Page 28 of Worth Loving You

Dave held his palm out and shook his head. Stretching his neck, he whispered something while grabbing our drinks. Tim’s expression fell, his shoulders slumping forward.

“Sorry, babe. Didn’t know you got canned today.”

Rolling my eyes again, I sneered at Dave. “Do you mind? Jesus fucking Christ, why don’t you just write it across the sky in smoke?”

He set the glasses on the table and straddled his chair, folding his arms over the back to rest his chin on a wrist. “Don’t get snippy with me. It ain’t my fault.”

“It’s not mine, either!” I argued, snatching my drink to take a sip.

“Did you, or did you not touch the man’s dick?”

Choking and gagging when the liquid went down the wrong way, tears watered in my eyes, my nose running.

“Chazzy!” Tim shouted, pressing his palms on the surface, his shoulders pulling to his ears. “What the hell did you do?”

“Nothing!” I shrieked, and then slapped Dave. “Shut up, goddammit. This isn’t exactly news I want getting out.”

He flipped a dismissive wrist and lit a cigarette. “Have you looked around?” he grumbled, holding it in the corner of his mouth while pouring the last of his beer into his Jack and coke. “Not like there’s anyone here to hear.”

“Hey!” Tim lifted his brows and pointed. “Anyone comes in, you put that out, got it? You know there’s no smoking in here.”

“Relax, it’s storming like crazy out there. Ain’t no one coming in here.”

Bouncing my straw between the ice cubes, I watched the rest of the band breaking down the drum set and packing their equipment. After almost an hour, and not a single customer coming into the bar, they’d decided to not bother playing. I was a tad insulted, because I was still here, but whatever.

“He started it,” I mumbled, taking a sip.

He blew the smoke out the corner of his mouth, away from me, tapping the ashes in the empty beer bottle. “Never known you to do something so impulsive like that. What got into you?”

Groaning, I flattened my palms on the table and bowed my chin. “He was so damn cute, Dave. I couldn’t help it.”

“So, what now?”

I sat up, chewing my bottom lip. Gazing into his dark brown eyes, I scooted to the edge of my seat, my arms crossing on the surface. “If I tell you something, you gotta keep your mouth closed, got it?”

He mimicked locking his lips and throwing away the key.

“I…kinda slept with him.”

His complexion paled, his jaw falling. “You what?” he roared and then caught himself. Leaning closer, he muttered, “You slept with a stranger who got you fired? Are you nuts?”

“It would seem so. Oh my god, I just couldn’t help it. He is so gorgeous, Dave, and…and I really wanted to.”

He took another drag, squinting his lids. “How did that even happen?”

“I went over there to confront him, and we were arguing and…next thing I know, it had been about five hours and—”

“F-Five…” Shocked, his eyes bulging, he shook his head. “How the hell is that possible?”

“No, not nonstop sex. But…I mean, we spent the entire day together in bed. He held me and we chatted, we watched some television, and, once in a while, we’d fuck like rabbits.”

“Damn. So, what are you going to do now? Jobwise.”

A shoulder rolled, my elbow propping on the table to set my chin on my palm. “I dunno. Find a new one, I guess. Dave?” I rolled to cast him a curious gaze. “Have you ever considered going into business for yourself?”

He knocked his ashes in the bottle and took a drag. “Like, as a guitarist?”

“No, no. I mean…you ever thought about opening your own mechanic shop?”