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Chapter 42
BRIDGET
Past
I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find my notes to the final statistics lectures. I must have left them at Darren’s place, which means I have to trek over to the city.
Amy looks up from her textbook. “What’s the matter?”
“I think I left my notes at Darren’s,” I reply, looking through my backpack one last time even though I took everything out at the beginning of my search.
“Bummer. Isn’t he in China for two weeks?”
“I can probably ask Marshall to let me in. Or maybe Cheryl has access.”
“Or you can bum notes off someone else.”
“I know, but I like mine. I took thorough notes.”
“Who exactly is Marshall?”
“Head of club security, I think.”
“The Lotus has such strict security. You ever wonder why? I mean, it’s a nightclub, not Fort Knox.”
I shrug. “I don’t know much about nightclubs, especially exclusive ones. Maybe it’s just for appearances. Makes you feel the club must be a big deal or something.”
“Hm.”
“I’d ask if you want to come to the club with me, but I just plan on grabbing the notes.”
“I’ve got to study. I have so much to catch up on. Plus JD’s not going to be there. He flew out last night.”
I’m glad to see Amy studying, a much more productive activity than pining over JD. I do want to talk to her about him, but since she’s in a good mood now that she’s back with JD, I’ll wait till after finals to bring it up.
I don’t know why, but I feel stronger than ever that he’s not that serious about Amy. She’s just a plaything to him. I’m sure of it. He doesn’t hide, or isn’t that good about hiding, his player tendencies.
Someone like Darren, on the other hand, is more subtle and harder to spot. I’ve always felt like there was something a little off about Darren, like he wasn’t showing me all of him. I couldn’t explain why I had that feeling until I started studying JD’s behavior, then saw Darren with his hand down Kimberley’s cleavage. Before, it didn’t much matter if Darren might be a player. I was into the sexual attraction between us and wasn’t as concerned whether or not he was Mr. Right.
But it’s different now. I want to be with Darren. In every way. When he joked the other night about having his baby, the thought actually turned me on. There’s no way I’m having a baby when I haven’t even graduated college, but I still liked the idea. Even if he hadn’t saved my life, which he sometimes plays off as unintentional—and maybe it was or maybe it wasn’t—I can’t imagine feeling more bonded to him.
We don’t fit like a glove, and it still feels like we’re from different worlds with different values, but that hasn’t diminished the emotions I have for him, the…love. Unlike with Amy, love wasn’t something that was on my radar. It wasn’t something I went looking for or expected to find. Especially in someone like Darren.
I take BART into the city and actually hoof my way up to The Lotus. I haven’t gone for my jog yesterday or today, so I welcome the long walk up some hilly streets. I walk through the Financial District and through Chinatown. Despite the late hour, there are still a number of cars on the road, the occasional bar or restaurant still has patrons, but overall it’s fairly quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the daytime.
Just before reaching The Lotus, I manage to trip on a raised edge in the sidewalk. I stumble forward without falling but manage to twist my ankle enough that I’ll have to catch a ride on the way back to the BART station.
“Hey, you,” Felipe greets when I reach the bar. “What’s with the limp?”
“Tripped on the walk from the BART station.”
Felipe puts a hand on his hip. “What are you walking for? You could have hailed a cab. Cheryl would have paid for it on Darren’s behalf.”
“The walk wasn’t a big deal.”
“At least get a ride back. Talk to Cheryl. She’ll find someone to drive you.”
“I don’t want to bother anyone when I can get myself back perfectly fine.”
