Beyond Broken(43)

Shaking his head, Caleb managed to snag a table just around the corner from the main bar-but in sight of Maddie-beating out another large group who'd been hovering nearby, waiting for their chance.

"Hey man, we've been waiting for this table forever," complained one of the aforementioned hipsters. All Caleb had to do was give him a look and the man was slowly backing away. "Never mind, all yours, pal."

"Caleb, maybe we should let them have it," Adam, always the nice one, commented.

"Sit down," was all he replied, taking his own seat, which, naturally, had an unhindered view of the woman driving him out of his fucking mind.

"Yeah, sit down, you sexy beast," Christie, Adam's girlfriend, chimed in, grabbing her boyfriend's ass. "Do you know how long we'd be waiting for a table? It's a goddamn miracle." She craned her neck around to look at Caleb and winked. "I approve of your methods."

Adam pushed his glasses up his nose, his cheeks going a little pink.

"I'm surrounded by immorality," he grumbled, even as he took a seat next to Caleb, Christie following closely behind.

"Just wait until later," Christie purred. "I can show you just how immoral I can be when it comes to you."

Alex coughed into his fist, trying to hide a grin, as he took a seat on the other side of Caleb, Olivia in tow. "Sometimes, I still can't believe Adam's getting laid at all."

"Thanks," Adam deadpanned, scrunching up his nose when he pushed away a sticky, half-empty pint.

"Our little virgin is all grown up," Luke declared, wiping away an invisible tear. "I'm so proud."

"Remind me why I even like you guys," Adam said.

"So, Caleb," Luke started and Caleb mentally braced himself. "See anything in here you particularly like?"

He rolled his eyes when Luke started looking around, but he failed to spot Maddie, tucked away in a corner with her douche of a date and who Caleb assumed was the friend she'd spoken of with her date. Caleb's eyes briefly paused on the friend, frowning when he thought she looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place her in his mind.

"Yeah, why are we here?" Alex asked, eyeing him. "You hate this place."

"Caleb's brushing up on his stalking skills," Luke replied, a wide grin on his face.

Olivia jolted in her seat. "Is she here?"

"Who's she?" Christie asked, confused. But then realization struck her. "Is this the one Luke and Kate met last week?"

"Yes," Kate replied, from her place beside Luke. "Maddie. She's really sweet. I'm getting coffee with her on Monday."

"That's enough," Caleb grated through a clenched jaw. Obviously, he'd underestimated how many gossips he had for friends.

Like he hadn't even spoken, Alex asked, "Where is she?"

Like he would point her out to them … and just for good measure, he gave Luke and Kate a warning look that said don't you dare point her out either.

"Let's guess," Christie said, bouncing up and down a little in her seat. "The one by the bar in the purple dress?"

"No, too flashy for his tastes," Alex speculated.

"The one with the headband right over there?"




       
         
       
        
"The one with the pink heels?"

"The one with the harem pants?"

"The one with the-"

"First round's on me," Caleb said, standing from his seat, and escaping to the bar. He liked his friends, he really did. They'd been there for him for the past few years. They'd helped him when his uncle had gotten sick and when he'd eventually passed away. When the weight of his uncle's business fell on his shoulders. When he'd told them about his aunt one drunken night. When he told them about his parents one drunken night. And they'd never judged him.

But fuck, sometimes they were too intrusive. He knew they just worried about him. They wanted him to have what they had … a good woman and a loving, supportive relationship. But they didn't understand that he wasn't wired for that. Not anymore. Caleb knew that even if he did have another relationship, it would be a little fucked up. It wouldn't be normal. Sometimes, he would need to shut down. Sometimes, he'd say things he didn't mean because he had a temper.

Yes, maybe he had fantasized about what something more would be like with Maddie. Would he actually go through with it? He didn't think so.

So what the fuck are you doing here? he asked himself as he pushed his way to the front of the bar. After he ordered the first round of drinks and waited for the bartender, he cast another glance at her. Suddenly, his reasons for wanting to make sure her date treated her right fell like lead. He knew he came here for purely selfish reasons. A part of him wanted to bolt out of the bar. A part of him wished they'd stay at McTeague's. It was too late for that now.