Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Thankfully, it’s a little quieter here, so I can breathe a bit. The chill from the fridge cools me as I open it, and I bring out a platter of cream cheese and olives, before setting them on a board with an assortment of whole wheat crackers. This is great, I nod to myself. One day, I’ll have a big house where I can throw lavish dinner parties where we aren’t sweltering en masse. But until then, I have to settle for what I can get.
Wiggling out into the living room, I set the tray on my dining table.
“Great party, Kaci,” a redheaded girl who’s friends with Sean compliments. “When’s the man of honor getting here?” Oh shit, this chica is the one who always gets raging drunk at parties, and I look a bit hesitantly at the beer in her hand.
“He’ll be here at seven because he thinks we’re going out to dinner to celebrate his birthday.”
“Smart,” she says before letting out a braying laugh. Then the redhead wanders away, slugging at the beer again. Oh shit. She better not make me regret providing bountiful amounts of alcohol tonight.
But I try to remain the gracious hostess, making small talk with various folks while sipping a cold seltzer.
“So how are people going to hide?” an acquaintance named Elaine asks. “Not to be rude, but there are a lot of people here, and not a lot of space.” She’s a pretty girl with hair that looks like a wavy lion’s mane, and I wonder if she uses a lot of product to get it like that.
I frown. Obviously, Miss Lion Mane is right. Some folks will be able to hunker down behind the couch, and some will be able to hide in the kitchen but yeah, the jig is going to be up as soon as Sean sets foot inside. Fortunately, my friend Sydney interrupts then, a reassuring smile on her face.
“This isn’t a third-grade party, Elaine,” she says. “People don’t have to hide. Sean will still be surprised no matter what.”
Elaine frowns.
“I know, but isn’t the point of surprise parties to hide?”
Sydney rolls her eyes again. “Only when you’re nine. Don’t think too much about it, okay? After all, Kaci’s his ex and Sean definitely isn’t expecting his ex-girlfriend to throw him a party, so it will be a surprise. Trust me.”
Elaine merely shrugs.
“Have it your way,” she says before strolling off. Meanwhile, I turn to my friend.
“Thanks for taking care of that,” I say gratefully. “Seriously, I have no idea why I even invited her.”
“Elaine’s just a legacy friend,” Sydney says with another roll of her eyes. “But yeah, don’t let people get under your skin, girl, because you’ve done a great job. Enjoy the party! Drink! Go wild!”
I giggle.
“Yeah, but you know I love to worry. It’s a part of who I am as a person.”
Sydney rolls her eyes for the umpteenth time.
“True. Maybe we need to get a few more drinks in you so you loosen up.”
But I frown then.
“Not until after Sean gets here because I want to be totally coherent when he arrives. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while now and put a lot of work into the planning.”
My friend throws me a suspicious look then.
“Are you sure nothing’s going on between you two? I mean, you guys broke up a while ago...”
I nod.
“Yeah, but like I said, we broke up on good terms. We just decided we didn’t want to see each other romantically anymore and that’s why it’s no biggie.”
Sydney looks skeptical nonetheless.
“Yeah, but you know that being friends with an ex is dangerous territory. I mean, most people don’t do it because it’s a can of worms with maggots crawling out of it.”
I smile.
“Not if you maintain boundaries, girl. That’s the key to the whole thing.”
Still, my pretty friend looks skeptical.
“And you’ve kept these so-called boundaries with Sean?”
“Of course!” I exclaim. “Trust me, we are not having sex anymore. Besides, Sean and I weren’t in a conventional relationship even when we were dating because right off the bat, we agreed we didn’t want to be exclusive.”
Sydney frowns.
“That’s fucking weird.”
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes.
“You already knew this, Syd. Besides, non-monogamy is the new thing. Not everyone wants to be boyfriend-girlfriend, and then marriage, and then a house with a white picket fence.”
Sydney raises her hands in surrender.
“Of course not, but just saying. It still sounds weird.”
I blow out a breath with a pphhht! sound
“It’s not weird, trust me, girlfriend. Sean and I spent a ton of time together, of course, but we were both seeing other people at the same time. You know I like my freedom, and I can’t be tied down by just one man. There’s no excitement to life, and I’d kill myself if that happened.”