You'll Be Okay

Chapter 25

"Hey, Lex!"

As I was walking out of Louis Vuitton, the sound of my name made me turn. I cringed upon seeing Dennis, swearing under my breath. Kayley's gaze flitted between us and she gave me a meaningful look as she hung back with Bree to give us some space.

Dennis fell into step beside me as we headed for the food court where the rest of the boys were waiting. "Hey, I don't want things to be awkward between us."

I sighed. "Can we please forget it?"

He looked baffled, brows drawing together but his blue eyes were still apologetic. It made my head spin - I should be the one who was sorry. "I guess... is that what you want?"

"Yes," I said. "Please."

Dennis blew out a deep breath. "Okay, done."

We walked in silence and my head spun a little from exhaustion but also because it occurred to me that Dennis was right. I had been wrong to kiss him, simply because I was feeling insecure. I was confused and frustrated but that was never an excuse.

"You're not," I blurted out suddenly, surprising even myself. "You're not second to Reid, Dennis. To anyone. You know your self-worth and that's special."

He lifted a brow, holding my gaze for a fraction of a second before smiling begrudgingly at my words. "Thanks, Lex. But I didn't say Reid."

"Oh my God," I muttered, mortified.

He laughed, falling back a bit and I kept moving, joining the rest of the group. Even though I didn't look at him, I knew some of the tension had lifted.

"There's still a few hours before our flight, so we should get dinner." Kayley scrolled through many of the restaurants saved on her phone, hesitating as she looked around at everyone else. When nobody snapped at her, she went on; "I found a place not far from our hotel."

"Great idea," Tyler enthused too loudly and clapped her on the back. "It's Christmas Eve, after all. Let's not allow our personal issues get in the way of the celebrations."

Bree's nostrils flared, chin tilting up.

"I'll call the cab," said Kayley with a sigh.

Bree gave Tyler one final glare, stalking off in her brand new Christian Louboutins, designer bags swinging from her fingers. Reid, who had been writing some sort of email, finally looked up from his phone and followed her. After a moment of awkward silence, Kayley, Dennis and Tyler trailed after them. This, of course, left Jarred and I.

"I thought my family trip to the Maldives two years ago was a disaster because my sister eloped with some Arabic dude - great guy, by the way." Jarred rubbed the nape of his neck, glancing sideways at me. "This isn't worse, but it's also not much better."

"Come on." I rolled my eyes. "It's not all bad."

He caught onto my tone and chuckled nervously, pushing a hand through his blonde hair. "Right. You know, Kayley and I just really... get along. So, you're okay with it?"

From Jarred's many misadventures of supposed heartbreak, I knew he got attached easily. I also knew that he had four older sisters who made sure that he not only respected women but treated them right. He was funny and smart and of course, I was well aware that Kayley had crushed on him all year. Not to mention, both of them were blonde and gorgeous with odd but charismatic personalities so they truly were an attractive couple. As long as he didn't break her heart, I was more than okay with this arrangement.

"Yeah," I said eventually as we made it outside. "But if you hurt her, I will kill you."

Jarred seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "As you should."