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“Hi…” His voice trails off.
“Heidi,” she offers.
“Heidi, right.” He smiles at her. It’s the smile that I’ve seen him give a million times, and as if it has magical powers, I can see Heidi melt under his gaze. “I’m not sure my girlfriend would appreciate that,” he tells her.
“Oh, come on, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Heidi coos.
I want to reach across the bar and slap her. I hate women who prey on men who are taken. Girlfriend or wife, it doesn’t matter. He’s committed and just told her so. I will admit the fact that he’s committed surprises me. To me, Eli is one of those guys who will stay a bachelor for life. I guess at least one thing about him has changed over the years.
Heidi leans a little closer, and he visibly flinches. He looks up at me, his eyes pleading. “Babe,” he says, and Heidi jerks back. “I’m sorry,” he tells me.
“You?” Heidi asks. “You’re his girlfriend?”
“She’s mine,” he assures her.
“Oh.” Reluctantly, Heidi drops her hand from his arm. “If things change, look me up.” With that, she turns on her heel and walks away.
“What. The. Fuck?” I ask him.
“Sorry, but I didn’t know how to get away from her.”
“You tell her no.”
“I did tell her no.”
“You told her your girlfriend would be upset. You needed to tell her straight up that you’re not interested.”
He nods. “I’ve done that. Women like Heidi don’t seem to care. It’s a game to them to see if they can get guys to cave. She needed to put a face to the idea of a girlfriend. At least now if I run into her again and she hits on me because if I’m alone, I can guarantee you that she will. I can remind her about you.”
“Me? Eli, I’m not your girlfriend, and I refuse to pretend to be to keep the harem at bay. You’re a big boy. Figure that shit out on your own.” I shudder. There is no way in hell I’d ever date him. This has been the most bizarre night. It’s been years since I’ve talked to Eli, and I think this is the first time ever that we’ve held any kind of conversation without him calling me a name, or picking on me in some sort of way.
“Is the thought really that repulsive? To think of me as your boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
His stare is intense, and I want to look away, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes from his. Hazel eyes with flecks of gold keep me in their trance. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but my response can’t be a surprise to him. He’s never liked me. I’ve never liked him. That’s our story.
“Yo, Marley, a little help?” my coworker Ackley calls out.
“Sorry,” I call back. Her voice and request for me to do my job is the push I need to pull my eyes from his. “I need to get back to work.” With that, I take two steps to the left and begin to fill drink orders.
Over the next twenty minutes, I fill drink after drink, and all the while, I feel his presence at the bar. Not just his presence, but his stare. I keep my eyes trained on my customers. I don’t know why he’s still here, and I don’t know why there’s a sudden interest in me, but it’s unnerving.
The crowd finally dies down, and he’s the only one left sitting on my end of the bar. “You plan on ordering a drink?” I ask him.
“Nope.”
I glance around the room and see that the table Heidi and her group of friends were occupying is now empty. “She’s gone.” I motion to the table. “I think it’s safe for you to leave.”
“I’m good.”
I sigh. “What’s it going to take to get you to leave my bar?”
“Your bar?”
“That’s right. When I’m on shift, this is my bar. And you’re taking up space for paying customers.”
He looks left to right at all of the empty stools and smirks. “You can do better than that.”
“Fine. You’re annoying the hell out of me. Leave.”
“How am I annoying you?”
“You’re just sitting there, staring at me.”
“Can I not watch my girlfriend work?”
“Gah! I am not your girlfriend.”
“You can be my girlfriend,” a guy says, interrupting us.
I give him a kind smile. “What can I get you?”
“Your number?”
“She’s taken,” Eli says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Really? Sounded like she was available.”
“I am. Other than my number, what can I get you?”
“Have dinner with me?” the guy asks, ever persistent.
“The fuck?” Eli stands. “I’m sitting right here.”
“And the lady said she wasn’t yours.” The guy smirks. He turns to me and offers me his hand. “Danny, it’s nice to meet you.”
Not wanting to be rude, I take his hand. “Marley.”
“Love the name,” he says. I’m sure he’s just flirting, but my eyes flash to Eli, and I give him a smug grin that says, see, he doesn’t see me as one of the guys.
