My Real

by Mallory Grant

  After I get dressed, Ella drags me into the bathroom and plops me onto the closed toilet lid. She starts right in by yanking on my long blond hair and curling it. No matter how I try to style my hair, it never turns out like I plan so, I gave up trying a long time ago. I either wear it in a low ponytail or a messy bun.

  I start unwrapping more kisses and pop one in my mouth before Ella starts smearing makeup on my face.

  “You should wear makeup more often, Bay,” Ella says.

  “I do wear makeup,” I answer with a frown.

  “Mascara and chap stick do not count as makeup,” Ella says. “You have flawless skin and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. If you just wear a little eye shadow, your eyes would really pop. I’ve wanted to give you a makeover for years. This is the perfect excuse.”

  I’ve never been a big makeup girl. It really started in high school. My mom was always too busy to teach me how to put it on so I never really learned. And Ella is right, My morning routine is mascara and chap stick. I don’t want to spend the time putting makeup on every morning. I start to wonder if I should have made the effort for Dave. Was I too plain for him?

  “Do you think if I would’ve dressed up more and worn make up, Dave would’ve stayed?” I ask looking up at Ella as she finishes my makeup.

  “Honey, Dave is an ass. He always was. I’ve never thought he was good enough for you. I’m telling you, Dave leaving is the best thing that has ever happen to you. Now, you need to stop thinking about that asshat and look at yourself in the mirror,” she says as she steps back.

  I stand up and step up to the mirror. I am speechless. I don’t recognize the woman looking back at me. My hair is falling down in soft waves around my face. My eyes pop just like Ella told me they would. They look even more blue than usual if that is even possible. I didn’t even look this amazing on my wedding day. My eyes start tearing up.

  “Bailey, stop! You’re going to ruin my masterpiece. Now, grab your purse and let’s go find us some hotties to celebrate your Re-bachelorette party,” Ella says as she grabs my hand and steers me toward the door.

  We pull up in front of Skye Bar and Grill and I turn to look at Ella.

  “This is where we are going tonight? I got dressed up to go to Skye’s? We come here all the time,” I question. I actually had myself excited to go out and have fun.

  “Bailey, when is the last time you had a drink?” Ella asks as she gathers her purse, keys, and iPhone.

  I follow behind her as she gets out of the car. She knows the last time I got drunk was when Dave served me with divorce papers. I had three Long Island Iced Teas on an empty stomach. It was not a pretty sight. About half way through my second drink, my mood changed from devastated to happy rather quickly. There is a good reason I don’t drink often. When I get drunk, I become a crazy flirt. I think it has something to do with my inner sexy woman trying to get out but I still embarrass myself every time. The night in question, I ended up on a table singing a very bad rendition of “Bennie and the Jets.” Yeah, I thought I was Katherine Heigle in 27 Dresses. I ended the night in the lap of some guy while he tried to cop a feel. After that night, it’s no wonder why Ella wants to feed me first.

  “When we came out a few months ago,” I answer sheepishly.

  “Exactly. You need a full stomach before you drink anything stronger than a beer.”

  We walk into Skye’s and wait for the hostess to seat us. She goes to clean off our high top, we are regulars so our normal waiter stops over to say hello while we wait.

  “You look hot tonight, Bailey. What’s the occasion?” Cory asks.

  “It’s her Re-bachelorette party. We’re celebrating her freedom,” Ella explains as I blush. I’m not used to this kind of attention from a guy. Dave is the only man I ever dated, and he rarely, okay never, gave me compliments like this.

  “Well, congratulations! First round is on me. Take a seat,” Cory says as he walks away to get our drinks.

  We sit at our table and look at the menu. Well, Ella looks at the menu. I get the same thing every time I come here. I actually have a specific meal that I eat at every restaurant I go to. When I find something that I like I figure that I should just stick with it. Why order something different with the possibility of not liking the meal? It’s not a risk I’m willing to take.

  I look around the restaurant as Cory sets our drinks down and I gasp.

  “Oh my God, Ella, Andrew Cooper is here. Oh, please don’t let Jessica be here too,” I say as I duck behind my menu.

  Jessica was my best friend all through college. We were freshman roommates and never left each other’s sides until graduation. Sophomore year, we met Andrew. They started dating, and the three of us were inseparable for the remaining three years. There were many rumors that drifted around campus about the three of us, none of them true. We were just friends. That’s it.

  “I don’t see a girl with him,” Ella says as she looks around the bar.

  “Are you sure you don’t see her? I don’t feel like adding an awkward dinner to my list of things that went wrong today,” I mutter on as I try to hide behind Ella breathing deep with anxiety.

  “Bailey, he’s at the bar with a group of guys. Why are you worrying about her? She’s the one who stopped talking to you,” Ella asks.

  I continue to look around. Ella heard many stories about Jessica when we first started teaching together. I was a complete mess those first few weeks of school that year. It’s amazing I even got the job with how horrible I looked. I would sit with my scrapbooks and cry to Ella about losing my best friend. Ella heard about Jessica for weeks.

  “You worry too much, Bailey. You need a drink,” Ella says as she pushes my beer toward me as I thought back to what caused all the problems with Jessica and me.

  We were a week away from graduation and Jessica and I went to our last college party. Jessica was off playing beer pong and Andrew and I were playing Asshole. I went to the bathroom and passed the beer pong table and heard Jessica talking. She was telling everyone that I was a flirt and I couldn’t stop hanging all over Andrew. When another girl called me a slut, instead of defending me, my best friend agreed and started laughing. I couldn’t believe that she would accuse me of flirting with Andrew after the horrible things she did to him. I ended up walking home from the party alone. When I confronted her later, she tried to deflect the whole situation so she didn’t look bad. She screamed and made a huge scene in the quad. I haven’t talked to her since we graduated and I don’t want to start now.

  “Bailey, he sees you,” Ella whispers out of the side of her mouth.

  “What?” I say as I sit up and look right into Andrew’s eyes across the bar.

  Andrew was one of my best friends through college. The three of us shared everything with each other. He gives me a sexy side smile and then looks back to his friends who I just now recognize as friends of ours from college. My heart is racing from just one smile. He was hot in college but now he’s just, wow. I watch him for a minute while he talks and laughs with Jake and Sam. His smile reaches his eyes with genuine happiness.

  He has on dark washed jeans that fit his backside perfectly and a white button down shirt opened to see just the top of his rock hard chest. On his feet are perfectly worn leather cowboy boots. He wore them all the time in college even though he was the furthest thing from a true cowboy. One of the things I loved about Andrew was that he towered over me. His chestnut hair looks like it’s a few weeks overdue for a haircut. I used to cut his hair in college. Anything to save a buck he’d say.

  I remember back to the first time I met Andrew in the cafeteria. I saw him walk in the cafeteria our sophomore year. He was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. Back then, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be with a guy like that. He had very kind eyes. He was talking to a group of friends when he walked in. Jessica saw me checking him out and immediately started telling me that he was the guy she was talking about earlier. Well, there went that fantasy. If Jessica had
her eye on a boy, then he was hers. Not that I had a chance with him anyway. Not with someone like him.

  Bailey James, or I guess it’s not James anymore. I heard she married Dave soon after we graduated. Either way, she looks fantastic.

  “Andrew, what in the hell are you staring at man?” Jake asks as he punches my arm.

  “Asshole, that hurt. That woman over there,” I say pointing over to the table where Bailey is sitting. “That’s Bailey James. Do you remember her? I haven’t seen her since graduation,” Andrew explains.

  “Oh yeah, when Jessica completely humiliated her in the quad,” Jake says.

  I can’t get over how amazing she looks. She was cute in college but now. Damn. I thought back to one of the many times she made me fall in love with her. It was during junior year.

  I walked into Jessica and Bailey’s apartment and slammed the door. Jessica was sitting on the floor painting her nails. Bailey, sitting on the couch behind her, jumped up and walked over to me while Jessica continued to paint.

  “What’s wrong?” Bailey asked.

  “My professor. He’s saying that I plagiarized a girl in my class, because there were too many similarities. We both have to do the whole thing over for half credit,” I complained, throwing my bag to the ground.

  “That’s crazy. You didn’t copy. I sat next to you the whole time you wrote it,” Bailey said with concern on her face. “That paper counts for half of your grade. Do you want me to talk to him about it? You need a good grade in this class to get into calc 2,” she continued as she put her hand on my arm. My attention was now not on my failing paper; it was on my girlfriend. She continued to sit there, painting her nails not concerned at all that this failing grade was going to totally fuck me over. She didn’t even lift her head. While Bailey was so concerned she was even willing to take on the professor for me. Something is wrong with this picture.

  “No,” I answered. “I can’t ask you to do that. I’ll just do the paper over and take some fluff class to bring up my GPA.”

  “No, let’s go,” Bailey said as she pulled on her shoes. “We are going over to his office right now,”she said as she took my hand and pulled me out the door. I looked back to close it and Jessica still hadn’t looked up.

  Jake brings me back from the memory when he slams down the empty beer glass that he just finished chugging. I ended up getting an A on that paper because Bailey fought with Dr. Smith about it for fifteen minutes. Fought for me. I fell for her right then and there in that office. Jessica never asked about the paper or what happened at the office.

  “So, are you going to talk to her? Because if you don’t, I am. She’s fucking hot,” Jake says as he starts to get out of his seat.

  “I’m going to talk to her,” I answer as I push Jake back down. That memory brought back every feeling I ever had for Bailey.

  I look back over at her and see she is now hiding behind the girl she is with. I stand from my chair at the bar and turn toward her table. I see her friend look over at me and then quickly say something to Bailey. She’s warning Bailey I’m coming. Bailey peaks up over the menu and her eyes grow when she sees me. I lean across the table and pull the menu out of her hands and fold it on the table.

  “Hi, Bailey. How are you?” I ask, taking in every inch of her beauty. “I haven’t seen you in years. You look amazing,” I say with a smile I can’t hide.

  “Hi, Andrew. How are you? What are you doing here? Is Jessica here?” she rambles on as she stands. She used to do that when she was nervous. “I’m good. What are you doing in town? I thought you and Jessica moved to Georgia after we graduated. I heard you got married,” she continues to ramble.

  “Moved back. I’ve been here for a few months,” I explain.

  “We are celebrating Bailey’s Re-Bachelorette party tonight,” Bailey’s friend exclaims with a gleam in her eye.

  “Wait, you and Dave are divorced?” I ask quickly with surprise. She’s not with him anymore? She can’t be single? Can she? Holy Shit.

  She holds up her ring-less left hand as her only answer.

  I take a step closer. Is this my chance? I was friends with her for three years and dating her best friend forced me to stomp down any feelings that I had for her.

  “You’re not with Dave. Are you seeing someone now?” I ask as I move even closer.

  Please say no. Please say no. If she says no I’m kissing her here and now. I’ve waited so long to touch her.

  “No, wh …”

  She barely has the words out of her mouth before my lips are on hers. I bring both hands to her face and hold her gently in place. Her body stiffens at the surprise embrace. Her lips are in a thin hard line. I slowly bring one hand down to her neck and around to the back of her head as she slowly starts leaning into me and kissing me back. I pull her toward me so her breasts crush into my chest. It’s a slow passionate kiss, the best damn first kiss ever. Hell. It’s hands down the sexiest kiss I’ve ever had. My pants are officially too tight. When we start getting whistles from the patrons of the bar, I slowly pull away, still holding onto the back of her head.

  I lean in and whisper in her ear. “I’m sorry. I’ve wanted to do that since sophomore year. Come outside with me.”

  She looks up at me. Her eyes are wide with equal amounts of excitement and trepidation. She nods her head slowly like she isn’t quite sure. I hold out my hand to her and lead her out the door.

  All of my memories of Andrew come rushing back at me. I was so attracted to him when I first saw him, until Jessica sunk her claws into him. Once they started dating, he was always around. He was always so kind and considerate. I tried very hard to keep my feelings for him platonic. Jessica was dating him, and he’d never be interested in me anyway. For the most part, I did a pretty good job at it, but I won’t lie and say I didn’t have some wild fantasies about him.

  My brain stopped working when I saw him slowly start leaning toward me. My entire world stopped. I haven’t been kissed like that in a long time, maybe ever.

  What the heck is happening? Why did I kiss him like that in the middle of the bar? Even more disturbing is why do I want to kiss him again? Why not? I’m a grown woman. I should be allowed to have a little fun. Why won’t my head stop spinning?

  As Andrew and I weave through the tables with our fingers intertwined, I can’t even begin to wrap my head around what is happening. My emotions that are running wild. I quickly turn and look at Ella back at our table and the smile on her face is devilish. She is thrusting her hips in an obscene motion while Jake and Sam laugh and cheer.

  I turn back around as Andrew leads me out the door, down the stairs, and across the parking lot behind a huge black truck. He leans into me and pushes me against the truck. His face is inches from mine as I breathe in his smell. My lace panties are soaked already from one kiss. The anticipation is overwhelming. Why isn’t he kissing me? My heart is racing.

  I’m done waiting.

  I lean toward Andrew’s lips and he takes over from there. There is no slow, sweet kiss.

  He crashes into my lips. My whole body feels like it is on fire.

  Andrew slowly starts kissing down my neck as his hands move from my face, down my arms, and then come to rest on the small of my back under my tank top. He slowly starts rubbing his hands up my sides. I start getting in my own head and the little voice is saying stop.

  Wait. What am I doing? This is Andrew. Andrew who is married to my ex-best friend. I’m so confused.

  “Andrew. Wait,” I say as I place my hand on his chest and gently push him back.

  Andrew takes a step back and put his hands on the truck, caging me in, and takes a deep breath.

  “Bailey, I’m so sorry. I got carried away,” Andrew pants.

  He’s sorry. He regrets kissing me. I can feel my face flush with embarrassment, so I put my head down to hide it. Wait. He’s married. He shouldn’t be kissing me.

  “Andrew, what was that? What about Jessica?” I ask.

  “No Bailey
,” he takes my face in his hands and explains. “My friends brought me out to celebrate my divorce. Jessica left me,” Andrew explains.

  “Oh Andrew, I’m sorry. I thought … but … what is this?” I gesture between us.

  “Do you remember the day we met?” Andrew asks as he strokes my cheek with his thumb.

  “Of course, I never got that stain out of my favorite shirt,” I laugh trying to lighten the heavy mood between us. “But you and Jessica were inseparable from that day on. I was there, remember?” I reply.

  “I walked into the cafeteria that day and the first thing I saw was you. Jessica was standing there talking your ear off and you were picking all the vegetables out of your lo mien. It was the weirdest thing I saw all day,” Andrew says as he places a stray hair behind my ear. “I was walking up to ask you what you had against vegetable when Jessica bumped into me,” Andrew laughs.

  “Jessica did it on purpose. She was actually talking about you,” I say remembering back. “She saw you in her first class. She said she was going to find you and ask you out. When you walked in, she saw you and went into attack mode.”

  “I tried talking to you. You were mute. I thought I’d at least get yelled at for spilling your food but you didn’t,” Andrew explained.

  “I was a bit shy back in then,” I confess.

  Andrew laughs as he backs away from me and lowers the tailgate on the truck. He lifts me up then takes a seat next to me. “Shy? Ya think? I tried to get you to talk to me for weeks after that.”

  “I wanted to talk to you. I just didn’t know what to say. Besides, when Jessica saw you she claimed dibs on you. I was no match for her.”

  “Not a match for her? Are you kidding me? It was you that I really wanted,” Andrew confessed.

  Wait, he was interested in me? That’s not possible. I shake my head not believing him for a second.

  “It didn’t matter. Jessica wanted you.”