Page 17 of My Promise To Keep

We headed inside my favorite bar, a place that gets a little crazy after ten. The rock music that was a comfortable volume right now would go way up, and the crowd would get rowdy. It was a good time, but I just wanted to catch up with my friends and reflect on what I had achieved.

‘How are the ribs, Zo?’ Doug asked, a caring, concerned expression replacing his usual sarcastic one. He and his siblings could flip from cussing each other out to loving on one another in a heartbeat. I loved that about them.

‘Sore, but I’m tough. I can take it.’

Damn straight, she could. I always loved tattooing Zoe because she sat like a champ. She was this petite little thing, but her pain threshold was incredible. I’d had big, burly bikers struggle to sit like she did.

This felt good. Having her there, right next to me. I had missed her so much, and now that she was there, there was no awkwardness, no hint that anything between us had changed. It was just me and my best friends in the world, the way it always had been. We laughed loudly, drank steadily, and reminisced about the past. We’d go over and over moments from our history often, and somehow, it never got old. A lifetime with these people has been a privilege.

‘Oh, my goodness, honey,’ an older woman in leather trousers and a low-cut black top said with a smile as she stopped by our table and put her hand on Zoe’s shoulder. ‘Look at you, taking care of these two gorgeous men all by yourself.’

‘Oh,’ Zoe released a small laugh and shook her head. ‘No, it’s not, I’m,’ she gestured to Doug, ‘he’s my brother.’

‘Oh,’ the woman grinned at me and winked, ‘well, you two certainly look like you can handle each other. Good for you, sweetie.’

As she walked away, I laughed awkwardly. I couldn’t help it, but the look on Doug’s face was thunder.

‘Doug, calm down,’ Zoe said softly as he stared after the woman.

‘Why would she think you two…’

‘Because she doesn’t know us, and we’re sitting next to each other at a table in a bar, it was an assumption.’

‘Brother, I’ll get us some drinks. Relax, this is a celebration.’

I walked away toward the bar, leaving Zoe to calm her brother down, and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach — his reaction to the idea of me and her was instant, visceral.

I might have made a promise to Luke, but keeping that might ruin my friendship with Doug, and I didn’t think that was something I could bring myself to do. He’d been my best friend for over twenty years, and his friendship meant the world to me.

As I headed back to the table, I saw them both laughing and forced myself to relax. Zoe and I were not even in that place. I didn’t have anything to worry about.

‘Oh, this is nice.’

I showed Zoe up to my new apartment above the shop, and she took it all in.

‘It’s smaller than my last place, but it’s just me here, so it’s plenty.’

‘It’s great, Leo.’

I grinned. Her approval was important to me.

‘Beer, tea, or water?’

‘Water, please.’

She kicked off her shoes and sat on my couch, wincing a little, and I remembered the tattoo I’d done just a few hours earlier.

Handing Zoe her water and a couple of ibuprofen, I sat next to her and turned to face her. She smiled up at me gratefully. God, she was pretty.

‘Thank you.’

‘You sore?’

She nodded. ‘A little. It’s fine.’

‘Thank you for comin’, munch.’

She smiled. ‘I wouldn’t have missed this. I’m so proud of you.’

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