Sweet Spot by Stella Rhys
25
LIA
By the timewe finally arrived at Ritchie’s house, it was close to 7PM. I was surprised and somewhat relieved to see I barely recognized the place at all. The outside, once a paint-chipped white with red shutters, was now coated with fresh layers of dark blue and brown. The lawn was neatly trimmed, actually green for once, and on it was the “For Sale” sign that made me feel as if this chapter of my life were finally and officially ending.
“You ready for this?” Lukas asked, giving my hand a squeeze.
“Yup,” I said, squeezing his hand back as I confidently rang the doorbell.
But I was surprised when the door swung open because greeting me were three familiar faces, none of them Ritchie. “Hey!” they said in unison, pulling me in for a hug.
It took several moments in the hug before I recognized my former best friends, Bree and Lyssa, and Lyssa’s brother, Stephen. They all wrapped around me in a group hug that brought me back to high school, and when they pulled away, Bree literally shrieked.
“Oh God, who’s this?” she asked, staring at Lukas. “Where is he from and where do I get one?” she asked with volume and pitch that increased with every word. She had always been the hilariously dramatic one of the group – though it was certainly wasn’t that hilarious when she decided to call me a “thankless prostitute” for leaving Ritchie after Gail died. I wasn’t sure where she got the prostitute part from but I wasn’t going to try to think about that now. These people weren’t my friends by a long shot, but I was still interested in leaving things off on a positive note, unlike the first time I left.
“Hey Bree, hey Lyssa, hey Steve,” I laughed as I fixed my hug-tousled hair and pulled Lukas inside. “Guys, this is Lukas.”
“Lukas,” Lyssa repeated, unblinking as she held out her hand to Lukas. “And you’re Lia’s… friend?”
“Boyfriend,” Lukas corrected casually. He grinned as everyone, Stephen included, turned to look at me in surprise.
“That’s too crazy,” Lyssa remarked after a bit of quiet, exchanging a look with Bree. “How crazy is that, Bree?”
“Not even over it yet.”
I smiled stiffly, oddly uncomfortable. After craning his neck to look out the window, Stephen stared at Lukas.
“Nice fucking car, man. You rich?”
“Stephen!” the girls scolded just as I heard several pairs of footsteps coming up from the basement. I felt Lukas’s hand slip back into mine as I saw an unfamiliar redhead in tiny ripped shorts. Following closely behind her was Ritchie.
Well, there he is. Looking exactly the same.
If I was surprised by anything, it was the fact that I felt not even the slightest pang of emotion as Ritchie’s eyes caught mine. Unlike the exterior of the house, my ex hadn’t changed. Not even a little. He still had the same shaggy, light brown hair that he had to keep pushing out of his face, and he still wore the same oversized Billabong T-shirt under a plaid red shirt. For the record, he didn’t surf or skate. He just loved that damned shirt.
“Hey…” he finally said, his eyes quickly leaving mine to stare at Lukas. “Who’s this guy?”
“Ritchie, this is Lukas,” I said. I felt Lukas squeeze my hand. “My boyfriend.”
Ritchie couldn’t contain his surprise. “No shit.”
“No shit,” Lukas and I repeated at once. Bree gasped.
“They already finish each other’s sentences!”
“No, Bree, that was just them saying the same – you know what, forget it,” Lyssa laughed dryly as Stephen jabbed his finger out the window.
“Yo, check out his car,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Guys,” I frowned, mortified when Ritchie actually went over the window to look at the Range Rover.
“I should be honest, it’s not mine. Borrowed from a friend,” Lukas laughed.
“Who’s your friend? Is he rich?” Bree whispered, as if whispering made her question less tacky.
“You don’t have to answer that,” I said to Lukas, exchanging a polite laugh with Bree, who polite laughed right back.
“Right. Well, uh, I have some food and stuff in the basement,” Ritchie said, taking one last look at the Rover before turning to me. “I figured we could all catch up there, hear about Lia’s new business and then I could give you the box and you could get going to see your dad.” He glanced at Lukas. “You can come too, I guess.”
Lord. I looked up at a grinning Lukas.
“You can come too. Isn’t that nice?” I whispered under my breath as we followed everyone down to the basement that had once been Ritchie’s escape when he didn’t want to help me with anything. There were still video game boxes littered all over the floor and pillows and blankets from the bed on the couch, for the nights that Ritchie fell asleep playing Fallout. I could tell from the dry look Lukas shot at me that he was making all the correct assumptions about what this room used to be.
“So, this is probably not as fancy as you’re used to in the city, but I got some of your old favorites at least,” Ritchie said, pointing to the flavored seltzer and giant, half-eaten pie of pizza from Lucille’s.
“Nice,” I said as everyone sat down, looking expectantly at me. Since no one had thought to, I introduced myself to the redhead sitting with Ritchie. “I’m Lia, by the way.”
“Oh, I know! I’m Gina.” She pointed back and forth between Lukas and me. “So how long have you two been dating?”
Crap. I hadn’t even thought to make up the story for that. I looked up at Lukas. “How long has it been?” I asked.
“Honestly?” He rubbed his bottom lip as he tried to think. I chewed back a grin because he looked so damned sexy like that. “Less than two months. It hasn’t been that long.”
“Oh,” Bree laughed, sounding relieved. “So you’re not that serious at all.”
“Bree,” Lyssa muttered.
“What? It’s a normal question!” Bree defended herself. “It’s just a fun little fling thing?”
Lukas chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that. I’m hanging onto her for as long as she’ll have me.” He turned to me. “You running away anytime soon?”
I snorted. “No plans as of yet.”
He squeezed my hand. “Awesome. Let’s keep it that way,” he said as Gina cooed from across the sectional.
“So, Liam,” Ritchie started.
“Lukas.”
“I said that,” Ritchie said, shooting me a look. “Lukas, what do you do for a living?”
“I own a real estate company.”
“Damn, you own a real estate company in New York City? That’s gotta make a lot of money,” Ritchie said, leaning forward. “Tell me something – are you Lia’s investor?”
I stared at Ritchie as Lukas laughed. “No, I’m not. I would’ve loved to be but I don’t think she would’ve accepted that,” he answered, looking at me. “Would you have?” he asked, lowering his voice.
“Not in a million years,” I whispered with a grin.
“Didn’t think so,” Lukas smirked. When we looked back up, everyone was whispering together except Gina, who smiled at us.
“I hear you make chocolate for a living!” she said excitedly.
“I do,” I smiled. “I actually brought some for everybody in case you’re curious to try.”
“Oh, totally! Yes!”
Reaching into my purse, I pulled out a square box of sixteen truffles that everyone, even Ritchie, oohed and ahhed over. I couldn’t help but glow with pride because every row of round chocolates did look beautiful, their shells perfectly smooth and shiny, their colors complementing each other. There were colors ranging from periwinkle to cream, and toppings ranging from cinnamon sugar to flecks of dried lavender. When Lyssa asked me to explain each one, I gladly did, smiling the whole time because I could almost feel Lukas’s pride as he rubbed my back.
“The first row is Earl Grey lavender truffles, the second row is rum raisin, the third is chestnut and the last one is dark chocolate with a churro feuilletine. I know the colors are bright but don’t worry, it’s tinted cocoa butter and it’s all completely edible,” I said, genuinely happy as I watched everyone dig in.
“Damn, I don’t know what a foo-ya-teen is but it tastes like fucking heaven,” Lyssa practically growled, staring at the other half of the truffle she’d bitten into. I breathed out in relief, almost certain I felt something in the air change for the better as everyone tried a piece of chocolate.
“That’s it. I’m taking your ass to Spain,” Lukas whispered in my ear, feeding me the other half of the churro feuilletine truffle. I held in my giggle as he squeezed my knee. “You think I’m kidding? I’m going to buy us one of every nut or spice I see out there and I’m going to spend every morning watching you make chocolate while you’re ass naked.”
“Lukas,” I giggled.
“Don’t you want that? I want that,” Lukas grinned.
“Oh, you two – just stop,” Bree interrupted. “We’ve got enough sweetness with the chocolates, we can’t have you guys being all couple-ly and cute or we’ll need fuckin’ root canals.”
I snorted. “How do you like the Earl Grey lavender, Bree?”
“Is this a serious question? It’s like, the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I could eat this and the hazelnut one for the rest of my life and be set.”
“Classic Bree exaggeration,” Stephen rolled his eyes. He looked at me. “Though I gotta admit, this rum raisin is dope. I think it’s getting me drunk. Yo – how the hell do you make these so shiny?”
“Proper tempering. And the molds I use do help,” I replied just as I heard my phone start to buzz angrily against my keys in my purse. I frowned. “Weird. Sorry, I did put that thing on silent.”
“If someone calls twice in a row, the second call comes through,” Lyssa offered. “Meaning it could be an emergency. You should pick it up or at least see who it is.”
“Oh, shit. Good to know,” I said with genuine surprise that made everyone chuckle and laugh. Fishing through my purse, I found my phone, letting out a little gasp when I saw that it was Elaine Gardner calling. “It’s Elaine,” I whispered to Lukas with wide eyes.
“Who’s Elaine?” Ritchie asked.
“My investor,” I replied hastily as I got up off the couch. “Do you mind if I…?”
“No, no! Go ahead. Shit’s important,” Ritchie said. Then he got urgent. “Wait, wait! Before you go…”
I turned around with a hint of concern. “Yeah?”
“Can I have the last rum raisin?”
“Yes!” I answered incredulously as everyone, Lukas included, broke out laughing. My phone was still buzzing but I had to take a moment and snap a mental picture. Lukas Hendricks sitting with my ex and my high school friends, all of us hanging out together in the house I grew up in. My two very different worlds were colliding so hard and it was fucking bizarre.
But kind of nice.
Okay. Alright. Good vibes,I told myself, my heart beating fast but a smile on my face as I finally excused myself to the corner to pick up the phone.
LUKAS
“So, Lukas.”
I knew I’d hear those words the second Lia was gone, and I had a feeling I’d hear it from the brown-haired one with the short, crazy ponytail at the top of her head. I was pretty sure that one was Bree.
“Tell us all about Lia. We’re so curious to know what she’s like now. Like, whenever someone moves out of Warren and doesn’t come back within like, six months, it’s kind of a miracle,” Bree said. “Is she workin’ real hard out there?”
I let out a breath. “Definitely. I had to chase her to go out with me for awhile. She works hard,” I said, keeping it simple. I didn’t trust these people. I didn’t trust anyone for the most part, but Lia’s former friends fell pretty low on the totem pole.
“That’s amazing. She’s honestly always been really good about staying focused. Nothing ever distracted her,” Bree said, glancing back at Ritchie. “Then again, she was dating Ritchie back then and I think we can all agree that Ritchie’s a lot less distracting than you are.”
“Bree,” Lyssa hissed as Ritchie flipped her the bird. “Sorry, Lukas. Had I known someone like you was coming, I would’ve briefed these clowns on social skills and manners.”
“Fuck you, Lyss,” Ritchie muttered.
I eyed him, remembering everything Lia had told me about him. He forced her to drop out of school, forced her to pay him for work he never did. He lied about having a job and played fucking video games at his friend’s house for eight hours a day and took a loan out in her name to tank her credit.
For Lia’s sake, I’d gone into this night trying not to remind myself of all the shit he put her through because I understood her need to close this chapter of her life on a high note. I’d never forgive Cam for all the shit he pulled on me and my family but it wasn’t like I savored my hatred for him. It wasn’t fun. It burned inside me every day and filled me with dark thoughts no happy person was capable of having. I wouldn’t want Lia to feel so much as a fraction of that so I did my best to sit through the night a complete gentleman.
“So? What did your investor say?” Ritchie asked when Lia got back, holding a hand to her mouth.
“Gotham Grocer,” she murmured, turning from them to me. “You know that store, right?”
“Yeah. There’s a location near my apartment. It’s nice,” I said slowly, a tentative smile spreading my lips. “Why?”
“Well…” Lia made a little squeaking noise. “They’re my first official distributor!”
The others gave a collective gasp as I jumped to my feet and kissed Lia. I had to. I made it fast but I made those two seconds count because I needed her to feel my pride and I couldn’t help myself from touching her. When I pulled away, I expected her to be blushing, embarrassed but she wasn’t. Her gorgeous eyes sparkled at me and she whispered, “I’m so fucking happy, Lukas.” Just loud enough for me to hear.
For some reason, hearing her say that felt like my own personal victory.
“I’m so proud of you, Lia,” I whispered before letting her friends swallow her with hugs and congratulations and questions.
It was Lyssa who eventually came up with the idea to pop open the sparkling wine they had upstairs in the fridge. “We bought it for the day Ritchie sells the house but fuck it, this is worth celebrating even more!” she said, taking Bree’s hand, the two of them running to follow Ritchie upstairs. It left Lia and me with Stephen and Gina, who hadn’t really stopped smiling at us since the second we sat down.
“You guys seem so nice,” she said. “I love seeing happy couples.”
With a groan, Stephen went upstairs, too. Lia snorted as I nodded politely. “Thanks. Are you… with Ritchie?”
“Oh God, no!” she laughed. “I just work with him at the bowling alley. He asked me to come over tonight. He said he was having a party but I got here and everyone was talking about this Lia girl and investment deals and money and blah, blah, blah,” she giggled, throwing her hands in the air. “I’m glad you guys are here now, because it feels like an actual party!” she said.
As she and Lia got to figuring out if they were even in high school at the same time, I excused myself and slipped upstairs. I wasn’t the meddling type. I was usually far too apathetic to get involved in anyone’s drama but I for some reason felt slightly off about what the other four were doing upstairs in the kitchen. It was a vague hunch but the assholes proved me right the second I got up there.
Leaning just outside the kitchen door, I listened to their bitter mutterings to each other.
“Honestly, those chocolates were okay, at best. They weren’t even that fucking good,” Ritchie said.
“Guys. I swear to God, she’s not just making money through chocolate. There’s no way.” That voice was unmistakably Bree. “She’s definitely doing something shady on the side. She’s probably prostituting herself and her so-called boyfriend is probably some rich guy who only came up here because she said he could like, pee on her later. Or some other fucked up shit.”
Lyssa giggled. “Seriously. Those chocolates sucked ass. I don’t know how you could bring those here and think you’re so much better than us. I could buy that at the grocery store for like, two bucks.”
“Right? Like, good job, you get to live in the city because you’re okay with whoring yourself out. Sorry, girl, but I have standards.”
Ritchie’s laugh sounded like fucking wheezing. “God, I’m glad you guys agree. I knew there was no way any of this was real. And that call from her so-called investor?”
“Bullshit.”
“Total bullshit. She probably made one of her friends call her so she could fake that in front of us to make herself feel better,” Ritchie scoffed. “Fucking pathetic.”
Yeah, that’s it.
Walking into the kitchen, I watched with satisfaction as everyone’s faces went pale.
“Hey!” Bree finally said. “How long have you been there, Mr. Sneaky?”
“Long enough to hear you take your collective insecurities out on my girlfriend.”
They fell quiet. Ritchie scowled. “Look, dude, we didn’t mean it the way you heard it.”
“No, you did, but I get it,” I said. “You’ve got nothing to call your own and the only way to sleep at night is to tell yourself that others cheat their way ahead and your morals are just too high to succeed.” I glanced at Bree for a second before returning my eyes to Ritchie. “Of course, no one with morals takes a loan out in his girlfriend’s name and does nothing to try and pay it back,” I pointed out, satisfied with Ritchie’s dumb, open-mouthed silence. “I mean you dug her a pretty fucking impossible hole to climb out of and she still did, didn’t she?”
I paused for him to answer, not that I thought for a second his dumb mouth would have anything to say. After a good silence, I nodded.
“Yeah, it has to be tough watching the woman you didn’t believe in achieve everything she’s ever dreamed of. I’m sure that’s hard to live with, so you just gotta find some way to discredit her. Right?” I cocked an eyebrow. “I’d probably do the same if I were a piece of shit whose best talent was doubting others. Thank God I’m not or I’m pretty sure she’d have no interest in me, and that would be pretty goddamned depressing.” I let myself grin a bit. “Because in case you don’t remember or never realized, she’s a fucking incredible woman. And I’m taking her home now, so you guys can go ahead and drink to whatever delusions you think of next. Nice meeting you.”
I didn’t wait for a reaction before going downstairs and holding a hand out to Gina. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Gina. I’m sorry to take away the party, but we have to get going.” Turning to Lia, I grabbed her purse and held out my hand. “Come on. We’re leaving.”
Despite looking stunned, Lia nodded, saying a last goodbye to Gina before taking my hand and following me out, no questions asked.
