by Adele Huxley
She shook her head and removed her hand, the absence leaving my knee cold. “Nope, but I got the shot,” she said with a wink. “I’ll show you sometime. Speaking of shots, it’s your round.”
“Anything but that last shit,” I laughed.
“Alright, whiskey?” she offered, waving the bartender over. Out of everything, she had to pick that. Whiskey to my temper was like spinach to Popeye. I’d already complained enough about the drinks, I didn’t want to look like a wuss. I vowed to drink three glasses of water.
“Sounds good.”
Thankfully, the alcohol loosened my nerves because they weren’t going to unwind on their own. Like everything in my life, my flirting and conversational skills were a bit rusty, but things started to flow well. The longer I talked to Liz, the more I felt like myself. She was clever and sarcastic, but not mean. She was quick to laugh and I loved trying to make her smile.
As we were getting to know each other, I found myself dodging direct questions about my past. I didn’t want to go into it, didn’t know how. She hadn’t given me The Squint and didn’t seem to know my history, so I wanted to keep it like that. It felt too good to be me, not Bryan The Tragedy. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I hadn’t quite worked out how to tactfully answer some questions yet.
A half hour later, my head was really starting to swim. It was with a twinge of concern that I realized how drunk I’d gotten, but I was too far gone. All the water in the world wouldn’t have saved me. Liz wasn’t exactly sober herself, nor did she seem to care or notice.
“So what do you do?” Finally, a question I didn’t have to avoid.
“I work at Freddy’s, just across the street actually.”
“And what do you and Freddy do?” She took another sip of her drink. My eyes dropped to her pink lips, wondering what she’d do if I just pulled her stool over and kissed her.
I blinked my fantasy away. “No, it’s Walt. I’m not sure who Freddy is. Maybe Walt’s name is really Freddy. Maybe he’s like you, with all the multiple personalities.” She laughed at that, so I continued. “Who are you when you’re Elizabeth?”
Without missing a beat, she replied, “Daddy’s girl. He’s the only one who calls me that anymore.”
“Lizzy?”
She hooked a thumb over her shoulder, pointing to the pretty Asian girl hanging off the douchebag. “Her best friend.”
“Liz?”
She shrugged but gave me a half smile. “Trying to figure that one out still.”
I nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about. “What about Beth? What’s she like?”
Her expression clouded, the humor falling from her face. I winced, sensing that I’d poked a sore spot without knowing. “She doesn’t come out very much anymore.”
Before I had a chance to salvage the conversation, the blond asshole with a pinched face appeared between us. He was wearing a thick sweater that probably cost more than I’d earn in a week at Freddy’s. Liz tensed as he wrapped his arm around her.
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you,” he said, completely ignoring my presence.
“Here I am,” she replied, shrugging his arm free from her shoulders. Her discomfort was obvious.
I’d spent a lot of time working on keeping my temper in check, but in my drunken state, I decided to speak up. “Don’t worry. I’ve been taking real good care of her.” He turned his hawkish face a fraction towards me, but kept his eyes on Liz.
“Kayla was looking for you. Why don’t you come back with me?” His hand slid down her back and under her arm, fingers lightly grazing the side of her breast. That’s when the therapy went out the window and my whiskey temper decided to step in.
I rose to my wobbly legs and grabbed him by the shoulder, digging my fingers into his flesh. Part alcohol, part stiffness, I ended up putting a lot of weight into the grip. “I think she can make her own decisions, buddy.” That got his attention, his dark eyes rising to mine.
I swear, my heart had nearly bounced out of my chest when I saw the guy from the bridge sitting at the bar. I didn’t think he’d noticed us come in, so I watched him from a distance. Even though I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him the entire afternoon, I hadn’t told Kayla about the encounter. What was there to really tell? Some stranger did a nice thing and I’d nearly ripped his head off for it. As we all stood around chatting and playing drinking games, I spent nearly an hour convincing myself that I wanted to make things right because it was the decent thing to do. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I wanted to look into those amazing eyes again.
When I’d set that shot down on the bar in front of him, I was fully prepared to make peace and walk away, conscience clear. Maybe get a free drink out of him, but nothing else. I hadn’t expected him to be so intriguing and fun. Dear God, one day in town and I’d already found a sexy, smart guy I couldn’t stop thinking about. Great. So much for fresh starts. I already loved his dimples and the way his hazel eyes seemed to change color in the light. Even his laugh sounded like a private joke the two of us shared.
I was sober enough to get a good read on him. He seemed genuine but kept sidestepping anything that got too personal. With every touch, brush of my hand, and playful slap, I felt him stiffen a little. At first, I thought he might have a girlfriend or wife but I quickly dismissed it. My best guess was that he was a soldier who’d recently reentered civilian life, hence not wanting to talk about his past too much. I’d seen it enough back in North Carolina. He had the look. Still physically fit, shaggy hair, and a haunted look behind his eyes.
I cringed when Noah had come over. I’d nearly slapped his big nose off his face as he grabbed a little side-boob, but when Bryan put his hand on him, I knew the powder keg had been lit. Why does every hot guy seem to have anger issues? The tension was thick with testosterone and booze, never a good combination. I tried to wedge myself between them but unfortunately the moment for womanly intervention had quickly passed.
Noah looked at Bryan’s hand and then to me. Part of the reason I’d approached Bryan was to escape the handsy creep. From the moment we’d met at the cabin, I could feel him sizing me up. There was a cold and inhuman element in his dark eyes, like he saw everything and everybody as a commodity. He’d made his mind up that he wanted me and didn’t hide his desire. Not only was I totally weirded out, but there was something obviously going on between him and Kayla. I wasn’t about to get in the middle of that.
“Sounds like this asshole doesn’t know who I am,” Noah said to me. His smile had all the charm and appeal of a TV evangelist.
I gave him a tight smile, hoping I still had a chance to snuff the fuse. “He probably hasn’t had the pleasure yet.”
Noah reached across with his opposite hand and plucked Bryan’s from his shoulder. He dropped it like it was a sack of shit. Bryan rocked forward and steadied himself on the bar.
“Something tells me it won’t be much of a fucking pleasure,” he muttered.
They squared off, chins lifted, eyes boring holes in one another. Noah was about the same height and roughly the same build, but didn’t bring quite the same confidence. Any muscle Noah had managed to accumulate at the country club gym was purely aesthetic. In contrast, I could tell the muscles hiding under Bryan’s long-sleeved shirt served a purpose. After a moment, Noah laughed it off, probably sensing he was outmatched.
“Come on, let’s go find Kayla,” he repeated. This time, his hand traveled down to cup my ass, trying to guide me home like a lost foal.
“Hey, get your fucking—” was all I managed to get out before Bryan’s fist went flying through the air. Despite his obvious drunkenness, he managed to land an impressive punch on Noah’s temple. Noah went down, Bryan falling on top of him following the force of the swing. With a growl, he landed a couple more punches before a few guys in the crowd pulled him off.
I’d like to say I was shocked but growing up in military towns leaves you a little numb to common bar fights. I only reac
t when someone starts flashing weaponry. Bryan rolled onto his back and looked up at me. “Are you okay?”
They say you can tell a lot about what a man’s like in bed by how he moves on the dance floor. Well, in my twisted little mind, I believed I could tell a lot about how a man fucks by the way he fights. The passion in Bryan’s eyes when he looked at me nearly took my breath away. Passion is passion. Love and anger are pretty close on the spectrum of human emotion. Yes, I realize how screwed up that sounds…
“Alright, the two of you gotta go,” the bartender said behind me.
“Wait! He grabbed her, that’s all. I was protecting her,” Bryan shouted from the floor.
The guy in the plaid shirt holding Noah up looked at me. “Is that true? This guy touched you?”
I didn’t know what to say. If I told the truth, I was risking a very awkward living situation back at the cabin. If I lied, I probably would’ve ruined any chances I had with Bryan which, surprisingly, I wasn’t willing to do. I looked from one to the other, my mouth hanging open slightly. The guy holding Noah up limply seemed to think I was too scared to respond.
“Alright, that’s all I need.” He gave Noah a good shove towards the door. I groaned at the pointed look he shot me as he was pushed outside. My inaction had just created an enemy. Great.
Kayla rushed over, slipping her arms through her puffy black coat. She glared at Bryan as he returned to his seat. “Come on, I’m gonna take Noah back to the house. I don’t think he’s in any state to be driving.” She spat the words in Bryan’s direction, his shoulders hunched. She took a few steps towards the door and stopped when it was obvious I wasn’t following. “Aren’t you coming?”
The last thing I wanted was to get in a confined space with Noah. “No, I think I’ll have one more drink here before heading home.”
Kayla’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re kidding me. With this hick? I thought you were done with guys like—you know what? None of my business.” She rummaged through her bag and handed me the keys to the Jeep. “If you aren’t home in a couple hours, I’m calling the police.” She stormed away and out the door before I could respond.
As the bar started to settle and the tension dissipated, I sat down beside him. “Sorry about her,” I mumbled. Bryan stared at his bloodied fists as if shocked they were his own. I noticed he was still trembling. He let out a ragged breath and looked at me with those fierce eyes, his temper still simmering. He opened his mouth to speak when two huge hands clapped down on his shoulders. I jumped nearly as high as Bryan did, but I had the advantage of seeing who they were attached to.
Bryan spun around, already gearing up to swing again when the mountain man let go. “Whoa there, killer. I was just coming over to congratulate you!” He held his hands up defensively. Bryan paused for a beat as if catching himself and chuckled.
“Hey Dale.”
I looked between them, the confusion evident on my face. Dale grinned broadly at me, slapping Bryan on the back as he talked. “This guy’s been here for a day and he’s already a hero. Lemme buy you a drink. Goddamn, I wish I’d gotten to smack that little shit. Mind you, his father’s probably gonna sue your ass, but the whole town’ll pay the bill.”
It was a couple minutes before Dale said his goodbyes. I was thankful for the distraction. I’m pretty sure I would’ve dragged him out of that bar and up to my bedroom if he’d looked at me like that one minute more. We sat in silence until a thought popped into my head. My giggle caused him to look up from his half-finished beer.
“So is that it? Are you like Superman or something? You go around saving damsels in distress and beating up bad guys?” He laughed loudly, shaking his head.
“That’s exactly it. You’ve cracked the shell, my identity is exposed.” His eyes flashed a little as he spoke, making my stomach flutter. This guy had demons, I was sure of that. But then again, so did I.
The bartender gave him a towel with some ice for his hand and I slid my stool a little closer, picking up where we’d left off before. It didn’t take long before he went from pleasantly drunk to completely wasted. If it weren’t for the fact he hadn’t left my sight for hours, I would’ve thought he’d taken some drug. I watched him slouch further and further onto the bar with each passing minute. His speech became slurred and it was getting difficult to even hold a conversation with him.
“Are you alright?” I asked him, putting a hand on his arm.
“Can I ask you something?” His eyes were half open but I still found him cute in a goofy kind of way.
“Sure,” I said with a seductive hint. My inner flirt wanted to shift the conversation to something a little more risque.
“Can I call you Liz?”
“You can call me whatever you want, as long as you call me,” I giggled. I’d always wanted to use that line and it made him laugh.
“Can I ask you something else?” His head was nearly resting on his arms at this point.
I nodded, drawing even closer. “Mmmhmmm?”
“Doesn’t your back hurt?”
I furrowed my brow. Okay…not what I was expecting but I could work with it. “No, I do plenty of yoga. I’m really flexible.” I bit my lip a little as I gave him my sexiest look but he shook his head. He put his elbow on the bar and rested the side of his head in his hand, squinting at me.
“No, I meant with those,” he said nodding to my chest. “They’re obviously fake. I was just wondering if you got back pain from it.”
Zero to asshole in four seconds. I abruptly pushed away from him. “Are you kidding me?”
“Hey, I didn’t say there’s anything wrong with them. They’re incredible, honest. I just—”
“Why? You think you’re gonna get a closer look? What a fucked-up question to ask someone.” I turned completely away from him, already kicking myself for thinking he’d be any different than any other guy.
“Wait, no. I’m sorry, I—” he touched my shoulder and I spun around.
I would’ve been spitting fire if I hadn’t been so disappointed. I grabbed his hands and slammed them against my breasts, giving him my signature unimpressed look. “See? Now you can go back and tell your buddies you’ve felt a pair of fake tits before. Happy?”
He yanked his hands away and looked at me like I was the crazy one. “Yeah, you can go screw yourself,” I said grabbing my drink. “Where do you get off talking to me like that?” If there’s anything I was sensitive about, it was my implants. If my temper rested on a hair trigger, he’d just found it.
Bryan sputtered, his surprised and hurt expression the only thing stopping me from giving him a good smack. How could I have been so wrong about him? He’d seemed so…no, this guy is obviously a complete ass, I resolved. Shaking with anger, I stormed away, pushing through the crowd to find Morgan and Spencer.
I tried my best to bond with the other two roommates, but I felt like a total third wheel. Morgan was a sweetheart and seemed completely oblivious to Spencer’s obsession with her. One look and I knew he was smitten. Even though he was nice enough, I could tell I was cramping his game. Slowly easing out of the conversation, I decided to finish my drink and head back to the cabin. It’d been a long day. I couldn’t wait to turn on the fire and crawl into bed.
My eyes shot to Bryan as he stood to leave. He stopped at the door, glancing in my direction, but the glare I gave him ended any ideas he might’ve had about coming over. If he hadn’t mentioned he lived a couple streets over, I would’ve been concerned about him driving home. At any rate, I figured he’d walked to the bar. Maybe karma would take a swipe at him and he’d fall into a slush puddle.
I drank the rest of my beer, said goodbye to Morgan and Spencer, and walked out to the lot, half expecting him to be waiting for me. Was I glad or disappointed when I didn’t see him out there? Regardless, as I waited for the Jeep to warm up, I kicked myself for caring either way.
“Great job, Liz. Less than a day and you’ve managed to get into three arguments with two different guys,” I whispe
red, my breath coming out in a white cloud. “Fresh start, my ass.”
I pulled out of the lot onto the quiet street. It was a little past midnight and anyone who wasn’t at the bar was fast asleep in bed. Not wanting to go home and face yet another fight with Noah yet, I decided to drive around. Tellure Hollow was literally a one stoplight town. I wondered what it was like during the summer. Did the mountain pull in people during the summer months or did it get even quieter?
With the massive mountain looming over the place, it was impossible to get lost. I turned right and left, navigating around the quiet streets until I thought I should probably make my way back to the cabin. As I turned left onto a road that led back to Main Street, I immediately noticed the bright glow of a pickup’s red taillights. They looked odd, tilted strangely. My lights streaked across the backend as I turned and I saw the front driver’s side tire was stuck in a ditch. I squinted at the scene, slowing as I passed. I didn’t see anyone around but judging from the burned out patches of road, the driver had tried to gun it out and failed.
I saw movement in the cab and my heart started racing as I realized the driver might be hurt. It was obviously a fresh accident, maybe they’d hit their head? I pulled alongside at an angle, shining my headlights on the crooked truck. Rushing to the passenger side, I banged on the door.
“Hey! You need help in there?” I heard a groan and a little movement but no response. The engine was still idling, the exhaust filling the light with a smoky haze. I had to really pull at the heavy door to open it. As soon as I spotted the driver, I let out a loud groan. Bryan’s drowsy eyes met mine, a bright trickle of red blood flowing from a cut on his head. I nearly shut the door and walked away.
“It’s you,” he slurred. His smile was the only thing that stopped me from leaving him there to freeze. It was so genuine, like he was actually happy to see me. Still holding the door open, I looked down the street and ran through my options. I could leave him, but he might die of hypothermia. I could knock on one of the houses…