My blood boils under my skin, and I’m pretty sure this is what people mean when they say they are seeing red.
“Daniel cheated on you?” I ask again, making sure I heard her right. She nods her head before turning to me. I wrap her in my arms, squeezing her tight. A sweet, floral scent that only belongs to Hadley infiltrates my senses as I bury my face into her hair. “That no-good, low-life, son of a gun. I could kill him.”
“I almost did.” She laughs between sobs. “I slapped him real hard. The girl he was with had no clue about what to—”
“You caught him with a girl?!” Outrage consumes me. She WITNESSED him cheating?
“You’re holding me too tight,” Hadley says in breaths. I relax my grip, but don’t let her go.
“Since you didn’t kill him, I’ll take the torch up and do it,” I bite. She pulls away and looks up at me with black, tear-stained cheeks. I swear, I’ll rip that idiot’s face off for what he’s done to my best friend. To my Hadley.
“I don’t need you to do anything, Braxton.” She pokes a finger into my chest. “I took care of it myself. And regardless of my currentsituation…” she sweeps a hand toward her face, “I really am okay.” She wipes at the black smudges beneath her eyes, but nothing comes away. Ignoring her little rant, I rip a paper towel from the holder, dab it in water from the sink, and cup her face with my free hand. Glacier blue eyes stare into mine as I gently wipe at the coal-colored blotches beneath her eyes and down her cheek. I have no clue what I’m doing, but this seemed like the appropriate course of action. Except nothing is coming off her face.
“Is this stuff waterproof or just me proof?”
She laughs, and it’s the most inviting sound I’ve ever heard. “Yes, it is waterproof actually.”
“No wonder I can’t get it off.” Her eyes grow wide for a moment before she turns her face away from me.
“It’s okay. Like I said, I don’t need your help. Let me freshen up in the bathroom.” She swats the air. “Go ahead and fix yourself a plate.”
I watch her walk away, wondering if I should follow, before deciding to stay. I turn to the food, grab a plate off the countertop, and pile it high with noodles and spaghetti sauce. The fantastic woman even made meatballs! I stick five on my plate before taking my food and sitting back down on the couch. I’m not much of a couch-eater, but Hadley is. And she’s the one who needs comfort tonight.
Shoving a huge bite into my mouth, I start to contemplate different ways to confront Daniel because there is no way he is going unconfronted by me. Cheating isnotokay. I know his address, and his face is calling my fist.
“Want to watch a Marvel movie or something?” Hadley walks into the living room, all the black from under her eyes gone. It looks like she put on more makeup for that matter, like she was never crying.
“Cool withIron Man?”
“Go ahead and put it on while I make my plate,” she says, disappearing into the kitchen. Why yes ma’am, I will.
“What’s with you cooking this delicious meal and playing my favorite movie?” I stuff another meatball into my mouth. Sweet heavens, this is good. “I should be the one cooking you a meal. And wouldn’t you rather watchTwilightor something?” I want to kick myself for even suggesting the ridiculous movie, but I refrain. Whatever Hadley wants tonight, I will bend to her will.
“Just trying to take my mind off things,” she responds from the kitchen. “No romantic movies tonight. Besides, you’d cook something healthy that would probably kill my carb-loaded body.” Ignoring her jab at my eating habits, I continue to think of what I want to do to Daniel. I think I’ll pay him a visit when I leave tonight, but right now, Hadley needs me here.
“Well, hurry up and let’s get started on the whole taking your mind off things,” I holler back, trying not to spit meatball out of my mouth. She walks out of the kitchen with her own plate, while holding two glasses of sweet tea. Can this woman get any better? I take a glass from her, drink a swig, then hit play on the movie that I pulled up on her streaming account while she made her plate.
For the record, I’m pretty sure this is as close to Heaven as Earth can get.
Hadley sits down beside me. Not on the other cushion, but in the couch crevice. Her legs are smushed up against mine, making it a little hard to breathe.
And that’s when it hits me: Hadley and I are single at the same time. I know she’s upset, but hey, I’ve always been the shoulder she’s cried on or the guy who’s there when no one else is. I can be that person one more time, but then… I want more. I just have to make my move before another guy swoops in like they have in the past.
This time, my best friend is not slipping through my fingertips.
Hadley
“Please,Brax.”Iflashmy soft baby blues at him and bat my black, thickly mascaraed eyelashes. For extra measure, I reach out and gently brush his forearm before grabbing his hand. Do I notice the rippled muscles beneath his suntanned skin?
Of course I do.
How can one have rippled forearm muscles?
Ask Braxton Rawls.
“I can’t up and leave for Virginia tomorrow morning.” He shifts his eyes to my hand on his arm and his tone to something more of a question than a statement. Aw, come on! I fed the guy AND let him watch his favorite movie. I was hoping I’d buttered him up enough tonight.
“It’ll be an adventure! You’ve always talked about how you’d like to see more of the country. Virginia is a good place to start.” His eyebrows raise in contemplation. Is he truly considering this? I know it’s asking a lot of my best friend, but he has always been there. When I needed a date to the middle school Winter Nights dance—Braxton. A shoulder to cry on when Mama got to be too much? Braxton. Someone to laugh with and indulge my childish behaviors with as a grown adult? I’d call Braxton. He’s always been down for a mud fight in the middle of a summer rainstorm.
