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Yippee.
“I thought we were going out just us,” Lily commented. “You know…justus. It’s been so long since we’ve hung out and I was hoping to catch up with everyone.”
“We’re still going to do that,” Bree said. “We promise not to give the guys all our attention, okay?”
Somehow she greatly doubted that, but…sure.
Her friends were all talking at once, and Lily was clueless about most of the conversation topics. It was crazy to feel lonely when you were surrounded by your best friends, and yet she did. Nothing in her life was going her way and she suddenly wished she were in her own car so she could turn around and just go home.
Oh, right…I can’t even go to my own home right now.
“I’m sure Scott’s bringing Axl,” she heard Bree saying. “Are you interested in hooking up with anyone, Lil? Because I swear Axl is totally your type! He’s tall and tattooed and he owns a moving company, rides a motorcycle, but also competes in a lot of off-road races. He’s kind of a legend around here.”
She remembered her train of thought from last night and how she wanted that exact thing to take her mind off of Noah, but right now, she wasn’t in the mood. “I…I don’t know. I really just wanted a quiet night with you guys. Life has just been exhausting lately, and this injury really has me freaked out. I think I need…”
“To hook up with a hot guy!” Morgan finished for her with a burst of laughter. “You’rewaytoo serious tonight, Lily! This is about going out and having fun! You need to lighten up!”
It was pointless to argue, so she forced a smile and said, “You’re right! Let’s do this!”
This—it turned out—was a part of the downtown district that used to be where most people stayed away from, but it was now going through a bit of a renaissance. The District was a massive indoor complex and she was surprised at how packed the parking lot was for a Monday night.
“Wow, it’s not too crowded tonight,” Sue said when they were getting out of the car. “You should see this place on the weekend, Lil. We normally have to park a couple of blocks away.”
“Seriously?”
Her friends all nodded. “You’re going to love this place,” Bree said, taking her by the hand. “And I can tell you really need this.”
They stepped inside, and the noise level was almost deafening. She sighed loudly, but no one noticed. Still, resigning herself to an evening not of her choosing, Lily did her best to smile and look like she was into all the possibilities of the night.
They hadn’t walked more than a handful of steps when Bree tugged on her arm and pointed across the room. “There!” she yelled in Lily’s ear. “See that guy over there by the dart boards? The one in the black t-shirt and the blonde hair? That’s Axl!” Then she pulled back with a wide grin. “He’s cute, right?”
He wasn’t bad looking, but she genuinely wasn’t feeling it. When she caught Bree staring at her expectantly, she nodded. “Yeah! Cute!”
Liar.
It became a blur after that as the four of them made their way across the room to the dart boards. She was introduced to Scott, Micah, Ty, Axl, some guy named Freddy, and another random guy named Brent. Lily smiled and said hello to all of them, and Axl immediately moved in beside her.
That’s when she realized this was possibly a set up.
Ugh.
“So,” he began, his breath warm and a bit moist against her ear. “I hear you’re a dancer. That’s so cool!”
“Um…yeah. Although, I’m on a break right now because of a…”
“What kind of dancing? Like…ballet and shit?”
Conversations like this irked her because she knew he wasn’t really interested. His breath reeked of beer, his cologne was way too strong, and he was standing all up in her business, making her uncomfortable. Casually taking a step back, she nodded. “Sometimes it’s ballet, but I’ve done some stuff on Broadway and…”
“Oh, man! I love New York! Did you ever spend time in Times Square? It’s awesome!”
“Here, Lil!” Sue said, thrusting a glass into her hand. “We’re doing shots! To girls’ night!Woo!”
She glanced down at her glass and frowned. Shots really weren’t her thing, so she took a small sip while everyone threw theirs back.
“Not a drinker, huh?” Axl asked, his mouth back at her ear. “That’s cool.”
“Thanks,” she murmured and looked around, hoping to make eye contact with one of her friends to come and rescue her. Even if this was a setup, she wasn’t into it.
