looking forward to it, but then again she was. Time to get it all out. Just like these videos—get the past out.
“She doesn’t remember,” Tom said. “What do you suggest? ‘Hey, Mia, a few weeks ago. I rocked your world. Sound familiar?’”
Whatever Lizzie said in return caused him to grin and laugh.
“I’m a dog, Liz. I shouldn’t have let that happen, but damn, it was Mia and she finally said yes. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to come my way for four years. Since the very first day I met her.”
For so long, she’d thought Tom had just been teasing her as the new person to their group, that he hadn’t really wanted her, but fuck, he had. Damn, her interpersonal communication skills sucked ass. Even to this day.
“No, I didn’t ask her before. What I meant was that the interest was there—finally. She’s always so damn shy. I didn’t know whether or not she liked me.”
Ethan laughed and she turned her eyes on him. “I told you, husband. I was awkward.”
“It’s all an act,” Marty added.
“Seriously?” she said.
“You are one of the most confident people I know.”
“When it comes to my career, I will agree. But with my personal life, not at all. I make bad decisions all the time as evidenced by the two videos we have seen tonight, by all the drugs I’ve taken. By the beating I took to get this scar,” she said, gesturing to scar given to her by some frat boy looking for more than she wanted to give. “By many of the decisions I made during our entire second tour. Ethan can probably add more to this list, right?”
“Mia …” he started, looking very uncomfortable. He would never say anything.
“See? I’m right,” she said, falling back into the sofa. “Let’s continue with the video.”
By that time, Tom had hung up the phone and was nursing another drink. His eyes focused on something on the dance floor. She searched his line of sight and then she saw herself and Luke, his body so close to hers, his hands sliding up her torso. Her hands were up in the air near his head. Dancing was a kind of foreplay to them. They both got so turned on and often left the club early to go out to his Range Rover.
This night, they didn’t dance long. She saw the booth on the screen and then she saw it—Luke’s move. He backed her against the small partition wall between two booths and then he was attacking her mouth with his kisses. She barely saw it, but she knew what he did next, so she knew what to look for. His hand slid down her thigh before it made a return trek up and under her skirt.
She glanced over at Tom on the screen. His face full of rage. He had definitely seen them and slammed back his drink.
“What is Tom seeing? He’s super pissed,” Lizzie asked quietly. She hadn’t seen it. Thank God. Maybe no one would. She looked over at Luke. From the stark expression on his face, he’d seen it. They made eye contact and he shook his head and smiled.
“Are you two, uh … ?” Allie couldn’t finish her thought.
“Doing it?” Mia answered. “Not yet.”
Every head in the room turned to stare at her. Luke had the nerve to laugh. She shrugged her shoulders. They wanted to see it—this was what they’d get.
“Bright side—no moans will be heard on this video.”
“Oh, I don’t know …” Luke teased which earned him a glare from his wife.
“It’s really weird seeing this. I’ve only ever seen you two as friends. This,” Ethan said, pointing at the television screen, “seems so out of character for you guys.”
“Now, yeah. Back then, no,” she replied.
Mia tried not to laugh because it was true. Not much had held them back. They’d had a lot of sex. Everything back then was focused on sex and it wasn’t until they really broke up that their relationship was more about love and friendship.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her away towards the exit off-screen.
“Where did you guys go?” Allie asked.
“Out to my Range Rover,” Luke answered.
“Why?” Allie asked, scrutinizing her husband.
“Uh, I needed some air,” Mia answered for Luke.
“‘Air’?” Ethan air-quoted. She looked at him and smiled.
“Yes. Air,” she said, trying to say it with a straight face but couldn’t.
“A car at a club?” Ethan pressed.
“Hey! Don’t get on my case about the car. You and me … my old Pathfinder. Limos,