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11
Elizabeth
“Please stop looking so glum, chum,” Julianna yells over the loud music, bumping my shoulder with hers.
When I turn to look at her, she bobs to the beat.
“You promised me a fun time.”
I shake my head and laugh, feeling grateful we were able to grab a table in the back corner of the bar. “I’m not being glum. I was thinking about someone—something. I was just thinking about something.”
The moment Julianna said she tagged me in her Facebook post, my mind drifted to Brenden. After trying for weeks to get him off my mind, quite unsuccessfully, I got the bright idea to cyberstalk him; this mysterious man who popped up out of nowhere, awakening things inside me that I thought were lost for good, and I knew nothing about him.
All I had was his first name and location, but he was fairly easy to find. His profile was set to private, though. So I was faced with a choice: leave him alone forever, or send him a friend request.
“I’m going to let that comment slide for now,” Julianna says, her eyebrow raising along with the corners of her mouth. “I’m sure I’ll get more out of you once you have a few drinks anyway.”
My face heats as she holds up a shot glass, urging me to do the same.
“Here’s to letting go of our stresses and enjoying life for a change,” she says.
After a quick clink of our glasses, we tilt them and allow the liquor to rush down our throats. The bitter taste burns, and I shake my head before slamming the glass back down on the table.
“I’m not going to make it very long if we keep going at this pace,” I tell her, allowing my eyes to scan the small bar again.
People are crowded on the dance floor, around the bar, and at the tables surrounding us. My gaze stops on all the tall, dark-haired men, but none of them are him. Running into Brenden three days in a row has left me expecting to see him everywhere I go, and I find myself feeling a sting of disappointment each time he doesn’t show.
Brenden
“Why did you want to come if you were just going to sulk all night?” Jon shakes his head as he picks his beer up from the bar and takes a sip.
“I’m not sulking, asshole. We just got here. I’m taking a minute to scout out our surroundings.” My eyes skirt across the room again as I take a drink of my own beer, still not finding the person I’m looking for. I give up and turn back to face the bar.
“Plus, I think you’re the one sulking,” I add, causing him to scowl. “If you don’t want Allison to date, you should tell her how you feel and stop dating other women.”
“Screw you, Bren.” He downs the rest of his beer, waving the bartender over for another. “Don’t talk about shit you know nothing about and don’t understand.”
“What’s to understand?” I scoff, scratching my beard. “I know she’s the one you want to be with, but what I don’t know is why you refuse to hook up with her. It has to be a better option than pining over her your entire life.”
“No.” Jon slams his hands onto the bar before tucking his hair behind both of his ears. “That’s what you don’t get. I’m not looking to get her into my bed. If that were—”
He pauses and pinches the bridge of his nose before starting again. “I love Ally. Trying to have it all isn’t worth the risk of losing her. If you ever fall in love, we can discuss this further. Until then, Ally is off limits.”
“Whatever you say, man.” I polish off what’s left of my beer, and the bartender surprises me by placing a new one in front of me before I even put the empty bottle down.
Her intentions become blatantly obvious when her fingers brush mine as she takes the bottle from me, her eyes roaming my body as her tongue darts out to wet her lips.
I lift the fresh beer from the bar and tilt it to her in thanks as Jon scoffs in disgust. “I have no intention of falling in love,” I tell him, turning my back to the bar again.
“That’s the thing about love. It isn’t something you intend on. It’s something that happens unexpectedly. Once it grabs ahold of you, it doesn’t let go,” Jon says, crossing his arms as he leans against the bar.
“Sounds like a real motherfucker to me.” I search the room again as I tip the beer bottle to my lips.
The crowd on the dance floor thins out due to a song change, and my heart begins to beat a little faster. There she is, sitting at a table in the back of the bar with another woman. My eyes stay glued on her, watching as she smiles and laughs with her friend. The interaction looks unlike anything I’ve seen from her so far. Her smile is wider, her eyes brighter without that intense sadness there to darken them.
“Well, you do have a good eye. I’ll give you that,” Jon says, slapping his hand on my shoulder. The way he eyes Lizzy’s table causes my fists to clench. “What are we waiting for? We should go over and say hello. Dibs on the one on the right.” He brings his greedy little eyes back to me, a grin on his face as he rubs his hands together.
“I don’t fucking think so,” I boom.
