My Accidental Forever (Love You Forever #5) - Alexis Winter Page 0,1
the bar tonight, right? To celebrate?” She offers up a smile as her shoulders rise.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” I promise. “I’m so happy for you, babe. Just because I might not want the same things as you doesn’t ever diminish my happiness for you and all our friends.”
“Good,” she says, standing up and heading for the door to my office. “I’ll text you the details, but plan for a wild night,” she says, pointing at me.
I hold up my hand and wave as she makes her way out of my office. The door softly clicks closed behind her and I’m finally alone. A long breath leaves my lips as I lean my head back against the chair. My eyes find the white ceiling and flutter closed.
Like I said, I don’t want marriage. I don’t want to be tied down. I don’t want to go to sleep with the same man every night. At this point, I’m not sure if I’m reminding myself of this or trying to convince myself. Jealously and guilt gnaw at my stomach. I hate that I feel this way. I don’t want to be jealous, and that’s why I feel guilty. My jealously just got in the way of being happy for Cora, and she deserves nothing less. Tonight, I’ll be happy for her. I’ll be excited even though it feels like all my friends are growing up faster than I am. They’re moving on with their kids, husbands, and fiancés, and here I am, scraping together my pennies for the 50-cent drafts at Stella’s. My life has seriously gone off the rails.
With that thought, I think I’ll take off early today. I close all the windows that are open on my computer and shut it down. I turn off the lamp on my desk, then grab my phone, keys, and bag and start for the door. I lock my office behind me and make my way through the shelter. The sound of barking fills my ears as I make my way down the hallway and into the front lobby. Jenna is standing behind the desk, her attention on the computer screen. When she hears my footsteps, she looks up. “Taking off early today?”
“Yep, I’ve had all the fun I can handle,” I tell her, leaning against the counter with my keys in one hand and my phone in the other.
“Any plans? Got a hot date or anything for the weekend?”
I roll my eyes. “No hot date . . . not yet, anyway. My friend just got engaged, so we’re going out to celebrate. Fingers crossed I find a hottie there.”
She giggles and I wink. “See ya Monday.”
“Enjoy your weekend and try not to catch any diseases,” she jokes.
I laugh. “Same to you, my friend. Same to you.” I push my way out of the swinging doors and head to my car in the parking lot.
I open the door to my blacked-out Jeep Wrangler and climb behind the wheel. I place my bag on the passenger seat and drop my keys into the cup holder as my foot presses the brake and my finger finds the start button. The motor turns over and purrs to life. The air that blows out of the vents is hot from sitting around all day, so I roll down the windows until it cools off. Summer is just starting and it’s already unbearable.
I click my seatbelt and shift into drive. Looking both ways, I pull out onto the nearly empty street. As I drive, I can’t help but feel more alone than usual. Maybe it’s because my only single friend is now on the marriage train. She and the girls will be doing married-lady things and I’ll be forever alone and left out. On the sidewalk across the street, a man and a woman walk hand in hand. He looks at her and she looks back with a smile. He tugs her to him and they kiss. I roll my eyes and scoff. “Oh come on! Get a room,” I mumble to myself.
I guess I should get it all out of my system now. I have to be happy and excited for Cora. I can’t let my bitterness and jealously ruin this for her . . . or me. This could be one of the last nights we get to party together. Soon, she’ll be consumed with wedding planning and then married life. Maybe it’s time I find a few unmarried women to kick it with.