I stopped when I saw him. Johnny, sitting on a bar stool and leaning heavily on the bar. I could tell, just by his posture, that he was wasted.
Merritt, from behind the bar, met my eyes across the room. She came around the bar and over to me as I just stood there. “Hey. Am I to take it… that’s yours right there?” She indicated Johnny with sympathy in her voice.
I sucked back a breath. “Yeah. I’d like to think so.”
“I figured. I saw you with him at Talia’s housewarming party. So when he came in tonight looking like… that… I texted Elle. She told me to call you.”
“Thank you for doing that.”
She glanced at Johnny and the two girls. They were on him like headphones, one at each ear, whispering. “He showed up about an hour ago and went from coherent tonotpretty fast. I already gave him a drink, but I told him I can’t serve him anymore.”
“Great,” I breathed, acute pain lashing through my chest as I watched one of the girls. She was leaning on Johnny, her head tipped close to his. Her fingers played with his hair as she talked to him. The other girl had her hand on his arm as she sipped her drink. “What about… them?”
“You mean busty and bustier? According to one of the waitresses, they were sniffing blow in the bathroom a few minutes ago. I would’ve kicked them out already, but I figured you might want him to stay put until you got here.”
“Yeah,” I forced out. “Thank you.”
“They were drinking at Misty’s before this. That’s all I got out of them.”
Misty’s. That was the strip bar where Johnny and his friends used to hang out.Used to… because maybe I’d hoped these days he had better things to do? More enjoyable things? With me?
Guess not.
“You need my help, or one of the bouncers, let me know.” Merritt squeezed my arm, then went back behind the bar.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my raging heartbeat as I walked over to Johnny. I stood next to him, just behind the girl who was all in his face. They weren’t kissing or anything, but she was murmuring to him about something, and that almost made it worse. Meanwhile, his head dangled like he was barely conscious.
“Johnny,” I said, loudly enough that both girls turned to look at me.
He turned much slower.
When he saw me, recognized me, his glassy eyes widened. But not like,Oh shit, I’m caught.More like,Oh, it’s you; I adore you.“Angel,” he croaked, and my heart split right down the middle.
I didn’t imagine it. I knew I didn’t.
He cared about me. A lot.
I almost couldn’t believe he’d called me that special name right now, though. In front of these women. It felt wrong.
“The two girls touching you right now need to go away,” I told him. “Or our relationship is over. Do you understand?”
He stumbled off his bar stool to reach for me. I caught him because he looked so unstable, and while he clung to me he said, “Don’t go.”
I held onto him as he held onto me. I could see it in his eyes; as wasted as he was, he wanted me. He’d promised me I was the only one.
I wanted to believe him.
Trust.
“Go away,” I told them, and when they didn’t move, just kind of laughed as they looked at each other, Merritt came over.
“Time to go, ladies,” she said, somehow neutrally yet forcefully. “Don’t make it awkward.” She swept what was left of their drinks off the bar. I could feel the male bartender at the other end of the bar watching us.
The girls huffed and started gathering their purses, slowly.
I ignored them. “His bodyguard is outside,” I told Merritt. “His name is Lamar. Can you get him to come help us?” Johnny was kind of leaning on me and I propped him up against the bar. No way I could get him outside myself.
He kept saying my name and trying to drag me closer to him.
