The Wrath of Poppy Leroux

“What the fuck is going on?” I lowly growled through my teeth.

There was something Adam was hiding and I was determined to get to the bottom of it. Of course, I didn't want to hurt my best friend in the process, so I waited until she had gone into her bedroom to change before I charged at him.

“What did Poppy tell you?” Adam's voice was even quieter than mine.

“It doesn't matter what she told me. I want to know the truth, and I want to hear it from you.” I cornered him and stood with my arms crossed.

“Shh” he hissed as he grabbed my shoulders and walked me back to the sofa in the living room. His eyes occasionally shooting towards their bedroom. He lightly nudged me to sit down and then did the same. “Poppy and I go way back...” He let out a sigh and rubbed his hands over his eyes. “It's really too complicated to explain right now.” His body leaned against the arm rest as he checked to see if Kadie was around.

I moved myself forward, blocking his view. “You know, for a lawyer, you have a pretty shitty poker face, Adam.”

His eyes cut back to me “Lynn, I'm serious. It's a long story and I can't talk about it right now.”

There was a flash of sixth sense that came over his face and he sat upright. Just then Kadie pranced back into the living room. She plopped down on the opposite end of the sofa I was sitting on. It was a little chilly in the room and she'd just changed into her Soffe shorts, so she grabbed the throw that was hanging off the arm rest and wore it. “What's going on?” She asked as Adam quietly typed away on his phone.

I looked at him, his face staring intently at the screen, and back at Kadie. “Oh, nothing. Adam was just telling me how he knew Poppy.”

Kadie tilted her head in realization, “Oh yeah! How do you know her, Adam?”

His eyes glared at me before he smiled at Kadie “Poppy use to visit New York a lot when we were all younger. She'd always end up at our high school parties somehow.”

“Interesting” I strummed my fingers on my chin. I turned towards Kadie “That's weird that you didn't know that Kadie.” I knew exactly what I was doing.

Kadie sat quietly as she thought about it. “Yeah, how come I didn't know about it?” She looked back at Adam, who was looking at his phone again.

“Oh, must have slipped my mind.” He brushed off her question.

Before I could push Adam any more, Kadie changed the subject. She went on about a work event. I lost my attention when my phone vibrated in my lap. It was a text from Adam.

Stop doing whatever it is you're trying to do. I said I will tell you later.

When? I texted back.

Tell Kadie your taking the subway and ask me to walk you.

“Hello?” Kadie's voice pulled our attention away from our phones. “Is anyone listening to me?”

“Of course” I smiled at her. “It's just Connor's wondering where I am. I promised I'd see him tonight. I think I better get going.” He really had texted me earlier, so it wasn't like I was lying to her.

“Oh” Her smile vanished. She stood up ready to give me a hug goodbye. “Thanks for all the help!”

“No problem. I do need a favor though” I stood up and grabbed my coat. “Do you mind walking me out to the subway? Your street is eerily quiet at this hour.” Normally the streets would be buzzing around this time anywhere else in the city. But since Kadie and Adam lived in a residential neighborhood, the streets were a ghost town after sunset. The only way you could get a cab is if you called one beforehand.

“Do you mind, babe?” I only asked Kadie because I knew she was going to end up asking Adam to do it instead. Plus, it would've seemed suspicious if I'd asked him first.

Adam sighed, playing along, “Yeah, sure.” He kissed Kadie before we walked out of their apartment. We'd gotten a good twenty feet away from the door before Adam started talking. I didn't even have to prompt him. “I know Poppy because we had a thing for years.”

I gasped and spun around. “I knew it! So, what? Are you sleeping with her now?!” I stopped walking.

“No!” Adam took another step before he came to a stop. A cool breeze filled the street, rustling the tree we were standing under. There were leaves falling on our heads, but we were too zoned into our conversation to notice, or care.

“So then what's the story? Why was her bracelet in your car? And why did you lie to Kadie and tell her you bought it for her?”

“Because I did!” Adam's hands jetted out of his pockets as his voice shouted over mine. For as long as I'd known him, he'd always been a really laid back guy. It was almost frightening seeing him so irritated. I took a step back. He noticed my expression and lowered his voice before he continued.“I told you, she use to come to our high school parties all the time. I went to an all boys private school, in New York.” He said, as if to justify his next statement, “Our parties were nothing but drugs and sex. And Poppy was this cool foreign chick who was into it all. We fucked around a few times and she never left me alone after that.” He saw the disappointment on my face. “I'm not proud of it.” He shrugged his shoulders, placing his hands back into his pockets. “That's not who I am any more, Lynn. I haven't been that person in years!”

There was a second of silence before we started walking again.“When did it stop between you two?”

Adam ran his hand through his hair,“Jesus, I can't even remember how long it's been! I fucked up too many relationships because of Poppy. I was done with her neurotic antics when I was a junior in college. Everyone I knew had gotten their shit together, except for her. She'd always reach out to me, but I stopped all communication with her before going to law school. I knew if I didn't, she'd take me down with her.” Adam turned towards me as if to tell me something I didn't know, “Her life is nothing but drugs, sex, and corrupt behavior. She's a fucking mess. She puts on a front for her family and the cameras, but everyone in her social life knows how she is.”

“You haven't seen her since before law school?” I asked, trying to put the puzzle together.

As we turned the corner of the street there was a couple, hunched over from old age, walking towards us. They stopped in front of us when they'd realized it was Adam, “Oh, dear, how have you been?” The old woman said in a brittle voice.

“I've been great. How about you Mr. and Mrs. Mathews?” Adam spoke loudly to the couple. They responded by smiling.

“Fantastic! Thomas just took me to the ballet show! Have you been, dear? It's just so lovely! You must take Kadie!” The woman filled with joy as she spoke.

“I most certainly will!” Adam responded just as enthusiastically.

“Where's Kadie, son?” Thomas, the elderly gentleman looked around.

Getting the hint, Adam explained who I was. “Oh, Kadie's at the apartment. I'm just walking her friend to the subway stop.” I smiled at the couple.

“What a gentleman” The elderly woman said to her husband. “We better get going if we want to make it to our house before sunrise.” Adam said goodbye and the couple, very slowly, walked away.

Adam shook his head as if to remember what we were talking about. “Yeah, once Poppy got as big as she is in Europe, she stopped coming into town as often.”

I remembered why we were talking about Poppy to began with,“then, what about the bracelet?”

“Poppy had introduced me to Jebrone back in college. Way before he met Henry. So, when she found out Jebrone and Henry were dating...”

I put two and two together and cut Adam off"...She made Jebrone tell her where you were.”

“Exactly! She literally stalked me until she found me leaving J.Crew one day. I was getting a present for our 6 month anniversary.”

“The bracelet” I whispered.

He widened his eyes and nodded his head slowly as I'd finally realized what he'd been trying to explain. “She jumped into my car once I'd gotten inside. At first, she tried to come onto me, but I pushed her away. Despite what you think, Lynn, I'm happily in love with Kadie.” I looked down, ashamed, because I knew he was telling the truth. “The reason she was so adamant about finding me is because she wants me to represent her.”

“Is she having legal issues?” I asked, confused.

“No. She found out I represent A-list clients and wants to be associated with them.” He rolled his eyes. “I pretty much laughed in her face and put her down. She got furious. She saw the bracelet I'd just bought and knew I had a girlfriend. Poppy told me if she ever found out who she was she'd make her life a living hell. And then she smashed the bracelet before she left. I was way too heated at that time to go back into J.Crew to exchange it. By the time I'd gotten home, Kadie found it.”

We stopped again once we'd gotten to the subway stairs. “If that's the case, why couldn't you just tell Kadie? I'm sure she'll understand.”

“I've thought about that. But, I knew if I did it would jeopardize her job.”

I cut Adam off again“...Because Poppy is Eva Darlington's niece.”

“You know how Kadie is, so protective of the people she loves. If I'd told her everything it would've caused a conflict of interest.” He leaned against the stair railing in defeat. “Trust me, from previous experience, the wrath of Poppy Leroux is vicious.” I joined Adam by leaning against the railing.“After I found out Poppy found me through Jebrone, I told him the situation and he made sure Henry and Sarah didn't mention that I was Kadie's boyfriend. Neither one of us had any idea Kadie had invited her over tonight. I tried so hard to avoid this.” His eyes drooped in sadness.

I felt a piece of my heart break. From the little bit I'd known about Poppy, she knew how to play dirty. But, as long as I was involved, there was no way that coattail-riding bitch was ruining my best friend's happiness!

Oblivion

**NOTE: I realized some of my readers may not have seen the note left at the end of Tell Me What You Want, What You Really Really Want. So, I'm posting a quick reminder here: New posting schedule will be Tues/Thurs @ 12 EST**

“Lynn, are you up?”

Connor's voice crept it's way into his bedroom where I was sleeping. The smell of warm french toast and fresh coffee filled the air. It was enough to awaken me from my slumber. I rolled around on the queen sized bed until I found myself on the edge. I jumped off and made my way into the restroom to freshen up.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Connor's voice cheerfully sang. He was awfully peppy for 7am.

“No.” I grumbled as I grabbed a piece of french toast and zombie walked over to the breakfast table. Connor was leaning against the kitchen counter as he drank his coffee. He was already dressed and ready for work. “How the hell are you functioning right now? What time did you wake up?” I asked, groggily, while stabbing my toast.

Connor laughed at my unfamiliarity to a responsible adult life. “I woke up at 4. Went for a run, took a shower, got ready, made breakfast...” He nodded his head with each task he listed as if to remind himself that he'd actually done it. “Oh, and I finished all my reports!” He balled up his fist and thrusted his elbow back in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, I sat in my pajamas with major bed head. “You did all that, while I was sleeping?”

“Yeah” Connor squinted his eyes. “You're a pretty deep sleeper.” He took one last sip of his coffee before he walked over to the sink to wash his mug.

I felt my ears burn in embarrassment. It was the first time we'd spent the night with each other and I'd already managed to show Connor how lazy I really was.

He placed his mug on the drying rack and walked over to my side.

“You're really starting to spoil me with all this good food you keep making.” I smiled as I looked up at him.

Connor furrowed his brows for a quick second before he smiled back. He lifted my chin with his finger and leaned down to kiss me. “I'll see you after work?”

“I'm going over to Kadie's tonight.” Connor walked back over to the kitchen counter and put on his coat. He picked up his messenger bag and slung it across his body. He turned back towards me and began fixing his coat's collar. I stared in awe at how effortlessly beautiful he looked. Ugh, I knew I should have made my hair.

“Well, you can always stop by afterward.” His blue eyes looked up at me and I felt a chill run through my spine.

I nodded my head and smiled. “Sure.” Connor said goodbye and went on his way to work.

There was still a couple of hours before I needed to be in class, so I finished breakfast and cleaned up. I was making the bed when I noticed Connor's side table drawer was slightly opened. Just as I was closing it I saw a photo inside of Connor and another girl. I stopped and pulled the drawer back open. Before I could looked any harder, I closed my eyes.

Is this really what you want to do, Lynn? I thought to myself. This is such an invasion of privacy. My conscience tried to stop me. Instead I shook the voice from my head and opened my eyes. I reached down to grab the photograph and noticed a few more underneath it. I sat on the bed as I examined them. There was a gorgeous blonde in every picture. It looked like the two of them were on a yacht. Connor stood shirtless, exposing his washboard abs. He was only wearing dark blue board shorts and a captain's hat. He held a cigar close to his mouth as he laughed. The blonde next to him had one arm around his shoulder and the other on his chest. She was slightly slouching over on him as she laughed along. Her hair blew softly in the wind, as did her kaftan. It was so sheer you could see her tiny slender body underneath. They both looked so perfect, as if they were straight out of a high fashion photo shoot.

The next picture was the same as the first, only they were now looking at each other. And the third, the same as the last, but they were kissing. I quickly flipped back to the first photo and put it away in the drawer. I wasn't one to lack confidence. In fact, I loved every flaw about myself. But, naturally my mind couldn't help but fill up with negative thoughts. Was I in over my head? Connor could obviously get any girl, why was he with me? Was this Jessica? Or Colleen? Either way, she was the opposite of myself, and I didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Most importantly, why were these photos in his bedside table?

I shook my head again and closed the drawer. Maybe he put them there and forgot about them. I reassured myself. I finished making the bed and grabbed my things to leave.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

“Earth to Lynn!” Sarah waved her hand in front of my face. I snapped back to reality and looked over at her. “You got here quite early today.” She placed her book bag on the table and sat down next to me. Our professor had just walked in. Usually, Sarah would get here before me and I would troll in just behind the professor.

“Yeah, I woke up early today.” I pulled out my laptop and began setting up for class.

Sarah scrunched back her face in shock. “That's a first!” The room grew quiet as our lecture began. After class we went to our study session for a few hours before we called it a day.

Henry, Sarah, and I waited outside for their driver to pick us up. As I climbed into the car I was surprised to see Poppy inside. Kadie had invited us over for dinner, but I didn't know she asked Poppy to come along as well.

“Oh, Lynn!” She said in her monotone voice. “So nice to see you again.” I smiled back at her. The more I was getting to know her the weirder I felt around her.

“Sarah didn't tell me you were still in town.” I lied.

“Yes, I guess I've extended my stay. I'm having too much fun with my cousins.” I shot a look over at Henry. He covered his face as he held one nostril with his finger and inhaled. He laughed silently as I stared at him coldly.

Poppy's smile went flat and, for the first time, she snapped off her sunglasses. Her hand held onto my wrist as she examined my bracelet. “Where did you get this from?”

“Uh” I mumbled.

“Easy, Poppy!” Sarah intervened. “Sorry, Lynn. She can be a little aggressive when it comes to jewelry.”

Poppy loosened her grip and laughed nervously. “I'm sorry. I just meant to imply that it's a beautiful bracelet.” She leaned back in her seat. “Where did you say it was from?”

I pulled my hand back into my lap. “I didn't. It's Kadie's, she let me borrow it.”

“Do you mind?” Poppy asked to see it again. I wasn't sure what her fascination was with the bracelet. Then again, she's a fashion guru.

She spun it slowly around on my wrist. “I believe it's J.Crew.”

“Yeah, I think Kadie mentioned that.” Poppy kept turning until she found a missing shourouk stone and stopped. It was almost as if she knew exactly where to look. I furrowed my brows in concern as I took a closer look.

“Huh. I guess it must have fallen out somewhere.”

She leaned back and put on her sunglasses.“If you want, I can take it to someone who can fix it for you.”

“Thanks” I gave her a fake smile. “I'll let Kadie know.” I knew something was going on. And with Poppy's previous shady behavior I knew it couldn't be good.

We pulled up to Kadie's apartment and went inside. Adam was working late so it was just the five us of until Jebrone showed up later in the evening. After we stuffed our faces with the amazing Italian food Kadie made, we lounged around in her living room drinking wine.

“Kadie” Poppy called out as she perused through framed pictures of Kadie and Adam. “I had no idea Adam was your mate. I've known him for years!” She turned around and gave Kadie a wicked smile.

“No way” Kadie shouted back from the kitchen. She turned off the faucet and walked over to the living room where Poppy was standing. “He never told me you two knew each other.”

“Must have slipped his mind I guess.” Poppy replied before taking a sip of her wine. Her eyebrows shot up as she remembered a story to tell. “I'm actually the one who introduced him to Jebrone.” Poppy pointed at him and smiled. Jebrone sat with a straight face, only faking a smile when Henry nudged him.

“I'm surprised you even knew any decent men.” Jebrone murmured under his breath. By the way Poppy looked at him and turned away it was obvious she heard him too. She linked her arm around Kadie and the two of them sat and chatted on the opposite side of the living room.

“So, Lynn” Sarah sat between Henry and me. “What's going on with lover boy?”

I couldn't help but beam as I spoke. “We...” I paused for a second which only made the suspense on their faces grow. “Decided to be official. As of now, we're dating.”

Sarah jumped in her seat with excitement. “I knew it! He seems like such a fabulous guy, Lynn!”

A few hours passed and every one decided to call it a night. I stayed behind to help Kadie clean up. After we waved goodbye to everyone we went straight into the kitchen. I took off my rings and bracelets. I stood quiet for a moment as I remembered how weird Poppy was acting in the car ride here. I decided to nonchalantly ask Kadie about it.

“Where did you get this bracelet from?” I held it up before putting it down on the counter. “It's beautiful.”

She smiled as if she realized something. “I forgot I let you borrow that! I've been looking all over for it!” She picked it up and examined it. “Adam surprised me with it.”

“Is it from J.Crew?” I watched as she put it against her wrist.

“Yeah” She put her wrist up to her clothes to see if it matched.

“You know there's a stone missing right?” I started stacking the dishes that were left out on the counter top to make it seem like I wasn't too interested in what we were talking about.

“It was like that when Adam gave it to me.” She tilted her head and stared at it one last time before she took it off.

I stopped what I was doing and turned towards her. “Why would he give you a bracelet with a missing stone?”

Kadie laughed at the memory as she started stacking plates with me. “I found the bracelet in his car. He said he was going to surprise me with it. I showed him the missing stone and he told me that was the reason he hadn't given it to me yet. That he was going to get it fixed before he did. But I told him I loved it so much that I didn't want to give it up. Besides you can barely see the missing stone.”

Slowly, everything was puzzling together in my head. My thoughts were distracted by Kadie laughing again. A low subtle laugh this time. “What?”

“It's funny cause Poppy asked me the same question earlier.”

I faked a smile and laughed along with her. “Yeah, she was obsessing over it on the car ride over.” By this point everything was making sense now. Both of our eyes shot towards the door as we heard keys rustling. Adam walked in and greeted us.

“Hey, ladies! How was dinner?” Adam's voice boomed through the apartment.

“Fabulous, of course!” Kadie strutted towards him to give him a kiss.

Adam's face was towards me as he hugged Kadie. “Yeah, Poppy had some interesting stories about you.” I made up a white lie. It was just enough to get his attention. The smile on his face fell and his eyes instantly shot up at me. I stood there staring back at him, with Poppy's bracelet in hand.

Tell Me What You Want, What You Really Really Want

“Oh!”

Connor stepped back surprised. I was sitting in an empty exam room when he walked in. He'd been so busy this week that we weren't able to reschedule our dinner date. So, I took the matter in my hands and decided to show up at his office. I'm going to justify my psychotic behavior by saying I did it because I knew he was stressed and needed a break from work.

“Well, if you aren't the cutest patient ever.” He smiled as he walked into the room. Pulling out a chair from under his desk he rolled over to the exam bed where I was sitting. “What seems to be the problem today?”

“Just in for a full body skin check.” I winked at Connor which made him blush.

His eyes traced down to the hem of my dress which ended just at my thigh. Without breaking concentration his finger tips grazed my skin. He moved them back and forth softly. Until, eventually, his hand was pushing further, exposing more skin. “I can do that for you. I just need you to take this off.” Connor stood up from his seat. With his foot he pulled out the step stool that was attached to the exam bed. I stood up and was at perfect height with Connor. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I did the same to his shoulders. We leaned forward, forehead to forehead. The proximity of our bodies mixed with the silence that lingered in the air was enough to put a smile on both of our faces.

There was a knock at the door. Connor released his grip from around me and pulled his chair back to the charting computer to sit down. Taking a hint, I sat back down on the exam bed. He cleared his throat before he called out,“Yes?”

The door slowly opened as his assistant walked in. Her eyes slightly widened as she peeked through the door and saw me. She remembered me from the first time I came barging through Connor's office. “Dr. Cassidy, I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were with a patient.”

“It's okay Lisa.” His shoulders fell as he quietly sighed. “She's not a patient, just a friend. What's up?” He spun around in his chair so he was facing her.

“I wanted to give you your schedule for tomorrow. You have a lunch meeting from 12 to 1 and your reports are due by 3. Dr. Marion called and wants...” Lisa continued talking, but I'd completely zoned out. Connor's words kept lingering in my head. Just a friend. It was the first time I'd heard them aloud. I didn't know how I felt about it. On one hand I wanted to take it slow, on the other, Connor had really stepped up his game these past few weeks and I felt like we were at a point where we could move forward.

“Lynn?” Connor called out. I looked up and realized Lisa had already left the room. “Is that okay?” he asked.

“Is what okay?” He'd been talking, but I was so lost in my thoughts I hadn't even heard what he'd said.

Connor furrowed his brows in confusion. “Can you wait for me to finish up? It'll take half an hour, tops.”

“Sure” I smiled. I pulled out my phone, to play with, as I laid back on the exam bed. For the next half hour Connor went through charts and typed away on the computer.

He grunted as he finally finished. I looked up to see his head on the desk with his hands resting over it.

“What's wrong?” I jumped off the exam bed and walked over to Connor. I rubbed his back to comfort him.

He slowly lifted himself up and sighed again. “Nothing. Just tired of work.” He stood up and took off his white lab coat. He was wearing a lavender colored button up shirt and dark gray slacks. I followed him as he walked out of the exam room and into his private office where he dropped off his white coat in exchange for a messenger bag full of papers.

We took a taxi back to Connor's place. He made the driver drop us off a block before his neighborhood so we could grab some Chinese food.

As soon as we'd gotten inside Connor untucked his shirt and fell face first on to his couch. His voice was muffled as he spoke into the cushion. I laughed at the sight of Connor's defeat. “You're so exhausted. Maybe I'll come by for dinner another time.”

Connor quickly turned his head towards me, “No!” he yelled as he grabbed my arm before I could walk away. “I want you here.” He looked up at me with his big blue eyes, I just couldn't resist. He turned onto his back and scooted over on the couch, gesturing for me to lay next to him.

“I don't want to make the same mistake twice.” Connor whispered. I laid down facing him with my head resting on his arm.

“What do you mean?” I whispered back.

“I mean I don't want to make the same mistake I made with Jessica.” Connor looked over at me and then back towards the ceiling. Jessica was Connor's high school sweetheart. They'd gotten married when he graduated from medical school. He was so preoccupied with his work and never made time for Jessica, that she ended up having an affair and leaving Connor. She'd broken his heart so badly that it took him years to pick up the pieces.

“Do you ever wish you hadn't made that mistake with her?” My finger gently caressed the button on Connor's shirt.

“I did, at first.” He tilted his head as if he were going deeper into thought.

“What changed?” I asked quietly.

“Part of the healing process was realizing that she wasn't good for me. The flaws of our relationship were masked by the pain of her leaving.” Connor turned so that he was laying on his side, facing me. “I guess the important thing is that it made me realize what I really want.” He brushed a strand of hair off of my face and smiled.

It was the most casual we'd both been around the other. It was nice to share such a raw moment with him. Every time I saw Connor, I was learning more and more about him. I was impressed with the way he'd been slowly making progress. For him to put forth the effort by coming to Texas, and having me over for dinner even though he was clearly exhausted, made me realize he wasn't just in it for the sex. That he'd actually wanted to be with me. Even though I already knew this, it was still a moment of epiphany.

“What is it that you want?” I asked Connor.

“You know what I want.” He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in closer. I couldn't help but laugh as he did so. He smiled in response.

“Well, I want what you want.” Connor's smile slowly diminished as he sat upright.

“What are you saying? You...” His words slowly trailed off into silence.

“Today, when Lisa came into the exam room and you told her I was just a friend, I kinda hated it.” I followed Connor's lead and sat upright. “Not that I was expecting you to say anything else. But, because I want more than that.”

“So, you want to...” Connor slowly said before I cut him off.

“I want to be in a committed relationship.” We sat facing each other. Anyone who may have been entering the room at that time would have thought Connor and I were having a staring contest.

A few seconds had passed before Connor grabbed my face and leaned forward to kiss me.

“It's about damn time.”

**NOTE: As LSP sadly comes to an end (tear) I will be moving my blog posting time back to Tues/Thurs at 12pm. A lot of y'all, like me, are avid readers of LSP and wanted me to keep to a Mon/Wed schedule. Which was great at first, but as I previously mentioned, has been conflicting with my schedule. I'm only moving the dates back because I would rather give you all good quality reads, earlier in your day, as most of you work and need that break from a hectic work day. Changes will be in effect with the upcoming blog post on Thursday @ 12pm. Happy reading! :)**

Somebody's Got A Case Of The Mondays

Monday morning was brutal. Our flight had made it into town later than we'd expected. And I was paying for it this morning. My hair was a mess, my clothes were wrinkled, and my eyes? They were just barely peeking through my lashes.

I slumped down next to Henry and Sarah. Neither one flinched when they saw me. It was late enough in the school year for them to realize that the “case of the Mondays” garb was, sadly, normal.

“I'm taking it your weekend home went well?” Sarah leaned over and whispered. I would have responded by giving her a thumbs up, but both my hands were propping my head up.

I mindlessly scribbled down notes until it was time for our break. We packed up our things and headed to our normal brunch spot.

“So, tell me. What happened?” Sarah was too energetic for my liking. I cringed as I picked up my coffee cup and took a sip. Once I'd gotten some caffeine in me I was able to properly function.

“You're never going to believe this. The day I get there, I go to a convenient store to pick up some things and I literally ran into Joshua...and his new girlfriend.”

Sarah gasped and held her hands over her mouth. Henry stopped chewing on his chocolate croissant as they both stared at me in shock.

I nodded my head as we all silently agreed how awkward the situation was.

“Yeah! And the best bit of it was, he came back inside to talk to me. I guess it was too soon for the both of us, so it just ended with me throwing this chunky box of hair dye at his head.”

Sarah gasped even louder. Her hands flew from her mouth and gripped onto the table. “No! You're kidding!”

“You think I'm kidding about that? Get this, after giving him a huge bruise, he came onto me at the rehearsal dinner. Like, he had me pinned up against the wall in the bathroom.”

Henry's eyes shot up at me in disbelief. “Shut...up!” He slowly said in his thick British accent. I shrugged my shoulders. “Well what'd you do then?” He pushed his coffee away and leaned forward onto the table.

"Luckily, Jamie got a feeling to check up on me. He saw what was going on and roughed up Joshua enough to give him a scare.”

“I guess that bloke can be good for somethings” Henry grunted.

“What?” I knew Henry and Jaime weren't on the best of terms but I wasn't sure what Henry meant when he said that.

“Nothing. Keep going.” Henry brushed his hand in the air.

There was a brief awkward silence before I continued. “So, that happened. And the next day Connor surprised me by coming to the wedding. As of then we are officially unofficially together.”

Sarah gasped a happy gasped this time. Her body perked up and he clapped her hands. “Oh my goodness! That's wonderful! But, wait, what does that mean?” She leaned back onto the table as confusion took over.

“It means, I've decided to give him a shot. We're going to take it slow before we make anything official official.” My eyes were wide open by now from all the coffee I consumed.

On our walk back over to class, I caught them both up on the rest of my weekend. After the day of lectures was over we headed to the library for our study session with Corey and Emma.

I'd just sat down at the table when I felt my phone vibrating. I pulled it out and saw a text from Connor.

Things are so hectic at the office today. Staying late. Rain check for tonight?

I was equally relieved I didn't have to go home after a long day and cook yet upset that I wasn't going to see Connor tonight.

No prob! When were you thinking?

I stared down at my neurology book as I waited for his response.

Soon... I miss that ass!

I shook my head as I smiled.

Connor!

He almost immediately texted back.

Sorry, I meant 'you'. Damn autocorrect! ;)

I laughed to myself as I slid my phone back into my purse. I looked up to see everyone still quietly reading, except for Sarah. She was making a kissy face at me while shimming her shoulders.

We spent the next few hours reviewing notes. Once our study group was over I headed back to my apartment to crash. Only after I grabbed the biggest box of pizza I could find. 

It was almost 9pm when I'd gotten a call from Jebrone in the middle of my Game of Thrones marathon. Freaking out as to why he'd be calling me so late on a Monday, I picked up. He told me he was in the area and wanted to stop by.

“Hey!” I swung my door open to see him standing outside.

He matched my energetic “hey” and gave me a hug. We went into the living room to sit down.

“Pizza?” I offered.

He responded by shaking his head and holding his stomach. “Just got done with dinner.” He turned towards the TV and saw the paused screen. “No way, I love this show!” He grabbed the remote and made himself comfortable on the couch. “Do you mind?”

“Go for it” I smiled as he pressed play. We sat quietly and watched the rest of the episode.

Once it was over I stood up and took my pizza box over to the kitchen. “So, what are you doing out on a Monday night anyway?”

Jebrone shook his head as he held his hand over his eyes. “To be honest...” He sighed before he continued. “I was out at dinner with Henry when Poppy decided to stop by. This is between us, but I can't stand her. I told him I had a client I needed to quickly meet after dinner just to avoid being around her.”

I'd almost forgotten about Poppy. And a little surprised she was still in town. “Wow, that bad, huh?” I sat back down on the couch, Indian style.

“She's so annoying, Lynn!” Jebrone covered his eyes again. “How is it even possible for anyone to be so fake?”

I shrugged my shoulders. I couldn't say much about Poppy since I'd only met her a couple of times. And of course because Henry had sworn me to secrecy about the drug incident.

“Anyway, how are you holding up since Kadie's been gone?” Jebrone looked around my now half empty apartment.

“Okay, I guess. It definitely gets lonely at times.” I leaned my head back onto a pillow.

“Any prospective new roommates?” He asked.

“Well, Jaime and I talked about him possibly staying here for the time being since his hospital is close by.” I leaned my head forward, realizing I'd mentioned Jaime. Just as I thought, Jebrone wasn't too happy.

“Really? You're going to let that scum bag stay here?” I watched as his brows furrowed.

“Hey, hey, hey! You may not like him, but he's still a good friend to me.”

Jebrone sighed heavily. “Whatever. Just watch out for that guy.” He pulled out his phone from his pocket to check the time. “I should get going.”

I walked Jebrone to the door when he stopped. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so rude about it.”

“It's okay, I know where you're coming from.” Jebrone leaned over and gave me a hug. We said our goodbyes before I shut the door behind him. I turned around and leaned my back against the door, still confused by what he meant. A second later I laughed to myself as I realized I was reading too much into it.

Oh No!

There was a delay in Lynn Lee's flight back to the city! She's dying to dish the dirt so make sure you come back tomorrow (Thursday April 10) to enjoy a new post!

Why Can't We Be Friends

“I'll see you Monday. Right after work?”

Connor stood with his luggage in hand outside of DFW airport. It was Sunday morning and he was already heading back to New York. He had a lot to do before the work week began.

“Perfect! I'll make dinner this time.” I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug.

Connor's face winced. “I don't know...”

“Hey!” I pushed his shoulder back, “You haven't even tried my cooking!”

He laughed as he continued, “Maybe that's why Kadie left.”

“Too soon, Connor. Too soon.” I held my hand over my heart pretending to cringe in pain.

“Ma'am I'm going to have to write you a ticket if you don't move your car from here. This is a fire lane.” A police officer walked up and interrupted our conversation. He pointed to a sign we were standing next to and read it out loud. “No parking allowed.”

“Yes, officer. I was just saying goodbye.” I turned back towards Connor, who was holding in a laugh, and hugged and kissed him one last time. Once he went through the double doors, I ran back to my car and headed home.

I walked inside my house to see Kadie, Adam, and Kadie's mom over. They sat with Jaime and my parents at a table full of breakfast. I dropped my purse on the kitchen counter and took a seat.

“Oh, hey Jaime, so nice to actually see you.” I sarcastically nodded my head towards him. After Connor and I headed back to the wedding last night, Jaime left shortly after. He texted me letting me know everything was okay and that he'd be home late. I heard him stumbling in around 2am.

“What can I say? Bitches love me.” He mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for Kadie, Adam, and I to hear. My dad looked up at him confused while Kadie and Adam covered their mouth from laughing out loud.

“You should take Jaime to the stables today, Lynn.” My mom scooped out scrambled eggs into my plate.

“Oh yeah, we should take the boys riding!” Kadie excitedly added on.

“I don't know” Adam stopped eating as he looked over at Kadie. “Me and animals don't really get along.”

“Yeah, me neither. There's no such thing as nature in New Jersey.” Jaime added.

“Oh, hush you two! Summer and Marissa are the sweetest. You'll love them.” I reached over the table for a slice of toast and started eating my breakfast. Both Jaime and Adam sat in silence as they stared at each other.

“Wait” Adam rested his elbow on the table, with his fork still in hand. 

“Aren't Summer and Marissa characters from The O.C?” Jaime finished Adam's thought.

Kadie and I both shot an embarrassed looked towards each other. We hesitated to respond.

“We were young and it was our favorite show, okay?” Kadie proclaimed, to which Adam and Jaime bellowed over laughing.

After breakfast the four of us went down to the stables while our parents stayed at the house and continued their leisurely Sunday. Kadie and I decided to invite along the gang and have one last get together before we left that night.

“Oh shit!” Jaime whispered as we jumped out of Kadie's car.

“What is it?” I looked over at him concerned. His eyes were set on Lori.

“I didn't know she was gonna be here.” He grabbed both my shoulders, “She's crazy!”

I couldn't help but laugh. For as long as I'd known Lori, she was the sweetest little thing. But, I noticed at the bonfire and wedding that Jaime's presence brought out her wild side. It was definitely entertaining.

“Don't worry. She can't be as crazy as you. C'mon!” I dragged his arm as we walked through the gates into the stables.

Kadie and I sold our horses, Summer and Marissa, to Billy when we'd left for college. He was a local with a horse farm. We never wanted to give them up, but there was no one else to take after them. So, Billy agreed to let us come over to his stables whenever we wanted to tend after the horses. He'd even let our friends take his horses for a ride. Southern hospitality was something I truly missed.

I saddled up Summer, and helped Jaime saddle up the horse he'd be riding. Once everyone was ready, we rode out into the forest behind Billy's farm. There was a small creek that we followed. I turned over to look at Jaime. His face was distressed.

“What's wrong” I asked him.

He grumbled, “I guess kids are out of my future” He held his hand over his inner thigh. Everyone laughed.

Woody rode up next to Jaime “Oh, c'mon! It ain't that bad!”

“No, no” Adam called out from Woody's other side. “It's pretty bad!”

“You Yankees are killing me!” Woody teased as he rode on.

It was a little past noon and we were all starting to get hungry again. We cut our ride short, blaming it on Adam and Jaime's lack of fun, and headed over to a local restaurant. When we walked inside we spotted Francy and Joshua sitting in a corner booth.

“Really?” I threw my hands up in defeat. “Every damn place we go..”

We all sat on the opposite side of the restaurant. I saw Francy eye us from across the room. Our waiter came by and took everyone's order.

“Can I get a beer” Jaime barely finished his sentence before Woody cut him off.

“He means root beer.” Woody turned back to Jaime. “We don't drink on the day of the Lord.”

“What?” Jaime cried in confusion. “That's ridiculous. What about football season?”

“Thankfully He's a Texan, so He looks past our sins during football season.” Woody responded with a cold stone face.

“He'll have a regular beer.” Kadie punched Woody and corrected Jaime's order. “There's no such rule, Jaime. He's just being a dick.”

“You should have seen your face” Woody laughed as he mocked Jaime's expression.

There was a few times throughout lunch that we'd get too rowdy and I'd see Joshua and Francy looking over. A part of me felt bad for everything that went wrong over the weekend. I knew a lot of it wasn't my fault, but I also knew I wouldn't be happy until I really talked it out with Joshua.

I excused myself from the table and approached Joshua and Francy.

“Can we help you?” Francy sighed.

“Josh, can I talk to you for a minute.”

Joshua stared at Francy silently for a moment before he rolled his eyes and stood up. We walked out to the patio and sat at an empty table.

“Look, for my own sanity, I have to forgive you for everything. This is a small town and I can't keep fighting with you every time we run into each other. So, can we please just stop all this child's play?”

Joshua looked away for a minute before he agreed. “Fine.” He rubbed his hands over the back of his head. “This is getting exhausting anyway. I guess we just have to remember that it'll get easier with time.”

“Thanks Josh." As I was walking back inside Joshua stopped me.

“Lynn, can we just have one last hug?”

I smiled and nodded my head before I walked over to hug Joshua.It was nice to have one civil moment with him despite everything that had happened between us.

We walked back inside to everyone's shocked expression. I chose to ignore everyone's questioning and instead finished my meal. After we were done with our lunch we said our last goodbyes to everyone before heading home.

“What was that all about?” Jaime asked as we hopped into Kadie's car.

“Nothing” I smiled and leaned my head on his shoulder.

Word of Advice

“So, when did you and Connor plan this?”

Once the commotion died down, I approached Jaime, who'd obviously been in on the whole thing.

“Remember when I asked for your spare?” Friday morning before jumping onto my flight I'd seen a text from Jaime letting me know he'd forgotten his shoes at my place. I responded back by telling him where to find my spare key, so he could help himself inside my apartment. “While I was there Connor came over. After talking to him, I figured his intentions were good. He said he'd come back when you were in town, but I told him to come here instead. I thought you'd like that.” Jaime nudged my shoulder.

I was beaming with happiness as I looked up at Connor. It was a romantic gesture that put all my doubtful feelings about him to rest.

“Well, well, well, if it isn't the philanthropist, Dr. Connor Cassidy!” Kadie walked up to us while clapping her hands. “You need to take notes from his book, Adam.” Kadie turned around and smiled at him.

“Connor, this is Kadie. Old-time bestie, short-lived roomie. And this is her boyfriend, Adam.” It was about time they finally met each other. And a little ironic that it happened in Texas.

“I can see now why you were so hung up over him.” Kadie looked Connor up and down. My face grew red as I elbowed her to be quiet.

“Dr. Cassidy!” I heard my dad call out from the distance. I've never seen him happier. He was practically skipping with joy.“I'm so glad to see you here!” Although my dad did like Joshua, when we were dating, he always wanted me to be with someone successful and determined. So, this was a big moment for him.

He pulled Connor away and my mom decided to do the same with me. “Two handsome men, both mine and your father's choices. What's gotten into you Lynn Lee?” She joked.

“Mom, I told you Jaime's just a friend. And Connor and I aren't together...yet.”

“What are you waiting for? He came all the way here didn't he?” She looked at my face and knew something was wrong. “Is there someone else?”

“Maybe” I shrugged my shoulders.

“Jesus, Lynn.” My mom folded her arms. She continued after taking a breath “Is it that boy we met in New York? What was his name? Jonas?”

“Jonah” I corrected her. “He moved to LA. He doesn't know when he's going to be back in New York. I'm just afraid that if I end up falling for Connor, that I'd be giving up on what could happen between Jonah and I.”

“Honey, you shouldn't think like that. Things happen for a reason. And right now, Connor is the one who's here for you.” We both looked over to see my dad and Connor enjoying their conversation.

“What's going to happen if I do take things further with Connor and Jonah's back in town?” I turned around to face my mom.

“Things will turn out the way they should. Don't question it.” My mom took a sip of her wine and winked at me before walking away. I was left dumbfounded at how calm she'd been.

By the time I made my way to Connor my dad had already introduced him to half the guests at the wedding. I pulled him aside to break him free. “I'm sorry, Connor.”

He smiled as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “It's fine. Your dad is a great guy. Plus, it's nice meeting the people you've grown up with. It explains a lot.” He held back a laugh as he side eyed me.

I playfully punched Connor. “Hey!” He grabbed my hand instead and intertwined his fingers with mine.

The reception area was finally opened and everyone walked over to take a seat.

Woody strode over and took a seat next to Connor. “So, you think you can come in here all high and might, make out with Lynn Lee in front of everyone, and just be a part of our group?” He placed one hand firmly on the table and the other on his knee.

Connor looked confused as to what was going on. I explained to him that Woody, and everyone else at the table, were all old childhood friends. “He's a little over protective.” I whispered into his ear.

“Nah uh, that ain't how it's gonna work. Now tell me, Connor is it?”

At this point Connor was enjoying Woody's absurdly thick country accent. He laughed and nodded his head. “Yeah, sure.”

“Did I say something funny, boy?” Connor bite his lip and held back his laugh. “So, you live in the city, huh? I'm hearing an accent. Where are you originally from?”

Renee and Travis walked over to the table and engorged themselves in Woody's behavior. We all sat back and quietly watched him put Connor on trial..

Connor's accent was so faint I was surprised Woody was able to pick it up. “Boston”

“Any relations to the Kennedy’s?”

“Yeah, cause everyone that lives in Boston is related to the Kennedy's.”

“There's that Yankee sarcasm I've heard so much about!” Woody clapped his hand against the table.“What do you do for a living, son?” He leaned forward, placing both his elbows on his thighs.

“One, I'm a doctor", Connor leaned forward to mimic Woody's posture, "And two, I'm older than you, don't call me son, son.” Connor picked up his vodka tonic and took a sip.

“Ooh, Lynn Lee” Woody turned over to me, “You got a feisty one here! Ladies and gentleman of the jury, is it a yay, or a nay?"

Everyone around the table raised their glasses and cheered, "YAY!"

Woody turned back over to Connor, “Alright, you just barely passed the test for tonight. But, just remember one thing, Lynn Lee here is a real southern girl. And you don't mess with southern girls. Just ask Carrie Underwood, she'll give you the play by play.”

There was laughter from around the table as Woody stood up, patted Connor on the shoulder, and shook his hand. 

"It was an honor, sir." Connor joked.

Woody placed both hands on his hips "Of course it was." 

Jaime walked up to Woody and wrapped his arm around his neck, "You remind me a lot of someone." 

"Oh yeah, who is that?" Woody asked as the two of them walked away.

Connor leaned in towards my ear,“Is that true about southern girls?”

“Hell yeah!” I smiled.

His hand slide under my dress and pinched my inner thigh as he whispered back. “Well, we might have a problem cause Boston boys are bad as fuck”

The MC quieted everyone down as Mark and Lacey made their entrance as a newly wed couple. Once dinner was served and speeches were over, we all spent the night on the dance floor.

I was glad to see Jaime made new friends. I watched him as he danced with Lori and Rebecca, each one fighting to have his attention.

I looked around and noticed everyone lost in their own conversations. I grabbed Connor's arm and took off in a whim.

“Where are we going?” Connor sounded confused by the sudden jolt.

“Just follow me!” I looked back again to make sure no one was watching. The coast was clear. We ran towards the farm house and up a small flight of stairs to the porch. There was a back door open so we tip toed inside.

We found ourselves in the kitchen. There were people buzzing around trying to clean up dinner. Connor and I stealthy walked through, with our backs to the wall past all the workers. We made our way across the living room and up the stair case.

I peeked around the hallway of rooms until I found one that was empty. Connor and I walked in and I locked the door behind us. I stood with my back against the door as I looked at Connor, standing in the middle of an old vintage room, confused.

I felt a tingling sensation run through my body. The corner of Connor's mouth curved up as I slowly approached him. “Lynn” he softly whispered, “what's going on.” my hands found their way underneath Connor's suit jacket. They trickled up towards his shoulder until the jacket slid down his arms. He shimmied it off his hands and threw it onto the bed.

“Shh” I kissed my way up his neck until I was on my tippy toes, staring straight into his eyes.

“I thought you wanted to take it slow” He whispered again. This time leaning his mouth forward to kiss me. I pushed my head back before he could. My eyes focused on his lips. His smile grew as I teased him.

“I do. But, right now let's just make an exception” My hands slid up from his shoulders to behind his head. I gently strummed my fingers through his hair.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Connor's eyes looked down at me. I felt goosebumps covering my body. Just as I nodded my head Connor picked me up in his arms. He put me down on the bed and I leaned up on my elbows. His body hovering over mine. We stared into each others eyes as our noses grazed one another. Our breaths were synchronized when Connor finally leaned down and kissed me. It was a short, soft, sweet kiss.

His eyes met mine again. We were both at a loss for words. This time felt different. There were actual feelings involved. It wasn't just a meaningless kiss that lead to something else. It was like we'd said everything we needed to say without saying anything at all.

I reached up and loosened Connor's tie. We went back and forth until we couldn't anymore.

“I think” Connor tried to catch his breath “I need to do more things for you to be thankful for.” We both laughed before we kissed again.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulder as he looked down at me. “I'm so glad you came.”

“I'm glad I did, too.”

We quickly cleaned up and threw on our clothes. We hadn't realized how much time had past. I stood by the bedroom door waiting to unlock it as Connor fixed his suit jacket. Once he did, he wrapped his arms around my waist. I opened the door and we both walked out, still intertwined.

Just then the bathroom door across the hall opened and out walked Joshua. I watched as his eyes shot around and realized what had been going on. He gave me a look of fiery, but continued to walk down the stairs without saying a word.

“Ouch! Did you see that bruise?” Connor cringed. “I wonder what happened.”

I laughed to myself, “Long story.”