Chapter 17
Renee
More than once, I wastempted to get up and bail before Aaron even had a chance to get here. Still, I resisted the urge and stayed where I was alone at one of the tables, nursing a Pina Colada between my fingers that’s not even pretending to have enough booze in it.
The place is swarming for a Thursday night. Couples are getting drunk at the bar, men play darts, growing louder with each finished pitcher of beer, and single women prowl the place, ready to dig their claws into whatever half-decent jock makes the rookie mistake of looking their way.
I didn’t like bars. In fact, I hated them. I didn’t like crowds in general, actually, and Carly said it was due to my introversion or whatever.
But I was not the same girl I used to be, right? Not even close.
Or that’s what I was trying to convince myself of, anyway.
College was a way to be someone else, to do different things, meet new people and pretend like the old you were someone you’d never even met, let alone someone you once were.
I was still having a hard time with that part, especially regarding Matt, Jake, and Aaron.
But as Jami mentioned, what is the best revenge for three guys like this? Three men I was equally smitten with. Three men I couldn't stop thinking about at all times of the day. Even after my night with Jake, it somehow didn’t deter me from the other two. In fact, it only made me want them more.
But if I was going to seek revenge, I had to act the part.
I was still working on that.
The bell over the door jingled at five to nine, and Aaron came in. He looked adorable in a clean pair of jeans and sneakers. His jacket was zipped up against the cold, and a green winter hat with actual reindeer prancing around the fabric hides his ears. I couldn't even hold back the smile as Aaron spotted me across the room and came over, taking a seat across from me at the table I’d saved for us.
“You look beautiful,” he said, shrugging off his jacket and pulling off his hat. He smells good, like some new cologne, but it was weird on Aaron. He’s never been the cologne-type, as far as I could remember.
“You didn’t look too bad yourself,” I said with a grin that I couldn’t stop from playing on my lips. “Love the hat.”
“Oh, this old thing?” Aaron held it out for me to see, shrugging sheepishly. “My grandma made it for me two Christmases ago. Every attempt I’ve made to lose it hasn’t worked out. Somehow it ends up back on my head.”
“I don’t know if anyone told you, but it’s only September. Christmas isn’t for a few more months.”
“Bah humbug.” Aaron winked at me, hardly looking up from my face as the server came over and took his drink order. Then, he ordered me a second Pina Colada.
“Extra rum, please,” I said to her, and the server rolled her eyes and walked away. Aaron chuckled.
“I know I’m not Matt or Jake, but I can’t be that bad of company.”
“Who said you were bad company?” I shrugged my shoulders in a small, flirty way until I had Aaron’s undivided attention.
Not like that was ever an issue to begin with, really. I was confident that neither Aaron nor Matt knew what happened with Jake and me. I was surprised he’d been able to keep his mouth shut.
