Page 27 of Lies Beneath Secrets (Skeleton Crew #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Lauren

It turns out that when you slip up and have sex with your neighbor, he’ll just straight up move out of the apartment. I’m standing at Conner’s door, completely shocked at the empty space as my landlord shows around a young couple. “When did he move out?” I blurt, not realizing I had spoken the words aloud until they turned around, slightly startled.

“Three days ago,” he tells me and brings his attention back to the possible new tenants. I don’t linger much longer and dart off to my apartment.

Three days? How did I miss that? And why would he have moved out? Because we slept together?

So many questions spin through my head, creating a slight sense of panic. I suppose part of me thought we would maybe speak again after I had some time to calm myself down. I took too much though, and he bailed. He even came into the diner once, but I refused to wait on them, instead sending Piper to do it for me. “That’s just what you do, isn’t it?” I say to myself and walk over to my room to undress. “Everyone leaves eventually.” I sigh and drop down onto my bed, tears threatening to fill my eyes the longer I lie there.

The darkness tries to pull me in again and this time, I don’t have some tall, bossy neighbor to distract me. The tall, bossy neighbor left because I pushed him away. “Fuck this!” I jump off the bed and go to my dresser, hand hovering over the lighter. It would only take a split second to grab it and get the metal hot. Sucking my lip into my mouth, I bite down a little, then jerk my hand back. “This is stupid.” I turn around and go to my fridge instead, pulling out the new bottle of vodka I bought last week after Conner and I had slept together.

Forgoing a glass, I take the chilled bottle over to the couch and take a long, very unhealthy, drink from the bottle. The burn drifts down my throat and spreads through my chest, dulling everything the more I drink. Against my better judgement, I pick up my phone and send off a text to Piper.

Lauren: I need to get out of my apartment. Can you go out tonight?

I drop my phone to my side and take one more drink before pulling myself up from the couch and putting the bottle back into the freezer. I take a quick shower and run a curling iron through my hair to give the ends a small twist, then put on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. Satisfied with my look, I walk back over to the couch to see that Piper responded.

Piper: YES!!! Come over!

I can practically hear her jumping for joy through the text and can’t help but laugh. Pushing away all the thoughts of Conner and the night we hooked up, I force myself out into the hallway. I refuse to even look in the same direction as his door when I pass it to walk downstairs. Real mature, right?

Piper doesn’t live too far from my apartment, but it’s a decent walk. The sun is already setting in the sky, and the wind has picked up slightly. When the first drop of rain hits my nose, I wish I would have told her to pick me up. These crazy fall days sometimes feel more like spring with all of the rainstorms we get. By the time I reach Piper’s door, I’m completely soaked and rather just walk back home than go out.

“Oh my God. I didn’t think you were going to walk! You should have taken a cab.” I shake my head and pull my sweatshirt off so I can wring it out in her sink.

“I didn’t anticipate the rain. Can I throw my stuff in your dryer?” I glance around the small house. “Is Lucas here?”

“He’s out of town. His brother is getting married I guess. Bachelor party tonight and wedding tomorrow.” She shrugs.

“Why didn’t he bring you? To the wedding at least?” With the towel she hands me, I try to dry my hair. So much for the curl I put on the ends.

“He told me it was just a small family wedding. Limited seating.” How much I would love to call bullshit on that, but the dejected expression on her face stops me. She’s feeling shitty enough from being left out.

“Well, I’m glad you got to stay behind. I really need to take my mind off of life tonight.” I wrap the towel around me and wiggle out of my jeans, which isn’t easy at all. Surprisingly, the towel stays in place and when I look back up at Piper, she has a devilish grin on her face. “What?”

“I’m kind of glad it rained. I have the perfect outfit for you.” I’m about to tell her hell no, but she takes off too fast.

“I really don’t think so…” I trail behind her and toss my clothes into the dryer along the way.

“Oh, I do,” she says when I reach her room, and she’s holding up a dress.

“It’s raining out!” I complain, getting an eye-roll from her. She must have already started to get ready because her makeup is perfectly done, with some bright red lipstick to top everything off.

“That’s no excuse! I’ll pay for a cab to bring us. There’s no reason you can’t wear this.” Reluctantly, I grab the dress and hold it up to me. It seems long enough to where it should go down to my knees. “I need some tights or something if I’m going to wear this.” She points at me with a smirk on her face.

“I got you, boo.” She prances off toward her closet and comes back with what I had requested. “These are so cool. They look like you’re wearing some sheer pantyhose, but they’re like leggings.” I’m skeptical but instead of arguing, I take them from her and go to the bathroom to completely dry off and change. To my surprise, the leggings she gave me really do look like I’m wearing a pair of pantyhose. The dress though? It’s strapless and so tight. I’m nowhere as thin as Piper, but I do my best to wiggle into the slip of material.

“I’m never going to get this to zip,” I complain as I walk out of the bathroom and into her room. She doesn’t hear me though. She’s looking at her phone, tears nearly taking over her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Lucas isn’t very happy we’re going out.” I resist the urge to tell her to tell him to fuck right the hell off.

“Do you want to stay here instead?” I almost hope she says yes, but there’s also a part of me that wants to make her stick it to Lucas. Who is he to tell her she can’t go out when he’s at his brother’s bachelor party? Probably being nothing but a complete scoundrel.

“No.” She shakes her head. “No, we’re going. I’m not going to let him ruin another night.” I want to ask what she means by another night but instead, I walk over to her and give her a hug.

“Let’s have some fun.”