Chaotic (Imperfect Perfection) (3 page)

I rolled my eyes when I walked back
out into the pitch-black room and heard Ian’s loud snores. Apparently, he
wasn’t that happy with last night or he would have joined me in the shower. Oh
well, best to leave him now anyway so he doesn’t get the wrong idea and think
we’re actually going to have a relationship.

A taxi was already waiting for me
at the curb, and the driver hopped out to open my door. I pulled out my phone
and scrolled through the pile-up of messages from last night. A few from Marley
and Madison already from early this morning.

I had been surprised when they had
both went home early last night, but I knew they wanted to get an early start
on moving. Well, I guess I should say driving because Madison’s dad had pretty
much paid for everything, including movers. Although the two of them got on my
freaking nerves sometimes, I was happy that they were moving on with their
lives. Now if I could just do the same thing instead of being completely stuck,
everything would be perfect.

“Late night again, I see.” My
mother remarked snidely as soon as I sat down in between sips of her mimosa,
which appeared to already be her second of the morning, and it wasn’t even
noon. Dear old mom was a total hypocrite.

“Well, I am pretty much an adult,
mother. I think I can make my own decisions.” I glanced quickly at the menu and
put in my order with the waiter that was probably only a year or two older than
me that my mother was eyeballing. She was practically drooling on her silk
Chanel.

“Oh, yes because up until now those
decisions have been so wise.” Touché mother, touché. “And about those decisions,
have you decided on where you will be attending school? You don’t have much
time and you should have already submitted applications for any of the schools
that are worthwhile. I’m sure Gerald could put in a word, if necessary.”

“I have a few weeks to decide still,
I’m sure I’ll figure something out, but I don’t think I need any of Gerald’s
influence. I’d prefer to do things on my own.” I gave the waiter a wide smile
as he sat my chocolate-drizzled banana-stuffed French toast down in front of me,
and he gave me an equally flirty one.

 I bit my lip as he held my stare
for just a second longer and then cleared his throat with a shake of his head,
setting down my mom’s plate in front of her. I saw the look of distaste flash
across her face but was quickly covered up by a pasted on smile. I wasn’t sure
if it was because of my breakfast choice, which, by the way, I had found out
was oddly the perfect cure to a hangover, or the fact that, Derrick, as his
nametag read, was paying attention to me.

“Really, Adelaide?” She hissed as
soon as he was out of earshot but not before he gave me a quick wink. Hmm…now
those hands looked to be skillful and could occupy plenty of my time.

 “Didn’t you learn your lesson the
first time you spread your legs? You are too young to be so…experienced.” I
choked on my cucumber water at my mother’s words and looked around to see if
anyone had heard. Honestly, I really wouldn’t care but she was all about
appearances and was constantly worried about her image.

“Don’t worry, mother. I’m not being
stupid about it, I’m on birth control, and whichever penis I pick is most
certainly wrapped. So when and if I feel the urge to
spread my legs,
just
know I’m being one hundred percent safe. Even if I’m not exactly laying back
and spreading my legs, you know there are
so
many different positions I
love to try out. Have you ever heard of the Dolphin? It’s fairly tricky but
once you get the hang of it, can be amazing. It also helps that I’m so
flexible,” I added on loudly before laying my napkin on my cleared plate.

My mother’s face had turned a
bright shade of red halfway through my little speech and I couldn’t help but
pat myself on the back. I said a silent thank you to Marley for making Madison
and I look at that Kama Sutra sex book. Who knew all of that knowledge could be
used for more than one thing?

“We will finish this discussion at
home Adelaide Elizabeth. Just know that I’m very displeased with your
behavior.” She drained the rest of her fifth mimosa and stiffly smiled at
Derrick when he returned with the bill.

He tilted his jet-black head
towards the bill that my mother was holding and wiggled his eyebrows at me
before leaving. I’m guessing that meant his phone number was listed at the
bottom. How original. If you’re going to give me your number, at least don’t
give it to my mother. She might end up actually using it for herself.

“Well I’m going to take a cab
home.” I stood and grabbed my handbag. “Or maybe I’ll make a few stops to my
regulars on the way, since you think I’m a prostitute or something.” I turned
on my heel, sliding down my sunglasses as I went and stifled a giggle as I
heard her choking on her drink. Ah, revenge tasted so good.

Somehow, I had gotten the house to
myself for the weekend. After a long summer of hounding my ass about college, I
think my mother and Gerald needed a break. They had left on Thursday for an extended
weekend trip and forgotten to have any of the staff there to babysit me.
Oopsie.

I wasn’t going to be stupid and let
things get out of control, but I figured I was due to have a teensy bit of fun.
Besides, the rest of my friends who had planned on leaving for school were
preparing to head off again, and I figured they would need one final send off,
courtesy of me.

I hadn’t heard much from Marley and
Madison since they left, and really, it wasn’t surprising. Those two were all
about status and now that they weren’t living here again, they were probably
busy sinking their claws into someone else who had some kind of pull around
there.

“Adelaide. O-M-G. You look freakin’
hot. It looks like someone’s been getting their tan on this summer.” I smiled
as I held the door open for Rachel Simmons. She had always been someone that
hung around in my group, but we weren’t really close. She pressed a bottle of
Ciroc into my hands and brushed past me, herding herself into the small group
that was already there.

I guess laying out almost every day
this summer had done my body good. I had a nice deep tan and with the white
strapless sundress I had on, it only helped to set it off even more. I moved to
shut the door when a hand popped in, blocking the way. “Um, excuse me. Did I
invite you?” I pasted a sweet smile on my face but narrowed my eyes at the body
that belonged to that hand. I had thought I had seen the last of him for
awhile, at least.

His blond hair looked to be just a
bit longer than I remembered, and those blue eyes widened, smiling back at me
as he slowly looked me over. “Damn Addy. Do you really have to be like that?
Don’t try to tell me that you aren’t going to miss me. I figured you’d at least
want to see me before I took off for the semester. Please?”

Great, just what I needed, an ex-boyfriend
who doesn’t know how to take a hint. I didn’t think I could get much clearer. I
guess I should have started drinking earlier. I let out a loud sigh and moved
aside so he could step through. He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on my
cheek before sliding past me and yelling out to a friend of his, who was
probably the one who had invited him. Traitor.

I walked into the kitchen and
poured two shots of the good stuff that I had hidden from everyone else. The
burning of the liquid seemed to stuff down the memories that were trying to
break free at the sight of Chris, so I poured out a third before walking back
into the game room.

Luckily, through blurred vision and
a very incoherent mindset, I was able to keep the noise to a dull roar. I
really didn’t need any of the neighbors to call the cops so they could bust a
bunch of minors. That definitely wouldn’t have made mommy dearest very happy.

“Bye, Adelaide.” Rachel gave me two
air kisses before stumbling out with the help of Mason Jeffries whose hand was
resting squarely on her rounded ass. At least someone was going to have a fun
night.

I shut the door with a loud sigh,
seeing that it was only one a.m. I wasn’t totally wasted, and I knew if I went
to sleep now all I would do was toss and turn, so I headed towards the kitchen.

“Addy,” I heard whispered behind my
back, and I spun around with the glass raised to my lips, my eyes widening as I
saw Chris standing in the entryway.

“I thought you left with everyone
else. You looked like you were getting pretty cozy with Chloe with the way she
was grinding her ass all over you.” I tried to keep any jealousy out of my
voice, but it was almost impossible. I might be trying to avoid him at all
costs, but there were still some feelings left there that just wouldn’t go
away.

I think I would always have
feelings for Chris because he was my first love, but we would never be able to
be together again. Too many things had happened that couldn’t be changed.

“Come on, Addy, you know I couldn’t
give a shit about anyone else but you. I just wanted some alone time before I
left. Is that all right, or do you want me to leave?”

Wow, he was actually giving me a
choice. I guess some things did change after all. I chewed on my lip so hard, I
thought for sure there would be blood, before answering him.

“Yeah, I guess that’s all right,” I
took a deep breath, not believing what I was about to do, but Chris just seemed
to bring back so many memories that I just wanted to keep away. “But I’m really
not in the mood for talking.” I closed the small space between us and instantly
mashed my lips against his. He let out a startled noise because I’m sure there
was no way he was expecting that, but he, of course, didn’t pull away. His
mouth tasted so familiar and comforting as I tangled my hands in his hair.

That had been one of my favorite
things about Chris: even though all around he was a good looking guy, I just always
felt so in control during our heavy make out sessions when I had my hands
twined through his hair, controlling the next moves.

“Addy,” he moaned into my mouth
before spinning me around and slamming me into the kitchen wall. “You have no
idea how much I missed this. How much I missed everything about you.” He worked
at a frantic pace, his hands pushing up the hem of my dress until it was
bunched up at my waist.

“Just quit talking.” I wrapped my
legs around his waist and latched my lips onto his neck, sliding my tongue up
the length until I reached his strong jaw and then dragged his bottom lip in
between my teeth. I moaned into his mouth when he thrust his hips forward.

I could feel his hardness through
his shorts push against me, and it set me off with a need that I had to have
filled right then and there. I let my legs drop briefly and fumbled with the
button on his shorts. He helped out by pushing those down, along with his
boxers and reached down to grasp my hips.

“Wait, hold on,” I gasped out. Just
because we were in the heat of the moment, I had certainly learned my lesson
the first time. “Condom.” I held out my hand and waited. He must have known I
meant business this time because he had one out of his wallet in record time,
and I was once again wrapping my legs around his waist. With one thrust, we
were both moaning out each other’s names and falling into a rhythm that seemed
all too familiar.

                                                                   
***********************

I flopped onto the middle of my bed,
and Chris rolled in next to me, both of us catching our breath after the
workout we had in the kitchen and then on the dining room table. I knew I had
just made a huge mistake, but I felt guilty for thinking that by the dopey smile
that was spread across his face.

He laced our hands together and
traced my bare stomach with his other. I avoided his eyes though. If I looked
into them, I knew I would definitely do something a whole lot stupider than had
just happened.

If that was possible.

 “See, Addy, you and me just works.
I knew if you just gave it a chance again, it would be like nothing ever
happened.” I stifled a groan and squeezed my eyes shut. Of course he thought
sex could solve everything. Typical guy. I think that was the whole problem to
begin with.

“Can we talk about this in the
morning? My head is pounding, and I’m super tired.” I asked quietly, which
really wasn’t far from the truth. Just thinking about what he said made me
exhausted.

“Sure, I’m just happy to be right
here with you.” He turned to bury his nose in the crook of my neck and I
instantly stiffened. Cuddling was certainly not part of the equation. “You know
I won’t be that far away when the semester starts up.” I let out a loud sigh
hoping he would get the hint, but he just continued talking.

“We could always try a long
distance thing or maybe you could get accepted to a college nearby. The place I
have would be big enough for two, you could always move in there. We could have
a fresh start; leave our past behind.” I cracked one eye open, my heart beating
through my chest as he laid our whole future out in front of us. No grin
crossed his face. He was being one hundred percent completely serious. Fuck me.

“Mmm hmm, we’ll talk about things
in the morning,” I murmured, turning onto my side to face away from him. He
answered with a kiss to my bare shoulder, and luckily didn’t say anything else.
A tear dripped down my cheek as I stared into the darkness of my room, and I
soon heard Chris’s light snores behind me.

 I wish I could leave my past
behind, but I knew if I tried to start any kind of new future, it couldn’t be
with Chris. Every time I looked at him, I remembered the night that had changed
my life. Tonight was supposed to be about forgetting, about letting go, but all
that I really did was give him renewed hope for something that would never be.