I swallow a lump the size of the damn golf ball, and I step up to finish my go. He watches me like nothing has happened.
That was nothing to him. Calm down.
When I’m done, Wren steps up and manages to take the longest time to get her ball in. I think it was about seven turns. Brody watches her with amusement.
Mila is quicker with three. Though, she doesn’t look very happy about it. Probably because she feels like a fifth wheel. I want to scream that Spencer and I aren’t a thing. We haven’t been a thing in a long time, and we agreed that friendship is all we should have.
We agree to the stupidest of things.
Wren pouts. “Brody, I need another cocktail.”
“You do that thing with your tongue later and you can have all of the cocktails you want.”
“Let’s not discuss that with my friends,” she retorts, slapping his shoulder.
“Yes, please don’t,” I say at the same time Spencer quips, “Way to go, Wren.”
I’ve never thought much about sex with Spence. Mostly because I cut that off the very second he pops into my head, naked. There’s no point torturing myself.
We move to the next game. Wren, Mila, and I have another cocktail. They’re nice, super sweet, and colourful with a huge after kick of alcohol.
The next game, Brody wins. Then the one after that. Spencer soon catches up, though. Wren is horrible at the game, but Mila and I aren’t too far behind the boys.
It seems that we get a new cocktail for every course. After three, I’m done, and I turn down another. I’ll need to be sober.
Spence and Brody are both driving so they’ve had nothing but Coke.
Mila and Wren continue drinking. Neither of them has any bad experiences with alcohol. Well, except maybe a few hangovers and an accidental marriage. They stayed married, though, so that no longer counts as a negative for her.
When you watch your parents transform into strangers and slowly kill themselves over it, it puts you off. I like a drink, but I will make sure I never turn out like them. Not ever.
“That was so much fun,” Mila says as we finish the final game, which was a course of inbred freaks wielding axes, with a chopped corpse at their feet.
Wren puts her hands on her hips. “Next time the boys can drink, and we’ll beat them.”
“Right, babe, the reason you lost is the cocktails,” Brody replies, rolling his eyes. Brody has the nicest eyes—second to Spencer, that is. They’re dark blue, like the colour of the sky at twilight. He’s a beautiful man with dark hair and killer body. It’s not hard to see why Wren fell for him.
As we walk out of the building, we stop by the door to say goodbye. We’re each heading off in different directions.
“We’ll see you guys soon?” Wren asks.
“We can try to do something before Indie and I go to LA on Wednesday.”
Oh, great.
Mila and Wren jump closer to me. “What? You’re finally going to LA?”
They have been nagging at me to go for ages. Wren even hinted towards them paying for my plane ticket, but I always said I’m too busy. It wasn’t a lie, but I have made myself busier than I need to be.
“Yes, Wednesday until Saturday.”
“That’s awesome! Will you be at the premiere? Oh my God, I’ll die if I see you on TV!” Mila gushes.
Spencer laughs and wraps his arm around my shoulders. “I’ll make sure she gets in front of the camera.”
My heart comes to an abrupt stop. “Don’t you dare!”
No one can see me with him on the red carpet. They’ll be digging around in my business and know my life story before the movie ends.
“Breathe, Indie,” he says. “I’ll sneak you in my pocket.”
Ten
Spencer
There’s nothing quite like knowing your best friend doesn’t want to be seen with you to ruin a good evening. She made it clear with a look of panic that she won’t be beside me on the red carpet.
How am I supposed to take that?
I wouldn’t mind if she just said she’d rather not. Her expression suggested that it would be the worst thing imaginable.
She doesn’t elaborate on why, and I’m too much of a fucking chicken to ask.
We walk back to my car after saying goodbye to her friends. “I like your mates. Especially Brody.”
Looking up, she smiles faintly. “They’re amazing. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
“Want me to drop you off home now?” I ask. My voice sounds dangerously on the desperate side. I’m not ready for this night to end. She’s been flirty and handsy. I’ve been hard.
“No, we should to go to yours so I can drive home. I’ll need my car tomorrow morning.”
“What’s happening tomorrow morning?”
“I’m going to the library, first thing.”
Is she crazy? “All right. When you’re done, are you coming over?”
“Of course. I’ll be over early afternoon.”
Good.
We drive to my house in a comfortable silence between us, while listening to the radio. I love being Spencer Lowe: the new movie star the US is obsessed with.
I love being Indie’s friend more.
When I’m with her, I don’t need to be on it all of the time. I don’t have to smile and pretend that I’m the perfect guy.
“Spence…” Out of the corner of my eye, I see her shake her head and turn towards the window like she’s having a debate with herself. “Nothing.”
“Come on, you’re clearly thinking something. What were you going to say?”
She sighs. “I was going to ask about your days on set.”
Bullshit.
“Why is that difficult to ask? We’ve already spoken about what I do.”
“I know, but not everything. Not all the details.”
“You’ve stopped making sense.” I turn into my road. We’ve had many long conversations about long hours and hundreds of takes.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry; tell me straight. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
I pull onto the drive but neither of us gets out.
