How to Marry Your Frenemy - London Casey Page 0,99
sunrise.
“I want the deposition on my desk by the time I get back,” Miranda’s voice screeched.
I cringed.
She came into the kitchen and stopped when she saw me.
“Look,” she said. “If it’s not on my desk, I will fucking personally hunt you down and make it worth my time to find you.”
She ended the call.
“How long is this going to go on for?” she asked, waving her hand at me.
“You don’t like having a house guest?” I asked.
“From my understanding, Jackson, you go through a lot of women,” Miranda said. “So why does this one matter?”
“This one I loved.”
“So you got burned?”
“In a sense, yes.”
“So all the women you lied to…”
I felt my lip lifting. “You’re suggesting this is karma?”
“Perhaps,” she said. “Clean up anything you touch.” She pointed around the kitchen.
She turned and walked away.
I wanted to wave my middle fingers at her like people did at a concert during a sad song.
But maybe Miranda was right.
Maybe I deserved this.
Liam entered the kitchen like a spy, looking around.
“She’s gone,” I said.
“What?”
“You’re looking for your fiancée,” I said. “Right? Or… avoiding her.”
“I’m not avoiding anyone,” Liam said.
“I saw her. I talked to her.”
“You two talked?” Liam asked.
“Well, she tore me a new one and left.”
“Shit… Jackson…”
“I don’t care,” I said. “I’m used to it. I made sure to put the bathroom towel the right way. I washed the dishes I used by hand and then put them into the dishwasher. I made sure not to step on every third tile. Or look out the window for more than ten seconds.”
“Come on,” Liam said. “Don’t be a dick.”
“I’m not a dick,” I said. “I need a place to stay and clear my head. Not get treated like I’m some bad kid or something.”
“You’re invading our lives,” Liam said.
“Invading?”
“Sorry… I didn’t mean that. I meant-”
“I thought we were close, Liam,” I said. “When have I ever called you for help? Never. I’ve never asked you for a place to crash. This shit going on is all new to me. I’m feeling this thing in fifty directions. And I don’t need Miranda breathing down my neck. I’m not staying forever, Liam. You can’t just calm her down for a few days for me?”
“This is our home, Jackson,” Liam said. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want. But it is our home. I’m in a tough spot here too. Stuck between my fiancée and my best friend. Miranda and I work long hours. When we come home, we have our routine. It’s tough having that messed up.”
“So I’m invading and messing things up.”
“You’re being a dick now. Big time.”
“You’re the dick,” I said. “She crushed me.”
“Miranda?”
“No. Callie.”
“Did you call her yet?”
“Why the fuck would I call her?” Liam asked.
“Why wouldn’t you? Since when do you back down?”
“I’m not backing down.”
“You’re hiding,” Liam said. “That’s not like you.”
“Things change,” I said. “People change. Maybe you’ll change too.”
“Oh, this is where you tell me to leave Miranda, right? You want to control my relationship. You can’t even control your own.”
“Fuck you, Liam,” I snapped.
“There it is,” he said. “Come on. Get that anger out. You love her. You fell in love. Now you’re trying to tell yourself it was never real to begin with. But it was.”
“I will knock your ass out in your own kitchen,” I warned.
“Then do it,” Liam said.
I stepped toward him.
Liam unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up.
We both nodded at each other.
“You’re afraid to make a move because if she really is a bitch, it’s going to fuck with your heart for a long time,” Liam said.
“And if you marry Miranda, you’re going to be miserable,” I said. “You know it.”
“So what are we going to do here, Jackson?” Liam asked. “I have a meeting in an hour.”
We slowly circled each other.
Was I going to throw fists with my best friend?
Hell no.
We both knew that.
Liam just played into it for me. Because he was that good of a friend.
When I lowered my fists, I sighed. “I’m going to go pack my shit and leave. Thanks for me letting me crash here. I have to figure something out.”
“Okay,” Liam said. “The door is always open. Just not for too long.”
“Please tell me that you and Miranda don’t do stupid shit like walk around naked…”
“Did you and Callie ever do that?” he asked with a grin.
“Of course,” I said. “But we fucked each other’s brains out while dinner was getting cold.”