Sarah snickered.
“We keep telling her she has a great ass but she doesn’t believe us.”
Dan put his arm around my shoulders. “Well, if you need reminding, just let me know. I feel it’s a public service I provide.”
“And what kind of public service is that?” Melody’s eyes were shining. Maybe Dan would be the one to untie her from Nick.
“Well, pretty lady,” Dan walked around the table and grabbed Melody’s hand, “I think it’s my duty, as a man, to point out the best features of all the beautiful women I meet.”
Gag me. Sarah and I rolled our eyes at each other but it seemed Melody was taking it all in.
“That’s quite a service you provide.”
“And may I say, you fill out that sweater very nicely.”
I prayed that Melody wasn’t falling for his lines. I cringed as she ran her fingers down into her cleavage and Dan stared like he’d never seen tits before.
Then she leaned in closer to him and said, “You know, New Year’s is coming up. I think you should save your resolution till next year. You should try out being a douche for another twelve months.”
The entire table erupted in laughter. Dan was left with a smirk. Brian clapped him on the back and took off for the bar but not before whispering in my ear, “See you later.”
Dan clutched his hand to his chest and fell into the seat next to Melody. “Touché.”
Berk stole fries off my plate while discussing the latest in financial reports. Melody was interested in his thoughts considering she worked in that industry. I guessed Dan did as well, since he followed along.
I had no idea what he was talking about. Sarah didn’t look quite as bored as I was. She was deep in conversation with Drew the Ginger-Haired Wonder. Something about him was very familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
By the time the second batch of wine and three pitchers were empty, it was a quarter to nine.
“Be right back.” I grabbed my purse and headed for the restroom. Unfortunately for me, I bumped into Betsy the Whore and spilled her drink all down her what-might-pass-for-a-dress-if-she-were-a-middle-schooler. I noticed she was with a group of her similarly dressed slut-whore friends.
“Oh. It’s you.” I started to shrug past her but she put her hand on my arm.
“I’m really sorry, Caroline.”
“I don’t really care, Betsy.”
“I think you do. I think you’re upset because your boyfriend liked me better. I’m really sorry about that.” She pouted her lips. I visualized punching her in the face.
“Oh! That’s right. You fucked my ex. I just ate half a burger. Want those leftovers, too?”
I noticed Brian watching the exchange. I also noticed Steven standing off to the side, looking on with interest.
“You’re funny, Caroline. Too bad you weren’t good enough for Steve.”
Steve? Who the fuck was Steve? He hated that.
“You know, when you are dead you don’t know that you are dead. It is difficult only for others. It’s the same with stupidity.”
“Poor Caroline.” Betsy had the audacity to laugh along with her friends. Instead of visualizing punching her in the face, I visualized ripping her hair out.
I reached over and took Steven’s drink out of his hand, probably a gin and tonic—I was hoping for something with color—poured it over Betsy’s head, and walked away.
I didn’t look back and instead of heading for the bathroom, I made my way to the bar.
“Caroline, you’re going to scare my customers away.”
“I need a drink.” My hands were shaking. Brian placed his hands over mine to still the vibration.
“Who was that?” He nodded toward Betsy and her supersluts.
“Oh her? That’s Betsy the cock-juggling thunder-cunt.”
His laugh boomed in my ear. “Well, then. Maybe she’s just the type of customer I don’t want in my bar. Plus, any girl who can quote a Blade movie is okay in my book.”
He placed two shot glasses on the bar and filled each with Jack. “Bottoms up.”
“Another,” I said as I slammed the glass down. He filled it up. Three shots later, I really had to pee.
“I have to go to the bathroom.” There was a slur in my words that wasn’t there ten minutes ago.
“You okay?” I pulled my hand away as he tried to place his on it again. I was so pent up I wasn’t sure that physical contact was a good idea.
“Yeah. Are you?” My tone had more bite in it than intended.
“I’m good.” Brian stood and backed up. “Ryan’s here.” He nodded toward the door.
I didn’t know what I felt. Was I happy Ryan showed up? Was I annoyed? Was I frustrated about Brian? Steven? Betsy?
Ryan walked over and kissed me on the cheek before shaking hands with Brian.
“Be right back. I have to pee.”
I left the two of them at the bar and felt both sets of eyes watching me as I walked away.
Chapter Fifteen
I stared in the mirror, hands clutching either side of the sink to stop them from shaking. Why did I care so much? What the hell was it that left me feeling raw and exposed every single time I thought of Steven and Betsy? Leaning my head against the mirror, I stared down at the water flowing from the faucet and wondered why I couldn’t be more like the flowing stream. It was never in one place for longer than a millisecond, new fresh water followed in constant movement. Until it was frozen. Ice didn’t move much. Doomed to view the same scenery until, mercifully, it melted and moved away. Maybe that’s what it was. Maybe I was frozen in time. Maybe I was melting little by little, moment by moment, until I was free. Maybe it would just take longer than two months and a one night stand.
“You okay?” Melody walked into the small bathroom.
“Yeah. I’m fine. I will be fine.”
“I saw what happened. You want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” I pulled a few paper towels from the dispenser, wet them, and patted my face.
Melody pulled a compact out of her purse and handed it to me. “Okay. You don’t have to.”
Opening the small metal tin, I used the pad to swipe the redness from my face. “Who the hell does she think she is?”
Mel leaned back against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.
I continued swiping away the evidence of tears and dark circles. “I mean, fuck her, right? She’s the one who fucked up. Not me. And where the fuck does she get off calling him Steve? He hates that. He always preferred to be called Steven.”
Reaching into her bag, Melody produced a small tube of cream blush and some mascara. I took the items and continued to fix my face.
“He fucking broke me. He fucking hid me away, and I allowed it.”
Mel stepped to the sink and handed me nude lip gloss. I painted my lips until they were too shiny.
“How the hell did I allow that? How the hell didn’t I see?” I blotted my lips with a square of toilet paper and turned to face my friend.
“How am I supposed to become the new me if I don’t know how I became the old me?”
She pursed her lips, thinking of what to say. Mel could be crass and over the top but when it came down to it, she was thoughtful when it came to what really mattered.
“I think,” she began, “that maybe you didn’t really know who you were then, either. I think you were sheltered—”
“I wasn’t—”
“Let me finish. I think that maybe you were more sheltered than you think you were. And that’s not a bad thing.”
“I can see that. But I don’t think I should have to apologize for growing up in a great family. I shouldn’t have to be ashamed of having parents and a brother who love me.” My stomach dropped and I felt anger beginning to bubble up.
“Oh goodness no! Please don’t misunderstand me.” She reached out and placed her hand on my arm. “I think that you began to see what was out there and maybe you pulled away from his s
hadow a bit. I don’t think he liked that. And I think Betsy is more than willing to allow a sugar daddy to take care of her. You, on the other hand, whether you realized it or not, wanted more. You still want more.”
I turned back to face the mirror. Melody was right. Both she and Sarah have been right about all this mess. I hated that I needed the push but I was grateful for it. Every day I felt more independent, more in control of what I want.
“I think you flipped today because you hadn’t had the opportunity to flip before this. Of course it’s still raw. You were together for five years. And he broke your heart. You have every right to react. Just don’t let it consume you. React and move on.”
“React and move on,” I repeated.
“Yes. Now. You have a superhot guy waiting out there for you. A great night of fun and debauchery. Are you going to let trivial people like Betsy and Steven ruin that for you?”
“No.”
“That’s my girl.”
“No,” I said with more force. “Absolutely not. I am starting over. I am taking control of my life. Fuck them.”
“Exactly!”
“Thank you.”
“Oh sweetie, no thanks needed.”
I hugged Melody tighter than I thought possible. She was wrong. I didn’t just have a brother. I had two sisters as well, and who cared if they weren’t blood? They were sisters to me—more even, just the same.
Chapter Sixteen
Melody left the bathroom before me, giving me an extra minute to make sure I was composed. Stepping out, I made my way to the bar first.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Brian pulled three beers, obviously busy with the nighttime crowd that had begun to trickle in.
“For my earlier display of idiocy. I shouldn’t have done that and I’m sorry.”
Brian stopped for a minute and placed his hands on the bar. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I mean, it probably wouldn’t be good for business if you made dumping perfectly good drinks, which I made by the way, on the heads of my customers. Everyone has something that sets them off. I get it.”
“Thank you.” I placed my hand on his and he looked down at it before pulling his away.
“Yeah, well. Like I said. Don’t make it a habit. I have to go get these drinks out before there’s a riot.” He laughed easily and walked away to serve the customers.
Looking around, I saw Betsy and Steven had decided to leave. I didn’t feel remorse toward Betsy. I didn’t feel anything toward either of them. I knew it would take time for it all to go away but the least I could do was take Mel’s advice. React and move on.
I looked over at the table: my two friends and a group of guys we pretty much just met were sitting around, chatting, laughing, and having the good time I deserved. Smiling, I joined them.
Sitting next to Ryan, I looked over to find him smiling at me. He leaned in to whisper, “Everything okay?”
“Perfect,” I whispered back and kissed him on the cheek.
I wasn’t sure where this whatever was going with Ryan but I was more than happy to find out. So maybe he wasn’t going to be my forever. I was content to have him as a right now. Besides, a little voice inside my head told me relationships were off limits until I was used to functioning without one.
I leaned back and took everything in. It looked as though Melody and Dan were at it again.
“You sound reasonable. I think it might be time to up my medication.” Melody rifled through her purse as the rest of the table laughed.
“I’m just saying. When it comes to people in your life, you need to share certain things. For example, if ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ comes on and the person you’re with doesn’t join you in the sing along, you need to remove them from your life. Everyone knows that song. And if the person you’re with isn’t down you have to wonder if you need that kind of negativity in your life? Am I right?”
Melody laughed easily. “You’re right. Hard to argue with that kind of rationality.”
“Speaking of music.” Drew stood up and walked over to the jukebox, popped in a five-dollar bill, and started pressing buttons. I jumped up to join him.
“What’s your poison?” Drew scanned the list of available songs.
“This one.” I typed in the corresponding code.
“Awesome! I haven’t heard that one in years!”
“Mel, Sarah, and I used to sing this all the time.”
“College?”
“Yeah.”
“So”—Drew turned to face me after he inputted all the song requests—“what’s the deal with Sarah?”
“The deal?”
“Yeah.” He leaned closer. “Is she, like, seeing anyone?”
“Oh!” I glanced over at Sarah, who was laughing at the conversation at the table. “No, she isn’t actually.”
“Cool. Thanks. So, uh, what’s up with you and Ryan?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. It’s not really my place to say anything.”
What did they always say? Curiosity killed the cat?
“What isn’t your place to say?”
“Oh nothing. It’s just odd that both Brian and Ryan talk about you so much. Didn’t you just meet them?”
“Yeah and?”
“Well, look. You seem like a nice girl but Ryan and Brian are my friends. I just don’t want them to get hurt if you can’t make up your mind.”
I had to shake my head and clear it of everything just to make sense of what he was saying.
“I’m not sure what you heard, but Brian and I don’t have anything going on other than meeting him a couple weeks ago and a brief run in at the gym. As for Ryan and me, well, that isn’t really your business.”
Drew held up his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume. I just thought—”
“Never assume. It just makes an ass out of you.”
“And me,” he replied.
“That’s what I said. Look, not that this is any of my business but Sarah’s my friend and if you fuck with her, I will hunt you down and crush your balls with the heel of my stiletto. M’kay?”
“Ha! Understood. I think you and I just might get along after all.” He put up his hand and I slapped him a high five.
Berk walked by with a tray of shots. “I couldn’t wait for the waitress anymore. I took it upon myself to get these.”
“What is it?” Sarah asked as she sniffed the drink.
“It’s called an Erection.”
“What?” Dan held up the glass between his two fingers and inspected it.
“Like you’ve never had one!” Melody piped up.
“I’ve just never had one in my mouth,” Dan replied.
“Don’t knock it till you try it!” Berk shouted over the din of the bar. He downed the shot and ran his tongue across his lips. “Oh, Danny boy! You don’t know what you’re missing!”
“Get the fuck out of here! Go find yourself a fuck buddy!”
Berk laughed and walked over to a group of guys standing by the bar.
I leaned forward. “Is he gay?”
“You can’t tell?” Sarah asked.
“No, I mean, it didn’t even cross my mind.”
“Ha! Well, ladies, Berk is as handsome as they come but unfortunately for you, you aren’t his type.” Drew raised his shot before pouring it into his mouth.
“Well, that’s too bad,” Melody purred. “Looks like I won’t be having any fun tonight.” She looked at Dan with hooded eyes and he took the bait.
“Oh, darlin’. We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”
“You know anyone who’s interested in having some fun?” Melody ran her fingers along his hand. I loved watching her in action. I don’t think she’s ever been turned down.
“They don’t call me the kamikaze king for nothing.”
“Kamikaze king?” I had to ask.
Ryan, Dan, and Drew laughed as Dan explained, “Sixty-nine is the kamikaze of sex. If I’m goin’ dow
n, she’s comin’ with me.”
I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. Sarah’s wine actually shot out of her nose. We did that a lot. Melody smiled as if she’d won the lottery.
We were drunk. After countless bottles of wine, numerous pitchers of beer, and shots with names like Stumble Fuck and Dirty Whore’s Bath Water, it was a wonder any of us could stand. And then it happened.
The song I’d plugged into the jukebox started playing. I watched with glee as my friend’s eyes widened and piercing screams of remembrance echoed against the walls.
Melody was the first to jump up and start dancing. Sarah grabbed Drew’s beer and drained it.
“I love this song!”
“I have no idea what he’s saying!”
“I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by the Darkness played loudly throughout the bar. Patrons actually stopped and stared as the three of us jumped around and tried to keep up with the high-pitched, fast-paced lyrics of the song that reminded us of freshman year of college.
I grabbed Ryan’s hands and pulled him out of his chair. Melody took the opportunity to bump and grind on Dan like it was her job. Sarah climbed on top of the table and crawled over to Drew while singing the song at the top of her lungs.
Berk ran back to the group screaming, “I love this song!”
He got in on the action by climbing on top of the table with Sarah.
Brian stopped what he was doing and looked on from behind the bar with a smile on his face.
By the time the song was half done, most of the bar was singing and dancing along.
Ryan twirled me around until I was dizzy. It didn’t take much; I was half in the bag to begin with.
Drew ran over to the jukebox and added more money.
“Time to test Dan’s theory.”
As soon as our song ended, “Don’t Stop Believin’” pounded through the speakers. The entire bar let out a huge cheer and sang along.
“See? Was I right? That’s how you know Brian’s bar is the place to hang.”
“You were right!” I shouted.
Ryan wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in closer. “You wanna get out of here?”
Operation One Night Stand Page 12