I began just going through the motions of my days like a robot, spending mostly all my time with Smoky for company. I wished more than anything I could forget what happened, but I was too traumatized to be able to voice why I couldn’t be normal right now. I knew they understood but I didn’t. I should’ve been stronger than this.
But right now, I wasn’t.
“Okay, that’s enough of this,” Alden voiced matter-of-factly, jumping over the back of the couch and landing on it next to me.
“Of what?” I questioned him, confused.
He crossed his arms and glanced at me with those cool blue eyes of his. “Of you hiding away and sinking further into yourself. Not to downplay anything that’s happened to you because of that asshole, Soph, but you can’t live in fear the rest of your life. You can’t let him win like that.”
I turned away from him, knowing he was right but not entirely sure how I was supposed to do that. “What do you suggest?” I asked, picking absently at the blanket laid over my lap.
“A night out of fun. You, me, and Porter are gonna go do something that’ll take your mind off everything going on. The only way you can face your fear is to thrust yourself back into society.”
Giving him a skeptical look, I replied, “You really think a night out will help?”
“Absolutely. At least a night with me and Porter. We’re the funnest guys around, haven’t you heard?” he joked, throwing a cocky grin my way.
It was too infectious not to return a smile. “If you really think it’ll help.”
“Good!” He patted my knee and stood up in a rush. “Now get that gorgeous ass up and out of those sweats. Time to get dolled up like we know you can and get on the way.”
My mouth opened and closed like a fish as he turned and sped up the stairs, leaving me a bit taken aback by his openly flirty comment. So much so that for once I did stop thinking about all that had happened and instead focused on the excitement of hanging out with him and Porter.
Showering quickly, I finished and chose an outfit that was flirty but would be comfortable and would work no matter where we went tonight. I wore a simple black v-neck shirt that did wonderful things for my boobs and a pair of tight, dark gray, skinny jeans that I hadn’t been able to wear for months because of my burns. Pairing the outfit with blood red pumps and my hair lightly curled to give it volume, I looked better than I had in days. I had to go a bit heavy on my foundation when I did my makeup since there was still a bit of bruising on my cheek, but the rest I kept simple, wearing just mascara, some eyeliner and some light blush with blood red lipstick.
Surveying myself in the mirror, I nodded once that my bruises were well hidden and made my way downstairs. Porter came out of the downstairs bathroom just as I reached the bottom and his jaw dropped.
“Fuck me, you’re a knock out, Soph.”
My eyes traced over his chosen outfit and I swear he wore it just to torment me. His navy blue long sleeved shirt hugged all his muscles just right and those jeans showed off his delectable ass in a way that should be illegal. His dark hair had been slicked back with a bit of gel, giving him this bad boy look that was sure to attract a lot of attention tonight.
“Is it weird I’m a little jealous of your pants getting to hug your body?” I questioned seriously with a cocked brow.
He laughed and pulled me into a warm hug, kissing the top of my head. “You can hug me anytime, beautiful.”
“What about pants?” Alden’s voice asked from behind me.
I turned and had to tamper down my desire to drool. Alden had thrown on a gray henley long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a couple of the top buttons undone showing off just the top of his chest. I wanted so badly to run my hand along his collar bones just looking at it. He paired the shirt with some dark jeans that had tears at the knees. It was a very relaxed outfit for Alden, but it made him look hot as fuck.
How the hell was I going to keep my hands to myself tonight? With either of them? At least with Porter I didn’t have to, but I still wasn’t sure where I stood with Alden, so that meant hands off.
Dammit.
“Nothing,” I replied quickly, then changed the subject. “Where are we going anyway?”
“We’re gonna play some pool, have some drinks, and just relax. Sound good to you?” Porter answered, rubbing circles on my lower back.
Grinning, I nodded. “I haven’t played pool in a long time. Let’s do it.” We all crowded into Porter’s SUV and headed off.
The Pour House was a pretty decent sized venue that had a wrap-around polished wooden bar, a large variation of alcohol, a stage that bands would come and play on, a whole half of the building filled with pool tables, and beer themed fluorescent lights hung above each. The place was packed tonight, but we managed to secure a pool table and several barstools that sat along a shelf table that was attached to the wall.
Porter went to the bar and ordered us all a round of beers while Alden and I set up the pool table for a game. He expertly swiveled the rack around the balls, flipping it up and setting it back in its spot once all the balls were set up in their triangular shape.
He grabbed a pool stick from the stand on the wall and handed me one.
“Looks like a good size for you,” he claimed. “You play before?”
I held the stick and twirled it a bit, testing its balance, impressed with his choice. “I have, but it’s been a long time. Dad had a table in the garage for a long time, but it eventually broke and he never replaced it. Said he could never replace a table as good as the one he had.” I smiled at the memory.
