The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life

by Pace, Michelle

  The music ended and the bar was silent. A moment later the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Aaron nodded to the audience and handed the mic to Sean, who slapped him on the back. He descended the stairs and was mobbed with hugs, high fives, and kisses from random women. As he approached his table wading through the well wishers, he found himself face to face with Nicole, who had approached from the opposite direction. She went to dodge at the same moment he did, but in the same direction. It stung when he saw the discomfort in her eyes as she seemed to plot another escape. Aaron stood his ground and she was forced acknowledge him.

  “Why don’t you join us?” He reached out to put his hand on her shoulder, and then remembered why she was avoiding him and thought better of it. On some level he realized he was screwing with her mind, but he just couldn’t seem to stay away from her. She seemed to consider, then nodded cautiously.

  They took the last remaining chairs at the table, which happened to be across from one another. He considered this arrangement, and after mere moments decided he needed to be right beside her to hash it out. He approached Jules, who was on Nicole’s right.

  “Can I trade seats with you? I really need to speak with Nicole,” he whispered, trying to charm her with a smile. She looked him in the eye, her expression hard.

  “Alright, Aaron. Just get your fucking dimple out of my face.” With a curt nod, she was gone. He swiftly took her chair. Nic eyed him warily.

  He rested his elbows on the table and settled in for what he hoped would be a positive conversation. He opened his mouth to speak and Sean’s voice rang out.

  “The bar’s not closing but sadly, karaoke is coming to an end. With the last song of the night, everyone give a round of applause for my little brother, Colin O’Connell!”

  Colin took the stage theatrically and Nicole turned to watch. Aaron blew out an exasperated breath.

  As the music started, Colin spoke into the mic.

  “Everybody get out on the dance floor.”

  Abruptly, they were alone at the table. The moment was painfully awkward. Deciding his awful night could only improve, Aaron opened his mouth to ask her to dance. Colin pointed at them.

  “Nicole, I need you up here.”

  Aaron shot her a look of surprise and noticed that she looked astonished as well. She blinked at Colin, glanced around the room and shook her head. Lauren was yelling for her to get the hell on the stage, and the rest of the crowd joined in. Colin encouraged them and spoke into the mic again.

  “You heard them, Nicole. You promised me a dance.”

  Nicole rolled her eyes and did as she was told. Sean gave her a stool to sit on.

  Aaron heaved a regretful sigh and watched unhappily as Colin proceeded to make a spectacle of singing “Closing Time” by Semisonic. He was a great performer, and Aaron felt deflated and jealous. Nicole blushed and covered a laugh as Colin got on one knee in front of her to sing the lyrics, suggesting that he wanted Nicole to take him home. Nicole seemed to be enjoying every moment of his serenade. During the musical interlude, Colin tossed Sean his mic, pulled Nicole to her feet and slow-danced closely with her, as if they were the only two in the room. The audience ate it up.

  Jules appeared in front of Aaron and offered her hand. He took it and then she led him to the dance floor.

  The song ended, and Aaron grudgingly admitted to himself that Colin had brought the house down. Colin bowed and motioned at the crowd to applaud for Nic. As Colin pulled her into an embrace, Aaron hesitantly clapped along with everyone else. Jules stepped in front of him, her hands on his shoulders.

  “You need to pull your head out of your ass.” She ordered. Jules had rarely spoken to him before tonight, and he couldn’t believe his ears.

  She stomped off in her Doc Martens, leaving him stunned.

  Though it was only 11:30, a good number of people began to file out of the bar when karaoke ended. As the ladies at his table were gathering their belongings, Lauren sent Aaron on a beer run with Jack. Aaron hoped and prayed that Jack would change before they left for the liquor store. Sean O’Connell and his girlfriend, Trish, volunteered to bring some hard liquor and a mixer. Aaron was overjoyed when Jack reappeared with the duffle bag from the truck and headed for the men’s room. He’d been apprehensive when Jack told him there was an after party at Nicole’s. As he watched Colin leave the bar with her, he nearly choked on his beer.

  After being stopped several times by partiers who gushed about his performance, Aaron noticed Avery at the bar settling the tab. He saw Jason reach out from his seat and run his hand up Avery’s shapely leg. She jerked away and slapped him. Jason chuckled, unfazed. Seeing no sign of Joy and aware that Shilah was helping Sean pack up, Aaron felt morally obligated to offer Avery some support. As he approached, he heard her icy tone.

  “Please tell me this means you’ll stop calling me and texting me for hook-ups.”

  “Come on, cherry. Why can’t you just admit you’re still hung up on me?” Jason leaned casually on the bar in his ridiculous costume. Aaron stopped at a table near them to put on his coat.

  “Delete my number from your phone.” Avery replied and turned to Aaron, her expression somber and serious.

  “You and I need to have a conversation.” She crossed her arms and Aaron was uncharacteristically nervous.

  “About what?’

  “Ryan. And Minneapolis.” Her eyes searched him for a reaction. He felt like she’d thrown a drink in his face. Seeing her determination and being unsure how to respond, he nodded.

  “You’re coming to Nic’s.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Well, I sure as hell can’t drive anywhere anytime soon,” he snapped.

  She nodded curtly as Shilah appeared at her side. They followed Jules and Lauren out into the cold. Aaron turned to look for Jack. Just when he was sure the night couldn’t be more unpleasant, Joy sashayed toward him. Unable to help himself, he watched her strut toward him in her unbelievable costume. She tossed her long blonde hair as she locked eyes with him.

  “Aaron.” Her lips were turned down in a sexy pout.

  God, she’s sexy. Too bad she’s crazy.

  He nodded at her and proceeded to the back to find Jack. As he entered the back room, he saw what had caused Jack’s delay. Paige Green and some sexy dominatrix had cornered him near the pool table. Thankfully, Jack was now wearing jeans and a camouflage jacket. He’d washed his face, though Aaron could still see makeup around his eyes and glitter in his hair. Jack was white as a sheet and was listening to Paige with wide, disbelieving eyes. Aaron joined them.

  “Are you ready, Jack?”

  “Aaron Foster. Long time, no see.” Paige cooed.

  “Paige.” He gave the old high school mattress-back a brief sideways glance and looked back at Jack expectantly. As they made their way out of the bar, Jack still seemed perturbed.

  They’d walked for three blocks before Aaron realized that their discussion about what kind of beer to buy was more like a monologue. Jack had barely uttered a word.

  “Jack. What the hell’s wrong with you?”

  “Let’s just go get the shit and get to the party.”

  Aaron had never heard Jack sound so angry.

  “Okay, dude. Chill.”

  Avery shivered as she and Shilah trailed after the others. Her leg throbbed where Jason had touched it, as if she’d been poisoned. Feeling violated, she wanted take a shower and scrub her skin raw. They crossed the vacant street and made their way past the dark storefronts. They were nearly to Nicole’s and as they approached her building, Shilah stopped to light a cigarette. Between the storefront under Nicole’s home and the neighboring antique shop there was a small alcove that housed an iron table and chair. He pulled her by the wrist into the alcove and out of the wind.

  He took a long drag from his cigarette and as he exhaled, he offered it to her. Leaning against the brick, she took it from him and inhaled. As she passed it back, he flicked it away from them and placed his hands on the bric
k wall behind her. Her heart raced at the intensity of his stare and she fought to keep her composure. She could feel the heat of his breath as she studied his perfect features. He stared back at her possessively. Avery slid her hands around his neck and took the tie out of his hair. He shook his head and his long mane fell over his shoulders. Avery took a silky lock between her fingers and she admired it. Inexplicably, she felt at home being close to him, relenting to him. Her eyes shifted back to his breathtaking cheekbones and his fierce, astounding eyes. Need gripped her and she wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted his face down toward hers. His lips were warm and his taste was electrifying as they slowly explored each other. She felt his hand move to her thigh and travel up her stocking to her bare skin and under the back of her skirt. She wrapped her leg around his waist as he pressed his growing hardness against her. He toyed with her garter belt, twisting it teasingly. The tension was building when a voice from across the street interrupted their moment.

  “Get some!”

  They pulled apart and stared at one another, gasping for breath. Soon they were laughing at the broken mood. He offered her his hand and she took it, intertwining her fingers with his. They made their way up the stairs and saw that Jules had already built a fire in the fire pit. Lauren was bouncing from foot to foot with her trench coat wrapped around her.

  “Did you get lost?” She called to them. Ignoring her, they climbed the porch steps and went inside the front door. They proceeded to the kitchen, where the sound of a whirling blender greeted them. Colin, Sean, and Trish were pouring booze into glasses and seemed to be trying to catch up to the rest of the partygoers.

  “Hey! Want a Margarita?” Trish called over the blender.

  “Why not?” Shilah took two glasses from Sean and held one out to Avery.

  “Not now, I’m freezing and I have got to get out of these stockings.”

  Sean nearly choked on his drink. Shilah gave her a devilish smile. As Colin and Sean discussed the fine art of mixing the perfect cocktail, Avery removed her heels and gingerly crept up the narrow staircase to Nicole’s room. The door was closed, so she wrapped on it lightly.

  The door opened. Nicole had already changed into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.

  “It is colder than a witch’s tit in a brass bra in Antarctica out there,” Avery deadpanned.

  “Word.” Nicole moved aside to allow Avery to join her in the bedroom. There was an awkward silence as Avery changed and Nicole removed her braid.

  “Listen, Nic. Sorry I freaked and ran out the other day. I wish you’d come to me about Ryan a long time ago. If I had known what he was doing, I would have done something about it.” Nicole stopped brushing her hair mid-stroke and turned to her.

  “What would you have done, Avery?” It was an excellent question and Avery had no reply. “It wasn’t your problem. I’m the one who stayed and let it continue.” Nic flipped her long hair and turned to face her.

  “I get why you wouldn’t, but I still wish you would have told me.”

  “It’s all irrelevant now. I just don’t want it to cause a rift between us.”

  “I told Aaron I want to know what happened in Minneapolis. I just need to understand…” Avery zipped her jeans and fluffed her hair. Nicole stared out the window uncomfortably.

  “I’d rather not be there for that conversation,” she replied after a moment. Avery nodded. They headed down the stairs. Aaron was alone in the kitchen, putting beer in the refrigerator. Avery watched as Nicole scurried outside and Aaron’s eyes followed her. He shook his head. He turned to Avery who nodded in the direction of the bathroom.

  “You. Me. Now,” she demanded. Aaron sighed, popped open two beers, handed her one and sauntered into the bathroom. She followed him in and locked the door.

  “People will talk.” He joked, but Avery didn’t smile. “What, Aves? What?”

  “I want to hear why you fought with Ryan and why you two stopped talking.” He sighed and his shoulders slumped. Aaron chugged half his beer and he nodded.

  “We were supposed to meet at the Metrodome,” he began reluctantly. “I told him I’d be late, but my meeting got cancelled so I was able to hop an earlier flight. Since I was early, I thought I’d check in, so I got my key at the desk. When I opened the door, Ryan was in bed with another woman. They weren’t sleeping. I completely lost my shit.”

  Avery folded her arms and shook her head. “You know what, Aaron? It just sickens me that this went down and no one said a word. Nicole just told me about this. What the hell?”

  “What was I supposed to say? It’s not like it was new. At first I thought it was because he was drinking a lot. You know, college freshmen shit. I’m pretty sure he was running around most of the time we were undergrads at Iowa. Even after they got back together I can’t tell you how many times I met her at the dorm ‘cause he wasn’t there. I asked him more than once why he didn’t just dump her and he’d get that look. You know the one. He’d say, ‘I’m gonna marry that girl.’ He swore to me that the shit would stop when he asked me to be his best man. That’s why I didn’t say anything to anybody. So when I saw him there cheating on Nicki again, I pulled him out of that fucking bed by the hair. All the years of him treating her like that…she deserved better. I could have killed him, but the chick he was with was screaming and throwing stuff at me.”

  Avery was silent, trying to reframe her world with the knowledge that her brother, the golden child of the Harper family, was not the saint she’d always thought him to be.

  “I left the hotel and went directly back to the airport. I called Nicole, but I didn’t really know what to say. I got her voicemail and tried to get her to call me, but I’m sure I sounded insane. Ryan and I never spoke again. I couldn’t believe it when I heard what happened to him. Even with that fight and all his bullshit, I still miss the bastard.” Aaron looked torn between grief and anger.

  Avery couldn’t help but smile. She, Aaron, and Ryan had been like The Three Musketeers before Nicole came along. It was quite possible that Aaron was the only other person in the world who understood her conundrum with her brother.

  “Yeah, me too.” There was a loud pounding on the bathroom door.

  “Hey, assholes! There’s only one bathroom in this house, ya know!” Lauren yelled. Avery and Aaron smirked at one another. She unlocked the door and swung it wide open. Lauren looked surprised as they walked past her and grabbed more beer from the fridge. As they proceeded outside, Avery observed that the party seemed to have taken on a life of its own. Trish and Sean were next to the fire pit, talking to a couple she didn’t recognize. They appeared to be in their 40’s and were wearing pajamas, so she assumed they were Nicole’s neighbors. It seemed Sean and Trish had finished the margaritas, and they were passing a bottle of whiskey around. Aaron made a beeline for them. Jason and Joy stumbled by on Main, accompanied by the Port Frank fellows and stopped to chat with Jack, who was near the stairs. Avery observed Joy subtly ditch Jason as she made her way up the stairs. She stumbled over to Aaron who was staring into the fire. Shilah called to her from the far end of the porch. He was leaning against the banister speaking with Nicole and Colin, who were cozied up on the porch swing under a blanket.

  Lauren reappeared and spotted the two Port Frank guys. She jumped off the porch and sauntered over to them.

  “Hey, Dave! Hey Nick! What’s going down?”

  “Hopefully you, darling, in about five minutes.” Dave replied and his friend snorted. Avery sucked in a breath and she saw Jack’s hackles rise as he transformed, right before her eyes, into an alpha male. Jason stepped in front of Dave as Lauren grasped Jack’s arm.

  “You’d better leave.” Jason said to Dave. Avery was glad that for once his instincts seemed to be functioning.

  “He’s drunk.” Lauren explained, but Jack seemed to ignore her and yanked away. “Jack. Just let it go.”

  He advanced toward Dave.

  “Care to repeat that?” His southern accent seemed thicker when he w
as angry.

  “What?” Dave shrugged.

  “That’s my wife you’re talking to.”

  As Jack moved in closer, Avery saw Shilah move out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be watching them closely, ready to pounce.

  Lauren looked over her shoulder, pleading for help. Shilah swung his legs over the porch and dropped five feet to the ground.

  “Your wife’s hot.” Nick chimed in. This seemed to make Jack snap and he pushed his way past Jason, who lost his balance and stumbled awkwardly to the ground. Shilah replaced him instantly. However, the two guys were already running down the street. Jack broke away and ran after them. Shilah caught Jack’s arm mid-swing. Jack kicked out a foot and sent Dave sprawling on the sidewalk. Dave jumped to his feet and ran full bore.

  “Nice assist, bro. Thanks a lot,” Jack’s drawled at Shilah with anger lingering in his voice.

  “You need to think about your kids, Jack. You can’t spend the night in jail,” Shilah reasoned. Jack nodded. Just as it seemed things were smoothed over, Lauren shoved Jack.

  “That was really stupid, Jack.”

  “So I suppose I should just stand by and let my wife blow some guys she said would ‘do in a pinch.’” Several people gasped in unison, and Avery was one of them. It was so out of character for Jack to display anger, it was freaking her out.

  “Paige is such a bitch.” Nicole said in a loud whisper behind her and Avery glanced back to see Colin snicker, throwing his arm around her.

  “You’re a complete bastard.” Lauren sounded more hurt than angry as she headed up the stairs.

  “Guys, come back up in the yard. Let’s have some fun.” Aaron slurred the command. As everyone complied, a police car approached and flashed a light on the party. Jason was standing in the spotlight, his white costume was now gray with dirt from falling and Avery burst out laughing when he put his hands in the air and his gloves were now black.