Stuck With Me - Melissa Brown Page 0,4
kinda. I want you there. Why is that so hard for you to get?”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she swung her legs over and stepped onto the floor. Even when she was being rude, she was ridiculously hot. Her wavy black hair spilled down her shoulders and her bare, toned legs called to me from across the room.
I always was a leg man.
“Grow up, Dev.”
I crossed the room and took her hands in mine. “We were supposed to spend New Year’s together. Of course I want to kiss you at midnight. This was supposed to be the start of a new year—our year, remember? That was why you agreed to come with me in the first place.”
She looked away, gritting her teeth. “Things change.”
“Yeah, I guess they do.” I turned my back to her, no longer wanting to spare her feelings. I was tired of walking on eggshells with Trupti and tired of giving my friends endless excuses on her behalf. I walked to the bathroom, slamming the door behind me before running the shower. As steam filled the room, I inhaled deeply, attempting a calming breath.
It didn’t work.
I wasn’t sure how much longer I could be patient with her. As much as I cared about Trupti, this was getting old. And I couldn’t ignore the harsh reality that was right in front of my eyes.
We were at an impasse. One I wasn’t sure we would ever get past.
She wanted my family to know, and I wasn’t ready for that—not until she made an honest effort with my friends. And she clearly had no intention of letting them in.
So where the hell do we go from here?
The scalding hot water of the shower soothed my nerves as I let it pour down around me. I was going to go to Brighton Resort to ski, drink, and ring in the new year with my best friends. And I was going alone.
So be it.
An hour later, both of us eager to get the hell out of my condo, Trupti and I parted ways. No kisses or hugs. No contact at all, in fact. And that was fine with me. I was too pissed to fake pleasantries.
“Text me later,” she said, climbing into her car, not even looking back as I stood with my hand gripping the button on my trunk.
Whatever.
After putting my luggage in the car, I drove out of my parking garage into the street, realizing I hadn’t even looked out my window before leaving on this trip. It was snowing. Hard. But I didn’t care. I needed to get to the resort and blow off some steam. More snow just meant there’d be more on Mount Rainier for all of us to enjoy.
On a good day, the drive from Seattle would take me about an hour and a half. But after driving for two hours, I’d barely just gotten out of the city. I called Peter.
“Yo, how much snow are we supposed to get?”
“Nothing major, but I guess the storm could be turning. Where are you?”
“I just got out of the city a few minutes ago. The farther I go, the heavier this shit is.”
“Maren just looked it up. She said it’s supposed to calm down within the hour. I guess you just left a little too early.”
“Lucky me,” I sneered. “Oh well, I had to get outta there anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t really feel like talking about it.”
“You said I, not we.”
Damn it. Peter was too smart for my own good.
“You’re a quick one, McTavish. You got me; I’m flying solo. Again.”
“Sorry, man. I swear we weren’t going to give her a hard time.”
“Oh I know. She’s gonna have to shit or get off the pot, because she’s pissing me off, and my patience is getting thin. Really thin.”
“I hear you. Listen, don’t let it ruin the trip, okay? We’re gonna have a great time. Maren’s taking forever to pack, but then we’ll be on our way after we drop off the cat.”
“You’re boarding Big Tuna?” Peter’s cat was old, fluffy, and sweet as hell. I wasn’t a cat person, but I loved Big Tuna.
“Nah, just taking him to my folks. He hates being alone, and they’ll spoil him rotten.”
“Sounds like your parents.” Heavy snowflakes came down fast and furious against the windshield and I grimaced, gripping the wheel. “Okay, man, I’d better watch the road. It’s coming down real heavy.”
“Oh wait. Hold on. Maren wants to talk to you real quick.”
Oh Lord, if