AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her words hit me like several punches in the gut. I decide I’ve lost the conversation for tonight. Maybe it’s because deep down, I know she’s completely right.
“That guy from earlier with the blonde hair. Your ex…” I say. “He’s going to leave you alone, right?”
For a second, I think she’s just going to walk past me and ignore my question. But she finally folds her arms and nods. “He’s harmless. We dated long distance… after you left.”
Another painful jab of jealousy runs through me, but I don’t let it show. “Okay,” I say. “He seemed pretty pissed. Any idea what he wanted?”
“No,” she says. “And I don’t plan to find out. I also don’t need you getting involved any more than you already have. Have a nice night, Nolan.” Her dismissive tone stings more than if she’d been mad. It’s like she has completely given up on the idea of anything happening between us.
And why shouldn’t she?
I nod my head. “Alright.”
“Any more questions?” she asks. It’s clear from the way she speaks that I’m definitely not supposed to ask any more questions.
“Are you going to that bar?” I ask, even though I try not to.
She shakes her head at me and walks past without another word.
18
MIA
Iwalk fast, breath huffing in front of me. I decide to text Caroline and Andi as I walk. I know Andi can’t drink, but she always loves to be included when anything fun is happening. And I’m going to have fun. Right?
I hug my arms to myself, picking my footing carefully because there’s shoveled snow and little patches of ice all over the sidewalk.
Frosty Harbor is alive tonight with couples walking and groups of friends moving up and down the sidewalks and crossing the mostly empty roads. The shopfronts are lit from inside, making them all seem extra warm and inviting. I pause before I pull open the door to O’Malley’s bar. I know of the place, even if I haven’t been inside since sneaking in with a few friends when I was nineteen. We were promptly caught, escorted out, and told to come back in a few years. The joys of living in a small town when every adult knows your fake ID is bullshit.
I still remember Grams talking to her friend at the grocery store a few days after that. She’d told the woman “wisdom is chasing Mia, but she’s faster.”
It made me laugh, even though I knew Grams was making fun of me.
I smile at the memory and put my hand on the door. Mostly, I think I’m just trying to decide what I’m going to do if Nolan follows me here. But that should be simple. I can just ignore him. Yeah. Simple as that.
My pounding heart says it’s not as simple as I’m making it out to be, but I yank the door open and head inside the pleasant warmth and noise of the bar.
I spot Paisley at one of the back tables. She got dressed up, too, and her blonde hair is down. I’m so used to seeing her with it pulled back at work that I can’t help bulging my eyes a little. “Wow!” I say, having to raise my voice over the guy singing at the back of the bar. It’s definitely karaoke. “Hair down? You look so good!”
Paisley strikes a little pose, then laughs and pushes a beer towards me. “Was beer okay? I ordered for you. Sorry.”
“Beer is great. Thank you. I’ll get the next round.”
“Did you invite anyone else?” I ask.
“Um, no? You’re like my only friend here,” she laughs. “I said ‘we’ when I told you I was going to be here so I didn’t sound pathetic in front of Mr. Saulters. Sorry. I mean, Zander is a friend, I guess, or whatever. But it’s kind of awkward with him. And Edgar is Edgar.”
“You feel awkward with Zander? Why?”
She brushes my question off, shaking her head and sipping her drink. “He’s our boss. That’s all.”
“Right. Well, I hope you don’t mind that I invited two of my friends. I was excited for them to meet you. I hope that’s okay.”
“Okay?” she asks. “It’s awesome.” She leans closer, tucking a stray blonde hair behind her ear and smiling like she’s about to let me in on a secret. “Last night, my idea of fun was Facetiming my mom so we could watch Survivor together. Virtually. Her thumb was covering the camera half the time and she fell asleep after ten minutes. So, yeah, I could definitely stand to meet some people here,” she says.
Andi and Caroline eventually join us and we all take turns getting rounds for the table, minus Andi, of course. Eventually, Caroline talks us into getting up for karaoke. Of the four of us, Caroline has the best voice. Andi is the funniest, because she sings the entirety of “Let it Go,” from Frozen with a bad British accent. I’m just close enough to being good but still not being good that it probably makes everyone uncomfortable when I sing. I try to make up for it by picking a short song and getting off the stage quickly. Paisley, for some reason, picks a death metal song and screeches into the microphone while banging her head. She’s booed and urged off the stage within seconds, but we’re all laughing.
The beers I’ve had make it all seem hilarious, even though it’s probably not nearly half as funny as I think. As we’re scooting back into our booth and laughing, I’m thinking that Paisley is going to fit right in with our friend group.
