“I’m an actress.” Candi rolled her eyes. “Well, actually, I’m working to be one, but right now, I’m a model. I just say I’m an actress because I read on a poster that if you want something you have to be all in, so like, if I want to be an actress one day, I tell people I’m an actress now, right? It was so inspirational; it blew my mind!”
“I’ll bet it did.” My smile was genuine now. “How did you and Sebastian meet?”
Candi giggled, twirling a strand of her hair. “Oh my God, it was so random. I was at Columbia—you know, the university? I was helping a friend shoot a reel for her acting class. It was, like, this super intense scene where she had to cry in the rain, but of course it wasn’t raining, so we were using a hose, and it got everywhere. Anyway, my laptop got soaked.”
She rolled her eyes. “I was freaking out, and this gorgeous guy in a NASA hoodie walks by, sees the chaos, and offers tohelp. I didn’t even know he worked there! I thought he was, like, one of those overachieving grad students.”
“He puts the O in overachieving,” I muttered.
“Sorry?” Candi looked at me with round, blue eyes.
Next to her, Sebastian had pulled my imaginary daggers out of his ass and was throwing them back at me.
“Oh, nothing.” I waved a hand vaguely. “Go on, Candi. Then what happened?”
Candi smiled fondly at Sebastian’s profile. “Well, he looked at my laptop and said that he could fix it. He gave me his address and told me to bring it over, which I did. And that was it, we started dating.”
“That’s interesting.” Nikki’s tone indicated the opposite. “How long have you been together?”
“Since last month. Right, stud muffin?” Candi giggled again, pinching Sebastian’s cheek.
For the love of God, I needed a beer.
How could a guy spend his life banging the same type of woman, month after month, without ever feeling the need for intelligent conversation? I knew some men were intimidated by smart women, but this was ridiculous. From what I’d heard, Sebastian was a smart guy. He’d been with Cam at MIT and worked as a computer tech or something like that for NASA. Maybe he had enough intellectual stimulation at work to avoid it in his private life.
Servers arrived with drinks, and I gratefully reached out for one. I didn’t drink alcohol unless it was for a special occasion, but if I was going to share a table with Sebastian and Candi for the next few hours, I needed it tonight.
Chapter Three
Sebastian
The party had started to quiet down, the excited buzz of the evening giving way to contented fatigue. Cam was basking in post-wedding bliss, and I was honestly happy for him. At least one of us had made it to the altar without catastrophe. I didn’t envy him the institution, but seeing the love and devotion between him and Sue sparked something sharp and unexpected in me. Not quite jealousy. More like a twinge of... longing. Not that I’d admit it to anyone.
My eyes met Jesse’s. The only woman who never let me get close. She didn’t flirt back, didn’t throw herself at me like the others. She looked at me as if she saw through every line, every deflection, every game. Maybe that’s why I wanted her, because she was the forbidden fruit. I’d respected her father too much to disrespect Jesse. And anyway, she wouldn’t let me come near her.
As we left the venue, I offered her a ride home with Candi and me, which, granted, was probably not the highlight of her evening. Still, we were neighbors, and leaving her to wander the streets in those god-awful heels felt wrong.
Candi didn’t stop talking the entire way. I tuned most of it out, mentally replaying the moment during the ceremony when Jesse caught the bouquet. She’d looked like she’d been physically assaulted by a puff of sunflowers. I might’ve teased her a little too much about it, but watching her flush and roll her eyes at me was more entertaining than anything Candi had to say.
It never bothered me before, but tonight, for some reason, Candi’s chattering was getting on my nerves. Probably because it made such a contrast with Jesse’s quiet elegance.
By the time we pulled into the parking garage, Jesse looked ready to open the door and tuck-and-roll into traffic. She shot out of the car as though she was on fire. Can’t say I blamed her.
Candi was staying the night at my place, which was not unusual. I liked having women around. I liked the scent they left in my sheets, their little rituals, even the mess of hairpins and makeup. I liked how they changed ten times before settling on an outfit, and the way they overreacted to something as small as chipping a nail and made me feel like the hero who comforts them. I liked having someone in my bed at night. I wasn’t made for solitude.
We walked into the building together. Candi was still rambling about the bridesmaid dresses and whether teal was the new blush.
Jesse’s apartment was on the first floor. She stopped in front of her door and started fishing inside her tiny bag.
“Thanks for the ride, guys. Goodnight,” she called over her shoulder.
“Goodnight,” Candi replied brightly. “It was great meeting you, Jenni.”
I winced, my mouth twitching with humor. Jenni?
“You, too.” Jesse didn’t bother to correct her.
I trudged upstairs with Candi behind me. I was half distracted by her asking if I had any hand lotion, when I realized my apartment door wasn’t cooperating. The key turned only halfway, then jammed.
