Page 52

A deep, familiar voice sounds behind us, and I stiffen as I look over my shoulder. Brett is standing there with Roman, his wallet already out.

“Oh, hey there, Rosie,” he says. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Hello, Brent,” I say. “Oh wait, is that your name?”

“It’s Brett.” He looks like he wants to laugh as he surveys me in my short crop top. “But thank you for trying to remember.” He looks over at Marcus. “And you are …”

“Oh, I’m Marcus. Nice to meet you.” Marcus looks at me. “Is that one of your friends who was at the comedy show the other night?”

“Yeah. Hi, Roman,” I say, and Roman gives me a small nod.

“I got this,” Brett says and hands the bouncer a hundred-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks, sir.” The bouncer nods and opens the door.

“Oh, you didn’t have to,” I say, but Brett ignores me and looks down at Marcus.

“Keep your singles, dude. Use them for a drink or something.” He has a superior look on his face. “You two have a good night.”

I watch Brett and Roman walk away, and I can feel myself seething. That was a power play, and Marcus didn’t even realize it.

“Oh, that was so nice of your friend to pay. I was totally going to pay, but I guess I was holding up the line, counting my singles. I guess that’s what happens when you’re a waiter, right?”

“Yeah, I get it,” I say. “So, shall we dance?”

“Let’s get a drink first,” he says. “What do you like? What’s your poison?”

“Surprise me.”

I look over to the bar and see Brett and Roman standing at the left end. “Why don’t we go to that end?” I nod toward the opposite side.

“Okay,” Marcus says and looks at me, his eyes glittering. “So, what made you call me tonight? Not that I’m upset or anything. I was just surprised to get your call, seeing as I’d asked you to lunch and you weren’t sure, and then all of a sudden, you wanted to go dancing and …”

“I just felt like I needed some fun, you know?”

“Oh, totally. I get it. So, what were you doing? Were you watching a movie about dancing, and that inspired you?”

I stare at him for a few seconds because I can’t tell him I was grinding against Brett while we practiced being a couple. I can’t tell him I was moments away from pulling Brett’s shorts down and having him fuck me for real.

I blink at him and nod slowly. “Something like that.”

We stop at the bar, and I’m grateful when the bartender comes over immediately.

“How can I help you guys tonight?”

“I’ll have a Coors Light, please, and she’ll have a shot of tequila.” His eyes are bright and eager, and I try not to groan. I hate tequila, but I asked him to surprise me. “You like that, right?” he asks boyishly.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Thank you.”

The bartender brings over the tequila and his beer, and I take the shot quickly. I can feel the warmth going down my throat and hitting my stomach. He sips his Coors Light, counts out his dollars, and leaves them on top of the bar.

“Now, shall we dance?” he asks, and I nod eagerly as we make our way to the dance floor.

There’s a Sabrina Carpenter song playing that I love, and I immediately start moving my hands and hips to the beat. Marcus wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t the best dancer, but he tries his best, and I can’t help but laugh when he makes funny faces.

“I promise I’m a better comic than I am a dancer, but I’m a quick learner,” he says as he chugs his Coors.

The music changes to a rap song, and everyone starts moving a lot faster. Marcus grabs me around the waist, and I can feel him trying to do some sort of move, but I have no idea what he’s doing. I go with it because I’m having fun. The music changes again to a fast number, and I twirl around, laughing as Marcus starts to do the robot.