He's a Fighter & I'm a Runner

EIGHTEEN

The music blared as I took shots with Rachel and Sera. We were all swaying our hips to the beat of the music, letting everything go for a few moments.

Once the song settled down, Rachel yelled, "Hey! Why don't we go take a break? I'm sweaty."

Sera and I agreed, so we found a quiet place by the pool to drink and talk. I quickly got some drinks for us. Sera and Rachel both wanted wine, and I got a Mojito for myself. I love mojitos!

"What do you have there?" Sera eyed my drink.

"Mojito. It's my favorite." I smiled and took a sip. The alcohol added to the numbing feeling, and the flavor added to my better mood.

"I'll get that next." Sera said.

"What were parties like in New York?" Rachel asked.

"There were two types. One was an insane teen party with drinks, pools, dancing, lights, basically everything a good party needs, but it was either on top of a skyscraper or underground. The second one was the annoying dinner parties. Don't get me wrong, sometimes they're fun, but most of the time, it's just uncomfortable." I explained.

"Do you like them better there or here?" Sera asked.

"Here. Definitely. While not as exciting, they're more safe. Getting drugged is easier there."

"Oh. I still want to experience one cool party though." Sera stated.

"Okay. If you ever come to the city with me, I'll take you to one." I shrugged.

She fist pumped. I giggled and rolled my eyes. As I was taking a sip of my drink, my eyes connected with Luke's. I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Lila, what do you think?" I heard Rachel ask.

My eyes quickly snapped back to her. "I'm sorry. Could you repeat what you said earlier?"

"What should a girl wear on a trip to Europe? My parents are planning to take one in a year, and I just don't know." Rachel repeated for me.

"Oh! Lucky for you, I was born in England, and I'm Italian, French, and Norwegian, so I can defiantly help you."

"See! I told you she dresses like a European!" Sera hit Rachel's arm.

I giggled. "It's kind of obvious. Here are some tips. Don't wear workout clothes unless you're working out. Make sure all your clothes fit you properly. Dress feminine and classy. A black satin cami with white jeans or shorts and black sandals. Sundresses with sandals. Mini skirts with blouses. Oh! And a good Italian handbag and sunglasses are a must. Wear natural make up too." I smiled.

Rachel gave me a big toothy smile and hugged me. "Thank you!" She sang. "I seriously had no idea what to pack."

"If you need outfit ideas, text me." I cheerfully added.

Suddenly, my phone rang, and my expression fell once I saw the caller ID. "Excuse me, please. I have to take this." I told Rachel and Sera.

I rushed into the house and went out the other side. It's quieter by the front door and driveway.

"Hey, mom." I answered.

"Hi, darling!"

There was an awkward pause before I sighed. "Why did you call?"

"I just wanted to know if you were coming back or not."

My mood dropped instantly. "No. I will never come back! This is your fault!"

"Lila, this stuff happens—"

I cut her off. "No! It shouldn't happen!"

"Look, Dave was there for me. We talked. We developed a connection."

"I don't care! You weren't supposed to cheat on him! I don't care how much I hung out with Kyle. You weren't supposed to get with his dad! Don't you understand?!" I've wanted to tell her this for a while but haven't mustered up the strength to do it. I guess the alcohol helped.

"Lila, you have to understand that I can't control how I feel." She reasoned.

"You could have! You let him in! You didn't have to entertain him just because I was friends with his son!"

"It was more than that."

"You shouldn't have done more either. You should have stayed away from him. You should have loved dad more than you loved him. You should have stayed with dad! You ruined our family!" I was swaying for the mixture of anger and alcohol by now.

"Lila, this is nonsense. This stuff happens in life."

"It shouldn't. I would never cheat. Plenty of people in this world would never cheat. It's wrong, and I can't forgive you for it."

"Lila, wait a minute—"

"No! I don't want to hear it. Every time I do, I just get reminded that it's my fault this happened. It's my fault our family was destroyed. I can't talk anymore."

With that I hung up. I put my phone away and ran my hands through my hair. Fuck, I need alcohol. I turned around to go inside, but stopped in my tracks.

No.

He couldn't have.

Luke was standing on the steps to the front door, looking directly at me. This is bad. This is so bad.

"How much?" I quietly asked.

"All of it. I ran after you after I saw you get up and rush out."

"Damn." I ran a hand through my hair. "I'm guessing you want me to open up, Huh?"

"I'll take you to my place, and we can talk." He held out a hand for me to take. I sighed and gently put my hand in his, his warmth already comforting me.