Ain't No Sunshine

The moment thaws the last remaining iciness between us, and from then on, we’re laughing until she’s finally freed from her hair hell. After saying goodbye, I realize we never discussed how we both know Shane. Maybe I could have gotten some juicy gossip about him.

When I walk out of the bathroom, I see Nate talking to a beautiful woman near the bar. She has dark brown hair that sits perfectly around her shoulders and a figure that would make swimwear models jealous. He’s smiling at her, but anyone can see the tension in his expression.

I approach with caution, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, but as soon as Nate spots me, he reaches for my hand and links our fingers, easing my concern. I settle by his side, giving his fingers a squeeze at the exact moment he drops my hand and a random arm curls around my shoulder. What?

“Nate!” a voice sounds from across the room, but I can’t see the owner. “Gah! I’ve missed you,” the approaching voice gushes.

My eyes widen as I look at Nate in confusion. His face contorts with pain before he eyes me apologetically, his arm going around the dark haired beauty beside him as he watches the girl I now recognize as my bathroom buddy running up to meet us.

Before I can react, or even process this moment, I’m pulled slightly further away. Until then, I’d forgotten about the extra limb that had suddenly attached itself to me.

Looking up at the culprit, I find Shane’s turquoise eyes staring back at me, full of sympathy. What is going on? He leans in to whisper in my ear as the bubbly girl arrives.

“Little Sis. What are you doing here?” Nate asks, almost seething.

Little Sis? Shit! Of course, his sister’s here. We should have just waited two more days. I should have stayed at home. I take a step back, because I want no part of this, but Shane holds me in place.

His sister, Emily, I think her name is, looks around sheepishly. “I’m d—”

“Never mind. Shane?” Nate cuts her off, looking over in our direction. When his eyes lock on Shane, they narrow for a second before his features soften. I feel guilty, even though I’ve done nothing wrong, and pull out of Shane’s strange hug. Shane grips my hand to stop me from moving again, and whispers a quick “please” under his breath.

Nate nods his head toward the back door before storming that way without looking back. The gorgeous girl he’d been talking to racing after him.

“Fuck, this isn’t going to end well,” Shane says as he pulls me in the same direction. Nate’s sister stares at us in confusion but stays where she is.

As soon as we’re in the hall, Nate turns to Shane, his eyes ablaze with anger. “Why the fuck would you not tell me you invited her? You even used the whole ‘no one knows you, you’ll be free’ speech. Well, guess what? She fucking knows me. Really well.”

Shane’s expression turns to anger rather than guilt, suggesting he had nothing to do with it. “Which her are you referring to?” he asks, confusing me completely. “If you mean Emily, she’s dating my brother. I only found out last night and told him not to bring her. But if you’re referring to Liv, she wasn’t on my invite list.” Liv?

The girl with Nate scoffs, but remains silent. My eyes snap to her as I suddenly realize who I’m standing beside. “Holy shit,” I mumble under my breath. At least, I thought it was under my breath, but when three sets of eyes flash to mine, I second guess myself.

“Cory, I’m so sorry. I honestly didn’t know…” That comes from Nate, quickly followed by a, “I would never put you through this, Cory. Please believe me,” from Shane.

I think it’s safe to say my suspicions are confirmed. The fourth person in our little group is none other than Nate’s ex, Liv. Tonight is going to suck.

I’m just about to let everyone know that I’m going home when Emily walks through the door, arm in arm with a young boy who looks almost identical to Shane, but with longer hair. Shane grabs my hand and links our fingers, causing me to stiffen as Nate curses under his breath.

“Emily, James, thanks for coming. Sorry about before.” He gives James a look that says I’ll deal with you later and then turns back to Emily. “This is my date, Cory. Nate set us up.” What? There goes my swift exit.

“Cory?” she asks, looking puzzled for a second before recovering. “Nice to see you again.”

“Again?!” Nate blurts out in surprise before quickly schooling his features, looking at Shane for help.

“You’ve met before?” Shane asks, his eyes bouncing between the two of us.

“Yes,” I say, looking at Shane but answering Nate. “We met in the bathroom earlier. Emily was…”

“I was trying to free my bracelets from my hair, and Cory kindly helped me.”

“Of course, that would happen to you, Em. Luckily, this beautiful hero saved the day.” Shane squeezes my hand and smiles. He’s laying it on a little thick, but what can I do?

Nate’s eyes flare at the same time Liv wraps her arms around him. An uncomfortable feeling takes over me at the sight of them, and I inwardly curse before biting my tongue to stop myself from verbally attacking her. This girl has her arms around my man, and I’ve yet to be introduced… That doesn’t sit well with me. I need to get out of here.I need some breathing space before I give the game away.

“Who’s getting me a drink?” I say to the group. I’m not usually that forward, but something tells me I’m going to need a lot of alcohol to get through tonight.