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The entire table erupts into laughter as Finn just shakes his head, trying not to smile. The night goes on in the same vein with everyone trying to outdo one another’s embarrassing stories as the laughter and liquor flow. I refuse more drinks than I accept, though. I count that as a plus by the time everyone is ready to call it a night and I make my way to the bar to close out our tab. Finn is obviously drunk, but he’s not obnoxious about it. He’s just wearing a goofy grin as he tries to give Luke advice about being married. It’s hard to gauge Ronan’s level of intoxication. The man is so stoic that I can’t properly judge. But I think maybe he’s been a little more talkative tonight. Van, however, just might be the drunkest of all. Before I left the table, I saw him on a video chat with Mya, telling her how amazing she is and how much he loves her. Garret had teased him about it, but then he’d tried to push into the shot so he could catch a glimpse of Claire. That’s when I’d walked away. I don’t want to see what the ladies are up to tonight. I don’t want to see her.
I’ve managed to push her out of my mind for the last few hours, but now she’s back. I sigh as I stand there waiting for one of the bartenders to get to me. It’s crowded tonight, and the two women are clearly slammed. They’re doing an excellent job, though. They’ve clearly been working together long enough to anticipate the others’ moves. As a former bartender and the owner of a bar, it’s easy to recognize the skill in their work. I’ll make sure to tip them well.
Someone bumps into me from behind, pressing me up against the bar for a brief second. Judging by the size of the person, I’d guess it’s a woman. Turning automatically, I see a cute blonde smiling apologetically at me.
“I’m so sorry!” she says. “Someone bumped into me and I lost my balance.”
I smile back. “No worries,” I say before turning back to wait for the bartender.
“The line is crazy tonight,” the woman says from behind me.
I nod. “Uh huh.”
“I’ve been waiting forever just to get a drink.”
I hold back my sigh. It’s possible I’m imagining it, but it feels like this woman is trying to get me to buy her a drink. In the past, I’d have been excited by the prospect of flirting with a stranger in a bar. I would have bought her a drink and maybe pulled her out onto the dance floor. I might have even ended the night in her bed, though that happened far less than my reputation made it seem. But tonight, I’m not in the mood to flirt and I don’t have it in me to pretend to be interested in this woman. She’s pretty enough, but she’s not the one I want to spend time with.
I can feel her still at my back, standing so close to me that her body is nearly touching mine. Part of me wishes I could forget about Layna and see what this blonde has to offer. I could lose myself in her for a few hours and forget that the one woman I’ve ever truly cared about is dating someone else. The idea has some merit, but just the thought of kissing someone who isn’t Layna is appalling. I almost want to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. If the others knew what was going through my head right now, they’d laugh their asses off.
“Listen,” the woman says, sliding up between me and the man to my left. Her words are low and I can barely hear them over the thumping music and the crowd.
She’s so close I can feel her breasts brushing against my arm as she speaks again. “Don’t look over, but that guy bet me 50 bucks I couldn’t get you to kiss me.”
Confusion lights my features and I tilt my head down to look at the blonde. “Which guy?”
Her eyes dart to the left before she brings her gaze back up to mine and smiles prettily.
“The tall one with the light brown hair,” she says. “No tattoos.”
Keeping my head tilted down toward hers, I flick my gaze in that direction and see Luke watching me with a grin on his face. I’m going to kill him. I don’t care if he is getting married tomorrow. Piper will understand.
“He’s drunk,” I say.
“He didn’t seem drunk,” the woman says.
“What’s your name?”
“What do you want it to be?”
I can’t help it. I laugh.
“Good one,” I say.
“It’s Ava,” she says. “And I’m not really the kind of girl who takes a bet like that. But he said you seemed sad and it was his bachelor party and he wanted to cheer you up.”
I sigh. “Ava, I appreciate this. And not so long ago I would have taken you up on that offer and made you fifty dollars richer. But I’m not that guy anymore. And my friend is an ass for involving you in this.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “So, he was right. You are sad.”
I shake my head. “Sad isn’t the right word,” I mutter.
“What’s her name?” Ava asks.
I laugh again. “It’s not important.”
“But I was right,” she says. “There’s a girl.”
“Something like that.”
