Page 119 of The Bitter Words

Some guy coming out of the bathroom tries to get past us. He stops and addresses Casey.

“Dude, you held up the restroom by fucking her in there and now you’re out in the hallway doing the same thing.” He snickers through his words. “Not the fucking, but the clogging things up.”

Heat crawls up my neck, but I square my shoulders anyway.

“Yeah, I got the point.” Casey steps to the side. “What can I say? A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”

“Right?!?” The guy slugs Casey in a brotherly way as he shuffles by us. “We could hear you two going at it. Personally, I love a woman who likes it rough. You’re a lucky man.”

I lower my head and my heart hurts for Callum. It might be fine for me to be having sex with someone else, but he doesn’t need to know the details.

The guy leaves and I keep my eyes on our feet while trying to figure out a way out of this mess without making everything worse.

Casey takes my hand. “If you’ll excuse us, we’re thirsty and want to get a drink.”

“Sure thing. After all, you gotta do what you gotta do, so don’t let me get in the way.” Callum trudges to the end of the line.

I follow Casey to the main area, feeling the size of an ant. We find a two-top and snag it before anyone else can.

“We’re lucky we got this.” He pulls out my chair.

“Yeah, we are.” I take a seat. “It’s busy.”

He sits and peers over at me. “I take it you and Cash used to date?”

“You would be correct.”

“That explains his reaction to me.” Casey groans. “And that guy saying what he did. I’m sorry, Livianna. I didn’t know how to respond, so I said the first thing that came to mind.”

“It’s okay.” I roll my eyes. “It sucks. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

“Shit happens all the time, but that was one of the worst run-ins with an ex I’ve ever been a part of.”

My stomach turns and memories of Callum and I float through my head. My love for him bubbles up.

“Casey, will you order me a vodka soda and give me a minute to…?” I wave to the opening of the hallway.

“Sure. Take care of whatever you need.” He sends me an understanding smile. “You’re sure they won’t card you?”

“They know me. That’s why I brought you here. It’s asecret joint for underage stars. They get a ton of business from people like me, so don’t tell anyone.”

“Scout’s honor.” He holds up three fingers, signaling the pledge.

I slip out of my chair and try to keep my thundering heart from pounding out of my chest. I find a clear space by a storage area that’s near the restroom where I wait for Callum to come out.

A minute or two pass and he marches toward me as he adjusts his black T-shirt. He spots me and shakes his head.

I step in front of him. “Can you please give me a second to…fix this?”

He rakes his teeth over his bottom lip as he seems to consider it. He glances at the spot where I was standing and leads me over to it by my elbow.

My breathing picks up. I haven’t thought this through and don’t know what to say. All I know is I have an urge to make everything that’s broken between us better.

He releases my arm and places me so my back’s against the wall. His gaze crawls down the length of me, then returns to mine.

I shift my weight from side to side. “I wanted to apologize for what happened. If I had known you were here, I wouldn’t have come.”

“Here? As in the bar, or do you mean in the bathroom?” He pins me with a confronting stare.