by Claire Adams
“Thanks,” I said.
He turned to Katie. “Thanks for being here and helping. I think it was good for her.”
“No problem. Anytime at all.”
“I'll see you at practice, okay?”
She smiled. “Sure.” She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him tight. Body to body, with no room in between. They separated, and high-fived each other before she waved and headed out the door.
I stared at him as he turned to look and me, and I shook my head.
“What?” he asked.
“What the hell was that all about?”
“What? I don't know what you're talking about.”
I snorted. “Did you fuck her before?”
“Katie? No, of course not.”
“Well, you guys sure looked real close.”
“Oh, come on, Natalie, that's just the way she is. She's like that with everyone. She's one of those girls that has a lot of guy friends. We look at her as one of us.”
“Oh, she's just one of guys? That's how you see her?”
“Natalie, relax. Yes, Katie is hot, but that doesn't mean I'm interested in her.”
“Cut the bullshit, Jet.”
“Natalie, why are you so mad? Seriously, what is the big deal here with Katie?”
“I don't like it. The way you are with her. I thought you liked me. And it's like the two of you were in heat during training.”
“So what if we were?”
“I think it's inappropriate to do that with her when I'm standing right there.”
Jet laughed. “You have to be joking. Natalie, I thought we were just friends. That's what you keep telling me anyway. I can't count how many times you have walked out on me and made me feel like you continue to regret sleeping with me. So if you just want us just to be friends, then why should it matter who I flirt with?”
“I do just want to be friends.”
He looked at me and shook his head. He wasn't happy with my last statement.
“Look, we just slept together a week ago. I think it's inappropriate to be hooking up with other girls when you are sleeping with me. I'm not saying that we ever will again, so please don't get too excited, but when things are so up in the air, you shouldn't be all over other girls. It's not nice, and it’s very hurtful to me.”
He stared at me with shock on his face. Like I said, guys were really clueless sometimes.
“Look, Natalie, despite what you think, despite what you saw with Katie, I haven't slept with another girl since I met you. I certainly wouldn't be sleeping with someone else while I was sleeping with you. I'm not the bad guy that you think I am.”
I just glared at him, wanting to get out of the gym and be done with him for the day. I was immensely irritated by the fact that Katie had been around at all, never mind the way she behaved. But I was tired of having these same conversations over and over again with Jet.
“Natalie, please. I don't want you to be mad at me. In fact, I will do anything to make sure that you aren't mad at me. So please, let me know if there is anything that I can do.”
“Anything?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I want you to take me to my favorite place, then, but I'm not going to tell you where it is.”
He stared at me, unsure how to respond.
He nodded. “Done.”
Chapter Four
Jet
The next night, I was getting ready to go pick up Natalie to take her to her favorite place. I was a little conflicted about what was going on between us. On one hand, it seemed like she wanted more, but she also wasn't giving me more. She was taking me through a torturous relationship, if it could even be called that, and I never knew if it was going to get any better. She was just as likely to start something serious with me as she was to drop me completely. I thought there was always a good chance for us to be friends, but anything beyond that seemed uncertain.
I wasn't sure how to dress for our little rendezvous, as she refused to tell me where we were headed. The girl spun my head in circles sometimes. I assumed, however, that if we were going somewhere fancy, she wouldn't screw me over completely by not telling me to dress properly.
Kyle was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a beer when I walked into the kitchen.
“Hey, man, how's it going? Want to have a beer with me?”
I checked the time on my phone and decided I had enough time for a beer. I sat down at the table with Kyle while he went to the fridge to grab me a beer.
I cracked it open and took a long swig. The cool liquid tasted delicious as it slid down my throat. There was nothing like a cold beer to make a day complete.
“So what are you up to, man?”
“I'm picking Natalie up and we're hanging out.”
“Oh yeah? Where you guys going?”
“I have no idea.”
“Is this finally a date?”
I laughed. “Again, I have no idea. She's taking me to what she calls her 'favorite place,' but she won't tell me where it is.”
“That girl likes to fuck with your head, man. Why do you let her?”
“’Cause I like her. She challenges me. I'm bored to death with some of the girls, man, aren't you?”
Kyle shrugged. “I don't know, but I wouldn't be putting that much effort into a girl unless she was fucking me daily, that's for sure.”
I laughed. “Well, that's probably why you're single and alone on a Friday night.” I shrugged, too, when he looked up at me, surprised.
I chugged back my beer, no longer interested in discussing Natalie with him.
“I'll see ya later, Kyle. Have a good night.” I set my empty beer down and headed for the door.
I pulled up to Natalie's apartment, and she was already waiting outside for me. I sighed with relief when I saw that she was wearing ripped jeans and a faded Pearl Jam T-shirt. We were obviously not going anywhere fancy, so my attire would suffice for the evening. She slipped into the passenger side and buckled herself in, finally turning my way with a big smile.
“You look fantastic, Natalie. Very edgy.”
She smiled. “Well, you don't look too bad yourself.”
“So, where are we going?”
“Don't worry, I will be your guide.”
She gave me driving instructions that brought us downtown. There were many bars and pubs on the main drag, close to the university. She had me park there, and we both get out of the car to walk. We walked for about half a block before I found myself in front of a dive bar that I used to go to before I was legal enough to drink.
“This is your favorite place? You're kidding me?”
“No. My dad used to take me here all the time. He wasn't supposed to, of course, but I had an interesting upbringing. He taught me to play pool.”
“Are you any good?”
She laughed. “Of course I am, hot shot.”
We walked into the bar, and not much had changed over the years since I had last been there. It wasn't the kind of bar that had ever been concerned with checking IDs, which was probably why Natalie was able to come into the bar with her father when she was young.
We found a booth and sat down. I knew there wasn’t any point in grabbing a menu; it wasn't the kind of place where you grabbed food. If we got hungry later, I would take us to a burger joint to get some grub. A waitress stopped over at our table, and actually recognized Natalie.
“Hey, sweetie, I haven't seen you in ages. How are you?”
“Oh, I'm busy with school. I'm over at the university now.”
“You're kidding! Well, good for you. How's your dad?”
“Same old guy; he never changes. But overall, he's doing well. I don't think he would complain.”
“That's great. He hasn't been around here in ages.”
“No, he moved to a different area, so he has a new hangout.”
She looked at me, and I smiled up at her.
“Who's your friend here? He's cute, but he looks like trouble
.”
“Hey!” I said.
Natalie laughed. “This is Jet. I know him from school, we're buddies.” She winked at me. “But you are right about the trouble part.”
I shook my head.
“Well, what can I get you two?”
“How about a couple of beers to start.”
“Sure thing, sweetie, I'll be right back.” The waitress sauntered off toward the bar, and I turned back to Natalie.
“Well, well, well, aren't you the one with a shady past?”
“Who says it's shady?”
“Call it a guess.”
She stuck her tongue out at me, and I realized that I had a damn sexy girl sitting across from me. The waitress came back quickly with our beers, and left us to them.
“So, why is this your favorite place?” I asked as I took a swig of my beer. She took a pull on hers as well as she watched me carefully. The girl had zero trust in me, but I wasn't going to hold it against her. I probably deserved her mistrust.
“I don't know; I like the people here. They are good people; hard workers who just are trying to make an honest living and be happy. They don't judge you for who you are; they make me feel safe. I guess I like it because some of the best memories I have of my dad are here as well. He wasn't the best father I could have asked for, but he definitely had his moments. He taught me a lot in these walls.”
I nodded. I liked learning these new little tidbits about Natalie. She was an interesting girl, and this place certainly threw me for a loop. I had not expected this part at all.
We finished off our first beers, and the waitress automatically brought us two more. I decided to tip her well for that alone.
“So, why did you bring me here?”
“What do you mean, Jet, you don't like beer?” She was smiling, and that was always a good thing.
“No. I mean, let's be honest, you barely like me, so why bring me to your favorite place?”
“I don't know. I have a feeling about you. Plus, I hadn't been here in forever, and my girlfriends would never set foot in this place. So I had to bring a guy if I wanted to come, so why not bring you?”
I laughed. “Gee, thanks. So really, it could have been anyone.”
She winked. “I guess so.”
“So, gorgeous, what do you say that we have a little wager? We'll see just how good you are at playing pool. The winner buys shots.”
She laughed. “You're on, but be prepared to buy the shots.”
We walked over to the pool table, and she racked the balls just like a pro. I grabbed a stick, put some chalk on it, and did the same for her. I passed her a stick, and gave her the opportunity to break.
She cracked into the balls so hard they went all over the table. “Wow, great break,” I said. She sunk a few different balls, so it was up to her to pick what balls she wanted to go for.
“Solid,” she announced.
We kept taking turns making shots for the win. Before long, it was obvious that I was getting my butt whipped. Although I felt like I was a strong player, she killed me, leaving me with four balls I still had to sink. I laughed. “Well, that didn't go as planned.”
“Order us up some shots. Would you like to lose again?”
“No way. Let's try our hand at darts this time. I doubt you're as good at darts as I am.”
The waitress came over to replenish our beers, and I asked her if she could bring over a couple of shots of tequila. She headed off in search of them.
Natalie made a face at me. “Now, you didn't have to go and order the nastiest shot available.”
“Hey, I'm the loser. I can pretty much do what I want. If you want to pick the shot, then I suggest you lose.”
She laughed. “Not going to happen.”
The waitress came back with the shots and set them down on the table. I looked up at her as she walked away. “Hey, where's the lemon and salt?”
She started laughing as she walked away. Apparently, they didn't serve that stuff with tequila.
“I told you that you shouldn't have ordered it.”
“Well, I didn't expect that they were inhumane here.”
She giggled. “Well, man up, sunshine. Let's do this, because you have another game to lose.”
We picked up our shots and both downed them. As soon as it hit my throat, I gagged. Thankfully I wasn't the only one, or I may have lost my man card permanently.
“Yikes, that definitely wasn't Patron.”
She laughed loudly. “Let's go.”
We headed over to the dartboard, took the darts off the board, and she handed me ones that were a shade of yellow while she kept the ones that were red.
We started taking turns throwing darts, and it became obvious that Natalie is a strong player. It was like looking at the girl for the first time. I already thought she was really cool, but not only was she cool, she was a pool shark, and she could handle darts like a pro. Although I felt like I was a pretty good player at darts, I hadn't played in forever, and the girl smoked me long before I realized she was going to win again.
When she threw the last dart and it stuck straight in the middle, I couldn't help but laugh. She turned to me with a huge grin on her face.
“So, what are you buying me this time?”
I walked right up to her, wishing to God that I could kiss her without worrying that she might slap me across the face.
“Well, I'm definitely avoiding tequila this time. Let me think about it.”
I left her there at the dartboard, and made my way over to the bar. When I saw the waitress, I ordered a couple more beers, and told her I wanted two shots of whiskey and made sure to specify that I wanted Crown Royal.
“Ohhhh, a fancy guy, aren't we?”
“Well, my dear, you almost killed me with the last poison you brought to our table.”
She smiled sweetly at me.
“Tell me, is there any game that girl is not good at? She just whipped my ass twice without mercy.”
She chuckled. “No, I'm afraid not. Her dad wasn't much of a dad, and the only time they had quality time together was here, if you can imagine that. He taught her everything he knew when it came to winning games that you could bet money on.”
I nodded, understanding now why Natalie had some of her trust issues. I took the beers, while the waitress brought the shots back to our table.
Natalie met us there. “What, you don't want to play any more games with me?”
“No way, you're whooping my butt. I will, however, play a drinking game with you, because I'm pretty sure I have you beat on that front.”
She laughed in a way that made me doubt my confidence. I asked the waitress for a deck of cards, and she promptly brought them over. We ended up playing blackjack. It was one of my favorite card games, and we started going drink for drink for the loser. We played a solid five rounds before she started whooping my ass again. I groaned. She had only let me get that far just to make me feel safe. How could I have been so stupid; the girl was a shark through and through. I should have asked the waitress if Daddy ever taught Natalie cards.
“Let me guess, your dad taught you how to play Blackjack?”
She nodded. “Poker, too.”
“Of course. Brilliant.”
We continued the game for the next hour, laughing together. That was one thing Natalie and I did well―laugh together. We always seemed to have such a great time together. We were progressively getting drunk at that point, and I worried that she might end up throwing up if she drank anymore. Or maybe I was just worried that I would throw up. We had been doing rounds of shots all night, and at that point, I couldn't even taste them anymore.
“Well, well, well. Haven't I just kicked your butt all night? How does it feel, Jet, to have your ass handed to you?” She slurred as she said it, but her slurring was actually kind of cute.
“Well, I'm not impressed with you, if that's what you're asking. I was actually going to suggest going for burgers later, but there's no way I can bring your
drunk little ass anywhere. They would surely have you arrested for being drunk and disorderly.”
She giggled. She had totally embarrassed me when it came to winning any games that night, but I had a hard time caring; she looked so happy, and that was worth losing any game for. There was no way either of us was driving home, either, so we definitely needed a new plan.
“Well, darling, I think I'm tapping out for the rest of the night. So do you want to catch a cab back to my place?”
She could suggest going home alone, and I wouldn't fight her, but I also wasn't throwing away an opportunity to have that beautiful redhead sleep beside me another night. Maybe I could even convince her to stay in the morning instead of sneaking off, which seemed to be her MO.
The waitress came back to the table, and I asked her for the tab. When she returned, I realized that we had spent over $100 in booze that night.
I left her with a $35 tip, and her mouth hung open. I realized she didn’t get generous tips on a regular basis.
“How are you kids getting home? You're not thinking of driving, I hope?”
“No, we're just going to grab a cab back to my place.”
“Well, I'm getting off in a few minutes, I just have to count my till, and I can give you a drive home. Do you live far from here?”
“No, I live by the university.”
“Okay, I will get you there. Just give me a minute.”
“Thanks, Deb,” Natalie jumped in.
“You're welcome, sweetie, and don't be a stranger next time. Come back soon.”
Natalie nodded. We waited until Deb had finished work, and we walked with her out to her car. She drove an old station wagon and Natalie and I piled into the back seat. I told Deb where I lived and she pulled out of the parking lot and headed to my place.
Natalie hadn't argued about our destination at that point, so I assumed she was okay with crashing at my place.
Deb dropped us off at the front of my building and we both thanked her for the ride. Natalie and I headed up the stairs, and I realized that the door was open, so I knew that Kyle was awake. He was watching a movie in the living room, and looked up when we walked in. He smirked and shook his head, but didn't say anything about Natalie being there.