“I’m a woman of many talents,” she preened. Brooks balled up his napkin and tossed it at her, where it bounced off her shoulder and onto the floor.
“You’ve been hiding that one, Renee Alston. You’re a sneaky, sneaky girl,” he joked.
We had opted to get pizza and wings at a place not far from campus. By the time we got ready and out the door, it was already almost nine. The place was packed by the time we arrived and we were lucky to find a tiny table near the back.
Brooks had been slightly standoffish at first, but once he had a few beverages in his system he had relaxed considerably. Renee and I shared a pitcher of beer, and after an hour we were all laughing and enjoying ourselves.
“I’ve gotta pee,” Renee said after polishing off the last of her pizza. She hopped down off the stool, a little wobbly on her feet.
“Need help?” I chuckled.
She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “I’m fine,” she said, and headed toward the bathroom.
Brooks’s easy smile faded slightly as we were left alone in our awkwardness.
“Brooks—” I began.
“Aubrey—” he said at the same time.
We both stopped and laughed a little nervously.
“This is weird, isn’t it,” he stated rather than asked.
“Maybe just a little,” I agreed, sipping on my beer.
“I’m still kind of pissed at you,” he grumbled, wiping up a puddle of beer that had spilled from the pitcher.
“I’m picking up on that,” I said tightly.
Brooks looked at me finally and what I saw wasn’t anger. It was hurt. And that made me feel ten times worse.
“But I hate staying mad at you. It doesn’t feel right. Just promise me something,” he said firmly.
“Anything,” I promised.
He dropped his eyes to the slice of pizza on his plate. “Next time you kiss me, mean it.”
I swallowed my surprise, not sure what I should say. “Okay,” I finally said after a beat, giving him a small smile. His lips quirked upward in response.
“What’d I miss?” Renee asked, appearing beside me.
“Not much. Just listening to the frat guys at the next table talk about the waitress’s boob job,” I replied blandly.
I looked around the crowded bar and saw a familiar face looking in our direction.
“Hey, Renee, isn’t that Iain?” I asked, nodding my head toward the bar. Renee’s jaw tightened and her shoulders went rigid.
“Probably,” she said quickly.
Brooks had turned in his seat and was chatting with a group of people at the table behind him. I leaned in close to Renee.
“Are you going to go say hi?” I asked. Iain, who was with a few other guys, was looking rather pointedly toward our table.
“I don’t think so,” she said, downing the rest of her beer. She seemed uncomfortable.
“I thought things were going well with you two. Did something happen?” I asked, bewildered by her attitude.
“Yeah, I happened,” Renee muttered, lifting the pitcher and pouring the rest of the beer into her mug.
