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He pulls the pillow from my face and presses his lips to mine, and they are wet, still slick with my release.
Releasing my lips, he wipes his chin with the back of his hand, and stands up, extending his other hand to me, “Come on babe, you’re gonna be late for work, let’s get you cleaned up.”
“Wait, what about you?” I take his hand and he pulls me to my feet.
“What about me?”
I motion down to his very obvious erection and give him a face that yells, “duh.”
“Oh, that? You’re coming back home with me tonight, and we have all fucking night.”
“So, is he just going to sit there all night?” Cole shouts over the music.
“Yep,” I nod, shaking the margarita and pouring it into the glass with the salted rim.
“As long as he’s paying for those beers,” Rico laughs as he walks behind us, carrying a full box of bottles out from behind the bar.
“Yes, yes, he’s paying.”
“Does this have to do with Liam?” Cole asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
Glass shatters and we all stop, looking over at the new girl who just dropped a pint glass.
“Sorry,” she mutters with a look of defeat on her face. Setting down the box, Rico stops to help her sweep up the shards.
“Nah girl, it’s all good. We’ve all been there!” I yell over the music.
Sliding the margarita over to my customer, I turn back and face Cole, “About that…”
“Nope, we’re not gonna talk about it. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“No, you were right.”
He stops in his tracks and gives me a confused look, like he was prepared for me to give him a verbal lashing. “I was?”
I nod, “Yeah, I mean, your heart was in the right place. You’re right, we are family. I’m sorry I lied…so many times.”
“Well that was… unexpected,” he says.
“I don’t really want to get into it, just know, I’m not stupid. Decisions were made that I was willing to live with, because I thought I was doing the right thing. But,” I flick my eyes over to the high top where Travis sits, tilting back the bottle of beer as he talks on his phone. “I know it’s not true. And I know I deserve more.”
“Ar—“ Cole leans in and wraps his arms around me, squeezing the air from my lungs.
“Let’s not get any more sentimental. I’ve cried enough the last week to last me a fucking lifetime. Just accept my damn apology.”
“Accepted, duh.” He laughs, pulling away from me.
“Alright, well let’s do this shit right then!” I let out a loud whoop over the music, and throw back a shot of tequila while Cole just shakes his head.
“I’m back baby,” I grin, flipping a pint glass over and filling it under the tap.
Moving on to the next couple at the bar, I laugh, drink, and generally goof off, and the night seems to fly by. Every so often I peek up and see Travis watching me. I hate it, but I love it. The conflicting emotions wrestle beneath the surface. I want him to back off, but I also never want him to let me go.
Liam creeps back into my head, and I start to wonder how he’s going to take it when I tell him we are through. I have to face him eventually. I can’t just hide at Travis’s forever. Or can I? Can I simply just run away, but instead of hours away this time, it can be 21 minutes away? Bury my head in the sand, avoid the confrontation, and just act like my life with Liam never existed?
That sounds good. That sounds really fucking good.
I bite back the negative thoughts and slow down for a chat when Sal makes his way to the bar. I ready the two pitchers he always comes up for, and pull out a stack of pint glasses while he tells me about how his nephew finally settled down, and his excitement over it. Sal never had kids so his nephew, Xander, is as close as it gets.