“The price of fame, huh?” Jackson asked.
“Fame?” Miranda asked.
“I don’t know. It was a joke. Can’t you just take a breath and relax?”
I cringed.
“Relax…,” Miranda said. “That’s your answer to everything. The simple and easy life.”
“I don’t think my life is simple and easy,” Jackson said. “Just ask Callie.”
Callie laughed. “You’re the biggest pain in the ass I ever met.”
“As bad as me?” I asked. “Right, Miranda?”
Miranda smiled. “I’m sure it’s a close race.”
The table fell silent.
I looked around.
Jackson and I looked at each other.
“So… how’s the wedding plans coming along?” Callie asked.
“It’s moving,” I said.
“Yeah,” Miranda said. “Getting everything in line.”
“We have to answer these quizzes,” I said. “All this fun stuff about our past.”
“I’m not a fan of that part,” Miranda said. “Sorry. I don’t really care about the past so much.”
“Well, it’s to get information about us,” I said.
“You go too far,” Miranda said.
“I know I do,” I said. “It’s the romantic in me.”
“I like thinking about the past,” Callie said. “You just can’t get lost in it.”
“Thank you,” Miranda said. She pointed to Callie. “You get it.”
“Yeah,” Callie said.
“So all the stories I was going to tell tonight I can’t now,” Jackson said. “It’s all about the past.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Jackson said.
“What about the past?” I asked.
“I really don’t need to hear any fart or sex stories,” Miranda said.
“No,” Jackson said. “I was going to tell you about the waitress flirting with Liam when you weren’t here, Miranda. You should be on time more. Liam is a fine piece of man-ass to catch.”
“Is that so?” Miranda asked. “Our waitress?”
“No, it was nothing,” I said. “Jackson is being a dick. As usual.”
“A really big dick,” Callie said.
“Correction,” Jackson said. “I have a really big dick. And I was telling the truth about the waitress. What do you think, Miranda? Want to throw some punches?”
“Ah, I get it,” she said. “You want me to get into a fight? Like you had Liam do the other night? Are you ever going to grow up?”
“No,” Jackson said.
“Well, this is fun,” I said with a sigh.
I looked at Callie.
She mouthed I’m sorry.
I was used to it.
Miranda was always on edge.
Jackson liked to push her over the edge.
And I guess somewhere inside me…
I should have cared more.
The alcohol took the edge off the rest of the night.
We had dinner, dessert, and we went our own way.
I hugged Callie. I hugged Jackson and thanked him for being a raging asshole. He said he loved me.
Miranda waved and didn’t touch anyone.
That was just her style though.
She wasn’t one to give out hugs and handshakes.
Especially when it came to Jackson.
On the car ride back to our apartment she was quiet.
Which was better than hearing her complain about Jackson.
When we got back to the apartment, I poured us each a glass of wine.
She went into the bathroom to shower and I carried the wine glasses into the bedroom and put them on the nightstand.
I walked to the bathroom door and went to turn the knob and it was locked.
I knocked on the door.
“Hey,” I called out. “You locked the door.”
“I know,” she yelled back.
I tried to turn the knob again and sighed.
That meant she was pissed at me.
There were two levels of Miranda being pissed.
The first was her just saying it.
That was the easy one. I could endure that one. I could listen, understand, and work things out.
The second level was when she didn’t say it but showed it.
Like locking the bathroom door.
Shit.
I stood at the door like a dog waiting to come inside from the rain.
Miranda finished her shower, opened the door then screamed.
“What the hell, Liam?” she yelled. “You scared me.”
“I want to ask you something,” I said. “Are we okay?”
“We?”
“Yeah. You and me. Because it’s been… I don’t know. I feel like you’re shutting me out.”
“Because I locked the bathroom door?” Miranda asked.
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to know why I locked the bathroom door?”
“Please.”
“I don’t need you to try and hump me the way Jackson does with Callie, okay? They’re new at this. They want to have their thing, good for them. I don’t need you to have a few drinks and then turn into Mr. Touchy Feely all over me. And honestly, what if I just wanted to take a quick shower and get into bed? Is that wrong? We can’t just throw on some stupid show and fall asleep?”
I nodded. “Okay. I hear that. I understand. I just miss you sometimes.”
“Liam, we talked about this. It’s busy for me. There’s an end to it all. I’m sorry we aren’t married yet too, but I really don’t care about society and their view. We can be engaged for twenty years and everyone can still kiss my ass.”
I smiled. “There she is.”
“What?”
“You. Miranda. Telling the world to kiss your ass. It’s good to see you again.”
I leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
She put her hand to my chest. “Where did Liam go then? I should be out of this towel and sitting on the bathroom sink, groaning your name.”
I slipped my hand into the towel and smiled at her.
She wiggled away. “Too late now. I shouldn’t have to tell you to do it.”
She walked to the bed and dropped the towel.
I looked at her for a few seconds and then went into the bathroom and shut the door.
I needed a cold shower.
And another round of drinks just for myself.
Chapter Eight
Emily
I opened my apartment door after another long day and felt like I could burst into tears. There was no real reason for it. It had just been that kind of day. Everything went smooth, but I felt like hell had washed over me.
I poured myself a glass of wine and celebrated another day of survival as I stood at my favorite window in the apartment and watched the day wind down, turning into night.
With just one
