Sleeping with Mr. Sexy(7)

We take another corner and I see the bar entrance up ahead. “I hope not.”

She stops in front of the door, her hand on the knob. “What happened exactly? You were best friends, always together. Hell, I thought for sure you two would end up together. No one knows what happened, and we’re all more than a little curious.”

I look down the sidewalk, avoiding her eyes that read me too well. It’s relatively empty for such a festive night in San Francisco. Local bars don’t get as much action as the fancy new clubs that are springing up all over the city. When my eyes meet hers again, I put on a little smile, and say, “Life happened.”

Caris pulls the door open, knowing she’s not going to get a better answer than that. The music is loud, a popular song on the radio a few years back, and my thoughts drift to New Year’s Eve two years ago.

“Looks like our boy is getting lucky,” Mark says, hitting Jack on the shoulder without missing a beat to the song blaring over the dance floor.

Jack spins Caris around, letting her continue her grinding on his front side as he looks over my head. “About time. That dude needs to get laid.”

“Who? Chase?” Michelle asks, dancing with Mark.

My head spins around so fast that I almost pull a muscle. That’s when I see him. Chase has his hand on a girl’s lower back as he leans in, whispering in her ear. The girl, some blonde, tosses her hair carelessly over her shoulder and laughs, leaning against him.

I stop dancing, not able to stop staring at him, at them. My heart breaks as my temperature rises, and jealousy surges inside. I move with determination. I don’t know what I’m going to say, or really what I’m doing, but I’m a woman on a mission. I just wish I knew what that mission was—to stop a friend from hooking up, or to stop a friend from hooking up with the wrong girl.

As I storm toward them, I hear Michelle behind me yell, “Oh, shit!”Right before I reach them, I feel her grab me from behind and yank me right past them to the other side of the bar.

“Ouch! What are you doing?” I ask.

“What are you doing?” she replies, giving me the evil eye. “Two Long Islands, please, and make it quick,” Michelle demands, slapping a fifty on the bar.

“Just coming to get a drink,” I say, lying through my teeth.

“Great! I just ordered you one.” Although she used the word great, I have a feeling it wasn’t meant in a positive way.

Turning around, I stare at the back of Chase’s head, trying to mentally will his attention my way. Blondie tosses her head back, enjoying something charming and funny he said. Little does she know that he’s always charming and funny. I take three long gulps, finishing half my drink at once. “Prince Charming all right,” I mutter under my breath while staring daggers at Blondie and her pert, up-turned nose. I hate her.

“Lydia?” Michelle calls. Chase continues charming the undies right off the overly-peroxide blonde. She calls me again and it’s becoming not only distracting to what I want to be doing right now, but it’s annoying. “Lydia?”

“What?” I say, snapping back in anger as I look her in the eyes.

Michelle has her hand on her hip. “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean! It’s your last night. You could’ve bagged that hot ass six years ago if you wanted, and now the claws come out tonight?”

“Don’t be crude, Michelle.” I finish my drink, and slam the glass down on the bar.

“I don’t get you. You act like you’re just friends, but then you get all bent—”

“We are just friends.” I lean forward. “Two more.” The bartender nods and punctuates it with a wink in my direction. I roll my eyes at his blatant flirting.

“Then why does it bother you so much if he hooks up? The guy’s been an angel. Let him go, Lydia. You’re moving on. Let him. He’s been living the life of a monk. Let him have fun tonight.” Michelle hugs me.

I lean my head against her shoulder. “I know it shouldn’t, but why does it hurt?”

“You’re right. It shouldn’t. You’ve both dated other people over the years and never had a problem before. Why now?”

“I think I’m just feeling overly emotional about leaving you guys.”

Not sounding very convincing, she hands me my drink, and says, “That’s probably it.”

We take a few wobbly, buzzed steps away from the bar. Holding hands, we make our way to a nearby leather couch and plop down.

Within a few minutes, Mark returns to Michelle’s side, and some guy settles down next to me. As he introduces himself, I notice how good looking he is. Not Chase good looking but attractive. Blonde, blue eyes, fake tan, but friendly. His name is Lex, and he’s funny, touchy-feely, a little too touchy-feely, but I’m three sheets to the wind and kind of enjoying the attention, and this guy knows it. His hand rubs up and down my leg as he leans in to tell me how sexy I am.