Chapter 3: Meeting the Garettes

I decided to go to Mrs. Garette’s barbeque party, and of course, I brought Chelsea with me.

She’s one of my oldest friends. She’s the only that knows about Blake and I’s setup. She strongly believes that what we’re doing is a bad idea. For her, “our relationship” will likely end with us hurting each other, or with Blake and I falling in love.

She kept on telling me to watch Justin Timberlake’s movie, "Friends with Benefits," and Anne Hathaway's "Love and Other Drugs," as a reference but I refused to.

I don’t want to put any other ideas in my head. I don’t want to confuse myself with things that will only complicate my life, not anymore. I like what I have as of the moment. I like what Blake and I share. It’s simple. I don’t have to worry about getting jealous, or having to demand time to go on dates. I really don’t want to ruin that.

On our drive to the party, Chelsea kept insisting that meeting Blake’s parents will only complicate our relationship.

“I mean if you want to keep it simple, Maddy, don’t get the parentals involved, stupid!” She scolds.

“It’s a party, Chels. It’s not a private dinner. We’re going there as Blake’s friends. Don’t put too much meaning on everything,” I reassured her. “Don’t you want to meet guys? I hear Blake’s friends are hot and single. Let’s mingle. I’m doing this for you, actually,” I plastered a wide smile.

“Whatever keeps you sane, Maddy. Meanwhile, I don’t mind meeting other potential victims while you set yourself for a greater heartache than Tony,” she bantered. “Hey! Red flag, Chelsea Simmons!”

I really hate it when she brings up my ex-boyfriend in any of our conversations. My last relationship was a mistake and I always wished it never happened. I’ve moved on from Tony, but the aftermath of what he did still stings.

“I’m sorry, Maddy,” she apologized. I didn’t realize that we were already at Blake’s driveway. His parents are quite well off. They have an enormous house, and the yard outside is very well kept. I took out my phone and dialed Blake’s number. He immediately picks up and says, “Hey! Where are you?”

“We’re outside your big ass house! Come get us,” I told him. We got out of the car and walked towards the patio. Moments later, Blake opens the door, a wide smile plastered on his face. “Hi! So glad you’re here!”

“Well, somebody’s really happy,” Chelsea whispered, and I slightly elbowed her, “not a word, honey, or you’re walking back to the city.” She gestured zipping her lips, and I rolled my eyes at her.

I face Blake and handed him a bottle of wine, “We didn’t know what to bring, so we bought this on our way here,” I explained to him. He looked at the bottle and said, “Well you didn’t have to though, but thank you. Come on in,” and with that, we entered.

I didn’t know why but I suddenly felt nervous. I evaluated myself for a moment as I walked into Blake’s mansion-like house. I was wearing tight denim high-waist pants that shaped my butt perfectly, a plain V-neck shirt, and heeled leather boots. I mean, I looked great, but why was I regretting not wearing a dress?

I don't need to impress Blake’s parents, for heaven’s sake. We’re just friends. Friends that enjoy each other too much, I thought to myself. I force myself to snap out of all the thoughts that I was having.

Moments later, we entered the backyard and I made a quick scan of the situation.

I can see Middle-aged men and women talking on one side, with beers on hand. They’re probably his parents’ friends. On the other side, I see a group that is more likely within our age range. Running around the whole place were a bunch of kids, some looked similar to Blake, so I assumed they’re his cousins or something.

“Okay, don’t find this weird but I have to introduce you to my parents,” Blake whispered, bringing me back to reality. I didn’t respond immediately. I took a deep breath and faced him,  “Sure, I guess?” He put his arm on my shoulder and directed me to where his parents are.

His father looked like an older version of Blake. You can instantly see that Mr. Garette worked out when he was younger. He still looked muscular. He was wearing a black polo shirt that fitted him perfectly. His mother, on the other hand, was a goddess. She’s the typical suburban rich housewife, with white pearls around her neck and on her ears, wearing a pink floral dress that emphasized her amazing neckline.

“Mom, dad, these are my friends from the city, Madison and Chelsea,” My friend and I smiled, “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Garette, nice to meet you!” I reach out my hand for them to shake. Blake’s father takes it and smiled, while his mother reached in and hugged us. “I’m always glad to meet Blake’s friends,” she expressed.

“Oh, my God, you're Madison?” she looked at me in complete shock. “Yes, I am,” I smiled shyly. “I heard so much about you. Thank you for keeping Blake company during that hard time,” she gave me a grateful smile.

I was quite confused about what she was saying, I looked at Blake and gave him a look, he responded with an apologizing smile and said, “Mom! Not the time and place.”

His mother mouthed “oops” and walked back to her friends that looked like a cast of the Desperate Housewives. I returned to look at Blake trying to squeeze an explanation out of him but he was pretty adamant about avoiding what just happened.

“Chelsea,” he shouted. “Would you like to meet my friends? Let me introduce you to Sheldon. He’s quite an interesting guy.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” my best friend replied. Fronting her “player” look. “Just introduce me to all of your male friends, and I’ll evaluate,” she smirked. I couldn’t help but silently giggle at Chelsea. How I wish I had her confidence. Blake’s friends are in for quite a show.

With that, Blake introduced us to all of his friends, which all looked like they belong to a Polo club. Why is everyone here so hot and gorgeous? My insecurity meter is screaming for help at the moment. “Chelsea, this is Sheldon. Sheldon, this is Chelsea, and this is Madison,” he gestured.

We smiled and enjoyed small talks with everyone. I found myself having fun, which was quite a surprise. Blake’s friends were very funny, and Chelsea has been enjoying herself a lot. I think she liked Sheldon the most, seeing as they’ve been all touchy-feely throughout the night.

Blake suddenly wrapped his arm around my waist and whispered, “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

At first, I felt alarmed, thinking somebody might see what he’s doing. I scanned the area and agreed to go with him. If I know Blake enough, I think I know where this is going.

I followed him inside the house and through the stairs. When I realized we were really alone, I slapped Blaze’s arm and said, “Oh my God, Blaze! People will know we’re up to something!”

He just laughed and grabbed my hand. “You and your mind, Waters. Always. That will get you in trouble.”

What does he mean by that? Why am I still following him, I should run back before people assume we’re doing something nasty.

However, I realized we’re not going to his bedroom. He opens a door and my mouth dropped with awe. We were on the rooftop of their house. The view was quite amazing. There was a gazebo, and I walked towards it, still feeling amazed. Blaze followed me in silence.

“It’s quite the view, right?” I still couldn’t find myself to speak. I’m still in the process of basking in what I’m seeing. I could see the whole neighborhood and the forest next to it. I can see the mountain, and the highway going back to the city.

“Blake, I really don’t know why you chose to live in the city when you have this amazing view here,” I told with disbelief. He stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder and whispered, “you know why.”

It took me a while to understand what he meant by it, and then it hit me. She lives here. The girl that broke Blake Garette. He was supposed to marry her and inherit this mansion.

A week before they were about to tie the knot, he found her in bed with her male best friend. She said she was just having cold feet but one of her bridesmaids spilled that they’ve been having an affair for months.

To comfort him, I grabbed his arms and made him tighten his hug on me. This is what I like about us. We don’t need words to comfort each other. We managed to move on from our painful breakups with the help of one another.

In the past year, I've always known when Blake needed comfort. His grip on you would always tighten. It is as if he's looking for reassurance. Blake's your typical silent-type boy next door looking, with his tousled brown hair and perfect smile. You'll never peg him as someone who'd play around with women's feelings. 

Come to think of it, it's always the good guys who get screwed over. Sometimes, I wish I met Blake before I turned into an emotional wreck. But that's a fantasy for another lifetime.