The Game Changer The Final Score - By L.M. Trio Page 0,84
Mostly everyone I know ends up breaking up once they are separated from each other.”
“Maybe it’s not love and they just think it is.”
“Maybe.”
“Are you happy?” I ask, staring into her chestnut brown eyes.
“I am now,” she says, looking at me intently.
“I like when you’re happy and havin’ fun. Don’t lose that, okay?”
“Okay.” She gives me another smile.
I get caught up in the moment. I reach up with my free hand and rest it on the side of her face, tilting her head towards mine as I lean down and kiss her on her cherry-colored lips. It’s a gentle, meaningful, lingering kiss with partially parted lips. Not how I would kiss a friend. Actually, not how I would kiss any girl, other than someone that I love. I hope she feels it the way I do. My body trembles inside. When I slowly pull away, our eyes remain locked on each other. I would have kissed her again if we weren’t interrupted by a familiar voice.
“There you are… I was looking for you,” Jeffrey says, sounding uneasy.
De jumps. “Hey, I’m sorry. I came out to get some air and Mikey joined me. We were discussing how nice everything was tonight.”
I stand up, feeling very uneasy myself.
“Yeah, it was a great time,” Jeffrey says, trying to sound enthusiastic.
“Well, I’m gonna head back in, I’ll leave you two alone,” I say casually. I bend down and whisper in her ear before leaving, “I never cashed in on my bet. Don’t think I forgot.”
Chapter 21
(Deanna)
The day after the wedding, Jeffrey and I said our goodbyes and ended things for good. After we got back to our hotel, we ended up getting in a somewhat heated “discussion” over Mikey. He said he felt as if he was the third wheel every time he’s in the same room as Mikey. I tried telling him he was crazy, although not very convincingly. Needless to say, we both went to bed separately and parted ways in the morning. A feeling of relief came over me once he was gone. I needed a couple of days alone to gather my thoughts. I was planning on telling Mikey, but then I learned he flew back to LA almost immediately following the wedding.
He wasn’t gone for long, and to be honest, I only recall him going a few times since Thanksgiving. JJ told me that he tried breaking things off with her numerous times, but she keeps reeling him back in. He hinted to Lora Rae about the lifestyle not being for him, but she refuses to take the hint. She insists that it isn’t for her, either, and offered to spend time with him in Florida. JJ said he blew off the offer and didn’t give her a response. He believes she is trying to be the person she thinks he wants, not the person she actually is. To me, she sounds like a stalker; famous or not.
With the wedding and their ten day honeymoon to the Cayman Islands behind, it was time for JJ and Luke to get back to reality. The last couple of months have been a whirlwind and they are excited about starting their new life without all of the craziness, and just focus on them. They’re looking forward to getting into a rhythm of a normal routine. At the end of the day, they want to be able to come home and relax in their new home.
***
All of the major remodeling of the house is mostly complete, thanks to the almost around the clock service from the contractors my brother hired over the last month and a half. They are down to the little things, like painting and decorating.
For the most part, they’ve been staying at the condo with Mikey while the house is under construction. I’ve been at the condo on numerous occasions, but have yet to have a second alone with Mikey since the wedding.
The four of us take a ride over to Luke and JJ’s house to check out the new floors after they’re installed. The house looks great, completely remodeled; only minimal work is left to be done.
Afterwards, we head over to Mikey’s huge, empty, new house to check it out. JJ and I walk through every room, admiring the beauty of it, but it’s completely empty; the walls are stark white and there isn’t one piece of furniture in the place, but there are about half a dozen furniture magazines and paint samples spread out on the kitchen counter.