Page 15 of Never Really Mine
“I want a vodka cranberry with a splash of soda,” I say. “Ooh, and a lemon drop shot, please!” My excitement rises. “I love those.”
“You got it,” he says with a wink.
Maybe he’s flirting to get a bigger tip, but I can’t find it in me to care. He’s flirting, and so am I. I haven’t flirted with anyone in a long time, and I deserve to live a little.
The bartender—I should really learn his name—makes my drinks, setting them on the counter in front of me. I slide them to the side, pulling out my phone from the pocket of my dress. The whole tap to pay thing is so convenient.
I pay, and finally catch his name on his nametag. With a glance behind me, I see no one is waiting, so I have time to chat him up a bit more. “So… Matt,” I say once I confirm his name again. “What brought you into the wonderful world of bartending?”
Matt chuckles, pushing his slick blonde hair back. The more that I look at him, the less attractive he seems. And he looks… young. Definitely younger than me.
“My cousin is the GM here, and he needed an extra hand this weekend. Enter me,” his low voice says. He leans forward on the bar, mimicking my stance.
“You’re Isaac’s cousin?” I ask.
“Sure am.”
“Huh. Well, cool.” I adjust my stance, pressing my breasts forward slightly. Sure, he’s not my type, or even someone I’minterested in long term, but I need the practice. I’m about to say something flirty when a hand slinks around my waist, sending a shiver down my spine. Lips caress my ear, a low whisper giving me goosebumps.
“What are you doing?” Beau’s recognizable voice, laced with—possession?—makes me stand up straight.
I sheepishly grab my drinks, stepping away from the bar, and the conversation with Matt. I feel like I’ve been caught doing something bad, like a kid stuck with their hand in the cookie jar. I know it’s absurd, but Beau makes me feel like this.
“Why do you care?” I ask, my tone clipped and defensive. He always has to interrupt me, has to stake some sort of invisible claim on me. I stride from the bar, focusing hard on my footsteps. The last thing I need right now is to trip. Talk about embarrassing. I do, however, swish my hips a little more than normal.
I sit down at my spot at the head table, and take my lemon drop shot. The sweet and sour flavor trickles down my throat, and I can’t help but shiver at the intensity. The liquor warms my blood almost instantly.
Beau drops down in the seat next to me. “I care, because…” He runs his hands down his face, as if he’s overwhelmed. His eyes narrow on me. “Do I really need to say it, Marley?”
“Seems like we’ve been leaving things unsaid for this long, what's one more thing?” I say bitterly. My tipsy state is allowing me to say things completely uninhibited, and the freedom is thrilling.
The dance around us is starting to ramp up as the music does, the beat bumping, reverberating in my chest in pace with the rapid beat of my heart.
Beau groans. His lips are set in a firm line, eyebrows knotted as he tries to come up with the words to say. “Just…”
“I’m going to dance,” I say, interrupting him. My brain buzzes with the mild exhilaration of being so bold. It’s time to celebrate with my friends.
Okay,so Iprobablyshouldn’t have had that last shot of fireball, but I couldn’t help it. When the bottle got passed around the circle, it was too tempting. It seems that it was Thomas’s goal to get me drunk tonight, and he succeeded. Not that it was hard. I was a completely willing party.
I grab Josie’s arm as another upbeat song starts to play, and we spin in a circle, dancing and laughing together. Andrew is standing on the outside of our little circle of people, watching his bride with a smile.
I’m sure I look the opposite of attractive right now. My back is damp with sweat, my bangs plastered to my forehead, not that I care. My flirting idea was tossed out the window as soon as the brooding Beau interrupted me. Now he stands on the outside of our circle, watching. He’s notnotdancing, but I personally wouldn’t consider bouncing up and down and swaying side to side dancing. He’s had quite a few beers, and the hazy glint in his eyes lets me know that he’s just as drunk as I am. The liquor appears to have relaxed him, though there’s still the furrow between his brow. I hate how attractive he looks right now.
Jason brought Lennie up to their room about an hour ago to take her to bed, with promises to come back and finish out the night with us. Then Nikki showed back up at the edge of the dance floor, instead of Jason, and we all knew that he had crashed right along with his daughter.
Megan and Isaac bounce up and down, singing the poppy love song to each other as they dance. It’s so sickeningly cute I want to puke.
The song slows to a ballad, Ellie Goulding’s cover of “How Long Will I Love You”. Josie drops my arm in search of her new husband, and they gravitate to each other, slowly swaying to the beat. Josie’s head rests on his chest, Andrew’s cheek tilted to lay atop her head.
Couples in love make their way to the floor, holding each other close, murmuring sweet nothings to their partner as they sway. A sense of longing runs over me, as I watch. Walking down the aisle today on Beau’s arm felt so… right. Despite the pain thrumming through my veins at the knowledge that I can never let it be us, I gave into the fantasy, dreaming for just a moment.
Thomas escapes the dance floor, heading to the table to drink a glass of water. I start to follow him, since clearly this is a moment for all the couples, when a hand wraps around my wrist.
“Wha—” I start to say, but when I turn to see who’s grabbing me, I’m shocked, but also not at all surprised to see it’s Beau.
“Dance with me,” he murmurs. I can barely hear him, but somehow I know that’s exactly what he said.
I’m nodding, not giving myself a moment to think. I’m short of breath, but I’m not sure if it’s from dancing or from the feeling of Beau. He pulls me in close, one hand moving to rest on my hip, the other clasping my hand as he starts to sway us to the beat.
