Truthfully, I was a little envious of her. There wasn’t even a full year between the two of us, and she was already ahead of me in the success department. She worked full-time at a job she seemed to love, and she’d recently gotten engaged—to a good guy, too. Like, it was almost impossible to find fault with Elliott, and it was difficult to begrudge her happiness. They were sickeningly cute together, and I was ecstatic for my sister.
But…Kelsey was exactly where Ihopedto be when I was younger and looking to the future. They’d already purchased their first home together, a tiny two-bedroom bungalow near Port Hope’s downtown district. They were happy, in love.
They had what IthoughtI had with Erik before I was blindsided by his betrayal; before I realized we never even had it, because if we did? He wouldn’t have dipped his wick elsewhere.
Now I was single, living on the second floor of a three-storey apartment building near the highway. We had chosen this apartment because of its proximity to the highway and my job at the shop. The rent was cheap and all-inclusive, so I stayed even after Erik left, but things were tight. I was used to splitting half the cost of everything, and now I covered it all. After paying rent, my car insurance, my cell phone and Internet bill, and buying groceries, I was pretty much broke. I’d called in for Thai food using my credit card,knowingthat I shouldn’t but needing the food hug after I tortured myself by looking through Erik’s Facebook page.
The kicker was that he lookedso happy, way happier than he ever seemed with me.
But I would take being broke over the alternative any day. The only thing worse than having my heart smashed was having to return home to my parents’ house with my tail tucked between my legs, clutching said broken heart. It was bad enough I had to go to my father to get a job; I couldn’t tolerate living there, too. Surely, what was left of my pride and dignity would evaporate in my mother’s company.
“Tonight’s objective—secure a rebound,” Kelsey said, speaking like a spy and waggling her eyebrows at me before turning the key in the ignition.
“You’re ridiculous. I don’t need a rebound,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes.
“Actually, you do. You know I’m not for whoring it up, but I do believe you need to pound out the cobwebs if you know what I mean.” She snorted.
“Nope, I’m good,” I said, going for the door. If tonight’s purpose was to force me at some sad bloke, I didn’t want to take part.
“Wait,” she laughed. “Look, just flirt with someone—a little, okay? It’ll make you feel good.”
“How do you know that?” I asked, pausing long enough for her to throw it in drive and go.
“Trust me, okay? I know these things. You know I know these things,” she reminded me, looking at me to drill her all-knowing gaze into me.
The bar was crowded, and we had to squeeze our way inside. The Watering Hole was one of the more popular bars in town.
Erik and I used to come here a lot.
I’d left this minuscule detail out because if Kelsey knew, she would steer the night in the direction of club hopping, and I really didn’t have it in me. I was in a brooding mood, and it was tough to mope with house music.
We pushed through the bodies gathering near the door, and that’s when I saw him. All six foot something, rippling muscles, thick, dirty blond beard and flowing hair. He would have made a better Thor than Chris Hemsworth. His eyes were just as powerful; a piercing blue. They pinned me from across the room, and I halted abruptly.
“Umpfh.” Kelsey walked into me from behind. “Move it, sloth,” she grumbled, irritated. But his eyes held me in place, and the corner of his lip tugged up in a smile that ripped through me like thunder. Kelsey shoved me, steering me in the direction of the bar, her eyes on the only two empty stools in the entire place.
I craned my neck, trying to keep my eyes on Thor—which is what I’d taken to calling the unbelievable god of thunder in my head. The nickname suited him.
“I think I just got pregnant,” I exclaimed, falling heavily onto the stool. It wobbled, and I grabbed hold of the sticky bar to catch myself from toppling over.
“What?”
“Do you see Thor? By the stage?” I told her, gesturing with my thumb behind me. She looked over my shoulder, her jaw widening with surprise before she clamped it shut and nodded. “I want that for my rebound.”
“Oh, now you want a rebound?” She frowned, sulking at me.
“Um,HELLO!Wouldn’t you?” I whisper-shouted, waving my hands dramatically. “He looks like Thor!”
Kelsey looked again, tilting her head thoughtfully. “Actually, now that you mention it, he does. And he’s staring at you, too…”
“Oh, God,” I murmured, whipping my head around to look at her. “What do I do?”
“Play it cool,” she said calmly. I had a tendency ofnotplaying it cool. In the past, it had worked in my favour. I was the quirky one, but as I stole a glance over my shoulder, I couldn’t help but worry that quirky shit wouldn’t fly withhim. He was a whole lot of man and was probably used to commanding women like Kelsey—self-assured, confident, articulate.
“Can I get an Alice in Wonderland shot?” I shouted to the bartender. “Maybe three?”
“Too cool.” Kelsey clicked her tongue in warning.
“One of those is for you,” I frowned. The bartender pushed three shots toward us, and I tossed down a twenty, my hands shaking a little.
