He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 506

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"Yardley! You're about to be a golden bachelor again! Stop being so uptight! Come on!"

"Exactly! The vibe is amazing tonight. Everyone's just chilling. If you join in, the whole party will go crazy!"

"Go change into your trunks! Look—even Gordon and Harbour are wearing them! You'll look like a total freak standing around in a tailored suit! Go!"

Sylvia and Melanie had both clearly had a few drinks. Fueled by the pounding music, they tag-teamed him, mercilessly shoving him toward the dressing rooms.

Through the crowd, Yardley caught a glimpse of Gordon and Harbour lounging on the sofas, undeniably shirtless. He closed his eyes in resignation. Fine. When in Rome. It was just a swimsuit. If someone with Harbour's average physique wasn't embarrassed, he certainly had nothing to hide.

After hyping himself up for a few minutes, Yardley changed into the trunks. Stepping out of the changing room and looking down at the wild, neon-lit chaos from the second-floor balcony, a heavy wave of guilt suddenly washed over him. His mother-in-law had just been thrown in jail, and his daughter, Dawn, was fighting a severe illness in the hospital. This was hardly the time to be partying. If someone took a picture of him here and sent it to Scarlett, she would absolutely lose her mind. Her hatred for him would only deepen.

He hesitated, almost turning back. But down below, Gordon was waving at him enthusiastically from a massive velvet sofa. "Yardley! Get down here! Everyone heard you arrived, we're all waiting for you!"

It was the friendliest Gordon had been to him in months. Ever since the divorce drama with Scarlett began, Gordon hadn't cracked a single smile in his direction, usually offering nothing but sarcastic jabs. Desperate to salvage their strained brotherhood, Yardley decided to shove all thoughts of Scarlett and his family into the darkest corner of his mind.

Tonight, he needed to put on a mask, strip away his heavy burdens, and just drink until he felt like himself again. He had been suffocating for far too long. Tossing aside his moral baggage, he waved back at Gordon and headed for the stairs.