Flawed Perfection (Beautifully Flawed, #1)

Chapter Twenty Three

When I woke the next morning I was groggy, and my head had a dull thud in it. I shot up, taking in my surroundings. I knew where I was, and judging by my lack of clothes, I hadn't been dreaming. Adam came out of the bathroom, followed by a plume of steam with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"You might want one of these," he said with a light smile on his face as he handed me a glass of water and a Motrin™.

I sat up to take the glass without thinking, and the sheet covering me fell around my waist.

I watched as Adam took a deep breath. His eyes drifted over my naked upper body as our hands clasped over one another on the glass.

"Thanks," I said as I took the glass from him and tossed the pill in my mouth.

I set the glass down after chugging it, and grabbed the nearest shirt to pull over my head. Adam stood watching as I yanked my jeans over my bare legs.

"Leaving already?" he finally spoke.

I looked up and smiled at him. "I don't think this would be the easiest thing to explain to Bobby."

He looked down at the floor where the rest of his sheets lay tangled, biting the lip ring into his mouth.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

I leaned up and kissed his neck. "We'll talk later, okay?"

His arm wrapped around me, pulling me to his skin.

I took a deep breath of his clean, comforting scent as he whispered in my ear, "I like the way you look in my t-shirt."

"Good, I'm keeping it," I said as I pulled away and looked up at him. Every part of my body tingled and ignited as we stared back at one another—I didn't want to leave, especially now that I knew the feeling was mutual.

"We'll talk later?" he repeated as his eyes studied my face.

I nodded before turning and sticking it out to check the coast was clear before scooting out. As I closed the door to Adam's room his eye's met mine, begging me not to leave.

We had so much to talk about, but I was already running away. I shut the door anyways, and when I turned a light yelp I covered with my hand echoed from my mouth.

"Tara!" I said as quietly as I could in my surprise as I looked at my best girl friend sneaking out of Bobby's room.

"River!" she said, just as shocked but she had a happy smirk on her face.

We both rushed for the front door trying to withhold the fit of laughter. She looked hilarious in Bobby's extra large shirt, literally now a dress on her, and I was quite sure my hair was sticking straight up in several places. When we got into my apartment we fell on the couch in a fit of loud, happy giggles.

"Holy crap!" Tara said. "What happened last night?"

"Freaking heaven, that's what!" I replied through tears.

"You're telling me!" she answered, and we started laughing again.

After several seconds of trying to catch our breath we turned to face one another, suddenly serious.

"Really, what happened?" I asked finally.

Tara shrugged. "After you and Adam ushered Kiki out," she dragged out the word, teasing my nastiness. "Jackie threw a temper tantrum, at which point Bobby went ballistic on her. So then that was over, and Bobby and I were talking on the balcony...I was pretty loaded, and for some reason I just happened to admit I had a crush on him since I met him...one thing led to another, and here we are—very satisfied, I might add."

I scrounged my nose at the last comment. "That good, huh?"

Tara took a deep breath, flopping back on the couch. "You have no idea."

"Eww, he's like a brother to me!" I said, grabbing a pillow from behind me and swinging it at her.

She sat up, grabbing the pillow, and eyed me. "Speaking of brothers, what happened with you and his?"

I looked down at Adam's t-shirt covering my body and the butterflies rose up again, along with an unhealthy dose of doubt.

"We went into his bedroom to escape the madness the party had become, and then he admitted how long he had a crush on me...one thing led to another," I said, playing with the hem of his shirt.

"What's wrong?" Tara asked, leaning forward and taking my hands in hers. "You were so happy a second ago?"

I closed my eyes and took several breathes before opening them to see Tara's soft eyes pondering mine.

"I know Adam."

"No!" Tara stuck her index finger in my face. "Don't you dare start thinking like that! You do know Adam, and he wouldn't do that to you!"

I swallowed, trying to reassure myself, but my response came out weak, "I know."

Tara frowned at me. "Go take a shower, you smell like good sex and unnecessary regret."

"I need coffee," I groaned as I stood up.

Just then a hammer made itself known as my brain rattled in my skull.

"After we both shower, so hurry up so I can clean up, too!" Tara said, her sheet of thick brown hair falling in a tangled mess in her eyes.

When I came out of the shower covered in a towel Bobby and Tara were wrapped tightly around one another on my couch.

"Hello," I coughed and for the first time ever, when Bobby looked up at me he didn't look like he wanted me.

Relief washed over me. Maybe Adam and I could be together.

"Hey," Bobby said, smiling at me. "Sorry, I just couldn't wait to see her again."

"Eww," I said, making a mock sick face as I went to the bedroom.

When I came out dressed Bobby and Tara were nowhere in sight, but the shower was running. Great, now my two best friends were doing it in my bathroom. I rolled my eyes, it was much better than Andy being in there, that was for sure. I stood in my empty kitchen and wished Adam was there making me breakfast like he had a few weeks before. I leaned against the counter as I looked around the empty space, taking a shaky breath.

Everything felt different all of a sudden. I felt like I was being torn in two—I yearned to walk across the hall and fall into Adam's arms again, but the other half of me doubted it was real. The worst part was the internal battle raging that said everything could be destroyed now. This could result in the ultimate demise of a relationship I had for my whole life. Adam wasn't just the man I loved, he was my best friend, the person who knew me better than I knew myself—but now, what were we? I didn't have the guts to ask.

"I feel much better!" Bobby said as he walked out of the bathroom into my living room, toweling his hair.

I rolled my eyes at him, leaning over my kitchen island. "Usually that's what happens when you finally get some."

Bobby chucked the towel at me. "Why didn't you ever tell me Tara was interested in me?"

I grabbed the towel out of the air and stared at him for a moment with my mouth open. "You never asked!"

"Well," Bobby replied, leaning forward as well. "You should've told me."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "This better not be another booty call, got it?"

Bobby lowered his head to mine, his lips in a stern line as he answered, "I really like her, River. It's the first time...I've been able to forget about you."

Our gazes searched one another before Tara walked into the room.

"Why so serious?" she asked as she looked between the two of us.

"Hey, gorgeous," Bobby said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her lightly on the forehead.

My eyes drifted across the room to the door. I wondered what Adam was doing and if he was thinking about me as much as I was thinking about him. And most of all I wished this was reversed— that I was there in his arms with him kissing me and telling me how beautiful I was.