“No. More like dicksitter,” Bodie says with a straight face and headshake, his curly raven hair falling over his forehead and into his eyes. Amber has been begging him to cut it for years. I’m glad he hasn’t, even if it’s only to spite her.
The three of us stare wide-eyed at him—waiting for some sort of explanation.
“Bodie, you know how that sounds, right?” Drew counters him with a smirk.
“No.” Amber sidles in next to Drew and watches her boyfriend with narrowed eyes. “He doesn’t.”
“I have to make sure creepers aren’t annoying my friend just to get their dick wet.” Bodie aims his accusatory glare at Drew before turning away from both of them. “Do I actually have to order my drink?”
This ridiculous behavior is nothing new in our friendship. Bodie has always been a little protective over me and my dating habits. Some of my exes have complained about how needy he is in our friendship—but that’s never been an issue for me. Bodie and I met when his family moved in across the street from mine, and we quickly became friends. Who knew that eighteen years later, we would still be friends—and roommates?
Bodie coaxes his girlfriend into a hug while I get to work on their drinks, and Drew decides to give up for the night. My friend’s antics usually dissuade him from continuing, but tonight’s was extra special.
“Is that guy ever going to realize you’re not going out with him?” he asks as I set their drinks in front of them.
“Whywon’t you go out with him is a better question.”
“Probably not,” I direct toward Bodie. “And I don’t need a reason. I just don’t want to.” I stare at Amber dead in the eyes for the first time.
“There’s always a reason.” She huffs. “I’m going to play some pool upstairs. Do you want to come?”
Bodie doesn’t even take a breath before responding. “Nope. I’m good here.”
She takes one last look at each of us and, with a roll of her eyes, heads toward the stairs.
“You know your girlfriend still hates me, right?”
“Yeah, but she’ll get over it—someday.” He laughs as if he believes his words. “She’ll be fine. Don’t take it personally.”
“Sure, she will.” He thinks Amber’s loathing will just turn into rainbows and butterflies someday, but I’m pretty sure it gets worse day by day.
The rest of my night flies by once the crowd shows up. Bodie finally goes to find his sullen girlfriend, and they wind up leaving after what looked like a nasty argument in the corner.
A pair of good-looking guys approaching catch my eye. The moment they reach the bar, I’m jealous—the way they’re looking at each other makes my heart burn for a connection like that. After a brief kiss, the taller, dark-haired guy nods at me.
“Hey guys, what can I get you?” I say as I near them to take their order.
They order their beers and get back to eye-fucking each other until a frustrated-looking redhead joins them. When they order a round of shots and down them, another guy arrives—this one is staring at the redhead like she shoots stars out of her ass.
Working in a bar, for the most part, is fun—getting the chance to watch the dynamics between friends and couples, you learn a lot about people. I get busy and find Puppy Eyes and Tall, Dark and Handsome have abandoned their partners and are back with their group, while Blue Eyes and Cherry Girl start downing shots and having a good time again.
“I’m heading out. Nice to see you again,” Drew calls out as he walks out the door with a brunette in a mini skirt. The smirk on his face tells me he thinks leaving with someone else should bother me—it most definitely doesn’t. I give him a wave and a smile and keep on working.
The rest of the night goes smoothly, and by the time we close up the place, I’m exhausted and ready for bed. Hopefully that means I can get some sleep tonight. I have four missed calls from Bodie when I get in the car. I try to call him back, but he must be sleeping by now, since there’s no answer.
When I approach our door, I hear the TV on inside—louder than normal for this hour of night. I find Bodie in the living room, lying on his stomach, limbs hanging off the edge of the couch. His blank stare at the TV alarms me.
“Bodie, dude. What’s going on?” I kneel down in front of the couch, obstructing his view of the TV, but he doesn’t react in the slightest bit. I gently shake his shoulder and finally get him to focus on me. When we make eye contact, tears well up in his eyes, and he clenches them shut. “Buddy, you’re making me nervous.” I lean in and rub his back. “What happened?”
A deep whoosh of breath leaves him as he looks at me again. “Amber broke up with me.”
As happy as those words should make me, because he deserves better than her, I hate seeing him this upset.
“She said she couldn’t handle me being more in love with you than I am with her.”
What the fuck?
Chapter Two
