Fool For You

by Megan Noelle

  “Don’t be so goddamned jealous, Danielle! Ollie never loved you! You were a sad little puppy to him. He felt sorry for you! We’ve been together since the day after he pity fucked you, so don’t waste your breath trying to defend yourself. He’s been in love with me the whole time.”

  I don’t remember what else I said that day to her, but I remember I didn’t stop trying to ring her neck. The guy who held me back was one of Ollie’s teammates from baseball. He’d been kind enough to take me out back and let me cool down before I’d returned to my family.

  Ollie never contacted me after that, and neither did Jayme. I’d see them around from time to time but had always managed to escape their line of sight before they’d see me. A month later, I made the decision to go to New York. Losing my best friend and the love of my life had been bad enough. Combined with all the drama that had come with being my mother’s daughter, I’d needed to get away.

  But no matter how far I ran—the memories still haunted me.

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  I studied myself in the full-length mirror. My sleeveless floral print dress hung halfway down my thighs and accentuated the curves on my frame. A brown belt hung around my waist to match the brown jacket I’d thrown over my dress to keep warm. My long blonde hair was in a loose, low-placed bun on my head, with stray pieces pulled out to frame my face. After slipping into my tan flats, I declared myself ready to go.

  The date was so last minute; I had no idea where Ollie planned to take me. All I knew was the high school version of myself was dancing on my insides. This was something I’d longed for years and years ago, and now it was happening. With my nerves on high alert, I couldn’t stay in one place longer than a minute without moving again.

  The doorbell chimed, and my heart lurched forward. My feet willed me to the door where Oliver stood with a smile on his face and a small bouquet of yellow daisies in his arms. They were lovely but couldn’t hold a candle to the man holding them. His outfit was simple—dark jeans and a black V-neck sweater. The way they molded to the muscles in his body, however, made it ten-times better. His blonde hair housed a small amount of gel, and the cologne he used was mouth watering, although in all honesty, the scent was a little heavy.

  “Ollie, they’re beautiful,” I cooed, bringing the flowers to my nose to breathe their scent in.

  “Yeah? Well, they were, until I saw how beautiful you were.”

  Smiling, a snort escaped. “That’s a good one.”

  Maybe it was my experience with cheesy lines, but that one just oozed with unoriginality.

  He placed a kiss on my cheek. “I mean it.” “Let me just quickly go and put these in a vase.”

  “Do it when you get back. I’m starved!” he urged, and as much as I wanted to ignore his request, I obliged.

  Oliver pulled up to the best seafood restaurant in the area, which was also the best place in the state. It was absolutely breathtaking with outdoor seating, a band, a good-sized dance floor and twinkle lights covering every structure in sight. The place cost a pretty penny, but it was definitely worth the money— if you had it to spend.

  Oliver gave the hostess his name, and she led us to a table outside under the night sky and white glowing lights. The view was beautiful and really the only way to experience the restaurant, and I was happy I’d chosen to wear a jacket over my dress.

  The pretty waitress took our drink order. Ollie ordered a beer, while I decided to go with white wine. The butterflies that fluttered around my stomach felt so out of place. I was twenty-five years old, for cripes’ sake!

  “Thank you for coming out with me at the last minute,” Oliver said, while he scanned over the menu.

  “What made you want to have the date tonight?”

  He shrugged with a smile on his face. “I didn’t want to give you a chance to think it over and change your mind. A smart woman like you deserves much better than the likes of me.”

  Heat rose to my cheeks, as I looked down to the table with a smile.

  “Well, I can’t argue with you there,” I teased, taking a sip of my wine.

  “So, how have things been since your return from New York?”

  An image of Corey flashed in my mind, and I smiled. “They’ve been much better than expected. How have you been?”

  “I’ve been all right. I’m kind of at that point in my life where I’m tired of the wild and free lifestyle.”

  His pointed look made me nervous. What exactly was he expecting from this impromptu date? Sure—there were butterflies when I thought of him, but he also hadn’t been in my life for seven years. He didn’t know who I was anymore, and until I’d come back hadn’t cared to know.

  “We’re only twenty-five. It’s not that urgent to settle down,” I pointed out, hoping to shed some light on his sudden ‘epiphany.’

  “I’m not getting any younger, Dani.”

  His eyes locked with mine, and I shivered. Talk about out of the blue! It had to be a joke. There was no way Oliver had awakened that day and decided that not only did he want to take me on a date, but that he wanted to settle down too. And from the direction of the conversation, it appeared it was me he wanted to settle down with.

  Thankfully, the waitress returned to take our dinner order. I ordered the Mahi-mahi with butter and garlic-mashed potatoes, while Ollie decided to take on the steak and lobster platter. While awaiting our food, we touched on light, safe topics—both sets of grandparents, the Inn, sports and weather. We never got too in-depth with one subject before moving along to the next. The more we talked, however, the more I realized Oliver was nervous around me. Back in the day, he’d been known for being the smooth talker, and I’m sure he’d had more ‘dates’ than the average male. Yet, there we sat, making forced small talk while he fiddled with the silverware next to his plate.

  It was hard to tell who was more relieved when the food came. We made comments about our dinner, the band and then returned to our food. The one thing we had in common was the amount we drank. By the time I was on my third glass of wine, he was on his third beer. The more he drank, the more he seemed to loosen up, which I was thankful for. I wasn’t sure how many times I could say how good my food was before the meal was over.

  “So, have you seen Jayme since you got home?”

  The question completely threw me off guard. I was mid-bite with a piece of fish and stopped, my fork hanging in the air with my mouth wide open.

  “I haven’t talked to her since high school graduation,” I answered with as much disgust as I could conjure.

  “Oh, I didn’t know that. We keep in touch, and I still get together with her every now and then.”

  Shoveling the fish in, I downed it with the rest of the wine in my glass. If we were going to finish this conversation, I was going to need to start taking shots.

  “That’s nice.”

  “Yeah, I mean we dated for about a year, so we got pretty close.”

  Fan-freaking-tastic! How goddamned awesome that they’d remained friends after all those years!

  “I’ll bet.” The bitter taste in my mouth leaked out with my words.

  Our waitress glanced over to our table from across the patio, and I tapped on my wine glass to indicate I needed a refill. She shot me an amused smile before disappearing to get more.

  “She’s got two kids now. She was married to the kid’s dad for a bit, but they’re not together anymore.”

  I offered a polite smile and nodded. Oliver seemed oblivious to my disinterest in this conversation.

  “She married that guy…. What is his name again?” He looked up to the sky and racked his brain for a piece of useless information.

  “I don’t know.”

  Ollie’s face lit up. “Oh yeah—Kevin Harp.”

  “Kevin Harp?” My blood began bubbling in a way that only happened when I was reminded of Jayme’s backstabbing ways.

  The waitress returned and filled m
y glass. This time she didn’t bother filling the glass only half way. She must’ve realized whatever this gorgeous guy and I were talking about wasn’t going well.

  “You know him?”

  I nodded, downing a large portion of my wine. Kevin was the only boyfriend I’d had in that Godforsaken town.

  “He was my first boyfriend. We dated the summer before tenth grade.”

  “What a coincidence!”

  Ollie was filled with doe-eyed innocence at Jayme’s choice in men. Ha—I knew better! There was no coincidence. She’d known I dated Kevin—known I was in love with Ollie—and had managed to nail them both.

  “Listen, Oliver, I don’t like Jayme and haven’t since the last day I saw her. I have no intention of ever speaking to her again, and it would be a total shame if I even have to see her one more time. I appreciate your efforts to try and make conversation, but I don’t want to talk about Jayme anymore.”

  “Of course, I’m sorry, Dani.”

  After knocking back a little more of my wine, I gave him a reassuring smile, pleased he at least had the dignity to look ashamed. “It’s fine.”

  “Can I ask one final thing though?”

  Well, apparently not enough.

  “If you must.” By that point, I was ready to leave. The mention of Jayme’s name had done plenty to kill my mood and only reminded me of the reason I’d lost Ollie in the first place.

  “Whatever happened between you two? The last I remember you two were the best of friends.”

  There was only one thing I could say to sum up the whole thing mess.

  “You.”

  Even though he didn’t understand, Ollie nodded. He practically bit his tongue not to push me further than he should with the questions now swirling around inside his brain. My wine glass was once again empty, my food was gone (well most of it anyway), and I was no longer living the fantasy date. It was time to go home.

  “Thank you for dinner, Ollie. I’d feel more comfortable paying for myself though.”

  “Why?” he asked, hurt and confusion spreading across his features.

  “I don’t typically get irritated and say something disrespectful. My snapping on you is worthy of a free dinner.”

  Oliver reached across the table and took my hand. “Dani, that was my fault. Having you here with me has been great and has completely made my day. Next time I know not to mention….. you know.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. Ollie noticed I was lightening up again and took that opportunity to reclaim the date.

  Standing, he walked over and placed his hand at my eye-level. “Will you dance with me, Danielle Hamilton?”

  “You’re not serious.”

  Ollie smiled; he was definitely serious.

  “I’m full of wine and fish!” I protested.

  “You know you want to.”

  Playfully rolling my eyes, I placed my hand in his. Our fingers laced together as he walked us onto the dance floor. We were the only ones on the surface, and when Ollie pulled me into him, I forgot we were in a public place completely. Just as easily as sixth grade, he looped us around the dance floor, keeping our cheeks pressed together. My irritation dwindled as I lost myself in the moment. My body melted into his, unable and unwilling to let the moment slip away.

  At the end of the second song, we finally stopped, and Ollie said, “Let’s get you home.”

  Breaking Down

  Oliver was a perfect gentleman when he walked me to my door. Only placing a kiss on my cheek with a promise to call. The keys turned to unlock my door, I pushed it open and was about to enter when I whipped back around. Ollie was already on his way back to his car, when I called out to him.

  “Why didn’t you call me?” The words weighed heavy on my heart and caused my voice to strain.

  “Call you…today?” Confusion settled onto his face.

  “After that night in high school, you never called. Why?”

  Maybe I shouldn’t have had all that wine.

  Not only now was my body numb but the broken pieces of my heart were standing up—ready to demand answers. Oliver looked more confused than ever before he finally nodded. The look in his eyes told me the clouds had suddenly parted with something that completely made sense now.

  “Jayme.”

  “What?” God—not that name again!

  “I ran into Jayme that next day and asked her for your number—I didn’t realize I no longer had yours. She told me she was up with you all night while you cried, because you regretted what happened between us. Jayme said you knew how much she cared about me, and that you didn’t mean to sleep with me. She said you didn’t want me and would be pissed off if I called you—even to apologize for putting you in an awkward situation.”

  “I fucking hate that girl.” Tears began to surface, as I was practically seething.

  “I’m the reason you left—aren’t I?” Ollie finally saw the clarity behind some of the most difficult choices in my life.

  “Not entirely.” I answered after a few moments of silence.

  With that he ran back up the steps and closed the distance. His hands cupped my face and drew my mouth to his. Our lips locked in a heated, long-awaited kiss that made me see stars, as the passion and desire whirled around us in a cyclonic way. A few stray tears rolled down my cheeks when Ollie pulled back. With his thumb he wiped away the stains left behind.

  “Back then I knew you loved me, but I sure as hell didn’t deserve the way you felt. I’m telling you right now though, Danielle, I want to be a man that deserves to be loved by you. And I will never be able to express how incredibly sorry I am that I was too stupid to realize the truth—before I drove you away.” I was at a loss for words; my mind focused on keeping the threatening outpour of tears at bay. My brain was turning into mush with all the new information, and I had no idea how to handle it all.

  “I need to go lie down.” Was all I managed to get out. The wine was making my head fuzzy and what I really needed to do was sleep it off. Not just the liquor, but this night, it was something from the Twilight Zone and I couldn’t take it anymore!

  Oliver nodded and released my face from his grasp. “This time, I promise to call you later”

  I smiled, my heart fluttered at his promise. “Okay.” Then quickly retreated inside.

  My back pressed against the door as I slid to the floor, tears poured out relentlessly. My arms wound around my aching chest, as my shoulders heaved with hefty sighs. My life wasn’t supposed to end up this way—25 and a total mess. Through the drunken blur of my mind, I realized I had been a complete and utter fool. A single person had found a way to destroy everything I ever wanted and has been living with that silent victory ever since. Lord I hated that woman! Wonder whom else I could have possibly liked that she slept with.

  That’s when it hit me—Corey.

  Bailey claimed he got around—at least in the past—and clearly so did she. Oh Lord— no, no, no—please don’t tell me they hooked up over the years. Corey ran a bar with his apartment directly above it. It had been easy as pie to get myself an invitation into his bedroom—I’m sure if she wanted to, she could have had one too. I hoisted myself from the floor and ran into the kitchen, still crying.

  Before grabbing my house phone to dial Corey, I yanked my tequila out of the freezer and downed two long pulls from the bottle. This did nothing to silence the cries or dry the tears, but that wasn’t going to stop me from calling Corey.

  “Hey, what’s…” He answered on the third ring.

  “D’ you sleep with a slut named Jayme Macintyre??” I could hardly understand what I was saying through my slurred, weepy words. I didn’t imagine Corey knew either.

  “Danielle, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “Answer the question!!” I screamed out.

  “Did I sleep with who?” Corey didn’t bother hiding how worried he was for me in my hot-mess-state.

  “Jayme Macintyre, she’s my age!”

  “No I haven’t. Name sounds fam
iliar, I’m sure she came into the bar and I carded her, but that’s it.” It took me a minute to calm down, before responding with my drunken blubbering speech.

  “Promise me you’ll never sleep with that whore!”

  “Danielle, what the hell is this about? What happened?”

  “Promise me, damnit! I swear to God, Corey, I’ll never forgive you if you do!”

  “I don’t want Jayme, and I can promise you I won’t hook up with her.”

  “Good.” That promise at least took some of the weight from my heaving heart.

  “Danielle, answer me! What’s wrong with you?” The panic in his voice had me feeling guilty over calling. He was busy with his own life; the bar, his sisters, he deserved better than to deal with a disastrous fool like me. “Nothing, I’m fine. G’Night.” Corey began to respond but I hung up and took a few more pulls from the bottle. My knees gave way as I dropped down to the kitchen floor and continued my ridiculous bawling.

  How could I have been so stupid to trust her? If I would have kept to myself all those years—things would have been different. Oliver would have seen me in a different light, he would have called me back and I wouldn’t have ran away.

  My vision blurred from the tears and ruined make up streaking down my face, as I cried uncontrollably. Every time I tried to get a handle on things, I once again failed and ended up a bigger mess than before. If that was possible. The sound of my front door whooshing open and slamming shut startled me, but it was only moments before Corey appeared in front of me.

  “Damnit Dani.” He cursed, scooping me into his arms. I was finally off the cold tile floor and securely pressed against Corey’s warm body. It was seconds before I let myself curl into the safety of his chest; breathing in the familiar scent I loved so much. He walked us into my room and set me down on the bed before turning on my bedroom light.

  “What happened, baby?” His hands rested against my thighs as he knelt in front of me.

  “She ruined my goddamn life. How could I have trusted her! She knew I was in love with him!” Corey’s jaw visibly tensed, as did the grip on my legs.