AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sliding onto the last stool at the end of the bar, a sensation tickles my spine, causing goosebumps to pebble my skin and the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.
I was sitting in the creeper’s seat.
The guy that would come in every night as we were about to close. At least a decade older than us with wire-rimmed glasses and dirty brown hair, there was nothing special about him. Nothing that made him stand out in a crowd. Except maybe the fact he hit on every waitress that came within earshot of him.
He thought he was God’s gift. Apparently, he was popular in high school. A track star, I think. Everyone knew him. Everyone loved him. His parents owned the Royal Theater, but when his father fell ill, he took over the business. Every day, after the last showing of the night, he would stop in for one beer and leave.
He always gave me a bad vibe. There was something off about him, about the way his eyes seemed to track you around the room.
A familiar poof of black hair teased high on top of her head fills my vision as I blink away the memories. Mindi’s hands are fisted at her hips and she’s glaring at me with a mixture of love and hatred in her eyes.
“Hey, Mindi,” I greet her, quickly sliding off the stool and moving to step behind the bar to give her a hug.
She welcomes me with open arms but not before giving me a tongue lashing that would make any mother proud. Because that’s what she was. A mother hen to all of us back then. She’d kick our asses when we needed it and was our shoulder to cry on when our hearts were heavy.
I came to her after Sam died. We grieved together. Cried over a bottle of whiskey. Toasted Sam and the memories we made with her.
Mindi blamed herself for not working that night. For not being there to watch over her.
I blamed myself for not making it home in time to work my shift. For Sam being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Jack Daniels helped us drown our sorrows. Once Jack left us, we sought comfort in his friend, Jim Beam.
“You’ve been gone five years and you think you can walk back into my bar—”
Not her bar though she’s worked here longer than anyone else and the owners barely bother to show up when she’s here, knowing she’ll take care of everything.
“—ask for a hug and pretend you didn’t even bother to say good-bye to me before skipping town? I have news for you, Andi, that’s not how we do things here in Great Falls. Or have you forgotten?”
All I can do is smile. I missed her. More than I realized. More than I want to admit to myself.I’ve missed all of them, I think as I make eye contact with each of my friends as they attempt to hold in their laughter.
When I lock eyes with Jay, my breath hitches and my knees threaten to give out. It’s the same look he gave me this afternoon before we began tarnishing every surface in my room.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, unable to pull my eyes away from Jay’s.
“You don’t sound sorry. You sound like you’re about to come in your panties,” she hollers. Well, that’s one way to get me to pay attention. “Stop staring at Jay like you’re a horny college student and give me a damn hug.”
I can feel all eyes on me as Mindi and I embrace. People are calling her name, demanding drinks, but she ignores them. When she finally releases me, I hurry back around to my seat and avoid eye contact with all my friends.
“So,” Mia starts, leaning in close, “does someone need to go to confession, or should I just draw my own conclusion based on the blush in your cheeks?”
So much for keeping what happened between us private. It makes me wonder how I was able to keep my feelings for Jay a secret all those years. Or if I really was?
