“Oh.” He leans on the bar. “That sucks.”
“Yeah,” I reply, taking a quick sip of my Pepsi. “I did give her my number though. Told her to give me a call when she’s single.”
He chuckles as he reaches for my glass and refills it with the soda wand. “Of course you did.”
I shrug and point to the remote. “Hand it over. Anyway, she took my number. Who knows if she’ll use it.”
“I remember her that night,” he starts, setting the remote down in front of me. “You watched her until the moment she left.”
I turn on the TVs and start looking for something interesting to watch. “Your point?”
“She grabbed your attention and hasn’t let go.”
“It’s probably because I saw her Sunday buying a mower.”
“Or it’s because you can’t have her and that bothers you.”
I snort.
“You’ve never had anyone turn you down like that,” he reasons. “And it’s bothering you.”
Is it? Is that really the issue?
I don’t think so. I don’t see Oaklee as a challenge. I am genuinely drawn to her, and I can’t figure out why. She’s attractive, yes. But it’s more than that. There’s this light about her, a glow that seems to cast a bit of her goodness my way.
Fuck, what am I talking about? I have no idea what kind of person she really is. However, something tells me she must be good if she’s a nurse. She’s devoted her life to helping people, so that has to count for something.
Well, hell, what do I know? Maybe that’s exactly it.
From the time I was sixteen, girls just sort of…flocked to me. I’ve had plenty of casual girlfriends over the years, and even a couple who I dated a bit longer and exclusively. Finding a woman to warm my bed hasn’t ever really been hard, if I’m being honest. Maybe that makes me sound douchey, but it is what it is. I like women. They like me. The fact I would have taken Oaklee home with me—no questions asked—and she turned me down because she was dating someone is probably what’s causing my thoughts to constantly turn her way.
She’s different than the rest because she didn’t jump into bed with me.
And because of that, I’m attracted to her more.
I’ve always liked a challenge, and maybe that’s exactly where this infatuation stems from.
She said no.
Fortunately, I’m saved from having to continue this deep dive into my inner soul by the arrival of our pizza. “Lunch is served,” Mario announces as he heads toward me, two boxes in his hands that smell delicious.
“Thanks, man. Appreciate you bringing it over,” I tell him.
“You’re welcome. I like coming over and seeing what updates Lizzie’s made. She’s really transformed this old place, hasn’t she?” he asks, glancing around the empty bar.
“She sure has,” I confirm.
“Thanks for delivering, as always,” Collin states as he opens the smaller box on top and sets it to the side.
“You’re welcome. I better get back over there. Have a good one, guys,” he says, turning and heading for the door.
My twin and I both holler our goodbyes before immediately stuffing our faces with food. One of the hardest habits to break when you come home from the military is not shoveling in the food when it’s in front of you. At times, you never knew when your next meal might be or how long you’d get, so you quickly form a habit of eating fast, especially when you’re on the go.
“You know, you should just ask Lizzie to move in with you,” I say as I swirl a breadstick in some marinara.
“You don’t think it’s too soon?” he asks, not looking up from his pizza. The fact he asked that question and didn’t argue about the fact it’s too soon tells me he’s thought about it.
“No, I don’t think so. I mean, I know it’s only been a few months, but you two are solid. And I can see you’re happy.”
