Page 96 of Trusting Tanner
She turned to see Lucas and Mariah walking in behind him. “Hey guys! Actually, I’m glad you’re here, Lucas. I need to go get some furniture tomorrow. Can I borrow you and your truck?”
“I have class until three, but after that, me and my truck are all yours.” Lucas walked behind her, bumped her with his hip, and then grabbed a slice of pizza from the box.
“Didn’t you just buy all this furniture?” Devon popped the top on a beer and took a drink. Then he froze, his eyes wide as realization set in. “Oh. You mean you need different furniture.”
She nodded, not wanting to delve into all the heartbreaking details in front of Lucas and Mariah. Although she was pretty sure they already knew.
Devon walked over and flung his arm around her shoulders, planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “You want me to tag along tomorrow?”
“You can if you want. So, what’s the plan tonight?” she asked.
“A bad horror movie marathon.” Mariah held up a stack of DVDs and grinned.
“Fantastic!” A quiet night watching movies and drinking a few beers with friends was exactly what she needed. Every day for the past two weeks, she’d moped around, heartbroken and angry. The only relief from her pain came when she was with Devon and any of his frat brothers he chose to drag along, but their time together was fleeting at best with their conflicting schedules. And she certainly didn’t want to hang out on campus, where she might run into Tanner. Every single time she laid eyes on him, it felt like her heart was breaking all over again. Rebecca seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth, and Juliana was more than okay with that.
She plopped down on the couch between Devon and Mariah while Lucas moved one of the kitchen chairs into the living room. “Thanks for coming over tonight.”
“Anytime.” Devon winked.
“I can’t believe Thanksgiving is only weeks away.” Mariah shook her head. “This semester is going so fast.”
“She’s just nervous because she’s taking me home to meet her family.” Lucas laughed. “She thinks I’m going to embarrass her.”
“I do not.” Mariah reached over and smacked his arm. “I’m more worried about how my family is going to act.”
Jules watched them with a smile. If things had gone differently, she’d be going home with Tanner for Thanksgiving.Nope, not gonna think about that.“Meeting the family is a big step.” She was surprised they hadn’t done this already, considering they’d been dating forever. Or so it seemed to her.
“What about you two? You guys got any big plans for the holiday?” Mariah asked.
“Not really.” Jules stood. “Anyone want something to drink? Popcorn?”
“I’m headed home,” Devon said.
She shot him a warning look to drop it, but he smirked.
“I’m trying to convince Jules to go home with me, but she keeps refusing.”
Mariah and Lucas shared a look, the same look she’d seen too many times. The “oh my God, you and Devon are hooking up” look. She could only imagine what they must be thinking. That she dumped Tanner and went running into Devon’s arms. She scowled.
“How many times do I have to tell you no before you stop asking?” She went to the kitchen and grabbed a Pepsi.
“I’ll stop asking when you say yes,” he shot back.
Her stomach clenched. He sounded too much like Tanner right then.
“Seriously, my sister thinks I made you up, like you’re my imaginary friend or some shit,” Devon said.
Lucas laughed, which only encouraged Devon’s behavior.
“My reasons for asking you to come home with me are strictly selfish. I need to prove my sister wrong.”
He was such a liar. Jules popped open the can of soda and took a long drink. Then she set it on the counter and busied herself with making popcorn for everyone. Thankfully, the talk of holidays and families died out, and they’d moved on to making fun of the movie’s cheesy dialogue.
Long after the movies ended and Lucas and Mariah had left, Devon and Juliana lounged on her couch in comfortable silence. But she knew it wouldn’t last. There was a reason he’d remained behind, and it wasn’t because he enjoyed hanging out in her apartment watching a ridiculous infomercial.
“Have you talked to Tanner recently?” he asked.
And there it was. “No.” She swiped the remote from the coffee table and started flipping through the channels.
