Higher Octave (Heavy Influence #2.5) Read Free

quickly and
turned back to Marshall and Bobby. “Okay, get ready.” She held the
phone up clumsily. I could tell she was nervous, and it made me
want to go to her. Bobby gave her a gentle smile and mouthed breathe .
    “Nadine, will you please take our picture?”
She jumped in the middle of Marshall and Bobby.
    I couldn’t take it anymore, and had to go
say hello. I grabbed the hand of my date and strolled over to
them.
    “Long time, no see,” I
said, smiling, letting go of Lillianna’s hand. I couldn’t help but
give Aly an adoring sweep with my eyes and extended my arms for a
hug. I had to feel her. She didn’t move. “Shorter hair suits you.
Polished elegance. The lady in red is ravishing,” I complimented, but
she wasn’t having it.
    I tilted my head and then
stepped to hug her. Aly loosely wrapped her arms around me and I
breathed her in. “You’re beautiful, but you know that,” I said
softly in her ear as I backed away. She looked flustered, and her
cheeks were bright pink – Yes! I got to
her.
    Nadine introduced herself to my date, and
they chatted politely enough, but I cringed, like a permanent tick,
at Nadine’s intrusive questions. Lilliana answered with
light-hearted grace: “We’re just friends. My name is Lilliana. I’m
from Scandinavia. I’m a model.”
    I couldn’t stop smiling at Aly and the
forced enjoyment that was stamped on her face. I knew her so well.
I could have laughed out loud. If it were like old days, she would
have turned to me, mock barfing. It was killing her as much as it
was killing me. The tension seemed to subside as we continued to
break the ice, with the exception of me continuously glancing at
Aly’s hand, the one with the ring on it. I wondered if she noticed.
It was as if she kept trying to hide it with her other hand.
    Bobby announced that dinner was now ready
and being served. He slid open doors that I thought were a wall,
exposing another vast room that held two fourteen-person tables.
They were elegantly decorated with vases filled with banana leaves
and Birds of Paradise. Masculine granite-colored table settings
were expertly placed.
    “Open seating, my friends!” Marshall clapped
his hands.
    Aly didn’t hesitate to sit down, and Nadine
sat across from her. I couldn’t help myself, and sat right next to
Aly. My date sat across from me, next to Nadine.
    “Well then. Seeing this is gonna get
interesting.” Nadine clucked her tongue and shot me a brief stare,
one that Lilliana missed. “I’m gonna grab a bottle.”
    I gave a hearty laugh, and Lilliana laughed
with me, even though she was totally clueless. Aly huffed. “Are you
fucking with me? Leave me alone,” she leaned over, whispering to
me.
    Aly glanced at Lilliana, who had zero idea
what was happening. Lilliana struck up a conversation with a person
behind her. It looked like someone Marshall worked with, a well
put-together, stylish male. I’d seen them chatting earlier.
    “I’m just happy to see you. Just trying to
catch up,” I said quietly, smirking. I wanted to waggle my eyebrows
at her, but she would have probably knocked me out.
    “Mmhmm.” Aly took a big gulp of wine, trying
to ignore me.
    Nadine returned with the bottle she’d
promised, clunking it down on the table.
    As we sat, being served our salads, Nadine
shared what she’d been up to, and so did I. We ate our dinner of
Chilean sea bass and Asian-inspired stir-fry with saffron rice. I
asked Aly every question I could think of about her school, her
travels playing volleyball, her parents, and brother and sister,
Kyle and Allison. I explained to Lilliana that Aly and I grew up
next door to each other, and that was it. I didn’t ask once about
Nathan or the ring she wore. It was as if they didn’t exist.
Lilliana shared her latest travel adventure to Morocco—she had
fallen off a camel and broke three ribs.
    “I’m just starting to work out again. I
gained so much weight,” she said as she sipped her champagne.
    Aly