Noel peeked over at Clara, and they both burst out laughing.
“Sorry, man. But I know you’re lying about that,” Noel stated proudly as he wrapped his arm around his wife.
“Now, how could you—Oh! I get ya. Nolan Parker, holder of his wife’s virginity!” Julian winked, and Clara’s face turned bright red.
“Jesus! Want to be any louder?” she exclaimed, seeing if anyone around them heard.
“Tell me Julian wasn’t your first kiss, baby?”
Clara turned her head and gave her husband an apologetic expression. “Noel, it was before you. You and Alex were already in college in California. Julian and I were close compared to you and me back then. And well, he dragged me to one of Max’s parties. I got thrown into the stupid spin the bottle circle and Mark Hill landed on me and wouldn’t kiss me. Julian took one for the team, and well, he kinda figured out that it was my first kiss.”
“Mark Hill didn’t want to kiss you?” Noel asked, bewildered.
“Nope. It wasn’t even like a full-blown kiss, and it was pretty weird.”
“Hey! It was the best kiss you ever had!” Julian said, defending himself.
Clara let out a laugh. “It was the only kiss I’d had. I didn’t kiss another guy until Darren. You’re not mad, are you? I kinda never counted Julian as my first kiss anyway.”
“It was lip on lip, Clara. There was contact. That shit counts as a kiss. I was there. You were there. Noel wasn’t there,” Julian said, knowing it would piss off his best friend.
“Mark Hill is a fucking idiot,” Noel said, ignoring Julian’s remark and reassured his wife with a kiss.
“I was a boy repellent then.” Clara smiled.
“Good. I’m glad you were because I got to have and keep you.” Noel turned his attention back to Julian. “Don’t even think about my wife’s lips or kissing her. I’ll kick your ass.”
Julian smirked and raised a brow at Clara. “See, I told you.”
Two days after the wedding, Julian stepped out of Max’s Porsche and took in the large Victorian apartment building. It was nice and looked pricey. Julian knew instantly that Clara’s brother, Alex, had forked over the money for it.
Bloody Lawrences and their money!
A small moving truck caught his eye, and he noticed Clara taking a box from her brother. He frowned when he remembered that she’d said their kiss had been weird. The testosterone in him hated it. But it was weird, and it didn’t last very long. It also didn’t help that she was inexperienced. But like Clara had said, he was taking one for the team.
Not waiting for Max, Julian crossed the road until he approached Clara. She glanced up at him and greeted him with a smile.
“Nice to see you awake,” Julian teased and then winked.
Clara’s fingers dug into the box she held, and her smile began to fade. “Shut up, Julian, and help out.”
“Like I helped out with your first kiss.” He raised both eyebrows at her.
“I would have dealt with Mark Hill’s rejection just fine. You didn’t have to kiss me. Now, grab a box,” Clara instructed with an annoyed tone as she nodded toward the truck.
“Not going to faint on me now, are you?” he asked, mocking her for blacking out at her own wedding.
“Grab a box, Moors!” Clara let out a huff then spun around and stormed through the gates of the apartment building. Julian watched as Clara handed Noel the box and then she began to make her way back to the truck.
“Where’s Stephanie?” Julian asked.
Clara stopped a few steps away from him.
She tilted her head. “You might want to start calling her ‘Stevie.’”
He blinked several times, walking to the back of the truck. Then Julian nodded to Alex as he was given a box from Clara’s brother. When he spun around, he faced his best friend’s wife. “I’d rather be shot in the face but thanks, Clara.” He gave her a wink and started to make his way towards the doors of the apartment building.
“Umm, Julian,” Clara called out.
He halted. Breathing in, he held the box tightly then faced her. There was a sad gleam in Clara’s eyes, and he felt a constricting pain in his chest. He feared what she’d say next.
“Don’t hurt her, okay? You’re a soft topic for her.” The concern was written all over the features of Clara’s face and posture.
“Clara,” Julian breathed out. But she shook her head, stopping him from continuing.