“Yeah. Same hours. Text me or whatever if you want to hang out. Who knows how busy we will be and I probably won’t have time to talk or anything but –”
“You’re rambling.”
“I just... I’m running late. I was supposed to meet Gigi...” She cleared her throat when she realized she was still talking.
“So... later?”
“Yeah, of course,” she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
I pulled open the front door and waited for her to walk through before I closed it, twisting the lock and leaning back against the frame.
The bathroom door opened and out walked Payton wearing my white sheet, holding it loosely over her chest.
“I feel like death,” she moaned.
“You look like death.”
“Charming, as always.” She rolled her eyes.
“We didn’t –”
“Are you kidding? You were practically comatose. I’m not into necrophilia.”
“Fuck.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “You gotta go.” I hurried past her toward my room.
“I’m not walking. I’m too hungover.”
“Just get dressed.” I pushed open my door and there on the floor was Payton’s slutty clothing that she had worn out to the bar the night before. The bar Henley worked at. There was no possible way she didn’t see them, and she had to know who they belonged to. “Shit,” I yelled, grabbing my desk chair and shoving it over.
“Jesus, I’m going. Calm down,” Payton snapped, walking around me and plucking her apparel from the floor. “This is what I get for being nice to you,” she mumbled.
I walked back the hall and into the living room where Beef was standing, a bowl of cereal in hand and eyebrows raised, waiting to hear how things played out.
“I didn’t mean to bring her here.”
“You didn’t. I brought you both here because you were too fucked up to walk last night.”
“I didn’t sleep with her,” I reassured him.
He shook his head as he dropped his spoon into his empty bowl. “You mean again?”
“You know that wasn’t my fault. I had no idea –”
He groaned, walking into the kitchen to drop his dishes in the sink. “I know, man. Doesn’t make it hurt any less.”
I nodded, hating myself for creating more tension between us.
“How did it go with Henley?” He asked.
“I cocked up.”
“What’s new?”
I sighed as I sank down on the arm of the couch, my thudding head in my hands. “I regret it.”
Chapter Twenty-One
HENLEY
I hurried down the stairs from Lucas’ apartment and out into the blinding morning sun. Digging my cell from my bag, I quickly dialed Gigi as I walked across the street and between the buildings, wanting to get as far away from Lucas as quickly as possible.
After two rings, Gigi answered sounding bored and incredibly high, “Gigi’s freebies. First fuck is a buck, but second, you’re in luck. What’s your pleasure?”
“You’re rhyming skills are improving,” I deadpanned. “I am such an idiot.”
“What happened?”
“Promise you won’t judge me?”
“Sweetie, I have two gay dads and a birthmark that looks like Lincoln on my left ass cheek. Who am I?”
“Open minded and patriotic?” I sighed as my smile fell. “I’m sorry for freaking out on you at Slice of Heaven last week. I’ve just been so wrapped up in my on shit lately.”
“You know you couldn’t get rid of me if you tried,” she reassured me.
I squeezed my eyes closed and braced for the barrage of questions that would follow my next statement. “I slept over at Lucas’ last week.”
“You dirty, lyin’ lucky bastard!”
I rolled my eyes as I dipped down another alleyway. “I didn’t do anything with him. We played video games and ate mushrooms.”
“The good kind?”
“Um... they were stuffed with crab.”
“Oh,” she groaned.
“Anyway, he was actually nice and kind of sweet. And then last night he kissed me.”
“Holy shit. I need details. First of all where?”
“In the parking lot outside of the dorms.”
“Where on your body you simple, simple little creature.”
“Damn it, Gigi. Just listen to me. He kissed my lips. Just a little kiss. That’s it.”
“So why are you so ragey?”
I slowed my pace, feeling like a complete freaking loser and the last thing I wanted to do was explain it all to the only person I have that I can actually talk to. “You were right about him.”
“Aww... Henley, I’m so sorry.”
“Remember the other day when you said that someone should teach him a lesson?”
“Yeah...”
“I’m in.”
***
Gigi was waiting outside of my dorm room when I arrived, sweaty and starving.
“What did he do?” She asked as I opened my door to Addy getting plowed by some tool in a trucker hat.
“Do you mind?” Addy screeched.
“No, by all means,” I deadpanned as I slammed the door. The guy grabbed her purple comforter and wrapped it around himself before smiling broadly. He had a gnarly cut through his eyebrow lined with stitches.
“You must be the new roommate. I’m Seth.” He held out his hand to shake as Gigi and I both cringed.
“I’m not touching that,” Gigi groaned. “Come on, Henley. We can go talk about Lucas while we get burgers or something.”
“Lucas Young?” He asked, his good eyebrow arched.
“Yeah, you know him?” I asked, averting my eyes.
“We’ve met,” he replied as he fished his pair of boxers off the floor and slid them on beneath the blanket.
“Lucky you.” I grabbed a hair tie, twisting my hair up into a messy bun and securing it on top of my head. “We’re going to go grab some food. You guys are welcome to join us.”
“I think we are just going to hang out here,” Addy replied with a smile. “But we can start spending our alone time at his place if it bothers you.”
“That would be lovely.” I rolled my eyes as I held open the door for Gigi before slipping out into the hall behind her. We both broke out into a fit of laughter as we made our way to the elevator.
“Your roommate seems really shy. We need to get her to open up,” Gigi quipped, and I snorted as the doors opened, and we slipped inside.
“If she opened up any wider I would have been able to see her uterus.”
Gigi grabbed my arm as she doubled over in laughter, clearly still feeling a buzz from the weed she’d smoked earlier.
The doors opened again, and we slipped out into the lobby and through the main door of the dorm.
“Where do you want to eat?” she asked.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. At least twice Lucas has mentioned Swank and that he knew someone that worked there. I wanted to check it out, but there was no way I could afford their food, and I didn’t want to run into him. “I could go for some Tacos.”
“Hell yeah.” Looping her arm in mine we staggered our way off campus toward Paco’s Tacos.
***
Gigi picked up a loaded nacho and shoved it in her mouth, cheese dripping down over her fingers. “I still can’t believe you slept with him and didn’t tell me.”
I rolled my eyes, taking a bite from my hard shell taco. “I didn’t sleep with him. I just crashed at his place. It doesn’t matter. He screwed Payton last night.” I shook my head before taking a sip of soda. “I should have known he was full of shit.”
“She is such a laundromat.”
“A what?”
“You know... like a hooker. Pay per load,” she snorted.
“I’m so glad I didn’t tell him I was sorry for storming off after he kissed me. I think I would have died if I made the humiliation worse.”
“So what did
you say when you noticed she had slept there?”
“Nothing.”
Gigi dropped her nacho on her plate, her bloodshot eyes widening. “You just left? Like stormed out and slammed the door?”
“No. Like maybe we can hang out sometime or something stupid like that before I left. You know I ramble when I get nervous.”
She closed her eyes and when they opened she didn’t hide her look of pity. “Jesus, Henley,” she whispered, and I shrugged because there was nothing I could say. I was an idiot.
“Okay, so he doesn’t know for sure that you knew she was there. So... why not let him think you didn’t see anything?”
“That’s your plan? You want me to just continue being an oblivious idiot?”
“No... You can pretend you didn’t see anything and keep hanging out with him. Make him think he still has a chance.”
“And that teaches him a lesson how?”
“I don’t know. I’m too high to think right now.”
“Your dads must be so proud that they are spending all this money for you to kill your brain cells.”
“Pffft. Where do you think I get my weed?”
***
I slipped inside of Dive Bar, scanning the crowd with Gigi by my side. There was no sign of Lucas or Payton, and I relaxed as I made my way to the backroom.
“It’s Friday night so don’t expect to get many breaks,” Milo called out as he grunted, lifting a box of bottles.
“Um... okay.” I tied my apron around my waist before gathering my hair up into a messy bun.
Placing the box on another shelf, he turned to face me. “I’m sorry. It’s been a shitty day.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered. “Anything you want to talk about?”
“I might be selling the bar.”
“What?” I tried to hide the shock from my voice, but as Milo ran his hand against his jaw, I knew I’d failed. “What will you do? Where will you work?”
“Some guy who owns a restaurant in town wants to pick it up. I’d still stay on to manage.”
“But you love this place.”
“I love the idea of being able to pay down my mortgage more, and not much would really change. You’d still have a job here if you wanted it.”
“Of course.”
He stared at me for a moment. “Your friend show up tonight?”
“Nope. Not yet.”
“Probably still hung over.” He returned to doing inventory. “He drank a shit-ton of whiskey last night before Payton took him home. If that boy had an idea, it would die of loneliness.”
I rolled my eyes at the revelation. It was evident he didn’t like Lucas, and he probably couldn’t wait to let me know he’d went home with that skank. But something about his statement was off. “He came back in here... and drank more after he walked me home?”
Milo shrugged, running his fingers through his hair as he picked up a bottle of vodka.
“I told him one shot, but he didn’t listen.”
“What do you mean he didn’t listen? This is your bar. You could have just stopped serving him.”
“He seemed fine,” he said as he turned around, shrugging. “And Payton made sure he got home okay.”
“Yeah, you said that,” I snapped with more acid in my tone than I intended. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he was deliberately rubbing it in. “I should get out there and help out. It was starting to fill up when I came in.”
“Henley, maybe we can grab a bite to eat after closing? I have a hankerin' for some steak. I know a place off Riverton.”
“It’ll be late,” I made a face, already exhausted and I hadn’t even begun working.
“Tomorrow?”
“A Saturday? Won’t it be another late night?”
He nodded, running his hand along his beard. “Some other time then.”
I smiled before slipping back to the front of the bar and began to work on the mundane cleaning tasks as Gigi stood over the jukebox, filling it with quarters and picking out songs to play.
I grabbed a rag and made my rounds, cleaning off left behind bottles and cups from the tables and wiping them down for the next customers.
***
Three hours into my shift and Gigi was already slurring her words, and I had to pull her down as she tried to climb on the pool table.
“Hurry up so we can do that scavenger hunt.” She held up a brightly colored flyer with Greek letters across the top.
“I have to work.”
“He’s watching you, you know.”
“Who?” I asked, my head whipping around and searching for Lucas.
“Milo. He has been staring at you all damn night. Lucas was right, his beard does look like lady bits.”
“It does not.” My eyes narrowed as I took her shot glass from her hand, turning, so my back was to the bar as I drank it down. “Jesus, that is gross.” I exhaled, feeling like a fire breathing dragon.
“What is it you see in that guy anyway?”
I shrugged, wiping the back of my hand under my lower lip. “I’m not into him. I can just see the appeal. He has roots.”
“Roots?”
“Yeah, you know. He isn’t going anywhere. I’ve had enough people up and leave in my life. Something is weird about him, though,” I whispered as I sat her glass down on my tray I’d been using to collect glasses.
“Besides the vagina face?” She asked, swirling her finger around her lips.
“He let Lucas get wasted last night, like extremely wasted and told me, a couple of times, about him leaving with Payton.”
“That’s not weird. That’s him trying to show you that you’re too good for Lucas.”
I snorted. “I already know I’m too good for Lucas.”
“At least we agree on something, love,” a deep voice called from behind me. I clutched my chest as I spun around, looking up at Lucas who was smiling sardonically.
“Hey,” I mumbled, clenching my fist at my side and wishing I could punch Gigi for not warning me that he’d snuck up on me. “Um... how long have you been –”
“I just got here,” he raised a bottle of beer to his lips.
“Oh.”
“I just... wanted to say hello. I know you’re busy.” He glanced over my shoulder. “Hello, Gigi.”
“I um... I’m just working.”
“I assumed you didn’t drink all of those yourself.” He looked down at my tray full of glasses. “I’m going to go hang out with the guys.”
“Okay,” I forced a smile and as he turned to walk to the bar I spun around, smacking Gigi on the arm.
“Ouch! What the hell?”
“Thanks for the warning.”
“I was too busy gossiping,” she whined.
I rolled my eyes before I took my glasses and headed back behind the bar to load them into the dishwasher.
Chapter Twenty-Two
LUCAS
There was no one more adamant than me that Henley was too good for me or anyone here for that matter, but it didn’t take the sting out of hearing it from her own lips.
“How’d it go?” Beef asked as I joined him at the bar, clenching my jaw as I locked eyes with Milo.
“I have no idea if she saw anything.”
“Did you ask her?”
“What am I supposed to say? Hey, did you happen to catch that Payton slept over last night? No? Well, now you know.”
“Why don’t you kiss Henley again because that worked out so well for you,” he joked as Milo sat our beer bottles in front of us, his eyes cutting to me.
“Bartender,” I said with a nod.
“Drunk guy,” he replied before he moved down the bar to fill other drink orders.
“Fucking tosser,” I muttered, picking up my bottle and taking a long pull before my eyes settled on Henley at the other end of the bar, loading glasses into a small dishwasher.
“I don’t know why you’re putting so much work into one piece of ass,” Noah said, shaking his head as he spun arou
nd to look at the crowd. “There are way too many girls willing to go home with you without a second thought.”
“She’s not a piece of ass. Don’t you ever want to actually get to know someone? Have a connection?”
“Hell no,” Noah snapped. “Why waste your time?”
“Aren’t you going back to London when college is over?” Beef asked as I took a long pull from my bottle.
He was right. What was the point of pursuing something with Henley when in the end it would all be for nothing anyway? “You’re right.” I watched as Milo walked up behind Henley, his fingertips ghosting across the small of her back. He said something to her quietly, and she laughed, shaking her head before she glanced over her shoulder and her smile fell. As much as I hated the guy, I had to admit that the only reason was because of Henley, and she could do a lot worse than a bloke who owns his own business.
Beef clamped his hand on my shoulder. “No amount of pussy is worth the hassle. Trust me. I speak from experience.”
I drained the contents of my bottle before sitting it down on the bar and pulling out some cash to cover our tab. “Let’s go see what’s going on down at Filly’s.”
***
We’d spent a couple of hours at the bar before we ended up sitting around Fawler Lake on an old wooden dock. Kappa Gama was having a scavenger hunt and we’d given up after the second clue. Laney was on my lap as she chatted with some bird who’d spent the evening flirting with me.
“You need another beer?” The girl asked, and I nodded as I lifted up my bottle trying to peer inside in the dim light of the moon.
She got up and walked back to Beef’s car to grab more from the cooler in the back as I stared at her ass.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to get me drunk.”
Laney twisted in my lap, putting a leg on either side of my waist as she straddled me. “What do you think of Sage?”
“Um... I don’t know. That’s a herb or something, yeah?”
She smacked me lightly on the side of the head. “Sage, the girl I’ve been trying to screw all night.”
“Oh.” I shrugged. “She’s cute.”
“Will you fuck her?”
“What?”
“She’s straight, but she’d totally be down for a threesome.”
“No. No fucking way am I getting wrapped up in your mess.” I grabbed her hips and began to lift her from my lap as she rolled them, grinding against me.