Page 86 of Tell Me Everything
“Yeah... I slept with him again after New Year's, before he came out.”
He opened his mouth, but no comment came out. He was just laughing.
“It was so awkward... we stopped in the middle of it, it was too weird.”
Alex laughed until he had tears in his eyes. It was embarrassing to tell him, but somehow I preferred him to know everything about me. Even my worst moments.
“I’ll admit, I didn’t see that one coming.”
“Why’s that?”
“I thought you'd be the type to wait until you met the right person.”
In itself, I didn't mind being seen like that. There was nothing wrong with waiting, but something still bothered me.
“Who should I have waited for, Alex? For you? You didn't wait for me either.”
“That's not what I meant.”
“No, but it’s whatImean. We’re still figuring things out.”
“I'd like to point out that we would’ve had sex if your friends hadn’t come home.”
I choked. How could he talk about it so calmly when I was sitting there, burning on the spot because of embarrassment?
Alex put his hand on my thigh, his gaze focused on the road.
“Just so you know,” my friend admitted in a calm voice, “if I'd known it would be you, I would have waited.”
At the party, everyone was dancing to techno blasting like it was the best time of their lives. It was horrible. Goodbye Dido, Ed Sheeran, Damien Rice, and Birdy. It had been an honour. The sound was too loud, and I was sure that once I left that evening,I'd be as deaf as my grandfather. To think Alex used to come to parties like this, and Kelsey would kill to be invited to one. I wondered what was wrong with me. A party like this wasn't the place for an introvert.
“Alex, I forgot to ask, but whose birthday is this?”
I'd agreed to come when he’d asked me if I wanted to join him, simply so I could spend more time with him. If that meant following him to a party I didn't care about, so be it.
“Tiago’s.”
Fuck. What the hell had I gotten myself into again? What if Kelsey were here? How would I react to her? I hadn't prepared enough possible scenarios to face her. I wasn't ready. Alex motioned for me to follow. Just what I needed! Kelsey and I were already in a cold war, but on top of that, I was at her boyfriend's birthday party. I really couldn't find a better day to go out, huh? Hopefully, I wouldn't run into either of them. If I could avoid them, maybe my evening wouldn't be entirely wasted.
We entered the living room, and I immediately spotted an empty sofa pushed into a corner. I tried to sneak away. My plan was discovered when Alex grabbed me by the back of my leather jacket.Shit.
“Where are you going?”
“Uh... sit? My knee is sore,” I lied.
I hadn't had a sore knee in weeks, I just wanted to hide in a corner and wait for this evening to be over. Damn it. What had possessed me to try and be like everybody else? I didn't want to be like everyone else! I wanted to put on the clothes I liked, listen to the music I liked, and do the things that interested me. There was nothing for me here. The introvert in me was scared to death, and I had a mad desire to run away.
“Stay close to me.”
Without giving me time to reply, Alex turned around. Turning my head, I spotted Kelsey. She was alone, but radiant.Luckily, she hadn't seen me. I grabbed Alex by the sleeve before it was too late. I hadn't prepared myself mentally for this.
“I want to go home,” I begged.
“We've just arrived...”
“Kelsey's here. I'm not ready to face her.”
“If you think like that, you might never be.” He sighed.
