“Why not?” he asks. “If you can have Taylor over, why can’t I have Roland?” Hearing his name is another sting.
“Taylor was here one night. One. She hasn’t been back since,” I point out.
“She’s welcome here. I just don’t want you fucking her in the same room as me,” he mutters.
“Well, I don’t want you fucking him in the same room as me.”
“Who said anything about fucking him?” he tosses back. “Despite what you might believe, I’m not a manwhore, Easton. I don’t bring people home and fuck them all the time.”
“No, but you go up to their rooms at parties and let them blow you,” I snap back, anger I don’t like or understand building inside me.
His jaw grinds together. “I don’t have to explain anything to you,” he says. “Maybe don’t go around being a fucking peeping tom. Got a thing for voyeurism or something? Because you seem to like to watch people get off.”
“Fuck you,” I snap.
“No thanks.” He grins, making me itch to get up and punch him in his stupid face. “You’re not my type.”
I snort a laugh. “Is that why you kissed me when we were kids?”
He runs his tongue along his teeth, shaking his head as he lets out a little huff of air. “We all make mistakes, Easton. I was young and stupid. Trust me, I won't be making that mistakeagain.” He storms out of the room, leaving me sitting here like I just got smacked in the face.
His words shouldn’t bother me. I shouldn’t care about what he does.
But they do bother me, and I do care. I hate that I do.
Angrily, I shove my books in my bag and decide to go see Taylor before I have to go to work. I need to clear my head.
This is bullshit, so damn stupid.
The pub is busy tonight. The servers have been bringing back trays full of dirty dishes one after another. I’ve been pretty quick at my job, but it’s still a bit of a struggle.
My shift started at ten, but by the time I can take a break, even to take a piss, it’s already midnight. The kitchen doesn’t close until one, so I know I still have a lot to do.
It’s normally not this busy on a Wednesday night, but there are a few games going and people are packed in here like sardines to watch on the big screen TVs.
I don’t see the point. It would be a lot better experience if they’d just have a get-together at someone’s house or something. How can you even hear the TVs over all the noise?
“Hey.” I step out from the back, to the front bar where my boss is working. “You mind if I take my break now?”
Cooper looks at me over his shoulder and nods. “No, but first, could you give me a hand here, please? Can you take these drinks over to table five, near the window? A customer bumped into Stacy and spilled drinks all over her uniform. She’s in the back changing.”
“Yeah, sure.” I nod, grabbing the drinks he sets on the counter.
Taking breaks isn’t something I care too much about. My job is pretty chill, and I only work for a few hours at a time, so they’re not really needed. But tonight has been crazy, and my damn hands feel like prunes from having them in the water so much. We have industrial dishwashers, but Cooper likes to make sure everything is clean, so we have to make sure to wash them by hand first.
Weaving my way through the crowd, I try to keep myself from bumping into people so I don’t spill the drinks.
I make it to table five, but pause when I see who is sitting there. “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I grumble to myself.
Bennett looks over at me with a surprised expression. “Easton?”
Gritting my teeth, I place the drinks on the table. “These are for you.”
“What are you doing here?” Roland chuckles.
“I work here.” I give him a blank look.
“Really?” Bennett’s brows furrow.
