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“I was never really with her. The media always twists things to fit their agenda. But to answer your question… no, I’m not with Danni.”
“Well, sounds like we’re a table full of single, sexy people. Let’s order some more drinks. Wes, what do you recommend?” Quinn interjects. She’s the type who always finds a way to drop little hints into conversations, knowing it will benefit the people she loves. It’s just her personality, she gives until she physically can’t.
Damn, am I thankful for my friend and the hint she just dropped to me with that statement.
Single.
Sloan is single.
The douche of Christmas past was kicked to the curb.
Realizing Quinn is still looking at me for an answer with a smug smile on her face, I quickly recall the question and answer, “Well, I created all the specialty cocktails based on some of our personal favorites, so check the descriptions.”
I hear the girls “ooo and ahh” as they read the menu. Until Lo gets to one that has her stopping in her tracks. Her blue eyes… as bright as the liquid courage in the drink she just saw the name of.
“Yum that Thea’s Nectar sounds delish and right up your alley, Lo,” Blossom says out loud to the girls.
They’re unaware of the emotion in their best friend's eyes right now.
Yes baby, you’re still with me, no matter what.
I’ve never called her Thea in front of anyone else, and this private moment between us has me thankful for that. I want to talk to her… I want to touch every inch of her. I’m so damn tired of letting things go unsaid between the two of us.
As she lifts her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, I catch a quick glimpse of ink on her forearm… wait, is that what I think it is? Noticing my stare, Sloan quickly drops her arm, hiding the tattoo from view. I pray my mind isn’t playing tricks on me, but either way, I need to know.
“Hey boss, Julie asked me to take care of you guys tonight. Here’s that round of Lemon Drop shots you ordered.” I smile and nod. “Yes, thanks Claire, and thanks for taking care of my friends. Whatever they want, give me the tab at the end of the night.”
Once Claire passes out the shots, I notice Sloan smirking at me and I can’t quite read her face, but it’s obvious she knows I ordered these shots on purpose. I remember the night clearly. We had all been at the annual neighborhood block party. The twins had disappeared, so it was just Lo and me for most of the evening. The lemon drop shots from earlier in the day had us both admitting our true feelings. After that night, I knew there would never be another like her in my eyes.
We all cheers and down the shots, sucking on the sugar-coated lemons. Sloan still hasn’t regained her composure from seeing the nickname I gave her so many years ago displayed on the menu in my bar. So I’m not surprised when she gets up to excuse herself to the bathroom… and I don’t hesitate to follow her. After last Christmas, I know she still loves me but unfortunately for us, that hasn’t always been enough.
Four
Then- 8 years ago
Ready one, two, three… I take the Café Patron shot with immediate regret. Ugh, why did I assume I could keep up with the guys?
“I think I need to take a break,” I yell over to Eli and Wesley. My sister Maddie is already nowhere to be found.
“Oh, come on,” they reply in unison.
“Yeah, no, I need to sit down and chill for a few minutes. I can’t drink like you two. I’m half your size.”
I turn around, grab a water, and head for the set of chairs on the front lawn. Plopping my tipsy ass into the chair, I gaze out towards the street. I can still hear the music from the DJ where I sit, and I absent-mindedly start dancing in my chair. Our family's neighborhood has hosted this over-the-top block party every Memorial Day since I was a kid. It’s usually a great time. Everyone gets to unload their stress and enjoy each other’s company. It also helps that the adults get so tanked they don’t care if my friends and I drink as long as we’re being responsible and staying at the house. So here I am already tipsy and waiting for my girl Quinn to come and enjoy the festivities. Her family has been here all night since we’re practically neighbors, but she had to work.
Without Quinn around to fill my weekend with debauchery, I was held hostage by my mom. While Maddie and Eli helped my dad set up outside, I was a prisoner in the kitchen. My mom insisted I help her prep and cook, which is an absolute joke. I can’t cook for shit, not even if my life depended on it. Everyone knows this. It's practically an ongoing joke with our friends and family. She tries her hardest to help me learn her magical culinary ways, but I continuously fail time and time again. Let's just hope everyone is too drunk to eat any of the side salads I was in charge of.
Unless our third roommate is a culinary expert, Quinn and I will most likely be surviving NYU on ramen noodles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and of course ice cream sundaes come fall. Ahh, I cannot wait to be roomies with Quinn. We’re going to have the time of our lives. Now that I'm newly single, and she can never stick to a man, we're going to let our crazy asses loose all over Manhattan.
This weekend we will also be toasting to my ex, Liev. Who was a good guy and all, but we decided it was best to break it off and see if our paths ever crossed in the future. He’ll be backpacking across Europe this summer, then starts at UCLA in the fall. The fact that neither one of us wanted to try for the long-distance thing means it wasn’t meant to be.
I can’t say I'm bummed about it. Liev was very attentive and tried to give me everything I could have asked for. I just didn’t feel it. You know the “it”I’m talking about. The all-consuming feeling you get deep inside your soul when you see their face, or the smile that appears when you hear their name. It’s when you feel their presence before your eyes lock with one another and the electric current that runs in the air when they’re near. Okay… maybe I’ve read one too many romance novels, but I’ve feltitbefore, so I know it exists. However, those feelings were not evoked by Liev, and that’s how I knew we were making the right decision. He’s going to make someone very happy one day, but most likely that someone will not be me.
My trip down memory lane has brought back a rush of tingles as I remember the someone who I did feelitwith. Speak of the devil. Glancing over, I check out the gorgeous specimen of a man taking a seat next to me. My breath catches as I admire Wes’s form.Gah, he’s so fricken sexy.I’ve missed having him around this past year. Actually, now that I think about it, this is the first time we’ve been alone since the lake last summer. But that doesn’t mean my obsession with him ended. If anything, it only grew stronger.
He just recently started modeling out in California and even landed his first Calvin Klein commercial. Wes is already being plastered all over the internet as one of the hottest trending male faces and bodies. The paparazzi love him, especially with the slew of female celebrities he’s been seen with. No surprise there. Mmm… he truly lives up to the name Zeus, looking like some sort of god sitting there in his fitted black t-shirt and ripped jeans. Dark hair perfectly tousled in an “I don’t care” style. What I wouldn't do to feel his stubble covered jaw trailing its way up my thigh. I must be blatantly ogling him because Wes clears his throat, snapping me out of my fantasy.Oh shit, did he catch me?
“Oh, hey didn’t notice you came over here.” I blush at my lie, still drooling over his gorgeous face.
