Unfriended(Love in New Highland Book 1)(54)

"She sent me a picture. Sorry, not my type." I spoke that lie with a  completely straight face, I'm proud to say. I'd caught a glimpse of  Elianna out there. In person, she was unbelievably fucking hot. Except  for the part about my not being interested in anybody except Sloane.

"Oh." Her shoulders slumped. "Well, then, go on, mingle. In a few  minutes, we're starting a game of strip billiards. I hope you're wearing  your boxers." She gave me a little shove.

"I'm a briefs man."

"TMI, bro. But that'll do. Go, go."

"Not if you're playing," I hedged. We have a rule in my family. Boys can  get nude around boys and girls around girls, but mixing the sex streams  is verboten.

"Duh." She was already squeezing around the door and closing it on me.

I stared at the shut door. I wanted to burst out of here, grab Sloane, plop down with her in my lap, and put my feet up.

I sighed in supreme irritation and gazed around the room again. Fine.  I'd play. But I was going to take this out of Sloane's hide.



Charis



I THINK THEY TOOK IT WELL, considering that, you know, none of them had any warning.

There was a shocked silence when Aura held up that ring finger. But then  everybody was converging on Karl and Aura, congratulating them.

I sidled up to hear what people were saying. Mostly they were asking questions.

When's the big day?

Why didn't you say anything?

When did it happen?

When did you break up with Asher?

Aura answered with a serene dignity which, personally, struck me as  fake. And I didn't appreciate her spin. She acted like it was she who'd  dumped Asher, rather than the other way around.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever done, knowing someone would be left  hurting," she said softly. "If I stayed with Asher, would I hurt Karl?  If I went with Karl, would I hurt Asher?" She glowed up at Karl. "It had  to be Karl."

Everybody looked expectantly at Karl for his reaction. His lips twitched as he stroked Aura's cheek.

"Uh, right, so, was this, like, a whirlwind romance, or what?" Doug was  scratching his head. I think he was only asking what was on everyone's  mind. As far as I knew, Asher and I were the only ones who'd had  pre-warning about Karl's engagement.

Aura leaned forward. "Well, you see, Karl and I-"

"We're fulfilling the conditions of Great Grandma Alice's will," Karl  interrupted smoothly. From the way Aura stiffened, I figured they'd  disagreed on how much of the truth to tell the family.

I cringed a little. How was I any different from Aura here? The way I  was hiding the truth about me and Asher made me at least as rotten as  she was.

Karl was going on, "I need to get hitched before my thirtieth birthday or I forfeit everything."

"What everything?" Doug snorted. "You want an old lady's shit? Come over  to my place. Take half my crap. There's no need to do anything  desperate, man."

Karl sent his brother a mild look and drew Aura close to his side  protectively. I think really he's a decent guy. I was starting to feel  sorry for Aura, too. I mean, this was her doing, obviously, but I don't  think she felt like she had a choice in the way her life was going,  whatever she said.

Of course it was inevitable that halfway through the interrogation, they all remembered Asher.

"Does Ash know?"

"Have you told Asher yet?"

"Did you tell your brother?"

"Where is Asher?"

"Ash!"

Somebody pointed at the Closed Door of Iniquity. "There."

"What's he doing in there?"

"Partying."
                       
       
           



       
"Asher doesn't party."

"Sex, not drugs."

"Sex, oh, yeah, Asher does sex."

"Did somebody say strip poker?"

"Pool, they're playing strip pool."

"Not pool, billiards."

I saw Aura's gaze narrow toward the door in question.

Like she had a right to care that her ex was in there getting naked with  a passel of women! She knew full well it was my job to be clawingly  jealous here.

And back there was Elianna, standing in a catgirl pose, wearing a little smile. Confident-like, as if she knew she was in.

It was enough to make a lameass passive shit girlfriend want to scream.

"That's some big news, hey?" I looked around to see Nate approaching, winking at me.

And Hunt was suddenly there, too, on my other side, slipping his arm  around my waist. "Love is in the air," he said with comically raised  eyebrows.

I shrugged, being even more of a dipstick now that things were going rabidly out of control.

By "out of control" I'm referring to one of Asher's cousins yelling,  "Asher's getting it on in the pool room with naked chicks!" and Winnow  pushing through the crowd, calling, "Come on, people, not all of the  fourteen women are naked!" But when a tide of male Norrell cousins  starting moving, I bit my lip, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

Time out for a sec.

Forget my own drama here.

This.

This is why I'm a little loony about the Norrells and spend, like, all  my holidays with them. It's not just the entertainment value. It's the  way Erica and Alfred Norrell stood there clutching each other, hands  over mouths. It's the giggling behind the bedroom door the adults were  forcing shut to keep out all the kids trying to listen in.

This family got off on each other.

Asher had grown up with this.

My folks would disapprove-and they do party with drugs.

Me, though, I love it. I love not being the only one confused. Around Asher's family, I feel like nobody thinks I'm weird.

Except for if they ever found out I was a perv taking advantage of their  youngest son. Then they'd, you know, think I'm weird, and probably  lynch me.

Now Erica was doing her badass hostess bit, extending her hand graciously. "Aura, welcome to the family."

"Thank you, Erica." Aura moved forward to hug her, tears glistening in her eyes.

"No more switching," Erica said severely, setting Aura at arm's length.  "I don't want any of my boys' hearts broken again." She looked around  and caught my eye, and smiled with one lifted brow.

Oh, crap.

Why had she singled me out?

Was that a warning? Was I supposed to protect Asher from getting his heart broken the next time?

Oh, shit, what if she blamed me for the failure of his relationship? For  keeping quiet when I must have had an idea it was really sucky?

I bit my lip, feeling tears prickle my eyes. I was the worst best friend ever.

I watched Alfred hug the happy couple, and I turned away, feeling sure  this party had reached its nadir and could not possibly get any worse.

Then a new cry arose by the front door.

Mel had arrived.





CHAPTER 31





Two Years Ago-Read My Mind



Charis: I'm thinking about getting an espresso machine. What do you think?

Asher: Don't do it. Dumb idea. Look over there, see that? That's a coffee shop right across the street from you.

Charis: Wait, wait, dumb idea? How can you even say that?

Asher: I thought you wanted my input.

Charis: I do. Obviously I want you to say yes, you should get an espresso machine, brilliant idea. That's the input I want, duh.

Asher: Then say so next time. I'm not a mind reader. How am I supposed  to know "what do you think" translates to "tell me what I want to hear?"

Charis: All right, fair enough, I guess I can do that. Should I really get an espresso machine, though? I mean really?

Asher: This is a trap, right?

Charis: You need to tell me yes! The right answer is yes!

Asher: Get yourself an espresso machine, Sloane.

Charis: Asher, that is the most beautiful thing anybody has ever said to me and I think I love you.

Asher: No more whiskey sours for you, woman.



Charis



I SQUEALED "GOTTA GO" AND slipped away as Hunt exchanged was-it-something-I-said looks with Nate.

Then I crept away to the only secluded, unoccupied nook in Winnow's  little house, a dark room at the end of the hallway guarded by a  disturbing painting of a granny boot gushing with blood. I huddled there  with my phone until she found me ten minutes later.

"Cubbins!"

"Melly Belly!"

My nickname derives from my funky hats, hers from her love of smores.  Not that it's important. But just so you don't think we're cutesy or  anything.

I mean, we're close, don't get me wrong. We were, anyway, way back when.  These days, what with her family and the distance, we mostly just  follow each other's social media posts.                       
       
           



       

Mel's husband was with her, holding the baby, and their little dude,  too. I sprang up and hugged them, tickling the baby's soft wisps of hair  and laughing at Esteban's funny stories about the world of a defense  trial lawyer until Mel shooed them away.

She's like her brother. She doesn't waste any time.

"All right, who the hell," she demanded, taking a swallow of her drink,  "is anorak woman? Nobody will tell me. Karl knows. I know he knows. But  he's just all, smile, smile, ignore me like I'm not there."