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He tips back his beer with a smirk. “Just wait until next year.”
As if on cue, a bunch of pretty waitresses come out with sparklers and bottles of champagne. This fucker has too much money on his hands. His co-worker, Dustin, let him use his place downtown, so he hired a caterer that included an open bar and waitresses. He didn’t need to invite Thea for female presence because once word spread there would be free booze, women have been stopping in all night. But even though there’s been beautiful women around me all night, I can’t keep my eyes off of her. No matter how hard I try to distract myself.
She’s been driving me insane. She won’t talk to me. I was half tempted to stop by her place before I came out tonight, but my sales meeting ran late. Not to mention she didn’t want me to. But where’s the line in respecting what she wants and figuring this whole fucked up situation out? Is there even anything to figure out?
Maybe she’s right, and I should just move on and forget it ever happened. I mean, that will never fucking happen. I haven’t been able to think about anything else. She’s here with John though. She’s with him. I have to respect that.
I push through the crowd anyway until I’m standing in front of them.
“Thea,” I say, not even acknowledging John is there next to her.
She gives me attitude immediately. “Mack.”
John reaches out and shakes my hand. “Good to see you,” he says.
I try to smile, but how can I when I want him to be a million miles away from her? “Did you just get here?” I ask, trying to appear normal.
“Yeah, we went to that new place over on Division for dinner,” he says.
“It was amazing,” Thea exaggerates, giving him a flirty giggle like he’s the most perfect man in the world for taking herto fucking dinner. Her eyes are a little glossy, so they must’ve had drinks there too.
“Oh yeah?” I ask. “So you didn’t have to work today, Thea? Where was it that you were working again?”
She glares at me before trying to laugh it off. “Nope!” She grabs John’s arm again, holding onto him like they are a real official couple. “John has the whole weekend off too. Lucky us, huh?”
“Very lucky.” I turn to John. “How has that been going with you working days? I know Thea has to work nights a lot. I haven’t even been able to get ahold of her this week.”
“Uhm…” he pauses like he knows there’s more to this conversation. “Yeah, we haven’t talked much this week either.”
I basically block him out of the conversation, focusing on Thea again. “You know, if you have a quick second, we could maybe discuss that thing we were talking about.”
She doesn’t even think about it for a moment. “I’m sure it can wait until tomorrow. John, want to get some drinks?”
“Oh, I can go grab the drinks. You guys talk. I’ll be right back,” John says.
Thea tries to stop him. “No, wai-”
He’s already halfway across the room, leaving her alone with me. If I thought she was angry with me before, I don’t even know what to call the look she’s giving me now.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
I grab her arm and pull her to a wall where it’s a little quieter. “If you would have just called me back, I wouldn’t have had to do this.”
“You still don’t have to do this. We don’t have anything to talk about.”
I look to the ceiling in frustration. “No, we don’t have to, but you’re going to anyway.”
She folds her arms over her chest. “I don’t owe you anything.”
“Fuck,” I say, unable to help myself. “Is this how it’s going to be between us now?”
“Who’s the girl, Mack?” she asks, her words biting.
I lean my head back. “What?”
“The girl,” she repeats, more done with me now than before. “The off limits girl.”
And there it is. The most important thing hanging between us. I freeze up. I don’t know how to respond.
