Page 24 of Fast Lane

“I want to go,” Chrissy comments.

Baylor scoffs, rolls her eyes then points behind her towards the door saying, “Right there, is the door.”

Chrissy scurries out and I step towards Baylor. “You’re horrible.”

“I’m protective. There’s a difference. Besides, how long is that going to last? Oh, that’s right it won’t. He’ll be bored by the end of the night,” Baylor says in a sing-song voice.

I raise my eyebrows. “He might not be.”

We start to head out of the bathroom. I have a job to get back to but Baylor looks over her shoulder and in a sing-song voice says, “Mark my words.”

Twenty-One

Roscoe

Rejection is never easy. It stings pretty bad. Takes a hit at the pride. It was pretty clear when Riverlyn walked in that Kosi regretted what was about to happen. The last thing I wanted to do was follow her outside but Mushu was in the car. I couldn’t let her take him. It was so bad that she couldn’t even look me in the eyes. At first I thought I might be overreacting. Maybe she was just freaked out, but after a few days of her avoiding me and radio silence via phone, I took the hint.

For a moment I considered calling Chrissy up and canceling the date I had set up well over a week ago, skipping Baylor’s birthday altogether and just chilling at home with Mushu, but then I figured the best way to move past whatever weird attraction I suddenly had to Kosi was to get over it. In my mind, I figured Chrissy would be a great distraction to help with the Kosi situation. My plan was laid out and foolproof, or so I thought.

However, the moment I walked into Rowdy’s and my eyes landed on Kosi, I knew I was screwed. There was no way I could ignore her. My bruised ego hurt but it still wanted her snarky, sarcastic comments. The way she rolled her blue eyes. I was actually missing things about her which was odd. At first her eyes danced with something… desire… attraction, I’m not quite sure but it morphed quickly. Before I knew it, she had dashed off towards the back. Baylor glared at me clearly pissed before following after her. My eyes follow Kosi and her legs that look as if they go on forever, the jeans she has on hug every inch. Brown cowboy boots hit midcalf. She’s got a black sequined tank top on with a red button up over it and tied up on her midriff. Her hair is perfectly curled and she’s got some little twisty thing going on in front. The thing that is perfectly engraved in my mind though is the look of red lipstick on her perfectly shaped lips. The lips I was just inches from the other day. The same ones I have been picturing in my mind every day since.

Before we even made it to the table, Chrissy announced she needed the ladies room. I wanted to tell her that if my suspicion was correct about where Kosi and Baylor disappeared to then the ladies room probably wasn’t the best idea. In the end, I kept my mouth shut because I doubt she’d listen to me anyways. Besides, I didn’t want to make the situation into a big deal.

Chrissy is gone for a bit. I’m sitting next to Bowie when he leans over and asks, “Do you need to go check on her?” I just shake my head. Bowie doesn’t bring it up again. Chrissy finally reappears but I have to admit she looks a little confused. She plops into her seat next to me.

My arm is draped across the back of it. She turns to me. “I think she just called me a hooker.”

I have to bite back the laughter inside my chest. It’s just the look on Chrissy’s face is kind of funny. Once I’m certain I won’t laugh I ask, “Who?” I’m assuming her answer will be Kosi. She does always come across as judgy.

“Baylor.” Her answer shocks me. As if her name summons her, Baylor appears from around the corner. Our group cheers for her. She’s all smiles and waves until her eyes land on me. I watch as her happy look morphs into one of disgust and kind of angry. Her eyes narrow into a glare and her smile falls away. I’m not sure what I did but clearly something. When they say looks can kill… well they must have witnessed the look Baylor is giving me right now. It causes me to squirm in my seat a little.

When I turn to Chrissy she looks as uncomfortable as I suddenly feel. “I’m sure you misunderstood her.”

Chrissy’s eyes go wide. “I’m pretty sure there was no way to misunderstand that.”

Kosi comes to the table with another waitress. She passes out drinks and begins taking orders. However, she seems hell bent on avoiding me once again. She’s standing next to Baylor and going down the left side of the table, taking orders. The other waitress comes down mine. Disappointment floods me but I’m not sure why. It’s obvious how she feels about the almost kiss. Regardless, I still try to catch her eye, but she refuses. It isn’t until she finishes and turns around to check on the other waitress that our eyes lock. Something flashes in hers… I almost want to say she’s hurt but I know that can’t be. But before I have time to truly decipher it, her guards are up and she looks exactly like the girl I’ve come to know.

Music plays around us and the night continues. The longer I sit here the more my mood drifts to a place I don’t go often. Irritation simmers beneath the surface. Eventually, I make my way towards the birthday girl where Kosi is currently but when she sees me coming she turns around and runs away like I have some sort of plague. I squat beside Baylor and I have to give her credit she looks shocked. “Roscoe.”

“Happy birthday.”

She forces a smile onto her face that never really reaches her eyes. “Thank you.”

We stare at each other for a moment. “Did you call my date a hooker?”

Baylor smirks. “I guess I should give her more credit. Honestly, I had my doubts about her catching that.”

“Baylor,” I scold quietly.

She shakes her head. “Nope, you don’t get to take that tone with me. It’s my night and I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You can’t be serious,” I comment.

We stare at each other for a long while before she answers. “As a heart attack.”

“Why?” I ask. There has to be some reason why.

Baylor scoffs. “If you have to ask then you didn’t deserve the answer anyways.”

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