the ice cream on the end table and scoots to face me. “Remember on prom night when you were going to give it up to Wes Brantley?”
“Yeah,” I say, wondering what this has to do with Ashton and me. I think back to that night. Wes was my date, and he’d gotten so pissed when I changed my mind about sleeping with him at the hotel. But Ash had gone to prom with Corinne, and I’m pretty sure he left with her at the end of the night.
“I can count on one hand the times I’ve seen my brother jealous over a girl.” She shows me her pointer finger. “One time, Sadie, and it was the night you left with Wes. I had to talk him down from going after you and ruining your night.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
I mull that over, recalling how he told me last night that he’s had feelings for me for a long time. “I chickened out, so he wouldn’t have ruined anything.”
“I know that now, but at the time, I thought you were really into Wes.” She brushes her dark bangs back from her eyes. “I told him to leave it alone, and he did.” Forehead creasing, she pauses a beat. “Was I wrong to do that?”
I try to picture Ash and I getting together then. Would we have made it? My gut tells me we needed this time as friends—the years into adulthood when we bonded on a level deeper than the physical. Now that I know how combustible our chemistry is, I’m glad I waited before falling down that seductive rabbit hole with him.
I’m glad I waited for him, period.
“I don’t think you were wrong.”
“Are you having second thoughts? Is he being a jerk?” Her sharp blue eyes narrow. “Is he pulling his usual bullshit and giving you the ‘it’s not serious’ spiel?” She pounds her right fist into her left palm. “Do I need to beat his ass?”
“No,” I say with a laugh. “It’s actually the opposite. He said he’s in love with me.”
Her dark brows creep up under her bangs. “Now that’s surprising.”
“Gee, thanks,” I say, giving her a playful punch in the shoulder.
She laughs. “You know what I mean. I didn’t even know Ash knew the definition of the L word.”
“It’s different with us. Things are…intense.”
She leans closer, her gaze roaming my face. “Not that I want to hear about my brother’s sex life, but…did ya…you know?”
“No, not…not yet.”
“But you want to?”
I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. She’s my best friend, but this is still so damn hard. “It feels right, like he’s the one I’ve been waiting for.”
“You love him, he loves you. What’s stopping you then?”
I swallow past the thickness in my throat. It isn’t my place to tell her this, but I have no one else to talk to about it. “He was fucking Corinne a few weeks ago.”
“This is Ashton we’re talking about. Is he still screwing around with her? Because then I will have to beat his ass.”
“He said he’s not involved with her anymore.” I let several beats pass, and the silence seems to grow louder with each pump of blood to my heart. “But she’s pregnant.”
Mandy’s jaw slackens. “Are you shitting me?”