Page 75 of Just the Tipsy
“Okay…?” Rose looks between us in confusion. Jo shrugs from her seat across from me while Natasha starts on her hair.
My gut rarely has strong feelings, but I have a feeling that I can open up to them without being judged. But how do I talk about this without giving away that our relationship is supposed to be fake?
“When I came to Jepsen, our relationship was supposed to be sort of a fling, and Waylon said he was only interested in something casual,” I say after I gather my thoughts. “But now I want it to be something more serious and I’m not sure if he does. The only problem is that I was sort of planning to move to New York after I get the house fixed up and maybe sold. Now I don’t know what to do.”
“Do you like living in Jepsen?” Natasha asks, gently parting Jo’s hair to section off the front. “Like would you want to stay here for him if it got serious?”
“I do like it here, actually,” I say right away. “I thought I’d hate it because it’s so small and I assumed there wasn’t a ton to do, but I’ve never been truly bored since I’ve gotten here. And it’s beautiful and the people are nice. It’s cozy. But I don’t know if Waylon would want me to stay if it meant being serious.”
“That dumbass.” Jada shakes her head. “Like don’t get me wrong — he’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever known, but he keeps getting in his own way because he got all traumatized from being in a serious relationship with that sentient piece of garbage he calls an ex.”
“What did he see in her?” Natasha asks, raising an eyebrow.
“I don’t know. But my theory is it was because she was also an overachiever and she had her moments of not being the absolute worst. Rare moments.” Jada rolls her eyes and leans back, propping herself up on her hands behind her on the bed. “But anyway, I’m glad he found you, Bianca. You’re chill and he needs that. Someone to keep him from burning out.”
I swallow and focus on finishing up my eyeshadow so I can move onto my base.
“You can see that, but I know he doesn’t want it to be serious.” I grab a cotton circle and put some makeup remover on it. A ton of the glitter from my shadow has ended up on my cheeks.
“Are you sure, though?” Jo asks, her tone gentle. “Like have you asked directly, any time recently?”
“Well, not really. But I can pick up on the vibe. I think.” I grab my foundation and a fresh sponge.
“Being direct will take away a lot of that uncertainty.” Jo reaches for some gel.
“Even though it’s kind of scary,” Rose adds. “And to be honest, hearing the flat out truth is scary too.”
“Sounds like both options kind of suck,” I say with a soft laugh.
“But spinning your wheels over and over, trying to read his mind is even suckier,” Rose says.
The others nod and unfortunately, they’re right. Why am I torturing myself assuming that he still feels the same as he did before? Maybe he’s still wary, but maybe our connection is enough for him to take the leap.
Now I just have to figure out how to gather the nerve to bring it up to him.
TWENTY-FOUR
WAYLON
“You’re having a shot now?”I ask John David. The Copper Moon is closed for Wes’s bachelor party, which isn’t even set to start for another half hour. It’s going to be a half bachelor, half bachelorette party since Rose and her friends are coming by for a drink or two before going back home for a sleepover.
“I need a shot before Ash gets here.” He throws back the shot of moonshine he poured for himself and winces.
“It’ll be okay,” I say, as if things have ever been okay between them. “He’s not bringing strippers.”
That I know of.
A cab dropped him off at my house late last night, and he promptly passed out in my guest bedroom. This morning I woke up and he was just eating straight up coffee grounds and chasing them with water instead of making coffee like a normal person, wearing a red, tiger printed silk robe. I have no idea what he’s doing at the house right now, but I’m honestly a little worried.
Wes is somewhat chaotic, but in a lighthearted way. Ash is chaotic in a way where we worry he’ll end up dead or butt naked on a boat going down the Amazon River.
“Then where is he?” JD asks, going behind the bar and pouring himself a soda.
“He said he’d be here.” I shrug and check my phone. Nothing from Bianca, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.
I take a deep breath and pour myself a shot too. I know I can’t pretend that I don’t have feelings for her anymore, especially after our day in together. Everything just clicked once I stopped getting in my head too much about it.
But now I have to think about what we are. And that thought is making my stomach churn.
