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  “You better not ditch me for some guy again,” Sara joked.

  “Please, I think you’ll be too busy with Evan to notice I’m gone.” Julie reached to play with the radio, trying to find a new station since the local ones she listened to faded and became nothing but static.

  “What if he’s not there? What if he doesn’t want to see me?”

  “Oh stop with the what-ifs already. That boy is crazy about you and he’d be crazy not to want you. And besides, if it doesn’t work out at his place, we can tear it up at the Long Island clubs. Either way we’ll be going home with someone.”

  Sara slapped Julie’s arm playfully and laughed. “Concentrate on the road, I got the radio.” She turned the dial one more time and found Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off. The girls sang along while dancing in their seats. Sara seemed to get into it more than Julie did.

  “Damn I wish I wasn’t driving right now. You’d go viral on Youtube within a week.”

  “Shut up; I’m just having some fun.”

  “I am too. I have fun being a pain in your ass.”

  Sara continued dancing in the passenger seat as song after song seemed to be another one of her favorites. She was happy, happier than she had been in a long time. The only thing that would make her happier would be to see Evan.

  Sara stared out the window and watched as the car pulled into a mall parking lot. “Tell me you’re not seriously going shopping right now.”

  “Of course not. You need a place to change, unless you want him to see you looking like that.” Sara rolled her eyes as Julie pulled into a parking spot. “Come on; let’s find you a bathroom to change in.”

  Twenty minutes later, Sara emerged from the bathroom stall. She was wearing black four inch heels, tight blue jeans, and a low cut, baby pink, V-neck t-shirt. Her dark brown hair fell just beneath her shoulders. She applied a small amount of makeup including strawberry lip gloss, something she knew Evan would like.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think we’ll have to scrape your boyfriend’s tongue off the floor. There’s only one more thing to add.” Julie dug into her purse and pulled out a small diamond shaped glass bottle. She sprayed Sara’s neck and wrists, letting the strong lilac scent surround them. “There, that should do it.” They exited the mall, heading for the car. “Now, let’s go find your man.”

  The drive took them another twenty minutes, but found the house easily. Sara stared at the large building. The two floor home seemed to tower over them like a mansion. The long paved driveway led up to the two car garage and a white wrap-around porch. Sara admired the gorgeous house, while Julie’s mouth hung open.

  “Wipe your mouth,” Sara joked.

  Julie used her thumb to check the corners of her mouth. “You didn’t tell me he was loaded.” She turned to Sara, eyes wide with delight. “Do you know if Evan happens to have a brother?”

  “Seriously?”

  “What? If he’s anything like Evan, he’ll be a nice guy, treat me like a queen, and spend all his money on me.”

  “You’re such a gold-digger. And yes, he has an older brother.”

  “How old?”

  “I don’t know. We didn’t talk about his brother or his family that much.” Sara looked up at the house. It appeared to be dark inside, but with all the outside lights being on, it was hard to tell. “Should I call him?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  Sara took out her phone and dialed Evan’s number. After a few rings, the call went to his voicemail. “He didn’t pick up.”

  “Well, you said he’s been really busy lately.”

  A sleek black car pulled into the driveway just as Sara hung up the phone. She watched as two shadowy figured emerged from the backseat. One was wearing high heeled boots, the other was a man that matched Evan’s height and build.

  “Who the hell is that?” Sara’s eyes were fixated on the pair, watching them closely as the man’s arm draped across the woman’s neck. “Oh hell no! I’m going to kick that two-timing man-whore’s ass.”

  Sara unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the door, but Julie’s hand stopped her. “Wait for me.”

  They bolted from the car. Their heels clicked repeatedly against the concrete as they hurried to catch up. Sara made it up the driveway first, falling only a few steps behind Evan and the mystery woman.

  “What the hell, Evan?”

  The man retracted his arm from the back of the woman’s neck. He spun around. The word “BUSTED” was written all over his pale face. “Sara, what are you doing here?”

  “Apparently catching your cheating ass with another woman.”

  “What? No! It’s not what you think.”

  “I can’t believe Julie and I drove all the way out here for you…for this. How long has this been going on?”

  “Shit, Julie’s here too.” Sara moved to the side so Evan could see the five-foot-nine woman in four inch heels stomp her way up the driveway. “I swear it’s not what you think. Tell her Audrey.”

  The woman Evan stood next to stepped back, putting distance between them. “Sorry Evan, I don’t get involved in personal matters.” Sara watched the woman inch a little closer and whispered something to Evan before walking back towards the car. Julie started to follow her, but Evan shouted for her to stop.

  “You both need to calm down and listen to me.” Sara snapped her head towards Evan, giving him the evil eye. “I’m not hooking up with Audrey, and I’m not dating her either. She’s my publicist.”

  “What happened to the other girl you were at the book signing with,” Sara asked.

  “I don’t know. She wasn’t there the last time I saw Mr. Waters. He told me Audrey was hired as my publicist and she was now in charge. I have to do everything she says to improve my image before the book tour.”

  “Why was your arm around her?”

  “Can we do this in private?”

  “What you don’t want the whole neighborhood to know what a lying, cheating, son of a bitch you are?”

  “No, because I really don’t want to say this in front of Julie.”

  Sara looked back at her friend and nodded. Julie walked down the driveway, ensuring she was out of earshot, but close enough for Sara to call her if needed. “Okay, now out with it, and I want the truth.”

  “Yesterday, Audrey made me work out with her personal trainer until I almost collapsed. My body is still killing me. Every muscle I move feels like someone’s punching me.” Evan’s pale complexion was becoming more noticeable to Sara. “Today she took me to the spa. I thought it would be cool at first, but then they started plucking my eyebrows, and the skin around my fingers and toes. Then there was the wax.”

  Sara let out a hiccup of laughter that she desperately tried to hold back. “So they waxed your eyebrows. It’s no big deal.”

  “No, it wasn’t a big deal, until they were told to wax the rest of me.” Sara couldn’t contain her laugher any more. “You don’t believe me?” Evan raised his shirt, showing off the red blotches where they tore the hair from his chest. Sara howled at Evan’s discomfort. “It’s not funny.

  A cat call came from the street. “Looking good sexy,” Julie shouted. Sara clutched her side from laughing so hard.

  “I’m glad you’re both finding this so funny. I’m in excruciating pain, and you two are carrying on like a bunch of hyenas.”

  Sara did her best to keep a straight face. “I’m sorry. I believe you.” She took one look at Evan and let out another burst of laughter.

  “Thanks, I’m glad it took this,” he pointed to his chest, “for you to believe me.” He dropped the shirt and leaned on the porch railing. “Sara, what are you doing here? How’d you know where to find me?”

  “It wasn’t hard, especially when you texted Julie your address last night.” She could see the wheels turning in his head. “We came here to see you. We figured, since you’ve been so busy prepping for the book tour, and since you’re going to be gone for the next few months, you wouldn’t h
ave much time to come out to Jersey. So I came here to see you instead.” Sara saw the color return to Evan’s cheeks. She could see the desire in his eyes, but he was holding back. “What’s wrong?”

  “I want to hug and kiss you right now, but I’m afraid of how much it’ll hurt.”

  “Kiss her already,” Julie shouted from the street. “Or I’ll hurt you worse than you feel right now.”

  Evan held out his arms, and Sara was too willing to let herself get wrapped in them. “How long are you staying?”

  “Julie packed my bag, and I have off tomorrow, but am supposed to work Friday. Then I’m off for the rest of the weekend.”

  Evan looked back at the house. “Where are you staying?”

  Sara smiled. “We didn’t exactly plan this out. Julie kinda surprised me when I got home from work. I don’t think she booked us a room.”

  “My parents are out for a while tonight. You two can stay here for the night if you’re quiet.

  Sara knew the parent thing was going to get in the way. Evan was a grown man living under his parent’s house, having to follow their rules, and having to gain permission for someone to stay over.

  “It’s okay, I’m sure we can find a hotel we can stay at.”

  “Fuck that,” Evan spat. “You’re not driving all the way down here just to stay in some hotel. You’re my girlfriend. I love you. And I’m not…”

  Sara was hung up on the three words Evan mistakenly said. He caught it right after Sara’s eyes lit up. “You what?”

  “I-I-I love you.”

  Sara launched herself at Evan. Her arms wrapped around his neck, slamming her body into his. Her lips smothered his as he lost his footing. They toppled to the porch with Sara landing on top. Evan let out a howl as the pain surged through his body.

  “Oh, I’m sorry; sorry. Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine,” Evan groaned. They stared into each other’s eyes momentarily. “What?”

  “Say it again.”

  “I love you.”

  Sara smiled and whispered, “I love you too.” She placed her lips on Evan’s gently as he gently enveloped her in his arms. Sara loved being in his arms. It was as if he was the missing piece to her life.

  Chapter 17-Evan

  Seeing Sara storming up the driveway took Evan by surprise. He was being led back to his parent’s house by Audrey when he heard a voice shouting at him. He could only imagine what Sara was thinking. She must have seen him get out of the car with Audrey, and walked up to the house with his arm draped around her neck.

  Shit, I really don’t need this right now. He turned and faced Sara. Her face was inflamed, her brows crouched around her eyes, and he could swear she was ready to attack at any given moment. He tried to explain the reality of what she walked in on.

  “It’s not what you think,” Evan said, but Sara refused to listen to him. She continued to spew her hatred, insinuating he cheated on her and was caught red handed. “I’m telling you, it’s not what you think. Tell her Audrey.”

  He looked to his publicist for help. After all, she was the one who dragged him all around the city shopping and getting his hair ripped from his eyebrows and body.

  “I’m sorry Evan I don’t get involved in personal matters.” He watched as Audrey walked back to the car, and saw Julie staring her down as she passed.

  Great, the only person that could corroborate my story just walked away, not like she would’ve help anyway. Evan stared at an enraged Sara, hoping she would calm down long enough for him to explain. He did his best to tell her about Audrey, but didn’t see any sign of belief from Sara or her friend Julie. He resorted to the most humiliating tactic he could use to get Sara to listen to him. He removed his shirt, exposing the red blotchy skin where he had been waxed. After the initial embarrassment and a cat call from Julie, Evan questioned why they were at his parent’s house.

  “Look, I know you’ve been really busy this week, and the tour is coming really soon. I just wanted to spend as much time with you as I can.”

  It was the best surprise anyone has ever given him. Here he was, about to go on tour for the next few months, and the woman of his dreams decides to drop everything to come see him. It was that moment; Evan knew he had fallen in love. When the words were spoken, Sara bounced on the heels of her feet excitedly. Her face beamed with a happiness he never thought he would find with another person. She lunged forward, capturing his lips with her own. The force of their embrace caused Evan to lose his footing and crashed to the porch. Sara landed on top of him.

  “Say it again,” she pleaded.

  “I love you,” Evan replied.

  She smiled, God he loved to see her smile. “I love you too.” Evan felt Sara’s lips caress his again. Her tongue swept the seam of his mouth. It took every ounce of strength not to take her on the porch, but the sound of a woman clearing her voice nearby prevented him from making a move.

  Hearing the voice was just as bad as someone dumping a bucket of cold water on their heads. He was sure he knew who was responsible for ruining his moment. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He slid out from underneath Sara, searching for the source of the interruption. “Hi Julie, what’s up?” The tension in his voice made his frustration known.

  “Sorry guys, but I just wanted to know if we can hurry this along. I don’t wanna stand on the street all night.”

  Evan suppressed his desire to make a street walker comment, knowing full well Sara would jump to her friend’s aid. She must have read his mind, or noticed the smirk on his face. The sting of a slap against his chest made him let out a yelp of pain.

  “You know what that was for,” Sara whispered.

  “Sorry,” he whispered while rubbing the point of impact on his chest. The pain he felt would serve as the reminder he needed never to make that comment or think of a comment like that again. “You ladies want to come in? I can give you a brief tour of the house and show you where you’ll be staying tonight.”

  “Thanks, but I plan on being out for most of the night,” Julie replied. She casually winked at Sara, but Evan caught sight of it and knew what she insinuated.

  “Are you sure?” Sara asked.

  “Yeah, it’s time to see how you people on Long Island party.”

  “You want me to get you a list of places to go?” The mere suggestion had both women turning towards him with a glare. “What? If she’s gonna go out on her own, I wanna make sure she has a good time.” His face was an instant lie detector, and his smirk indicated his reasoning was a pile of B.S.

  “Sure Evan,” Julie laughed. “It’ll cut the time of me searching for a decent place. Just don’t send me to any dive bars.”

  “I don’t think there’s that many on Long Island. Come in for a bit and I’ll get you the names of some clubs in the area.” Evan opened the door and let the girls into his house. Their jaws dropped at the high ceilings, the hardwood floors, the spiral staircase leading to the second floor and the marble counter top in the nearby kitchen.

  “Shit, you live here,” Julie asked.

  Evan nodded and continued leading the girls into the living room. “Have a seat and make yourself at home.” It was hard for him to know how others perceived that phrase. None of his friends ever came to the house when he was growing up, and his parents always kept the place immaculate. He nervously watched the girls enter the living room and sit down on the white suede couch. He lingered near the front door to keep an eye out for his parents, making sure they didn’t come home early. He entered a few names of clubs he used to go to and saved their addresses to his phone. He compiled them in a message and sent them to Julie’s phone. “Okay, you should be good to go.”

  Julie’s phone dinged loudly in her shiny black studded clutch. She retrieved her phone and saw the list. Underneath it was another message from Evan. Stay out as late as you want.

  “Thanks Evan.” She quickly slid the phone back into her bag, ensuring Sara never saw the message. “I should get going. I got a long n
ight ahead of me.” She winked at Evan and smiled. “Let’s see how much trouble I can get into.”

  Evan watched as Sara turned to her friend and placed her hands on Julie’s shoulders. “Just be careful alright, and no drinking and driving.”

  “Yes, mom. Don’t worry about me. You two just go have some fun of your own.” The girls hugged before Julie broke the embrace and started towards the door. “Just remember; ask about the brother for me.”

  Evan’s focused rapidly switched between the two. “Whoa, what was that?” He looked to Sara who was doing her best to hide her giggles. The front door slammed shut, leaving Evan to stare bewilderedly at Sara. “What did she mean by ‘ask about the brother for me’?”

  “Oh it’s nothing. Julie and I were discussing siblings and I mentioned you had an older brother.” Evan knew there was more to the story and motioned for her to continue. “She just wanted to know if he was single.”

  Evan gulped down a breath of air, nearly choking on it as he heard Sara ask if his brother was single. “She wants to get with my brother?”

  “It was only a joke, I think.”

  “For our sakes, I hope so.”

  “Why?”

  “My brother’s a nice guy, but he’s definitely my parent’s favorite, and definitely spoiled.”

  “With a big house like this, I think it’s real easy to be spoiled.”

  Evan shook his head from side to side. “My brother has been the apple of my mother’s eye since we were kids. Usually the youngest gets away with everything and is spoiled rotten, but not in this house. They pressured us to study, work hard, get good grades, and get a great job. Well, I studied day in and day out. He partied all week and studied the night before the test. Somehow he got straight A’s and I got B’s. When we got to college, he decided to follow a path into business, while I studied English and Communications, hoping to use the degree to break into the literary world.” He glanced back at Sara as she listened to every word he spoke. “They hated my choice and thought I had unrealistic goals. Needless to say, they weren’t happy about my choice to do this book tour.”