by Jana David
Darcy
I smiled at Marla across the room, and even though she was playing hard to get, I knew she was watching me just as I was watching her.
Marla and I had history. I knew how she ticked, and she knew just how much I loved her attitude.
I had only come to the pub to drink myself into oblivion and forget all about my idiot of a father and the fact that today was the day Ian was supposed to come home. I had almost forgotten about that in the light of recent events, but as soon as I'd sat down on the barstool, it hit me. The icing on an already shitty cake.
I'd meant to sit down with Al and talk everything through before he came home, but she'd been dodging my calls all of yesterday as well as today. And now I had no fucking clue where we stood. If Allie had feelings for me, as she'd admitted two days ago, then we freaking needed to talk about it, right?
But we hadn't.
She was probably with Ian right now, doing whatever coupley thing one got up to after a lengthy separation. I didn't want to think about it.
So I turned my attention to the girl at that table across the room. She was there with a couple of girlfriends. It looked like they were having a girls' night out.
When I said Marla and I had history, I meant we had history. We met the year before at a party, and from then on it had been a roller coaster of ups and downs.
Marla was someone who could go from hot to cold in the blink of an eye. She was wild, unpredictable, and more often than not we ended the night with a fight when we'd originally planned something romantic. The sex had been great, though. Damn, it had been amazing. And it was probably what had kept me coming back to her again and again.
I ordered a whiskey and sat at the bar, drinking for the sake of getting drunk. I needed a certain level of alcohol in my system before I was going to walk up to Marla.
More and more people started coming in, and the noise rose right along with the level of drunkenness the patrons displayed.
I was just about to order another whiskey, when I felt her hand on my shoulder.
“Well, look what the cat's dragged in. Haven't seen you around in a while.”
I shrugged, already regretting ever having made eye contact with her tonight. “I needed a drink.”
She sat down on the empty stool next to me, simply assuming my acknowledging her presence was an open invitation.
“You look like you need more than just a drink”, she purred into my ear. Anything I can help you with?” That was Marla. Getting right down to business.
“I don't know. Maybe?”
“Just maybe?” she teased. “Darcy, sweetheart, there were times when you couldn't get enough of me.” She pouted her lips and put a hand on my knee. “What happened to us?”
I wondered if it was a rhetorical question or if she actually wanted me to answer. Well, your bitchy attitude, that's what happened to us, sweet Marla.
“I still care about you. You know that, right?” Her hand slowly travelled up my thigh, and suddenly I just wanted her to leave me alone. What was wrong with me? Just a minute ago I had thought about taking her home with me. She would have come, too. But now I simply couldn't.
Allie's face invaded my thoughts.
She was at home, probably happily curled up in my best friend's arms, and yet I was going to wait around like the lost puppy dog wanting to be let into the house?
Fuck that. How had I let myself be dragged into this mess? I knew the answer to that: one look from those chocolate brown eyes, and I would have done anything to make her mine. Whatever the cost.
I pushed Marla's hand away, which promptly put an unattractive scowl onto her pretty face.
“What's the matter now?” she all but spat at me. Yeah, Marla didn't take rejection well.
“Go back to your friends, sweetheart, they're waiting for you. I've got the alcohol keeping me company tonight. That's all I need.”
She eyed me for another second, as if waiting for me to change my mind. But when I stayed quiet and signalled to the bartender for another drink, she left, throwing a string of curses over her shoulder.
I didn't care. In that moment, I realised I couldn't stay away from Allie.
I'd made up my mind. I was walking down a dark and dangerous road, I knew that, but I couldn't stop now. It was too late.
Chapter 9