“Look at how pretty you are.” He smiled as he kissed me on both cheeks. “Happy Birthday, Rory.” He leaned in to hug me and whispered in my ear, “Don’t think that Ian doing this for you means something.” He winked and smiled at me before walking away.
There was something about him that bothered me. I watched him as he walked over to Ian and the two of them hugged.
“Bros before hos. Isn’t that the expression they use?” Adalynn said as she stood next to me and watched Ian and Andrew.
“There’s something about Andrew that screams ‘watch your back,’” I said.
“Andrew’s not that bad. He’s very protective of Ian. They’re like brothers.”
“I don’t think he likes me.”
“I’m sure he does, Rory. His problem is jealousy. I’m sure he’s thinking you’re going to steal Ian away from him.”
“That’s weird,” I said.
“Men are weird.” She laughed.
“Rory!” I heard Jordyn exclaim.
I turned around and she and Ollie were behind me. I hugged and thanked them for coming.
“Oh my God, look at this party!” she exclaimed. “This is so amazing.”
“Thanks. Ian outdid himself, didn’t he?” I smiled.
“He sure did,” Ollie replied.
As the night progressed, I felt uncomfortable, especially with the way Andrew kept his eye on me. Adalynn handed me a Mai Tai as I watched Ian talking and laughing with those women.
“You can’t let it get to you. You’ll drive yourself crazy,” she said.
“How can I not? Look at the way he’s acting with them. It’s disgusting.”
“That’s how Ian is, Rory. I warned you about him. I wouldn’t give those little hussies a second thought.”
“It’s not that easy, knowing that he f**ked them all.”
“Oh God, I hope you’re not thinking that way about me,” she said with concerned eyes.
“Of course not. You and Ian haven’t slept together in a couple of years. That’s different. These bitches were here not too long ago.”
“Well, good, because I would hate for you to think of me like that.”
The alcohol made its way down and the effects riveted throughout my body. I was feeling great as I took another drink from the waiter when he walked by. I walked over to where Ian and Andrew were standing with the women. I came up from behind and wrapped my arms around Ian’s waist.
“Hey, sexy.” I smiled.
Ian put his hands on my arms, turned around, and looked at me. “Are you enjoying your party?” he asked as he removed my arms from his waist.
“I am,” I said as I faked a smile and looked at the women who were ruining my party. “Thank you, ladies, for coming.” I couldn’t tell if they were actually smiling at me or if it was just their permanent plastic look. I walked away feeling like an idiot and grabbed another glass of wine from a passing waiter. I heard Ian’s voice call everyone’s attention and was caught off guard when he called me over to where he was standing.
“I want to thank all of you for coming to Rory’s birthday party tonight. I know it was a bit of short notice, but I had only found out yesterday that it was her birthday and, as her friend, I thought it would be a good idea to throw her a party so she could get to know you, since she’s new in town.”
That’s great. He really had to go and say that? I stood there, drowning in alcohol, feeling like I was going to fall over with all of Ian’s friends staring at me, judging me, and probably thinking the worst about me. I could feel Andrew’s scorching glare, and I didn’t even need to look at him. Ian announced it was time to sing as Charles wheeled out a beautiful three-tiered birthday cake that was decorated in pink. It was beautifully lit with twenty-four burning candles and it was the most beautiful cake I’d ever seen. Tears sprang to my eyes as everyone sang “Happy Birthday,” and I blew out the candles.
“Rory, would you like to say a few words to your guests?” Ian asked.
“Of course.” I smiled. “I would like to thank you all for coming and celebrating my birthday with me. I look forward to getting to know each of you better.” I then turned my attention to Ian. “Ian, thank you for this wonderful party and for everything you’ve done for me. You’ve been a great friend and I want you to know that I appreciate it,” I said as I kissed his cheek.
I had the feeling earlier in the evening that he didn’t want to show any affection out in public, especially in front of all his friends. It was fine to hold me, kiss me, and f**k me behind closed doors where no one could see. This night had started to open my eyes a bit and I wasn’t happy with what I saw. I held up my glass as everyone clapped, and Charles cut into the cake.
Chapter 19
“Holy shit,” I whined as I tried to open my eyes. I put my hand on my forehead to try and stop the excessive pounding. I rolled over and stared at the perfectly made side of the bed. I didn’t remember a thing about last night after I blew out my candles. It was obvious that Ian didn’t sleep with me last night. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was noon. When I sat up, the room spun and I reeked of alcohol. The smell was making me nauseous as I stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As I sat on the shower floor, the hot water poured down on me. I scrubbed my body with some magnolia-scented shower gel and then washed my hair. I was feeling somewhat better except for the pounding going on in my head. I headed down to the kitchen and looked at the empty coffee pot. Shit.
“Good afternoon, Rory. Are you looking for coffee?”
“Yes, Charles. I need it now.” I sighed as I rested my arms across the counter.
“I’ll make you a pot. Shall I make it extra strong?”
“Please, Charles.”
He walked over to the cupboard and took out a bottle of pills. He shook two of them in his hand and handed them to me with a glass of water.
“Take these and you’ll start feeling like your old self again real soon.”
“What are these?” I asked as I looked at them.
“Hangover pills. Ian brought them back with him from Indonesia. They aren’t sold here in the United States.”
I shoved the pills in my mouth and chased them down with water. I sat down at the table and put my head down. Just as I closed my eyes, I head Ian’s voice.
“Did you give her the pills, Charles?” he asked as he walked into the kitchen.