Bad Desire: New Beginnings - Fast Forward

Chapter 112

"This feels like a 'meet the family' kind of thing, yet we're fucked up dysfunctional gang." Matt remarked causing Jay to laugh.

"It's the best I can do. She wants to know more about me."

"So you think by inviting her here to meet people who will happily feed her shitty stories about you, is a good idea?"

"You better keep that mouth filtered, Russle." Jay warned, knowing this probably wasn't the best idea he had ever had.

Him and the gang had been planning on having a BBQ all together at the gang house. Since Jess had helped Jay do it up, they wanted to celebrate what felt like a new start. They also wanted to enjoy the calm before things did begin getting hectic when they finally went after Buddy.

Therefore, Jay had decided it would be a good idea to invite Lauren. She had been desperately trying to get him to open up and this seemed a safer way for Jay to give her that. If she met his 'friends' (aka gang members), it would open up a new side to him that she hadn't yet seen. However, he had warned every single one of them not to mention a single word about their past or the gang.

While he was certain that it would all go well, Matt didn't share the same enthusiasm and knew that Cole or one of the others were bound to slip up or purposely make a comment.

"I will but she's going to be fucking uncomfortable." Matt replied, knowing that while the Gibson brothers could be pretty intimidating for a shy girl like her, the three girls would be even worse as they were not the most welcoming people you would ever meet.

"Which is why I need you to invite Juliet."

"What?"

Jay's sudden suggestion took Matt a bit by surprise as he hadn't mentioned Juliet to him in months. However, Jay seemed completely unfazed and actually serious about his request.

"She'd be good company for Lauren, better than the others. She needs someone who won't purposely be trying to make her have a shit time."

"No way. I'm not just randomly inviting her to a gang get together, Gibson." Matt began shaking his head, not seeing the idea as a good one at all.

"It's not a gang get together." Jay corrected. "It's friends sharing a BBQ in the garden of their revamped house, remember?"

Matt couldn't help but laugh at Jay's grinning face as he corrected his choice of words. He already knew this was going to be a disaster so surely there couldn't be much harm in asking Juliet along. He wasn't sure if she would definitely come as the people weren't her favourite in the world however, there were her brothers and what better time than now to rekindle that relationship?

"Alright, fine. I'll ask her but it'll be weird." Matt tried to play it cool yet Jay could read right through it.

"Russle, I know you've been seeing her so don't give me that bullshit. I'm not stupid."

Matt paused mid-text as he looked back up at Jay, who was watching him knowingly.

"Nothing gets past me. That's why I'm good at what I do."

"It's not like that." Matt began shaking his head, trying to get this across. "She doesn't want a relationship right now because she's concentrating on getting some kind of career instead."

"Right." Jay nodded with a smug look over his face.

"But I'll invite her."

"Because you're seeing her."

Jay's correction earned a blank one from Matt in return as he shrugged it off as if it was nothing. He had been spending time with Juliet whenever they got a spare few hours however, no labels had been put in place. She had been serious when she claimed she wanted to focus on getting her teaching degree and focus on herself for a bit and therefore, was not opening up to any kind of relationships right now.