"Is anyone going to talk about what happened?" I asked after a full minute of silence.
Ian made a sound deep in his throat then got into his car and drove off leaving Serena, Darius and I. I could see that Serena was trying her hardest to look anywhere but me and Darius had an annoyed expression on his face. I suddenly understood what was happening and I felt bad for Serena because she was caught between everything.
"I'm taking Serena home,â I announced and I could see that Darius was about to complain but I shot him a hard look and dropped my voice to a whisper. "Go handle your best friend and your sister, I can handle my own."
He looked like he wanted to protest but at the last minute, he decided against it and got onto his bike leaving just Serena and I. I guided her carefully towards my car and she was quiet the entire time. She was moving on autopilot and I was scared of what she would say when she finally snapped out of it.
"Is everything okay?" I began slowly as I started the drive towards her house. "I can't imagine how it must feel to-"
"Don't," she cut me off. "I don't need or want your pity. I have no reason to be upset because Ian isn't my mate. There is nothing to talk about so I would appreciate it if you just let the conversation drop."
I was forced to stay silent because I didn't want to push her. As I got to her house, she walked out of my car without looking back. I tried to start the car to go home but it didn't feel right to leave her alone. I hadn't known her for long but I knew that Serena would never leave me in a time like this. I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text to Grandma and Chris.
ME: I won't be coming home today. Something came up and I'm spending the night with Serena. DO NOT worry about me.
I didn't want to see their responses before I got out of the car. I walked over to the front door and knocked. It took her a good five minutes before she finally pulled it open. I gave her a small smile and she rolled her eyes and made to shut it but I blocked it with my foot.
"You should go home, Leindra,â she said simply but instead of answering, I pushed the door open and walked in. "I don't know why you're here, I'm fine on my own."
"Just because you're fine doesn't mean you need to be. I know you have feelings for Ian and from what happened outside that café, I know something happened between him and Amy. You're my friend and I just want you to know that I am on your side."
"I don't want sides," she chuckled dryly to herself. "They are best friends and they have been since they were children. It was expected that they would be together. It was practically written in the stars."
"Then what is the problem?"
"He slept with me."
I made tea for Serena and me while she told me everything that happened. When Ian and Amy were younger, there was a lot of pressure for them to be together and he leaned on Serena for support. She ended up falling in love with him and one drunken decision led to them having sex. It shattered Amy's trust in him because she had also begun developing feelings for him. It caused so much drama that Amy had to be sent away to finish the rest of her education.
Thankfully, Amy didn't hold any grudges towards Serena and they remained friends but Amy and Ian's relationship had never been the same again. This evening was the first time in years that they had been in the same room and it brought back old feelings. I understood how Serena felt, she probably felt like she was directly responsible for the demise of their friendship and potential mating.
As I sat across from her in the living room, I realized I made the right choice by coming over to her place. She needed a friend more than anything and I was more than willing to be that friend for her. I went to get more tea when I heard a knock on the door. Serena went to answer it and from her gasp, I knew it was someone she wasn't expecting. I went out to check only to see Amy standing there with a small duffel bag in her hands.
She looked shocked to see me but she quickly gathered herself and cleared her throat. "I was wondering if I could stay here for the night. Ian refuses to leave my home so I did him a favor."
"Does he know you're here?" I asked and she shook her head.
"I locked my door and snuck out through the window. I also parked my car in front of a motel and took a taxi over here. If he asks, you have not seen me, is that clear?" I nodded slowly and she flashed me a smile. "Since we're all here, we might as well make it a girl's night. Where is the vodka?"
Serena moved quickly and retrieved a bottle from the cleaning cabinet. I was going to ask questions but I decided against it especially when Amy opened the bottle and chugged straight from it without a grimace.
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"I have sappy romance movies and popcorn," Serena offered and Amy smiled widely.
She kicked off her heels and made her way over to the couch. She was a sight to behold in her outfit with a bottle of vodka in one hand.
"Bring the saddest one that you have. If I'm going to spill tears then it better be over a fictional one and not some asshole with a neon green car named Nora."
"You know about Nora?" I asked and she gave me a small smile with a faraway look that held a million different emotions hidden in them.
"I bought Nora."
We stayed up all night watching soap operas while binging on vodka and popcorn. We fell asleep on the couch and I woke up to rustling as Amy started to gather her stuff. She was still stumbling and her hair was a mess. She drank the most out of all of us and I knew letting her go home on her own was not a great idea.
"Let's get you into the shower," I told her. She mumbled a few incoherent words but leaned against me.
I had my fair share of dealing with hung-over people so it was easy to get her into the bathroom and get her cleaned. I got clean clothes from her duffel bag and helped her into them. Once she was dressed, I took her back to the living room and decided to make breakfast for all of us. I enjoyed having freedom in the kitchen to do as I wished while Serena and Amy snored in the living room.
I was finishing up with breakfast when I heard a knock on the door. Serena and Amy were still asleep so I opened it up. I realized I should have checked first when I saw Ian standing there. He looked worried, his hair was disheveled and he had bags under his eyes. I would not have been surprised if he spent the entire night looking for Amy.
"She isn't here," I said leaping to her defense and he rolled his eyes. "You might want to try some hotels. She may have checked into one-â
"I have checked every hotel in town," he said with such conviction that I believed him. "I have been to every room for rent, every shared home and every inn but she is nowhere to be found. You're Darius' mate so I have the utmost respect for you but if you do not move, I will forcibly remove you to get to her."
"I don't think she wants to see you. Why is it so important that you see her? Take it from me, no girl wants to be forcibly owned. If you want her then you have to win her over. Acting all possessive caveman after you fucked her friend is not an attractive move."
"You have no idea what happened."
"Actually, I do and that's why I am going to tell you that you are not going to get your desired results like this. If you really think she is worth all of this then you have to pursue her but do this with care because you're not the only two involved in this." "Serena understands. She knows that it has always been Amy."
"Then why are you here? Why did you use her? Don't you think she has suffered enough?â he opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off. "I like you, Ian, maybe even more than Darius, but I think you should leave. I have to put Serena first."
"Just tell me that she's alright."
"She will be," he ran his hand through his hair as if he wanted to stay longer but he decided against it and made his way back to his car.
I waited until he drove away before I shut the door. I prepared to go back to breakfast
but I jumped when I noticed Amy awake and staring at me.