“Yes, actually. You?”
She smiles and looks at the ring on her finger. “Yes. My husband is surprising me with something. I can’t wait. It’s so good to go home to someone who loves you, you know?”
I nod my head and keep my fake smile plastered on my face. “Have a good weekend.”
Vicki nods while looking at the rock on her finger as I walk past her out the door. The minute the cold air hits me, I breathe in the fresh air and call out the nearest cab, so I can get home. Mel should be on her way by now as she messaged me she was driving and wasn’t too far away. Tonight she wants to go out, and I’m all for it. After the week I’ve had at work and faking smiles I’m so over it. To not have to force a smile this weekend will be good.
Mel’s wearing her favorite color as the cab comes to a stop out the front of my house—pink dress with pink heels. She waves like a crazy lady as I slide out and she almost tackles me to the ground when she reaches me. I have to try and not fall back, so I don’t land on my ass in or even possibly ruining my new designer shoes that cost the price of one week’s rent around this city. Not happening.
“I hope you’re ready? I brought all my good dresses, and I’m ready to dance all night.” She lets me go and spins on the spot.
“I’m not wearing pink,” I tell her while picking up my bag which fell to the floor when she hugged me so tightly I almost fell over. Getting to my door, I open it then help her with her bags because she never leaves her house with just one. Melissa’s over the top, but I love that about her dearly. It’s who she is.
“Please, you can’t clash with me. No. You can wear black like you usually do, just please break it up with some color.” I laugh at her full explanation about what I can and can’t wear. We chose the same field of work—fashion. Except she’s into designing. But we both equally love our work and where we’re headed in the fashion industry.
“How long am I going to have to wait? I don’t want to wait forever. I desperately need a drink and to discuss how I may or may not have punched Matthew in the honkey donks.” I stop walking into my room at her words and turn to face her, my hands gripping the wall.
“You did not?” I ask. However, she nods her head in confirmation.
“Get dressed quickly if you want to know.”
“That’s not fair,” I whine. Running into my room, tearing off my clothes and getting changed, I throw my hair up in a messy bun pulling loose curly strands free, and placing on some rose gold hoops. When I come back out slipping on my heels, Mel’s already at the door knowing I don’t pussyfoot around and she smiles.
“I knew I could make you move fast. So where to?” We start walking because I chose an area to live that’s close to the restaurants and nightlife.
“Now, tell me why you punched him in his baby making balls.” She giggles as we cross the street.
“He was trying to get with Maddy. Can you believe him? Like I would let that happen.”
“Oh my God.” Maddy’s Mel’s little sister, she’s just turned eighteen.
“Yep, God, believe it. The minute I saw it I knew what he was trying, so I walked straight up to him and punched him where he deserved it,” she says laughing.
We sit at the local Thai restaurant to eat before we go out. I order a watermelon margarita and instantly decide it’s my new favorite drink. Mel, on the other hand, orders a bottle of wine and doesn’t share.
“I sometimes miss it, you know?”
She shakes her head at me as the first course of the food comes out.
“No, you don’t. You’re just bored. Once you meet people, it’ll be different.”
I shrug. Maybe.4Echo“It’s been one year, Echo. Seriously...” I cringe at his words. Falcon wouldn’t know love if it slapped him in the fucking face. “It’s time to move on. Obviously, she has.”
Fuck her.
“Fuck you,” I reply in answer. Why did I come back from the beach, who fucking knows? I should have stayed and given up on this life, but it’s like a sinkhole you can’t get fucking out of. Luckily, I love it.
“I can make it better. I know Creed’s on the straight and narrow, but I can always put him onto her. He could be fast. You wouldn’t even have to know he killed her.”
“He’s going to kill you if you keep that shit up.”
Falcon flips me off as he walks away. Elicea walks in with my mail. She passes it to me not saying a word then she walks out. Shit! Did she just hear everything we said? Yeah, she probably did. Creed and she have been doing well together, and I don’t want to fuck it up. He needs normal, and she’s his normal. Just took him a while to see it.