by Bella Emy
She lets out a sigh of frustration and throws her arms up in the air. “Damn, bitch! I can never surprise you with anything. Come on!” She pulls me out of line and drags me to the entrance of the club.
I’m struggling, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. “Aubrey?”
“Shush!” she answers.
As we reach the bouncer, the incredibly intimidating bouncer with small black eyes—which appear to be looking directly into my soul—I swallow hard, but all Aubrey does is say, “Thank you so much!” She reaches up onto the tips of her toes, and the bouncer leans forward. She places a kiss on his cheek and we make our way inside.
The place is packed. A hundred people are dancing to club music with drinks in their hands, having the time of their life. The dazzling lights from the corners of the walls flash in the same pink-and-blue tones from outside.
I follow Aubrey as she heads straight for the bar and orders us drinks. After we take a sip, she starts guffawing.
I can’t help but chuckle back. “What the hell is so funny?”
She shakes her head, and once she swallows her mouthful of her blue-and-green Patron Dew Cocktail, she answers me. “I told Tony you were jilted at the altar, and we were getting out tonight to get back at your fiancé.”
My eyes widen, and I stare at her in disbelief. “Wait, what? Who the hell is Tony?”
“The bouncer outside of the club.” She’s answering me like it’s no big deal or like she didn’t just lie her way in here.
“The bouncer thinks I got stood up? On my wedding day?!”
She nods proudly. “Yep. Apparently your fiancé was also a cheating whore who slept with each one of your bridesmaids… except me, of course. I’m your only true friend. And you’re welcome!”
“Oh my God, Aubrey!” I’m dying from embarrassment right now, but I’m not surprised. The guy, Tony, apparently, must’ve felt terrible for me and let us skip the line.
As we spend the next hour sipping on drinks and dancing like nobody’s watching us, Aubrey gets a call from home. The baby has a temperature.
“Are you sure you don’t mind if we leave now? I feel like we just got here.”
I shake my head back and forth. “No, of course I don’t mind. The baby comes first.”
“Okay, let’s go then,” she says, rummaging through her purse, looking for her car keys.
“I think I wanna stay a bit longer. I haven’t been out in so long… I don’t really want to go home yet.”
Aubrey looks at me with suspicion. “Wait… How do you feel about Asshole?” She points behind me.
It’s at that very moment when I spin around and see him. Asshole. Preston. He’s here. Fuck. I definitely can’t leave now.
“Harleigh?”
“Huh? What? Oh! I can’t stand him. You know that.”
Can’t stand him? Yeah, I can’t, but fuck if he doesn’t look good right now. He’s got on blue jeans, a gray T-shirt, and a pair of boots.
She smirks. “I was just checking to see if you were drunk. No way would I leave you here if that Patrón had already gotten to you. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid?”
I chuckle as I roll my eyes. Still, I keep peeking over at where he is. “I’m not an irresponsible teen. I promise.” I pull out my cell phone from my back pocket and say, “I’ll even call myself an Uber in about an hour to drive me home.”
“Good. No leaving the club with any drunk asses.”
I giggle once more. “You know I’m not like that.”
“I know. Come here.” She pulls me into a tight embrace. “Love you, girl. We’ll catch up again soon, okay? Call me in the morning.”
“Of course. Keep me posted on Chance.”
She races out of the club faster than the speed of light.
Now that she’s gone, I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m alone, but not really. Preston is here.
Shit, listen to me. Who cares if he’s here? All he’s ever done is hurt me. I look through the crowd to find him again, but he’s gone. Looks like I got lucky and he left already. Good. Maybe I can enjoy the rest of my night and have a good time.
I shake my head and march my way to the bar. I can’t be worried about him and where he is. I need another drink desperately.
Minutes later, I’m downing neon drinks, one after the other until I’m seeing double. Now I have to pee.
I walk to the bathroom and somehow manage to relieve myself, and as I’m about to leave the club, Preston catches my eye once more… sort of. He’s blurry. How were we sitting at the same bar, and I didn’t see him? I surely would have noticed him before I started downing drinks, wouldn’t I? I don’t think he sees me now, but I can’t really tell. His head is still facing forward.
Who does this guy think he is anyway, coming into my club on my Saturday night interrupting my perfectly good evening out? Fuck him. I’m going to tell him off.
Right now.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Preston
Of course out of all the places she could be, she’s here tonight.
As soon as I see her, I get a drink. She sees me too, and the expression on her face lets me know she isn’t happy about it. I figured as much.
I came in with Rich, a friend of mine I met back in college. No way in hell would coming here have been my idea. I would have settled for Gage’s bar, but not Rich. He loves the club scene.
As soon as my eyes land on her gorgeous face, I excuse myself and tell him I’ll catch up with him later.
I march to the bar and order a beer. Moments later, I see her sitting on the opposite end. I try to hide my face so she doesn’t see me. I don’t want to upset her all over again.
I chug my beer faster than I ever have before. The alcohol needs to hit my system, fast.
Minutes later, I sneak another peek to where she’s sitting, but she’s no longer there. I guess she must have seen me and decided to take off. I shrug and order another beer.
“You,” an all-too-familiar voice says from behind me, and three taps on my right shoulder cause me to spin around in my seat.
Here she is, Harleigh, looking as beautiful as ever, standing right in front of me. She’s got her hair styled curls cascading down her back. Her cheeks are flushed from the alcohol. Silver hoops dangle from her ears. Tight blue jeans hug her glorious curves, and a white blouse sits on top. Over it, she’s got a black purse hanging on her right shoulder with the strap sitting across her chest. She’s so beautiful.
But something’s off with her. Her eyes are half closed, and she’s not standing up straight. She looks… drunk?
“Harleigh…” I squint.
She places her hands on her hips and shakes her head from side to side.
Oh, fuck. She’s going to let me have it. After all this time, and she’s still pissed at me. Here comes the confirmation of my suspicions.
“Th-the nerve… y-you have to… sho-show up here.” As she slurs her words, she points at me or, rather, at the air next to me and then at the ground in front of us.
“Harleigh? How much have you been drinking?” I ask. She looks so sloppy right now, and I know for a fact she must have downed quite a few drinks tonight. Where the hell is Aubrey? She was with her when I first spotted her. Now she’s gone?
“Y-you son-of-ma-bitch… You fucked m-me and t-took off again? Fuck you!” She’s belting these words out of her mouth, causing a scene.
“Harleigh, please don’t. Let’s go talk over there.” I stand, and before I can walk her away from the bar, she punches me in the chest.
“I h-hate y-you! I hate y-you!”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I know. I messed up. Let’s just go over there.” I’m finally able to lead her to the corner of the room. She is, of course, still cursing up a storm, grabbing everyone’s attention as we walk past them. She’s on a damn rampage.
Suddenly she stops, her eyes wide. She turns quickly, and before I know it, she pukes, vomiting her brains out.
I gra
b her, and with my free hand, I push her purse to the back and hold her hair so she doesn’t get puke on it. “Okay, love. Get it out. Get it all out.”
Minutes later, she takes the back of her right hand and wipes her mouth. Then she turns her head to face me. “Preston, I don’t… feel too good.” She closes her eyes, and I feel her go limp in my arms.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart. Let’s get you home.”
***
I carry Harleigh inside her apartment. Thankfully, her keys were easy to fish out of her purse while I held her in my arms.
As I walk into her apartment, memories from so long ago crash to the front of my brain. I honestly can’t believe she’s still living here. Maybe it’s because it’s the last place Cory lived. Maybe because there are too many memories here for herself? I don’t know. What I do know is that the constant reminder every morning as I’d wake up would drive me to the brink of insanity.
Last time I was here, I took off after a perfectly magical night with the one girl who has always been on my mind. Why did I leave her? Why couldn’t I just have stayed? Maybe things would be different.
No. They couldn’t be. I made a promise to myself and to Cory in my prayers that I would never hurt his sister. I will never be good enough for her. Maybe I broke that promise to him to some extent, but I know leaving when I did was the best thing I could have done for her. I didn’t need to stay around any longer. It would have been much worse in the end.
I walk her to her bedroom and lay her on her bed… the same bed where we once made love.
Made love? What am I talking about? It was just a fuck session. I can’t remember much from the past. I choose to block out certain things, but sex with Harleigh was one thing I could never let go of. I remember that evening better than any other moment of my life, and I know for a fact I told her I would be fucking her—fucking her because at that point, it was what the both of us needed.
I shake the thoughts out of my head and make sure she’s lying in a good, comfortable position.
Suddenly, she surprises me, grabbing my hand. I quickly glance at it and hear her meek voice. “Preston?”
My eyes flash to hers. She looks half asleep, but regardless, she’s so beautiful. What I would give to be able to lie next to her tonight, just to spend it with her in my arms, without doing anything more. “Yes, sweetheart?”
She smiles for only a second. “Are you—” She stops to clear her throat. “Are you going to fuck me and leave me for the eighty millionth time?” The sad look on her face is breaking my heart.
I offer her a small smile, caressing her hair. “No, sweetheart.”
“Are you going to make love to me and then leave?”
I frown because honestly, there is nothing more I want to do than touch her and make her feel good and loved. But I wouldn’t want to leave afterward, even though I know I’d have no choice.
When I leave this time, it will be for the last time ever.
When I leave here tonight, this time, it will be good-bye. For good.
I have to end this back and forth. It’s not fair to either of us, and I know Cory would not approve of me doing this to his little sister. I feel like an asshole for all the times I broke her heart. She never deserved any of it. I know at the time I always thought I was doing the right thing, but now, looking back at it all, I think I made the biggest mistake of my life.
Instead of letting her know everything I am thinking of right now, I say, “Not this time, baby girl.”
With those words, Harleigh closes her eyes and dozes off, back to sleep. I pull the blanket up, covering her, and place a soft kiss on her forehead.
“I’ll always care about you, Harleigh. You’ll always be the one girl I loved but could never have. I’ll love you forever, always.” It’s a whisper, and I know she doesn’t hear me, but I take it as my cue and walk out of her door for the last and final time.
PART SEVEN
Three years later…
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Harleigh
“I’m here!” I place my work bag on the floor and throw my keys in the bowl on the table. The smell of steak and fries wafts into my nose as I take off my coat, causing my mouth to water.
“Hey, babe! I’m in the kitchen!”
I walk through Dixon’s house and find him in the kitchen. He’s wearing one of my pink-and-white aprons Aunt Celia brought me back from her trip to Venice last year. It’s super cute, but I’ve never used it. Since Dixon loves to cook, I gave it to him as a joke. It looks adorable on him.
I lean against the doorjamb and watch him spin around from the stove. He’s been cooking, and I’m glad because I’m famished.
“Hi, gorgeous.” He smiles and walks toward me with a wooden spoon lifted to his mouth. “Taste this. Careful though. It’s hot.”
My arms wrap around his waist as he reaches me and brings the spoon up to my lips. I blow gently before taking a taste.
“Mmm. That’s delicious. What is it?”
He flashes me a smile and kisses my lips. “This, darling, is my very own recipe, which I will not be sharing.” He winks and walks back to the stove. He places the spoon into the pot on the first burner and mixes. “Have a seat, babe. It’s all ready.”
Is there anything sexier than a gorgeous man cooking for you? I love the fact that Dixon took the job in Lexingburg. He left the company I work for two weeks after we started dating. He got a nice offer and went for it, even though he hadn’t been working at my job for a long time yet. It works for us. He gets home before I get out of work, and most nights, like this Friday night, he has time to start dinner. Being that he loves to cook—and is good at it too—it works wonders.
“Can I help you with anything?” I grab on to the back of a chair and watch him shovel food onto two plates.
“Nope, nope, nope. You just sit your pretty little booty that I love so much on that chair there and let me serve you, princess.”
I chuckle to myself and smile. He spoils me.
It’s nice. I mean, what girl doesn’t like to be spoiled by her man? Dixon and I have fallen into a nice relationship where we care about one another but there’s no pressure of taking the next step. Granted, we don’t have an open relationship where we’re seeing other people. We’re exclusive, but there’s no worries of pushing the other person into talking about the future or where things might lead. Even though we’ve been together for a year and a half now, we take it day by day. It took us a while to actually get together, and I blame that all on me. I was scared and afraid. It’s not like I’ve been so lucky in love. The only other man I ever loved didn’t love me in return. And now, Lord knows I’m not ready or wanting anything more serious. It’s good to know we’re on the same page.
Which is why I’m glad that even though Dixon spends most nights at my house, he still has his own apartment here. I’m not ready for us to even move in together.
I smile and sit at one end of the kitchen table, waiting for him to join me.
Dixon walks to where I’m sitting and places my dish in front of me. I don’t know why he doesn’t become a chef. He’s a fantastic cook. He took the classes and has passion for it. I’ve pushed him to do it so many times, but he tells me he loves to write more. I don’t know how much I believe that.
“Enjoy, doll.” He kisses the top of my head and takes his plate to the seat opposite from mine. “Dig in. Don’t let it get cold.”
I cut into the meat and stab a piece with my fork. It’s so tender and juicy. I close my eyes as I chew. After I swallow, I nod.
“Like it?”
I open my eyes and find his. “Oh my God, Dixon. Are you kidding me? This is amazing, as usual.”
He smiles at me. “I’m glad you approve.”
I chuckle. “You’re hilarious.”
He furrows his brows. “What?”
“You know you’re a damn good cook… one of the best cooks whose food I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. I don’t know why you don’t open
up your own restaurant.” I look back down at my plate and pick a potato. The mixture of seasonings is perfect.
He shrugs. “Maybe I will.” He winks.
We take the next twenty minutes to finish eating and then clean the kitchen. Since he cooked, I do the dishes while he puts some stuff away.
Afterward, we find ourselves on the couch, sharing a bottle of red wine in crystal glasses.
“This is the perfect night.” Dixon stands from the couch and walks to the window. He pulls the curtains to the right and looks outside.
“Is it still coming down?” I ask, referring to the snow. I’ll probably spend the night here. I have no desire whatsoever to go back out in the cold.
“Oh, yeah, yeah. Just a dusting on the ground now. It won’t get to be much more than that since it’s supposed to stop soon, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”
He smiles at me. His perfect smile could light up a room. Besides a chef, he should have been a model. The man has some seriously good looks.
Fuck, okay. He’s hot.
When he reaches the couch, he places his glass onto the coffee table in front of us and sits back down next to me. He turns to face me and then grabs the wine glass out of my grasp.
“Aww, I wasn’t done with that.” I frown.
Dixon chuckles. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it back, baby. I have something to talk to you about.”
I smirk. “Okay, fine. But why do I feel like you’re setting me up… like you’re about to tell me something I won’t be happy about?”
He feigns hurt. “Aww, really? I mean, gee, I really hope you like, love, what I’m about to tell you… I’ve been trying to for the past couple of months.”
Months? What the hell?
“What’s going on?” I’m not one for surprises.
Dixon grabs both of my hands and runs his thumbs over them. His expression has changed. Where his smile used to be is now a straight line. His cheerful eyes are now full of worry.
“Hey, what’s up? You know you can tell me anything.”
He swallows hard. “I know, and that’s why I know I’ve made the right decision.”