Page 24 of Crave

“I worked a ten hour shift today and tomorrow is the first Saturday I have off since forever. Let’s get out and get into something or someone, man. You’re sitting here still in your sweaty workout clothes.”

“So? Call someone else and see if they want to go out. I’m not in the mood.” To prove my point, I take off my sneakers and plop my feet on the coffee table. “I’m going to order pizza or maybe Chinese.”

“Fuck that. I’m going to walk the dogs, and when I get back, we’re getting the fuck out of this house.”

“I’m fine, man. This isn’t about Troy or Tracy,” I say knowing full well he doesn’t believe me the one time I happen to be telling the truth.

JD was my assigned roommate freshman year at Boston College, and we’ve been inseparable since. He’s from New Jersey and has spent many holidays and school breaks with me and my family. He has a younger sister but they’ve never been close, so he became like another brother in the Clark household. My parents consider him their fourth son. He hung out with me and Troy regularly, and we helped Luke with math and science the entire time Luke was in junior high and high school.

He was there the night I met Tracy and played wingman to help me get her phone number. He was also there when things with Tracy started to go stale, and when I found out she and Troy were messing around behind my back.

Over the years, he’s broken up countless fistfights and verbal confrontations between me and Troy. His relationship with Troy has suffered too, but I know they still talk.

“I’m glad to hear it, but we’re still getting out of here. It’s time you start living again.” He whistles, and the dogs come running to him. He grabs their leashes and they run out the door.

As soon as they’re gone, I grab my phone and indulge in my newest guilty pleasure, stalking Sandy’s Facebook page. I never sent her a friend request, but since her page is public, I can see whenever she updates her status, which has only happened once.

I’m hoping for a little glimpse of her life when I pull up her page.

I know I’ve hit the jackpot when I see that she was live about five minutes ago. I hit the video to find that she’s not alone. She’s surrounded by three other women, one of them her sister.

It’s someone’s birthday and they are going to a restaurant that plays live music. I make a quick phone call to the restaurant before tossing my phone on the couch and jumping in the shower.

“What are you bitching about? You said you wanted to go out,” I say to JD as I practically shove him into my Escalade.

“Yeah, but I wanted to go into the city, not some place in the suburbs. I don’t want anyone to think we’re out on a date.”

“As if you’re hot enough to date me. This place plays live music, so the women will be plentiful,” I tell him. He nods like I knew he would. The bastard is just happy that I’m willing to get out of the house without much of a fight.

“Fine, but we’re going downtown if every woman there is either married or with a date.”

“You got it,” I say, knowing full well I won’t be going into the city tonight. I pull out of my driveway, excited for the first time since last Saturday.

“Is that a smile on your face?” JD asks after a few minutes. “I swear to god, if you found out that Troy and Tracy are going to be at this restaurant and you’re trying to start some shit, I—”

“Will you shut the fuck up about them? No, I’m not following their every move and I couldn't give a shit about what they’re doing tonight. Not every fucking thing I do is about them, okay?”

He lifts a single brow as he studies. “Okay, but I know your ass is up to something.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a paranoid motherfucker?” I turn up the music and drown out whatever response he was going to make.

“I take back what I said,” JD says once we step inside the restaurant. “There’s plenty to choose from right here, Jacob. Hope you don’t mind if I take one back to your place tonight.”

I ignore him as I scan the room for Sandy. It’s not public knowledge that my Uncle John and father owns several restaurants in New England, this being one of them. While JD was walking the dogs, I told the manager where to seat Sandy and her friends and to leave the table next to her for me and Jason. I spot her sister sitting at a table with one girl, but Sandy and the other girl are missing.

“This way to your table, Mr. Clark,” the hostess says.

“Holy shit! Do you see the tits on that one?” JD asks, pointing his head in the direction of Sandy’s table. I look and realize he’s talking about the unknown female talking to Natasha, who is laughing at whatever was just whispered in her ear.

“You see the fat engagement ring on her finger?” I ask my friend.

“Not my problem, bro. I want to fuck her, not marry her. She can keep her fiancé. You think she’ll let me fuck her tits?”

“Shut up,” I whisper to him. The last thing I fucking need is for them to hear this shit. Luck’s on my side because JD is already lost looking at the menu.

Instead of taking a seat, I make a show of taking off my jacket and let it slip from my hand. It plops down on the floor and the noise of my keys makes our neighbors look over at me. I smile at them as I pick up my jacket and hang it on the back of my chair.

“Oh, hey,” I say, feigning surprise at Natasha. “You’re Natasha, right? Your mom caters all our business lunches. We met a few months ago. I’m Jacob Clark,” I remind her.

---