Page 17 of Bang Buddies With Benefits
Still, I hopped to, striving to please, regardless of it being next-to-impossible when it came to Julia, and poured her drink.
A minute or so later, she sat on the opposite side of the bar, hazel eyes fixated on the top of her glass as she circled the rim with a fingertip. Poise had been drilled into her since birth, along with etiquette lessons. Her nails were recently done, the white tips square and perfectly polished, and there was nary a blonde strand of hair out of place.
It reminded me that she’d always been under the pressure Noah was now, and despite myself, sympathy fizzed up, like the bubbles in her glass. I’d tried to help her be okay with her imperfections, but I don’t think she has the ability. Which meant she was acutely aware of all mine.
Even though I’d cleaned and polished the bar last night and no one else had sat at it, I started a foot or so away and wiped across. I meant what I said to Noah. There was no way in hell I’d ever slip and sleep with her again, not after what happened last time. The two of us were more likely to get into a shouting match than anything, something our exchange at the back door proved.
Honestly, I agreed she could do better when it came to someone who’d be more in line with the relationship and future she wanted.
The clink of her glass caught my attention, the rattling of ice cubes telling me she’d downed most of her drink already—years of bartending had me attuned to certain cues.
“I’m sorry I snapped,” she said. “And for the comment about being tipsy at work.”
That was new, her apologizing so quickly.
“It’s just that you’re so infuriating sometimes, with your casual swagger, and how everything rolls off you so easily. The way you dive in without thinking, no thought to what happens once you reach the bottom, or who you might hurt on the way.”
Yeah, that was more like it. Parts of that might be true. I didn’t see the point in finding solutions for every possible problem that might arise, like she did. I was quick on my feet and preferred to rectify issues as required. “Plenty affects me, but I’ve gotten good at shrugging off a lot of what I can’t control. Stressing over it won’t change it any.”
It was a conversation we’d had numerous times. Would she truly be happy if I was as tightly wound as she was?
After my dad passed away and I went from part-owner of the Drunken Kraken to full, I spent about a month mourning the loss of other careers I’d considered pursuing. But anytime I ran into my former college classmates, they were overworked and frazzled, andcome on—putting me in the spotlight would be like asking a Tasmanian devil to be your running mate. I practically haddoes not play by society’s ruleswritten on my forehead. I had no business in politics or the law.
That type of job also required a whole life or death, all-in or don’t bother attitude, and that didn’t suit me, either. Incidentally, Julia felt that same philosophy applied to relationships. I made the mistake of assuming the opposites-attract thing would result in a nice balance. In reality, it caused a shit-ton of fights.
Perhaps Julia and I were simply too disproportional and counteractive to remain at an even keel of any kind, but I it’d drained me of the desire to travel that path ever again.
It’s the same with Cat’s workaholic personality, and another reason she and I wouldn’t work long-term, either.She never blocked off enough downtime in that hectic schedule of hers, another reason I ensured she enjoyed every second of the minutes she took to get down with me.
“So?” I tossed the rag over my shoulder and crossed my forearm on the bar, leaving me and my ex at eye-level. “I’m guessing you didn’t come all the way here for a Diet Coke you could fish out of the vending machine at your office?”
Julia picked up one of the laminated drink menus and skimmed it, as if she hadn’t read through it before. “I came to draw up the terms of our peace treaty. Jeremy doesn’t think you and I can be in the same room without causing drama, and I hate that he has a point.” She peeked over the top of the menu, as if it’d make a great shield if it came to that. “This way, we can hash out any unfinished dramabeforethe wedding.”
“What’s to finish? We did a pretty good job ending it with that ugly screaming match at the engagement party. I say we leave our past drama where it belongs—in the past—and focus on getting through all the future events we have together. Haven’t we done enough damage?”
Julia fiddled with the charm on her necklace and sighed. “I suppose. What about closure? Do you have anything you didn’t say to me before that you’d like to say now?”
“Closure’s nothing more than a bullshit phrase filled with landmines.” I leaned a hip on the bar. “As far as I’m concerned, the door is closed, and opening it up will only reopen old wounds. The best thing we can do—for our brothers and ourselves—is to move on. In other words, we keep doing what we’re already doing.”
“Speaking of…” At the haughty lift of her chin, my shoulders automatically hiked up in preparation. There was something in her tone, too, a tightness I recognized all too well, as it had proceeded previous fights. “I’m considering bringing a date to the wedding.”
Her eyes narrowed as she studied me excruciatingly closely, looking for what, I wasn’t sure. Did she expect me to go into jealous rage? Not my style, and what was more, it was a relief.
“It’s new, obviously, but I think it has the potential to go the distance.” Again, she hesitated, and again I said nothing. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to sabotage it.”
Wow, talk about out-of-pocket. She and her sisters were the ones who’d surrounded me at the end of the party like a group of hungry jackals. Her sisters even accused me of interfering with their attempts to set her up with other guys, an accusation I denied. Then they all spent several minutes telling me what a piece of shit I was, until finally, I snapped and yelled back.
Evidently, I should’ve let them rip me to shreds in order to maintain the “peace.”
“I’d never dream of it,” I said, forcing myself to do now what I hadn’t done that night. I stuffed down my pride and remained calm. “I hope it works out. Full disclosure, I’m bringing a date myself. I’m not sure why everyone’s making this a bigger deal than it is. You and I dated, and it didn’t work out. End of story, and I wish you nothing but the best.”
“Dated three different times, but sure,” she muttered, and when I asked “what?” more to point out that she was the one doing the poking and prodding, she lifted her head. “Nothing. I’m happy that’s all settled.”
“You could’ve just called, you know.”
The corners of her lips turned downward. “You wouldn’t have answered, and I didn’t want to do this over voicemail. I guess I wanted to check and see if…” She cocked her head as if assessing. “Anyway, I’m glad we can agree to be civil as we focus on our brothers’ union.”
“Me, too.”
