"Try take it easy." Alex inclined his head to my drink, and I shrugged. I didn't have the energy to argue with him. He walked back over to his friends while I watched with a heavy heart.

"So what's your name?" the guy beside me asked. I'd forgotten about him.

"Lacey." I felt more courageous because of the alcohol.

The guy who was trying to chat me up introduced himself as Kevin. Aiden and Reece stood nearby, watching. The few times I'd looked in their direction, they'd given me a thumbs up. I rolled my eyes at them.

Did they think I wanted to find someone to replace Adonis because I'd be wasting my time?

No one could fill his place in my heart. Tonight hadn't been about meeting someone new. It had been about spending time with my friends and having fun.

The alcohol was making me feel daring. I shot another look over my shoulder to where Adonis stood. Alex was beside him and a girl was beaming up to Adonis, looking like she was hanging onto every word he said.

Slowly, I swallowed.

I had no right to feel the emotion, but that didn't stop it. The girl wrapped her fingers around his arm, and he leaned closer, laughing at something she said. I pulled my eyes away from him.

Feeling awful, I finished my drink, hoping the alcohol would ease the pain in my chest.

"You want another one?" Aiden asked, giving me a sympathetic look.

At this point I would usually stop drinking, but my emotions were all over the place. I nodded at him. I was definitely feeling a little tipsy. For a few moments, I wanted to forget all the things that were wrong with my life. I wanted to stop feeling guilty, sad and scared.

There was the part of me that wanted to make Adonis jealous, but there was no point. I knew he loved me. Nothing was going to fix the fact he couldn't accept my decision to delay the surgery or my decision to push him away to protect him.

My eyes found him again. He was still talking to the pretty girl who hadn't alerted his true identity to anyone else, probably fearing she would have to fight for his attention if there were other girls to compete with. A few minutes later Aiden came back with another drink for me.

"Thank you." I took a long sip, and the alcohol burned as it slid down my throat.

Half way through the drink, Kevin pulled me onto the makeshift dance floor in the living room. We started dancing together. I ignored the fact that Adonis stood just a few feet away talking to another girl like he didn't have a care in the world.

Kevin stood closer and placed his hands on my hips, pulling me closer. I felt a little uncomfortable to be dancing so close to someone I'd just met, but I still didn't pull away.

My stubbornness refused to allow me to push Kevin away. The alcohol was muddling my mind and bringing my still raw feelings for Adonis to the surface.

Kevin smiled at me, and I returned it. He looked past me for a moment and his smile fell.

He released me and stepped away. Confused, I turned to see what had scared him off.

The sight of Adonis scowling at Kevin took me by surprise. What was he doing? The last time I'd seen him he'd chatting up some girl and now he was standing with a look on his face directed at Kevin, telling him to get lost.

"What do you want?" I tried sounding calm, but there was a sharpness to my tone, revealing my anger. I stood with my hands on my hips as I glared at him. He had no right to question my actions, and I had no right to question his.

But it didn't mean I didn't feel the hurt at watching him flirt with some girl just across the room from me.

"What are you doing?" Adonis' dark eyes fixed on me and his jaw tense. His temper was bubbling just below the surface.

"I'm dancing," I said, knowing full well it wasn't what he was asking me about. We weren't together anymore, so he was free to do what he wanted and so was I. He couldn't question me like some jealous boyfriend.

I hadn't stormed over to him and the girl, even though I'd wanted to.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Just over his shoulder I got a glimpse of my brother watching us from the one corner of the room. The girl that had been chatting Adonis up just a few minutes ago was standing next to my brother watching us. She was beautiful, the type of girl you expected a rock star to be with, and that hurt even more and deepened my feelings of inadequacy.

"I'm not doing anything wrong," I said, crossing my arms defensively.

I wanted him to admit he still cared, but I shook my head, remembering all the reasons it was best to let him go. No, I wanted him to move on. But alcohol amplified feelings over any logical reasoning.

He pressed his lips together while he held my glare.

"I want to talk to you," Reece said to Adonis, interrupting our little stare down. "Now. In the kitchen."

Adonis followed behind her. I don't know why, but I followed them. Kevin, the guy I'd been dancing with, forgotten. Once inside the kitchen, Reece turned to face Adonis.

I stopped by the doorway. Aiden stood beside me.

"You can't do this." Reece pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Do what?" He shot me a side-glance. It was hard to feel nothing when he looked at me with such intensity that it gave me a fuzzy feeling in my stomach.

"Don't play stupid." She took a couple of steps toward him, her stance confrontational. Even though he was so tall compared to her, she did not back down.

"You're in or you are out," she said. "You don't get to break up with her and then get all territorial like some cave man."

I watched his face for any sign of what he was thinking, but he kept his feelings hidden under an indifferent expression.

"You can't do both. Pick one and stick with it," she added. She gave me a look before she faced him again. "You don't get to walk away and then pretend she is still yours."

Her words shocked me. She was the type of friend to have my back no matter what. I felt an arm around my shoulder and looked up at Aiden.

I swallowed the emotion that tightened my throat before turning back to watch the showdown between two of the most important people in my life.

Adonis stared at Reece for a few moments before he glanced at me. It was hard to look at him without feeling the loss of not having him in my life, playing the role I'd been dreaming about since I was thirteen.

The few seconds I waited for his answer felt like hours.

"I'm out," he whispered, and I felt like something shattered inside of me.

Even if it was for the best, but it still hurt. He gave me one last look before he shook his head and left the kitchen, passing Aiden who'd pulled me out of the way and into a bear hug.

Tears spilled down my face and Aiden hugged me tighter. "He doesn't deserve you."

But I wasn't sure I deserved him either.