I stared at Sean in disgust. I didn’t consider him a friend, but I’d always gotten along okay with him. Hell, I’d even helped the dumbass move. I sure as hell wasn’t doing him any favors after this debacle.
“Leave him,” I told Hailey quietly as she started to take his jeans off. “He won’t even notice them.”
She followed me silently out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. As soon as we reached Clover and Sarai, Hailey started apologizing.
“I’m so sorry, you guys,” she said, wrapping her arms around her waist.
“Why are you apologizing?” Sarai asked, shaking her head. “That wasn’t your fault.”
“It kind of was,” Hailey argued.
Sarai’s mouth opened like she was going to say something, but snapped shut again. Her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath.
“You should come stay with me tonight,” Sarai said after a moment. “Come back after he’s sober.”
Hailey shook her head. “He’ll sleep until morning,” she said. “Seriously, it’s fine.”
I could tell that Sarai wanted to argue. The look on her face was a mixture of exasperation and anger, but instead of telling her friend what she thought, she just nodded.
“Are you sure?” Sarai asked Hailey, reaching out to rub her hand up and down Hailey’s arm. “I have a super-comfortable couch.”
“I’m sure,” Hailey replied. “I’ll probably just clean up and head to bed.”
We left a few minutes later. Sarai wanted to help with the cleanup, but Hailey practically ushered us out the door.
When we stepped into the cool night air, Sarai cursed quietly.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“That’s my car,” she said with a sigh.
She gestured to a small sedan that was parked in the driveway, the bumper only a foot from the porch. The car was fine. The problem was the truck parked directly behind it. There was no way she’d be moving her car. We could call a tow truck, but that would be an epically shitty thing to do. Someone had probably drunk too much and gotten a ride home—they shouldn’t have to pay for that.
“This night just keeps getting better and better,” Sarai said softly.
I glanced at Clover, who was watching me with a grin on his face. He gestured to Sarai and raised his eyebrows.
“I’ll give you a ride home,” I told Sarai, flipping Clover off as he gave me a thumbs-up.
“I need my car,” she replied. She was still staring at it, probably trying to think of any way she could get it out of there.
“I’ll bring you back in the morning to get it,” I assured her.
“That’s such a hassle, though,” she said, grimacing. “Why would he park so fucking close behind me?”
“What makes you think it’s a guy?” Clover asked, laughter in his voice.
Sarai glanced at him and back at the truck. “With tires that big, the owner of that truck must be compensating for a small penis,” she said seriously.
I snickered and followed Sarai as she walked toward my truck.
“I would like that ride, if you’re sure,” she said, glancing up at me.
“Absolutely,” I replied, trying to play it cool even though I was completely stoked that I’d get to spend more time with her.
“It was nice to meet you, Sarai,” Clover called out as he took a couple of steps backward toward his lifted truck. “Evans, I’ll see you Monday.”
“It was nice to meet you, too,” Sarai called back as I opened the door for her.
“Where am I going?” I asked after I’d rounded the truck and climbed into my seat.
I felt bad that she seemed so upset about leaving her car, but I couldn’t help but feel a little lucky at the turn of events. I hadn’t expected the chance to have her all to myself again, even for a few minutes.
“Take a left,” she said, leaning her head tiredly against the headrest. “Then a right at the stop sign.”
I pulled out onto the street and followed her directions.
“Have you and Hailey been friends for long?” I asked, glancing at her. It was dark in the truck, but I could see her profile clearly as she stared out the windshield.
“Two years,” she answered.
I started to ask another question, trying to get her talking again, but she cut me off almost immediately.
“I can’t believe you’re friends with Sean,” she said. “I can’t believe anyone is friends with him.”
“Yeah,” I said carefully. I wasn’t sure how to explain why I’d ever hung out with Sean. He wasn’t my favorite person by any means. Most of the time, I thought he was kind of an asshole. But there was something about the relationship between fellow brothers-in-arms that civilians just didn’t understand. I might not like the guy, but I knew without a doubt that when push came to shove, he’d have my back like I’d have his. It wasn’t a friendship, exactly, but until tonight, he hadn’t given me a reason to actively dislike him.