Chapter Five – You’re Such An Asshole
Jesse
“How do I look?” Hunter asked, fiddling with the collar of his green shirt.
“Gorgeous,” I replied, grinning.
He swore at me, laughing. “I need to look good, don’t forget Isabelle’s got a friend who’s coming with us. She might be hot!”
“What about Mischa?”
He shrugged. “Is there some rule that I can only get with one girl on this trip?”
“I’d be very surprised if there was.”
The doorbell rang, and Andrew shook his head in amusement as he went to answer it. A deep voice echoed along the newly decorated hallway, and a dark-haired guy followed Andrew as he walked towards us.
“Hunter, Jesse,” Andrew said. “This is Georgia’s boyfriend, Elliott.”
We shook hands, but I couldn’t help thinking he looked a little straight-laced for Georgia. Georgia, although well brought-up and polite, had a definite wild streak. Elliott seemed more serious, but it must have been working for them. They’d been together for over a year.
“So where are we headed tonight?” Hunter asked.
“I’m not sure,” Elliott answered, with a small laugh. “Georgia just said she’d made dinner reservations, and that I needed to be … tidy.”
Hard to imagine he’d ever wear anything other than a perfectly ironed shirt and pants.
The thud of heels on the stairs caught our attention, and we all looked up as the girls came down to join us.
With one in a short red dress, and the other in a short purple dress, it was hard to figure out which was Isabelle. It wasn’t until they reached the bottom of the stairs that the difference became clear. While the twin in the red dress smiled broadly, the one in the purple looked like she wanted to run away.
Georgia stepped over to Elliott and planted a kiss on his cheek. I was vaguely aware of some chatter around me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Isabelle.
Her dress highlighted parts of her body that were usually covered by loose clothes and I fought to keep my eyes on her face. I was hit by a weird feeling that something was wrong, though. Her eyes refused to meet anyone else’s, and her right foot twitched as if she might bolt back up the stairs.
“Doesn’t she look amazing?” Georgia asked.
I nodded, and gave a small smile. “She sure does.”
For a second, Isabelle seemed to lose the tiny bit of confidence she’d been holding on to, but Hunter swept across the hallway to rescue her. “May I help you with your coat?” he offered, unhooking her black jacket from the coat rack by the door.
“Why thank you,” she replied, slipping her arms inside.
I noticed Georgia watching me, but she averted her gaze, and said, “Is everyone ready?”
I nodded, but Hunter said, “Aren’t we waiting for Izzy’s fr
iend?”
“She’s meeting us at the restaurant,” Isabelle told him.
“Okay,” he said, “Then I guess we are ready!”
I wasn’t too surprised to find we were back at the restaurant we’d been to the weekend before. However, on a Saturday night, it was much busier than it had been last time. Isabelle’s friend, Willow, met us outside, and Georgia took charge and led us to find our table. She picked one at the front of the restaurant this time, right next to the window. Isabelle stuck to Willow like glue, and they clambered around the table to sit with their back to the street outside. Hunter sat beside Willow, though I didn’t think he was interested in her. She reminded me of Phoebe from Friends in her coloured hippy clothes. I figured he just wanted to be around a girl he wasn’t related to. That left me sitting by Elliott and Georgia.
Wonderful. I get to sit by the loved-up couple, while the girl I want is way across the table.
Sitting opposite Isabelle was both good and bad. It meant I could see her, but it also meant I had to be careful not to stare too much. Even though she seemed slightly calmer, her brown eyes still had doubt in them, and her shoulders were a little hunched.