Chasing Love (Dark Love 1)

“Please don’t tell me you’re comparing yourself to Dolly Parton. She’s about a hundred cup sizes ahead of you.” Laughing at the comparison, I shook my head which didn’t fare too well since the curling iron was still attached.

Damn, karma sure was a bitch tonight.

“Okay, done. Go look.”

I stood up and glanced in the mirror. Wow. I had to say even I was amazed. The curls were soft and loosely fell down my back. My hair was naturally wavy, but thanks to the humidity of living by the seaside, it morphed into a ball of frizz every day. I had dyed my hair this week a lighter shade of brown, almost a dark blonde. I was tired of being an ordinary brunette. I don’t know what possessed me, but it may have had something to do with the fight Alex and I had last week.

Adriana finished my makeup, not that I wanted much on me. Just a hint of blush, mascara, and some pale pink lipstick to add shine to my dull lips. With all that said and done, I took my dress off the hanger and finally slid it on. It fit perfectly and hugged my body in all the right places.

“Char, you look like a goddess. That shade of green is beautiful on you.”

“It’s emerald green, actually,” I pointed out, happy to find a dress that I loved. It was a beautiful off-the-shoulder design. The satin clung to my body, which I had to thank my lucky stars looked reasonably good considering I hated sports or any form of exercise. It flowed down to the floor with a slight train. Simple, yet classic.

“It reminds me of something, but I can’t figure out what. So, anyway, you and Carter, eh?” she teased.

“No. I agreed at the start of the year to go because I needed his notes for geometry, and he agreed to give them to me if I went with him. End of story.”

“I don’t know what it is about Carter, but he rubs Alex the wrong way.”

I quietly sat there trying my best not to show any emotion because I knew why Alex hated Carter. It had been a week, and we hadn’t spoken to each other. It didn’t stop the fact that I was missing him like crazy and going insane not speaking to him, but I was born a Mason, stubborn as a fucking mule. It was in my blood, and I wasn’t giving in. He was being a jerk about Carter, and to top it off, he went home to his wife every night. Nope, I wasn’t backing down in this fight.

“You should have seen him this morning at home. When I showed him my dress, he ranted on about how Carter’s a jerk and to warn you to watch out, and I’m like ‘bro, if she wants to fuck him, then let bygones be bygones.’ Seriously, Alex lost it and smashed my mirror.”

“What?”

Shocked, I turned around to face her as she nodded her head. I couldn’t believe he had done that in front of Adriana. What if she suspected something? I suddenly felt self-conscious and chose my next words very carefully. I couldn’t let on.

“He said the jerk keeps talking shit, and he didn’t want him to hurt you,” she rambled on.

“Well, your brother is one protective guy. He grilled me about you and Elijah, and I’m like ‘take a hike, dude.’ Seriously, what’s his problem, anyway?”

Playing it off, I was hoping she’d believe me. “I don’t know, he’s always on edge. Something’s bugging him, and I think it may have to do with Samantha. I overheard her saying something to my mom, and well, it was kinda gross.”

I didn’t know if I wanted to know what it was, but curiosity got the better of me. “What could be that gross, Adriana?”

“Oh, some shit about how she wants to try for a baby, but Alex doesn’t, and she says he won’t even have sex with her. I told you, gross, right?”

I did my best to hide the smile that was dying to burst out of me along with the internal happy dance. My inner self somersaulted across the room.

“You know what?” I laughed, trying to disguise how happy I was to hear he wasn’t fucking Samantha. “It’s like when you talk about Elijah and shit in front of Alex, and he does the exact same face, it’s quite funny watching him cringe. You can so tell you’re related.”

Adriana finished up and headed back home to get ready. As I sat there staring at myself in the mirror, I wondered how tonight would play out. This wasn’t how I envisioned senior prom, going with some jerk when the man I was so desperately in love with sat at home with his wife. Several times, I wanted to back out of it, but I was so frightened someone would catch on. No, I needed to go tonight and act as if there was no Alex, pretend I was an ordinary girl participating in the normal rituals of being a teenager.

I walked down the stairs slowly and found my dad sitting at the dining table with Debbie, his girlfriend, although he loathed that word. He turned to look at me and did a double-take.

“Wow, Charlie. You look beautiful,” he said, followed by a scowl. Debbie slightly smacked his arm as he pretended to smile. “So, this Carter kid… I’ve heard rumors about him.”

“That he has a small penis?” I joked.

Debbie laughed out loud, much to Dad’s disappointment.

“Dear God, no! But shame for the boy. I heard he has quite the reputation.”

“Please, Dad, this was strictly a business deal. He helped me out with geometry, and I agreed to go to prom. Don’t worry, I’m not the slightest bit interested in him. Plus, Finn will be there.”

“What about that Edwards kid?”

I froze, not expecting him to bring up Alex.