“What? You got an issue with me working at a bar?” I snap. “Some of us don’t have daddy's money and need to work for a living.”
“Hey,” Roland speaks up. “What the hell, man?”
Bennett’s face falls. “No,” he says. “I just meant that I come in here all the time, and I haven’t seen you. That's all.”
Oh.
Well, I'm being a raging asshole for no reason.
“I work in the back. I was about to take my break when Cooper asked me to bring these over.” I nod to the drinks.
Bennett nods, the moment awkward as hell.
I don’t say anything else, turning around and making my way back to the bar.
“Thanks for that,” Cooper says. “It’s slammed in here tonight. It’s a blessing and a curse sometimes,” he chuckles.
“No problem. If you need any more help, let me know.”
“I will. Go on that break.”
Nodding, I head toward the kitchen and outside to the alley.
The cool night air kisses my skin. I sigh, leaning against the brick wall and look up at the stars.
My head is a mess, so many damn things running through it that I don’t understand.
I’m supposed to be over Bennett. He’s someone from my past.
Yes, we used to be best friends, and yes, I used to have a crush on him. But I was a stupid kid.
I’m older now, an adult. He’s someone I haven’t talked to in years.
So why is he all I fucking think about now?
I hate that I find myself craving the old times when it was me and him. He was my only safe place, the only person I ever felt happy with.
As time went on, I found new people to connect with. But he was always that first.
First best friend and first crush.
He was also the person who had me thinking in new ways and feeling things that I shouldn’t have.
My damn gay awakening.
“Fuck me.” I sigh, scrubbing at my face. It was easier to forget about him when I was never around him.
Now, he’s everywhere. And not just because we share a room. He’s showing up to football practice, and he’s at the parties I go to. And it’s all because ofhim. Roland. To see him, to hang out with him, to date him.
I shouldn’t care what Bennett does, and who he does it with. But I do, and I fucking hate it. I hate him.
After fifteen minutes of letting my fucked up mind get the better of me, I head back inside to finish my shift.
Once everything is clean, I clock out and head toward the front. I’m surprised to find Bennett and Roland still here.
“Thank you two for helping me clean up. Lesson learned when it comes to multiple game nights. Put more people on shift.”
“No problem, Uncle Cooper.” Bennett chuckles. His face falls when he sees me.
