Ocean (Damage Control 5)

“You never know.” I scowl fiercely at the fabric in my lap and the needle threaded with crimson thread. “Better be prepared.”

“Kay… You can’t be prepared for life. I should know. I always hid and where did that leave me?”

“Here with me? And Jesse Lee?” I venture, but my composure is slipping. “Look, I don’t hate hate Ocean, okay? But he acted like a major a-hole, and that’s…” Breaking my heart? Not possible. Not breaking it. But definitely wounding it. “That’s a douchy thing to do.”

“Because he kissed you?”

“He didn’t just kiss me, he…” He put his mouth on my boobs, and his fingers inside me, and made me come so hard I saw stars, and then… “He basically said nothing about it, and then told me off.”

“I can’t believe that. Not Ocean. What exactly did he say?”

“Well, believe it. He was sarcastic. Asked if I intended to fix him with my soup. Can you imagine that? The soup he asked me to make. And when I said I thought we were friends, he said I was wrong. Which was like saying I never gave a damn about you, Kay, and now get out of my apartment.”

“Oh, come on.” Amber leans back, balancing the laptop on her knees, and gives me a long, dark look. “He never said any of that. That’s you putting words in his mouth.”

“You weren’t there,” I say stubbornly, because that sarcasm had burned like acid. You’d think after fighting off my family’s criticism and negativity for so long I’d have really thick skin, but for some reason, where he’s concerned, all my defenses fail. “He was mean. He used me, Amber. And it’s weird.”

Weird because I thought he liked me—that we were friends, at the very least. And that he’s a good person. Look how he’s helping Jason out.

Tears burn behind my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I won’t let Ocean break me. Never realized how easily he could do it.

Maybe that’s why I hate him. He made me realize how vulnerable I really am, when I thought I was hard as nails.

“He’s not been himself lately,” Amber is saying. “Remember, we talked about it. Something’s off, JJ told me the same. Maybe it wasn’t you he was angry at. Maybe it was something else.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not good enough. I’m not his punching bag.”

Still, I think back at our exchange. Did I miss some clue? Could it be the phone call he made upset him?

“Let’s have a look at the new page.” I point at her website. “See if the prices are now presented correctly. I want to forget about Ocean.”

For the next thirty seconds, at least. It’s something.

“Right.” She’s still eyeing me warily, as if I might bite. “Here’s the section for long dresses. What about wedding dresses?”

“What about them?”

“Will you be making Ev’s, like she asked?”

I shrug, still turning the mystery of Ocean’s strange behavior over in my mind. “Haven’t given it much thought. It’s not like it’s urgent, is it?”

“It might be.” Amber winks, and I stare at her, momentarily blindsided.

“What?”

“You may, in fact, start thinking of several designs, as I’m sure you’ll get more requests pretty soon.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

She winks and returns her attention to the screen. “Well, for one, Micah proposed.”

“Yay. Awesome! Ev totally knew he would.”

How did she know? How could she read Micah so well, and I misread Ocean all the time?

“And I am certain more guys we know are about to propose to their girls.”

“Yeah? And what makes you so certain?” I stick my tongue out to her. “Did you spread my Tarot cards when I wasn’t looking?”