Page 46 of Hung Up
Cross to the left, cross to the right. Heel, heel, toe, toe. Heel, toe, out, spin. Repeat.
I smile as I finally start to get the moves down, bouncing a little now as I loosen up and glide along the dance floor with Jesse back by my side and Stetson on my other. Stetson surprises me on the next spin when he grabs my hand and twirls me, and a laugh slips past my lips before I can stop it. A couple minutes later, the song ends and transitions into the next one. But before they can walk me through this new tune, I grab both their hands and pull them closer so they can hear me.
“I need a drink, but I’ll be right back.” They both look at me with twin expressions of doubt. “I didn’t actually hate that, so I promise I’ll be back.”
Forcing my way through the crowd, I approach the bar, scanning the area in an attempt to find Maxine or any of the other boys, but they aren’t here. I sigh as I lean on the railing rounding the bar, waiting for the bartender to come around so I can get another drink. I feel a hand on my lower back and turn, expecting to see Jesse, but my smile falls as I come face to face with Adam.
“What are you doing here?” I ask with a scowl, taking a small step to the side so his hand falls away.
“I was invited,” he replies with a shrug as if it’s the most simple answer in the world, while his presence is anything but. “We all were, remember? I assume that’s why you’re here?”
The bartender appears before I have to try and come up with a response, and just as I hand him my card, Adam leans forward and asks for a beer, which the bartender puts on my tab. I shake my head and lick my lips, turning to face my ex. “You either owe me a drink or eight dollars. Your choice.”
“It’s not my fault he assumed I was with you.” I scoff and fold my arms. “What?”
“You act like you didn’t use to do this all the time to get out of paying.”
Adam has the audacity to look offended. “Again, not my fault that every waiter and bartender assumed you were the breadwinner between us. In fact, that used to bother me a lot, in case you forgot.”
“Just not enough to actually pay.”
Once the bartender returns, he slides the two drinks and my card back to me before placing the receipt on the bartop. Grabbing the pen, I hastily sign, wanting to pound my drink and get back out there to Jesse and Stetson—and get the hell away from Adam. I place the straw and take a long sip, my gaze darting around the bar in an attempt to find someone, anyone,I can run to in order to finish my drink in peace, but it’s like everyone vanished into thin air.
“So,” Adam starts, breaking the silence that had fallen over us, “I spoke to your dad.”
“Yeah, I heard,” I sigh, taking another sip, relishing in the way the alcohol burns my throat slightly on the way down.
He turns so he’s facing me entirely, an unreadable expression on his face that has me faltering for a moment as my eyes narrow in anticipation. “I do, you know. Want you back.”
The laugh that jumps out of me startles the couple next to me, but I don’t apologize as I tip my head back and glance up at the ceiling for a moment.Whatever powers that be, please give me strength.Taking a deep breath, I square my shoulders before giving him my attention.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you want me back?”
“Because I love you.”
Closing my eyes briefly, I take another calming breath. “Let me guess, she broke up with you? Because that’s the only thing that would make sense.”
“Excuse me?” He has the gall to look offended.
“You have done nothing but talk shit about me since we broke up, and it’s only gotten worse since I took this assignment.” My right hand balls into a fist at my sides, my nails digging into my palm. “You said it yourself that I was too hard to love, which can only mean that whatever her fucking name was broke up with you and now you’re lonely. Well,” I say, closing the space between us, “that sounds like a you problem, and you need to keep me the hell out of it. In fact, stay away from me in general, yeah?”
I go to step away, to put my drink down and go look for Jesse and Stetson, but Adam’s hand wraps around my wrist. “You don’t get to tell me how I feel. You have no idea, Faith.”
“I don’t give a shit how you feel,” I seethe, trying to pull my arm away, but his grip only tightens. “I stopped caring about you the second I walked in on you with someone else.”
“It always comes back to that, doesn’t it?” He scoffs, his cheeks turning that all too familiar shade of red. “God, Faith, when are you going to fucking let it go? It was a one-time thing. It didn’t mean anything.”
It’s my turn to scoff. “You dated her after I broke up with you. If that didn’t mean anything to you, then I certainly didn’t. Now let me go.”
“No, not until we talk about this.”
“I’m done talking,” I tell him lowly, noticing that the people around us have begun to look on. “Let me go, Adam.”
“Can we please just go somewhere and?—”
