Savior

Eight: Wes

I was in heaven. Absolute, sheer, utter HEAVEN. Honestly, not a ton had changed. We spent the same amount of time together, just now, when I wanted to kiss her, I could. And trust me, I took every advantage of that ability. She was shaky about showing we were together in public, but that didn't bother me that much. Why would I even want to be in public when I could be curled up on a sofa with her in my arms? Girl had turned me into a damn hermit, and surprisingly to even myself, I was happy about it. Ten days later, all we'd done is have some pretty heavy make-out sessions. Lots of kissing, mild petting and groping. Didn't matter to me. She needed me to prove this was different, and not immediately trying to get her naked was the best way I knew to do that. It wasn't easy, don't get me wrong. There was rarely a moment that I didn't want to rip the clothes right off her body, but I was playing the long game. Hell, I was WINNING this long game if I had anything to say about it. Patience was going to be my greatest ally.

Channing had been pretty silent since our fight, but the second Mia and I started to gain ground, he started trying to reach out. I didn't ignore him. Maybe I should have, but I didn't. He'd been my best friend since we were kids. I couldn't just walk away. We spoke, but I was insistent about things not being like they were before. I had no interest in the drinking and blacking out. I had no interest in picking up chicks or being forced into being his wingman. I wasn't willing to throw away our friendship, but I also wasn't willing to reverse all of the work I'd done in the last few months. I was genuinely, deeply happy. For the first time in maybe ever. I wasn't going to ruin that. He seemed to understand, but I was going to need more assurance than words. And at some point, he was going to have to apologize to Mia. I made that fact known. Until he did that, the most we would have were texts or calls.

Lucy decided that she wasn't done with me yet either. Truth be told, I'd kind of taken the pussy way out when it came to her. I just... stopped responding. Dick move, sure, but... I knew Lucy enough to knew that having an actual conversation would only make things worse. Lucy had a fucking temper, as exhibited by the four million paragraphs worth of chastising I had received since I bowed out. One minute she'd be spewing hatred and insulting my... manhood, and the next moment, she was weepy and sad and reminiscing about some magical relationship that we literally never had. There was no point in engaging with her, because I wasn't going to convince her of anything. She felt like I broke her heart, and I felt like I never wanted it to begin with. And I was fairly certain I had articulated that on more than one occasion, but alcohol made things a hell of a blur. Onward and upward.

On this bright and sunny May afternoon, I had a little extra pep in my step. Mia was coming to my place for dinner, as were Jazz and Cammie, and I was cooking. Yes, I know what you're thinking: the party boy? In the kitchen? Well, let me tell you, I could throw down in the kitchen. Oddly enough, my other passion when I was a kid was food, and if I hadn't gotten into USC on a football scholarship, I probably would've gone to culinary school. My lifestyle hadn't exactly given me a lot of people that I was willing to make a four-course meal for, but Mia? Oof. I would gladly cook for that girl for the rest of my damn life. Give me an apron and put me in the kitchen. I'd sign up to be her housewife. Er... househusband, I guess. Whatever. You get my point.

"So, what are we having tonight, Gordon Ramsey?" Jazz asked with a laugh as I held my phone between my ear and my shoulder.

"I am... making enchiladas and Spanish rice and..."

"Wait, are you cooking Mexican food for the Latina? Bold."

"I thought you were..."

"I'm black and Mexican, you dork," Jazz laughed. "The accent didn't give that away?"

"I don't know, Jazz! I love you, but you're not exactly the focus of my attention when we're together," I stated.

"Always about fucking Mia with you..." she chastised.