Chapter 54 Chapter LIV

Chapter 54 Chapter LIV
I know she heard our little conversation before walking in. That’s why I can feel she’s messing with my brother. They’ve always been like this, ever since we were kids, and at times in the past, I wished they had gotten together. But they became more friends than anything, and I thought the moment had passed.
But maybe…it hasn’t? I honestly have no idea if they ever felt something for one another, but I do see some sparkle between them whenever they are teasing each other. Chad is a big flirt, and it’s not like Poppy doesn’t like men like him. I just feel like they tread carefully through these waters so as not to harm our friendship above all else.
“Chad was betting he could get you to himself if he wanted,” Lauren blurts, making Chad snap his head toward her, almost breaking his neck in the process. He grimaces, rubbing the nape of his neck, slightly embarrassed. 
“I just said you loved me,” he explains defensively. “They just like to team up against me.”
“Right, that’s what it was,” Mom muses in a low voice, turning her attention back to the TV.
“Sorry, Chad. Maybe in another lifetime, but now, my focus is on getting myself a hot singer from a band called Glitch,” Poppy says excitedly as she walks over and sits on the armchair beside Lauren.
It doesn’t go unnoticed by me the way Chad frowns at her, but it is so quick, I wonder if I imagined it.
“Or so you wish,” I tease my friend, shooting her a smirk and being cursed in return.
“Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins.” Poppy turns to my parents, not looking apologetic at all. “The lack of faith from your daughter in my dating skills is preposterous,” she adds dramatically, making Mom and Dad laugh.
We spend another hour bantering and talking about different things until my parents decide to go to bed. With that being my cue, I get up and walk to the kitchen, grabbing a wooden tray to cut the cheese I bought from the market while Poppy helps me to open the wine bottle and wash the glasses we’re using.
Chad and Lauren have the arduous task of picking the movie we’re watching, and judging by the way their voices are rising in the living room, I can tell they are already in disagreement.
“Are you all right?” Poppy bumps into my shoulder, eyeing me while opening the wine bottle.
I nod, focusing on the task at hand so I don’t cut my finger off instead of slicing the cheese.
“Yep,” I answer, popping the P.
“Any word from Spencer?” Poppy pries.
“Not yet. Not even a text,” I tell her. “I am trying hard not to think about it. I know it’s stupid, and we’re not kids anymore, but… I don’t know. I just feel insecure.”
“You have no reason to be,” my friend insists, leaning against the counter so she is facing me completely. “Look at me. Spencer loves you. So, stop looking for trouble, and just snap out of it. You have no reason to feel insecure or doubt him.”
“I know, I know.”
“And if you’re too worried, just have a conversation with him about it. It doesn’t do any good to jump to conclusions. It never ends well, and as a reader and a writer, you should know that better than anyone.”
I smile at her, shoving her slightly. “Fine! Why are you always so wise? Ugh!”
Poppy straightens her shoulders, looking cocky all of a sudden. “My bad, I guess.”
“Shut up!” I chuckle, grabbing the tray filled with cheese and turning toward the living room. “Let’s go before those two kill each other.”
After another fifteen minutes of debating about what we should watch, we settle for a stand-up comedy show on YouTube instead, which ends up being way funnier than we expected. Halfway through it, I’ve been to the bathroom three times so I don’t pee my pants from laughing so hard.
It does wonders to be distracted like this around my siblings and my best friend, and for a couple of hours, I completely forget about Spencer and how bad I felt from seeing that woman clinging to his neck as if she was afraid he’d slip away from her grasp.
I go to bed feeling numb and slightly dizzy, my body so relaxed from the wine that I fear my legs will wobble beneath me while climbing the stairs to my room. Poppy decides to crash in the guest room since she’s way too drunk to drive home, and Chad is sleeping on the couch already, so we didn’t want to wake him up since he has to work tomorrow morning and probably needs all the rest he can get.
I go to my bathroom, brush my teeth, and put on my pajamas before climbing into my bed, feeling like I’m walking on clouds. I didn’t realize I drank that much, but now that I lie down in my bed, I regret it a bit. My head is spinning more than I thought it would.
My phone buzzes on my nightstand, and I grab it to find a text message from Spencer, checking if I’m still awake.
I am dying to talk to him, to hear his voice, because I miss him like crazy.
But I also know I’m not in the right mindset right now, and adding alcohol to the mix is definitely not a good combination.
I don’t want to ruin what we have fought so hard to build back, so with that thought in mind, I ignore his message and try to get some sleep.