Love and Lies (8 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

I called Alec
on my way home from classes that afternoon.  “Alec, I need to talk to you. Like, now. Please come over.”

Logan's surprise
that I wasn’t supposed to hear gave me the boost I needed to get over myself. Beaux-Artiste gave me what I wanted, a chance to be me...not what my parents wanted me to be. If I let some stupid memories and a confession ruin that, then I was weaker than I'd thought. But first I had to let Alec know what happened. There was still a chance Eric would decide I wasn't worth the work and end whatever it was we had. But Alec would be there for me, no matter what.

“
Yes, school was peachy today. No, I didn't learn anything new. I'm fine thank you,” he answered with an air of annoyance.

“
Please, Alec. It's important.

“
Fine, I'll be there in a few.”

I paced my room
, wringing my hands till they were red, while I waited for him to show up. When I heard the faint sound of his humming coming from down the hallway, I met him with the door open. Immediately, he pulled me to his chest, his arms enclosed tight around my waist.

“
What the hell is wrong?” Alec mumbled into my shoulder.

I stumbled when he pulled me to the
couch, but Alec didn't falter.

“
Did something happen? Was Eric here? Please talk to me.” His voice was urgent, and he spit out questions too fast for me to answer.

“
Yes, Eric was here last night. Something happened, but I'm not sure how to describe it. Alec, you can't be mad at me. I told him something that even you don't know.”

A flash of hurt swept across Alec's face. Just as rapidly, he was back to the caring, loving guy I knew and took comfort in.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them he said, “Okay. First tell me what you told him.”

“
I told Eric why we left early.”

“
Why?”

“
Because he wouldn't leave until I told him what was wrong. You did tell me to talk to him.”

“
I did, yes. But what didn't you tell me? Since we’ve been here, I haven't asked you what happened, and yeah, I knew something happened. Not even that night when you called in such a frantic state, squealing into the phone that you were ready to go and you’d pay for everything if I’d just meet you are the airport right then. Leaving like that wasn't your usual way of doing things. You worried me. Then we settled in here, and you were happy. It would have been stupid for me to force you to tell me what happened, knowing how upset it would have made you. Eric walks in and you tell him without prompting. Why?”

I lowered my head.

“Carissa, what happened in New York? Answer that then we'll talk about the other.”

I proceeded t
o tell Alec the same thing I'd shared with Eric. I'd spent too much time keeping everything a secret, and in less than twenty-four hours, I'd let it all out not once, but twice. In some ways it was a relief, a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. In other ways, I felt exposed. Fear trickled through me. Fear that my best friend would never want to talk to me again, fear that my boyfriend would side with my parents. Sure Eric reacted as if he was on my side, but then I'd told him to leave. Maybe he'd change his mind.

At s
ome point in my retelling, Alec joined me on the couch again. As I finished, he sat unmoving, hardly breathing, his hands resting in his lap. I waited, more patiently than I expected, for him to say something. Anything would have been better than nothing.

I touched his knee.
“Alec. Please say something.”

“
No, I can't. I'm trying damn hard not to disrespect your parents, and if I say something right now, that's exactly what I'll do. Besides, I need a little more time to figure out why I shouldn't be on a plane to New York.”

“All you have to do is ask me. I can tell you why you shouldn't go. The first being I don't want you to.” There were other reasons like our friendship, and school. But I didn't say anything. Alec would do what he wanted, regardless of what I said.

“
I'm sorry. I wish I would have done more back then. I'm one shitty friend, huh?”

“
No, you aren't a shitty friend. You're the best friend I've ever had.”

For an hour,
I cuddled with Alec. I convinced him that he wasn't a bad friend, that it was
me
who didn't tell him so he had nothing to feel bad about. I got the same crap from him that Eric had given me, all the stuff about talking to a counselor. I blew him off the same way. A counselor would make me talk about everything with my parents. They’d want to know how their lack of care made me feel. Heck no. There had to be a lot more soul searching on my end before I’d be ready to face all that.

It was odd, though. A
fter Alec left, I found some peace. In my heart, I knew then that he wouldn't look at me and think I was at fault. That was important to me. And I didn't even regret telling Eric. The two most important men in my life both knew what had happened. The last forty-eight hours had been a roller coaster ride, but maybe it was through and I could get off it now.

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

On my birthday
, I was ready to take on the world. Talking to Alec and knowing how he felt about my parents and Igor made it so I didn't feel as alone. I pushed all sour thoughts about my parents, Eric, and our relationship out of my mind. Alec met me on the steps of the school. It was tradition that on each other's birthday we met on the steps with cupcakes in hand.

We
’d started the tradition a year after Alec moved to New York. Back then we met on the steps of the Met, now it was school. Alec was the first to bring me a cupcake. He took me to the Met for my thirteenth birthday. He’d wanted to give me something no one else would think of. Since I wasn't a fan of sappy cards or gifts, he went for just that. The cupcake that year had been pink with little rose candies on it. I returned the favor on his birthday with a black cake sporting a soccer ball, football, and baseball on top.

As the years progressed
, we tried to one-up each other. I giggled when he revealed cupcake number six. This year’s pick was pink with silver sprinkles and a miniature bear figurine on top. The purple bear had a daisy painted in the center of its belly.

“
Really? A bear—”

Alec shoved a piece in my mouth mid-sentence.

“
Not nice.” I spit bites of cake all over him.

Alec guffawed then wiped my face with a napkin
he pulled from his pants.

I raised my hand to wipe off my own face, but before I could
, strong arms wrapped around me from behind. Startled, I yelped and kicked my foot backward, making contact with the person behind me.

Eric spun me around and took my mouth in a kiss that stole my breath. Alec chuckled.

“For the birthday girl,” Eric said when we finally broke apart.

“I think I’d like a little more of that.”

Eric swiped his tongue over his lips. “That’s a pretty good cupcake. Nice choice, Alec.”

“
Come on, we're going to be late,” Alec said as he walked around the two of us.

“I’ve got to get to class, but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.” Eric’s breath caressed my ear and goose bumps rose on my arm. I wanted him to stay, but understood he had to go. Our classes were on separate ends of campus.

“Thank you.” I rose up on my toes and kissed his cheek. 

After watching Eric rush off to class
, I caught up with Alec just inside the building. We skipped down the hall, laughing. Logan leaned against the door of my first class. In his hand he held a bouquet of wild flowers and an envelope. Alec was behind me, and Logan watched from his spot against the door. I opened the envelope. My heart raced, and my breath hitched when I saw the tickets. Sage. He'd done it. Logan had gotten the tickets. Even though I knew about his plans, I wasn't sure he’d be able to pull it off so quickly. I mean, it’d been less than twenty-four hours since I overheard him and Alec.

“
I can't believe it!” I screeched, jumped around to Alec, and shook the tickets wildly in his face.

He watched
, smirking.

Logan
held his hands over his ears. “Girl, you have to stop. That high pitched squeal will bring the dogs running.” He leaned down and kissed the top of my head, his hands on my shoulders keeping my feet on the ground. “Happy Birthday.”

I turned to Logan
, whose face brightened with a smile right before he broke into song. I didn't recognize it as a cover. Instead, it was a song he'd written. I knew it was an original. When he wrote an original composition the song took on a certain flare. I couldn't describe it, but the passion in his voice lit up my soul. The intensity wasn't as strong when he was singing someone else's song.

“
Logan, what would I do without you? You really know how to make my day.” I placed a hand on his right cheek and gave him a kiss on the other.

“
I figured you needed an original present.”

I read the note in the envelope.
Happy Birthday, these are for you. Take whomever you want. There are five tickets. L.

“
It's awesome. Thank you so much. So does that mean you'll come to the concert?” I asked even though I knew the answer.

“
I'll definitely be there. No way would I miss a chance to spend a Saturday with you...and everyone else.” Logan's voice broke off as he left for his next class. 

“
So you've got five tickets here. Who else are you going to take besides Logan?” Alec batted his eyelashes. He had to-die-for eyelashes. Long and thick, the kind that made every girl swoon. Too bad for him they didn't work as well on most of the guys he chased.

“I dunno who to take. I guess I could take you—I'll think about it and let you know.” I gave him a quick peck on the cheek then headed to class.

A glance over my shoulder told me what I needed to know. Alec was shocked. That was my plan. I wanted to make his invitation grand.

I slid into my seat just as Professor Jurgensmeyer walked in to start class. Hunched over the desk, I started doodling on my notebook. It was hard for me to sit still for too long if I wasn't sketching. My bag vibrated on the floor, and I dug out my phone. It was from Eric.

That kiss wasn’t your gift by the way
. I've got something for you later.

I
texted back:
I would hope not.

Later, as in how much later? I've got something for you, too.

Eric responded
:
After class. Meet me outside at the bleachers.

I sent a quick text telling
him I’d be there and slipped my phone back into my bag. The rest of the class, my smile never faded. The world was right again, and it was my birthday.

*
* * *

Eric waited for me outside, poised on the lowest bench
. He held a bouquet of chocolate bars rather than flowers. A man after my heart. I chuckled as I slid next to his side. He put his arm around me, and I felt the heat from his body. He bent down and kissed me with a kiss softer than a butterfly's wings.

“
Chocolate bars. Yum. And original. Thank you. So how’s your day so far?”

Eric chuckled.
“My day is going well, even though it just started. Then again, any day that I get to see you is a good day.” He kissed me again, this time more playfully. Our lips pressed together as he ran his hand along my ribs. His gentle touch tickled and made me wriggle around.

My face
warmed to the point I was sure it had turned a shade of tomato red. “Where did this side of you come from?”

Eric's brows tilted in confusion.

“Any day you get to see me is a good day? Really? That's like one of the oldest lines in the book. Can't you do better than that?”

“
Ahh, you are feeling better.” He cleared his throat. “Okay, Carissa, my day is wonderful. I woke up this morning rested, and now I've had the chance to kiss the most beautiful pain in the ass, stubborn, and defiant woman I’ve dated.” Eric lowered his chin in my direction. “Is that better?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Our third kiss last longer
. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and Eric lifted me into his lap. He pushed his tongue between my lips and deepened our kiss. Blinding heat filled my body, and I rocked into him. He didn’t give back though and pulled away. He rested his forehead on mine as we both took a moment to catch our breath. “Okay, you've got to stop doing that. I can't concentrate.”

“
That's the point, but keep going. I believe you had something to give me.”

“
Yeah, I do. But you need to know where they came from before I give them to you, and you can't get mad.” Somehow I had to make sure Eric wouldn’t overreact.

“
Okay.” Eric's eyes narrowed.

“
Well, Logan got me a birthday present that involves all four of us. There are five tickets. Logan is going since he got the tickets, and I've got a plan to ask Alec if he'll go, and we both know he'll say yes. Which brings us to you. I know I probably scared you away. Even though from your kisses, I hope I'm wrong on that assumption. But I like spending time with you. So I hope you'll come with us.”

“These tickets are for what? And why would I be mad at Logan?”

“
Sage, and I don’t know. I just…I mean…You aren’t mad?”

“
Yeah, I'm in,” he said without debate. “And I’m not mad. I know you and Logan don’t have anything going on, despite how much he would like to change that. On one condition.” Eric stared at me until I nodded. “I'm the only person that can take you to the concert.”

“
No.”

“No?”

There was the Eric I
was coming to know. Mr. Stubborn. Preferring to have things his way. So far, I’d been shocked by the change in his personality. Maybe not change, but this was a layer I wasn’t expecting.

“
No. I want all of us to go together. This is my birthday present, and we're going to do things my way. I won't let you bulldoze the other two.” I crossed my arms over my chest. I wouldn't let Eric dictate the night.

“
Fine. But I'm taking you to dinner, and we'll meet them afterward. Logan may have gotten the tickets, but the date will be with me.”

“
Okay. That, I'll agree to. “

“
So, I'll see you later.”

I nodded and watched him wiggle his
tight little butt to his next class.

Forcefully
, I made myself turn away and plan my attack on Alec. He was going to be difficult. God love him, Alec wore his feelings on his shoulders and had no problem voicing it to everyone. Being the drama queen that he was, Alec would have made a fantastic drama teacher.

I decided to go for groveling. We all had a break between classes right around noon
—it was the perfect setup for fawning, and I could get Logan's help. I planned to make a huge scene that put Alec in the spotlight. Just the way he liked it. The chance that I might enjoy it as well was a perk.

* * *
*

All the cafeteria tables were large round tables. They sat eight to ten students each. I stopped Logan outside of the cafeteria and asked him to make sure and get a table in the middle of the room, so that I could get everyone's attention quicker. Logan didn't ask questions, just nodded and headed in. He learned
early on not to ask questions when it came to Alec and me.

The snack line supplied my lunch for the day, scarce as it was. I walked to our table
, put my food down, and climbed up to stand on top of the table.

“
Mmmhmm.” I cleared my throat. “May I have your attention please?” After a couple of seconds, the room was mine to control. “Thank you. I needed everyone's attention so you could witness my apology to Alec Davenport. I didn't give him what he wanted this morning.”

Whistles and cat calls rung out through the room.
The incorrect innuendos and assumptions made me laugh. If only they knew Alec was gay.

“
He's hurt by my actions.” Standing up straighter, I smoothed my blue and black plaid skirt. I winked at Alec. “I'm formally inviting you to the event with me, Logan, and Eric. Before you ask why they were asked before you, I would like to say that it was not a public request. Only you deserve something as grand as that.” I bowed and swept my arm across the table, finishing the speech.

Alec stood on the bench, his hand
fluttering at his eyes, acting like he was trying to keep the tears from flowing. “My goodness, a public invitation with witnesses. Whatever did I do to deserve this great privilege?” Alec threw his voice up a couple of octaves for flavor. “Oh, of course, my dear Carissa, I will go with you.”

The room erupted in laughter. My act
had been a success.