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Did she just leave right after a kiss that changed everything? I have never felt this connection to someone I just met, let alone a woman I know nothing about. She thinks she can just walk away? Think again, sweetheart.
I run after her, weaving my way through the crowd of people. She runs through the front door and before I can catch her, a solid body blocks my path. “Get out of my way, Derek,” I say, veering right, but he follows. I veer left and he follows again. It’s official, this guy is a parasite. “I’m serious,” I growl, my eyes locking with his.
“I know I have no claim over Josephine…” he says, putting his palm on my chest, stopping me from going anywhere. I take his hands in mine and shove them away.
“Damn right you don’t.” He rolls his eyes at my macho bravado. I ignore it and continue my stink eye. The longer he delays me, the harder it’ll be for me to catch her, and I need to catch her.
“But, I think you need to let her go. She’s not ready for someone like you.” My forehead scrunches at the admission and I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of me. “What?” he asks as I continue to double over in hysterics.
“You can’t be serious…” He looks at me dumbfounded and I wonder how a woman like JJ ever got with a loser like Derek. “Listen. Neither of us has a say in what JJ wants in her life. You might think that letting her go is what’s best, but for me? Letting her go might be the worst mistake of my life, and unlike you I will not be making that mistake.” His eyes bulge as the words sink in. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a woman to chase.” I push past him and run down the front steps. I look both ways down the street and see no one.
Fuck.
I run towards my car, hoping the way she came earlier is the way she left. But as I round the corner past the coffee shop where the smell of peppermint wafts onto the street, I stop and see an empty street. A subway sign across the street catches my eye and I jog in its direction, hoping that by some miracle she’s still waiting on the platform. I run by the storefront windows that display happy families and ideas for the perfect gift, but I ignore it all. I head down the stairs, pay my fare and search. My eyes strain on every woman with a black coat, but they all start to blend together, and after twenty minutes I resign myself to the fact that the woman I will most likely regret letting go…is gone.
My keys land on the kitchen island with a clang and I head to the fridge, pulling out a beer and throwing the cap in the garbage under the sink. I can’t get JJ’s face out of my head. If I’m honest, it’s the look of utter fear in her eyes after our kiss that haunts me, and I want to know what I did to put it there.
I take my beer and head into my living room and sink into my couch, bringing my phone out of my pocket with every intention of trying to find JJ somewhere on the web. But it’s the new voicemail message that takes my attention. I recognize the number as my mother’s and I have an internal eye roll at the thought of what she wants. Who am I kidding, I know exactly what she’s calling about. I dial and listen to the message with tensed shoulders.
“William Arthur…” Urgh, I hate when she calls me by my full name. It always makes me feel like such a pretentious shit, and I’ve spent the later part of my twenties trying to break away from that image. “You are to answer your phone when I call. I will not have a conversation with your answering machine.” My head leans back against the couch and I wonder how much beer it would take for me to forget this message…
“I am calling to remind you that our Christmas dinner is on Christmas Eve this year and I expect you to be there. Not like last year when you ignored your family.” And by “ignored” she means stayed at the office and feigned indifference to my family’s tradition that is nothing but a shit show. Always has been. To put it mildly, my relationship with my parents is strained. Growing up I always thought I was adopted since I had nothing in common with anyone in my family. “I want the whole family there this year. So please be there.” She abruptly disconnects the call and I’m left wondering if my entitled brat of a sister is behind this need for family attendance. She has a flair for the dramatic and loves to flaunt her wild ways in all our faces, especially mine. This isn’t the first time she’s pulled something like this. The last time she did, she told us she was dropping out of Yale to backpack across Asia with her hipster boyfriend. My parents thought it was a great idea, they said it was a great way for her to learn about the real world. Yet two weeks after she left, my parents had to fly her home because said boyfriend dumped her and according to her, “It’s really weird over here.”
I text my mother that I’ll be there. No reason to wake her up this late, and honestly this way I don’t have to listen to her complain about my lack of proper phone etiquette. Yet, the thought of that party makes my mind wander back to JJ, and that adorable sweater she was wearing and the way her body fit to mine so perfectly.
I will find her.
I have to.
“Okay you need to go out.” Clara says from my doorway. “Let me rephrase that, we are going out, so get ready.”
I roll my eyes and lean back over my computer and continue the edits on my client’s thesis.
“I’m not going. I need to finish this.” It’s not a total lie. I do need to finish, but I’m so ahead of schedule that I could take a few nights off and still be done on time. Instead of lying in bed and thinking about Liam, I used this as a distraction. I did everything in my power to take my mind off anything that would remind me of his gorgeous dark eyes, and sexy smile that made me soak my panties in a matter of seconds.
“Did I ask you if you wanted to go?” Clara calls from her room down the hall. When I don’t answer she pokes her head in, again. “No I didn’t. I said we are going, as in you have no choice. Now get dressed in something slutty and let’s go get free drinks.” Getting a drink does sound nice. I turn to see her smirk and she knows she’s hooked me.
“Can we go to Charlie’s?” I ask, knowing that’s probably where we were headed anyway.
“Sure. As long as it gets you out of that chair, I’m good. Now get dressed before I do it for you.” I stand, not wanting her to dress me. Clara is gorgeous, but her style is not mine…at all. Where she likes to show off as much skin as possible, I’m on the more modest side of things.
“Fine,” I mutter. “You know, you would make a great dictator of a small country.”
“We all should have goals,” she says, smiling as she shuts herself in her room. I glance at her door for a second before I snap into action, grabbing my best outfit and getting ready.
Charlie’s is what I like to call a hybrid bar. It has the classic feel of a pub but with the atmosphere of a club. There is a dance floor at the back with tables and booths that surround it. The lighting is always dim and the music is always loud. The food’s always amazing, but right now I’m in the mood to drink and dance…no food involved.
I pull Clara away from the table and onto the dance floor where the music surrounds me, making my hips sway in circles, displaying my assets. I chose a tight black sequin skintight dress that shows off everything I have to offer. I usually go with something more loose fitting, but the more I looked in my closet, the more this dress called to me. I am not a small woman, but I know I have curves and I use that to my advantage. I also know the bright red heels I chose make my legs look stellar.
Clara smirks as my hips move to the beat, and before I know it, there’s a hard body against me. I lean my head back and see a very attractive man grinding against my ass. My eyes lock on Clara’s and she winks, letting me know she thinks I should go with it, so I do. My hands find their way into his slick hair as his hands find my hips. The image of Liam’s face pops into my head and I can’t help but wish it were his hands on me instead of the guy currently dry-humping me like it’s his mission.
After a few songs, my dance partner goes to get a drink, and the fact that he didn’t offer me one makes it crystal clear that my dance partner is done for the night. I guess grinding my ass against his weak hard-on wasn’t enough for him.
Oh well.
My eyes search the floor for Clara but come up empty. I know she wouldn’t leave without me knowing, and so I take out my phone from my clutch and text her quick, asking where she is. As I’m typing, I get this eerie sense that someone is watching, so my eyes scan the room, seeing nothing. I shrug the feeling off and go back to my phone, seeing a text from Clara come in.
In the bathroom.
