21 Days (Time for Love 2)

I walked around and opened my mouth to speak, but he held up his hand, indicating that I should wait. I cocked my head and raised an eyebrow at him.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Sean said, and I noticed for the first time that he had a slight dimple in his left cheek. “I could tell last night that this was going to be the end of our little fling. I get it, and you were upfront with me when we met … So you don’t need to say anything. I’m looking for a relationship that’s going to go somewhere, and you aren’t.” He walked toward me, then stopped in front of me and put his hands on my face. “I had a lot of fun,” he said simply, then touched his lips gently to mine before turning and picking up the rest of his clothes as he walked out of my bedroom.

It’s funny how, although I was fully prepared to tell him goodbye on my own terms, it stung when the kiss-off came from him. I brought my fingers to my lips, touching the place where his had just been, and tried to ignore the pain that stabbed slightly in my heart.

Just once, I wished that someone wouldn’t give up on me so easily. That they wouldn’t want to let me go, and would fight to keep me in their life.

Chapter 3 – TJ

I walked up the path to Cal and Shelly’s place holding two bags of chips and a six pack. They were having a housewarming party of sorts. It had been about a month since Cal had set up his eighth date in his quest to get Shelly back, and they were finally settled back into a routine, and back to being the Shelly and Cal that they’d been for the past eight years. It was great to have them back together, and I was always in the mood to party with my friends, but I felt lame about my offerings for the BBQ. Funds were about to be scarce, so I couldn’t really offer much more than the meager items in my hands. I needed to be smart and stick to my budget if I had any hope of making it through the next few weeks.

“Hey, TJ,” Shelly said with a smile when she answered my knock. She leaned in to give me a hug, and took the items from my hands. “Everyone’s out back.”

“Okay,” I responded with a smile. She looked really happy, and I thought again how lucky Cal was that she had agreed to take him back. Although he hadn’t intentionally cheated on her, in fact, he’d been so wasted, he didn’t even remember meeting that chick in Vegas, let alone sleeping with her, I knew Shelly had been heartbroken when she’d found out.

I walked through the living room and out the back sliding glass door, where Cal, Gaby, and Brock were standing around the grill, drinking beer and talking.

“What’s up?” I asked as I leaned in to kiss Gaby on the cheek, then slap Brock on the back, lifting my chin in acknowledgement to Cal.

“Not much, man,” Brock said as he lifted his beer to his lips. Brock and I had met after high school, when we’d both started working in an auto shop. He’d only worked there for a short time, while he went to the local community college and earned a degree in business. He quickly went from working on cars to painting houses, and in the last five years, he’d turned it into a successful business. Brock may look like all brawn, standing at about six foot five inches, totally yoked out with a closely cropped beard, but he was a really smart dude. He’d helped Cal and me out over the past few weeks by al

lowing us to pick up odd jobs with his crew.

I was about to ask him if I could talk to him later about work when I heard the door open and saw Gaby stiffen next to me. I had a feeling I knew who’d arrived, but I turned anyway to watch as Scott led his fiancée Victoria out the door, his hand at the small of her back. Victoria looked like she was wound tighter than a ball of string, with her dark hair pulled back into a tight bun and her business attire covering her from neck to feet. Scott shot us all a smile, but it faltered a bit when his eyes landed on Brock, who had just leaned over to brush a piece of lint out of Gaby’s long blonde locks.

“Hey,” Cal said with a stiff smile. “Glad you guys could make it.”

Cal and Scott were like brothers, so I knew his reaction had to do more with Victoria’s presence than anything. About a month ago Scott had been ready to break off his engagement with Victoria, much to mine and Cal’s delight, but when he’d broached the subject with Victoria, she’d convinced him to give it another shot. She’d said that she’d make more of an effort to get along with his friends and hang out. Scott, being the kind and loving dude that he was, had agreed that he shouldn’t give up on their relationship so easily. It broke my heart. Scott had come from a home much like the one Victoria had been raised in, stiff, controlling, and loveless … And I hated the thought of him getting into a marriage like that. Cal and I had told him how we felt, but at the end of the day, he was our friend, and we had to back whatever decision he made.

“Thanks for inviting us,” Victoria said primly with a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Scott walked over and gave Gaby a kiss on the cheek, just like I had, but I noticed her stiffen and close her eyes as he did … Weird.

Then he clapped Cal on the back and turning to Brock, holding his hand out. Brock took it and shot him a cocky grin. I don’t know why, but the two of them had gotten off on the wrong foot years ago, and had never warmed up to each other. It made absolutely no sense to me, since they were both great guys, and two of my best friends, but they always regarded each other with cool distain.

I grabbed Scott into a bear hug and said, “Long time no see.”

“Yeah,” Scott replied, his eyes shifting to Victoria. “We’ll have to make some time to get together.”

My ears perked up at the sound of heels walking across the floor inside, and I turned so I could watch Sasha join the party. She was a force to be reckoned with. Tall, stacked, and curvy like only a woman can be, her long red hair was curly and wild, and she always looked dressed to impress. The girl knew how to make an entrance, and I had always enjoyed watching her. She was feisty and loud, and I loved to give her shit, because I knew she could take it as well as she could dish it out.

I wasn’t disappointed. Sasha was dressed for work, and while Victoria made business attire look painful, Sasha made it look powerful. She wore a black pencil skirt with a flowing top the color of emeralds, which made her hair and eyes pop. She was magnificent, and my body responded immediately, just like it always did when Sasha was in a ten-mile radius. We’d been fighting and flirting for the past eight years, but had never taken our relationship past friendship.

Sasha made her way around the crowd, kissing and hugging as she went from person to person. When she got to Victoria, she leaned in and gave her an air kiss on each cheek. I bit back a chuckle; even her actions were laced with sarcasm.

I noticed she held on a few minutes longer when hugging Brock, and tried to squash the annoyance that ran through me. I could never be mad at Sasha for being herself. Hell … she was like to female version of me, but I did get pissed at the guys she sometime associated with. I knew she could do so much better. Not that Brock wasn’t a good dude, her lingering just didn’t sit well with me.

When she turned to me, I gave her a grin and said, “Lookin’ good, Red.”

She smiled back saucily and said, “Don’t you know it,” before leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek.

“Does anyone need a drink?” Shelly asked from the doorway. She looked fresh and happy with her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a simple summer dress flowing around her legs.

“I’ll get it,” I responded as I walked back inside and followed her into the kitchen.

I pulled a beer out of the six pack in the fridge, twisting the cap and throwing it in the little yellow trash can, then leaning on the counter to watch Shelly plate up pinwheels. They were delicious little spicy bites of heaven that Shelly always made when we got together. She knew how much I loved them.

“Do you need help?” I asked.