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All because I couldn’t handle her relationship with Jackson.
Not anymore—I’ve grown. At least that’s what I tell myself.
“Do you guys want to hit Harry’s?” Sage brushes a curl gone awry from her face just as the wind pushes another oneacross her nose.
We all nod in unison as we follow Sage, her walking backward toward the all-too-familiar dive bar.
Harry’s has become somewhat of a stomping ground for our group of friends. Only a short walk from Gen and Jackson’s place as well as Baker & Park, it’s the most logical place to grab a drink after a long day at work.
If only the one thing I left work wanting to forget didn’t end up there alongside me much of the time.
We sit down at the bar, thankful to see that it is pretty much a ghost town. It’s not particularly surprising given that it’s 3:00 PM; most of the Saturday foot traffic probably won’t make their way in until dinner time. The neon beer sign behind the bar flickers as it basks us in hues of yellow and red, the bar far darker than you would expect in midafternoon.
Sage swivels back and forth in her chair as she waits, becoming increasingly irritated as the bartender still takes close to fifteen minutes to bring us our drinks despite us being the only people in the bar.
“So, Hannah,” Savannah turns in her seat, narrowing her attention on me, “how’s Baker & Park?”
I’ve known Savannah long enough to know that she seldom asks a question for the sake of pleasantries—there is always a reason. If only I knew what it was with this one.
“It’s fine,” I say as I pull the straw of my tall Titos and cranberry to my lips.
“How is it working with Liam?” Her enthused tone coats the question, which I’m sure she knows won’t garner a positive reaction.
“About as enjoyable as getting a colonoscopy.”
“Have you ever actuallyhada colonoscopy?” Gen asks.
“Accept the analogy, Gen.”
“I don’t know, Hannah, he’s kinda hot…” Savannah trails off, her eyes meeting Sage’s glare. “It’s an observation. Trust, Wes is the best f—”
“Okay, that’s enough.” Sage cuts her off, pulling a laugh from my lungs. A disgusted expression paints her face. Once the trauma of Savannah’s comment wears off, Sage’s focus shifts back to me, a perplexed expression on her face.
I try to ignore it, but it’s almost as if her gaze follows mine, refusing to pull away. The intensity of her attention only grows as I try to avoid her. She gets to the point of physically moving her body so as to not allow me to escape her advances, her butt hanging halfway off the chair.
“What, Sage?” Irritation seeps into my words.
“Nothing.”
“Sage…”
“It’s interesting is all.”
“What’s interesting?” I sigh, taking a large gulp of my drink.
“You and Liam.”
Here we fucking go again.
“Don’t start, Sage.”
“Mhmm,” Sage hums as she rolls her eyes, clearly not saying something that’s on her mind. I, however, have been through this song and dance enough times with my brother to know when not to take the bait.
An all-too-familiar tune comes blasting through the speakers and I know before I turn around that the guys are here. The unfortunate sound of Toto’s “Africa” is a dead giveaway. Don’t get me wrong, I like the song, but after the thirtieth time of them playing it every time we’re here, it loses its novelty. A hand slaps down on my shoulder, causing my chair to turn around and face the phantom.
“Hey, bug.” Jackson grins from ear to ear, pulling a smile from me.
As quickly as it hits my lips, the smile is gone as my gaze finds a much darker pair of eyes behind my brother staring back at me, the unwavering contact causing my skin to chill.
