Marls cackled, greeting me with a kiss on the cheek and handing me a drink.
“Arns, this girl is a sexy librarian looking hottie, she just hides it all the time behind her textbooks. Don’t you, Evs?” I grinned at my pseudo sister-in-law.
“Oh, please.Youladies look gorgeous,” I commented, wishing the attention was anywhere other than on me.
Arna was wearing a sparkling silver dress that highlighted her gorgeous legs and made me wonder if her fiancé was hiding around here somewhere making sure no one dared to look. She wore a black and silverBride-to-Besash wrapped around her torso and with the flashing paraphernalia headband on her head, she was adorably hilarious. I ignored the way her sash only held nine letters and forced myself to focus on something else before I spiralled into counting everything I could see to make sure I finished on evens. An annoying habit I wished I’d break.
Fighting for top position on the goddess scale, Marlee wore a figure-hugging black dress which fell to just below her knees, showcasing her gorgeous curves. No wonder my brother was agitated, she was a real-life angel.
“I shouldn’t have been worried about finding you with this,” I knocked one of the antennae Arna had on her head, and it bounced around, causing me to laugh again.
“Blame this one,” she said pointing at Marlee. “But, honestly, I’m here for it. I think I might wear it to work on Monday. What do you think, Flick?” She turned to Felicity who was standing with Winter a few metres down the bar, paying for what appeared to be a row of shots.
“Please do, it will make my last day all the more entertaining and HR will have a field day.”
We all laughed, and Marlee moved closer, whispering in my ear. “How was my lover when he dropped you here?” Her face beamed at the mention of my brother, and I squeezed her hand and filled her in on how he brought me a wine for the road and how I’d tormented him with visions of her and other men for no reason other than trying to piss him off.
“Oh my God, Evangeline,” she giggled. “I bloody love that grumpy man. Especially his forearms. Honestly, have you noticed them, they are edible.” She looked at me with genuine interest, as if my brother’s forearms were both worthy of a Michelin Star and something I would want to discuss.
“This may surprise you, but I actually haven’t noticed them, nor do I want to.” I said, straight-faced and she threw her head back and laughed.
“I wonder if Arna would notice if I called him to come down for a quickie.” She was attempting to whisper, only Marlee was most definitely tipsy and louder than she realised.
“Ew, that’s my brother,” I said, humour in my tone as Arna came to stand in between us, forcing shots into our hands.
So much for slowing down.
“Yes, she would mind. You can bump uglies later, tonight is all about the girlsssssss.”
Flick and Winter joined our circle, each already holding a shot and I greeted them both with a quick hug.
“I’ve never seen anyone who can wear a jumpsuit like you can,” I said to Felicity, holding my shot aloft when she tried to offer me another.
“And Win - you hottie. How long do youthink you’ll last before you call Jack to come get you?” I teased as she smelt the shot and grinned.
“Thirty-six minutes,” she answered, only half joking and we all cackled.
“Okay girls let’s get this party started,” Marlee drawled.
“Looks like it started a while ago,” I whispered to Winter before Marlee interrupted with a toast.
“Toooooo Arnaaaaa,” she screamed, and we threw our heads back, letting the celebrations begin.
CHAPTER 2
Cooper
“What about if we move all of his Lego cars 5cm to the left?” I asked mischievously, the thought making my stomach swirl with excitement.
“Oh, my goodness. Yes.” Evy squealed in delight with a high five.
There was no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than at the Micallef house. There was always someone around, and it didn’t matter if it was Seb, Evy or even their mum, Judy, I was always made to feel welcome. I had my own seat at the dinner table, I was tasked with jobs when I was here and I was never made to feel different.
Now, Evy and I were hiding, waiting for Sebastian to find us in the ultimate game of Hide and Seek.
Only, if he took too long, it gave us more time together to plot ways to piss him off later. It was a win/win and my favourite game.
“What are you doing for your birthday this weekend?” Evangeline asked, shoving her glasses back up her nose. It had become a habit since she started wearing them, another cute little thing she did which always made me smile.
