Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
MELODY
With our busy schedules, getting together with my girlfriends was always a good time. Since my birthday fell on New Year’s Eve, my friends always showed me a good time when we went out. I always looked forward to my birthday every year. We decided to stick to our home base this time around instead of taking a trip. And we were also celebrating my friend Elena’s engagement. I was happy to share the spotlight with her. In reality, I hated being the center of attention.
After showering and drying off, I heard my front door open.
“It’s just me, Alyssa calls out.”
“Hey! How has it been going with you lately?” I asked.
“Nothing new, just work. You?”
“Come in here,” I told her while I pulled out the dark champagne-colored, sparkly dress from my closet that I purchased specifically for this occasion. It was most definitely a splurge when I bought it.
Her heels echoed on my hardwood floors. “I am so glad you got that dress,” she said as I shimmied my body into it.
“I got rear-ended yesterday.”
Her eyes grew wide. “What?”
“Yeah, I was pulling out of my driveway, and some asshole rear-ended me.”
“What a dick.”
I laughed. “Right. He tried to blame me for doing that. Then he had the nerve to call the police.”
She laughed.
“That’s exactly what I did. I laughed. But I let him do it, knowing full well how the police here worked. Anyway, we ended up exchanging information, and look at this business card.” I handed her the information he had given me.
“Aiden Mills. Do you realize who this is?”
I shrugged. “Who?”
“Mel, its Aiden Mills, lead singer of Royal Whiskey, the country music band! He’s the lead singer.”
“What?” I took the paper from her and looked at it again. “You’re right. Shit. I knew his name sounded familiar; I just couldn’t pinpoint it.”
“I wonder why they are here in Lockridge,” Alyssa asked.
“I have no idea.”
“I mean, I did hear a rumor they were here to record an album, but I didn’t believe that was true.”
“Oh, then they must be.”
Just then, I heard my front door open again. “Melody, we are here,” Elena called out.
“Be right out.”
I looked back to Alyssa. “Don’t mention this to the others. Not until we are sure the band really is here.”
“Sure.”
I went out to the living where Elena and Iris were waiting.
“What do you think?”
“You look beautiful,” Elena gushed.
My dress had a deep V in the front and in the back. The first time I tried it on, I tried talking myself out of buying it because of how revealing it was. But Alyssa insisted I buy it, saying I looked stunning and it showed off my legs. I would never consider the word stunning for myself, but I went with it because even for one night, I deserved to feel sexy. And this dress made me feel that way.
“Come on. Show us what you are wearing,” Elena called out.
Elena and Iris were already in my living room, pre-gaming before we went out and waiting for me to join them.
“Love the outfit, babe,” Alyssa said.
“Thanks.”
Iris and Elena smiled wide. “You look gorgeous, babe.”
Did I mention I hated attention being on me? “You all look amazing,” I said, returning the compliment. Iris wore a rose gold sequin romper that showed off her curves. Elena wore a shiny silver Cami top with black leather shorts. Alyssa wore a strapless, red bodycon dress with lace at the bottom.
“My brother said he can pick us up later, he’s chilling at home with his girl if we drink too much and need a ride,” Iris said.
“Anyways, happy birthday, girl.” The girls hooted and hollered. I loved that they made my birthday a big deal. We did that for each other.
“Let’s have a drink before the Uber arrives.” Elena popped the champagne bottle open and poured us each a glass.
“To Melody’s birthday and Elena’s engagement,” Alyssa said, raising her glass.
“Looks like our Uber is here,” Iris said.
Downtown was only minutes away, but we arrived pretty early.
“My goal is getting Melody laid. Get her back on that saddle.” Alyssa smiled.
“We will see,” I said in response as we all began to get out of the Uber. We thanked the driver and headed to the bar. Getting laid was the last thing on my agenda. I couldn’t imagine getting laid would even happen.
Elena hooked her arm with mine and said, “We all look good.”
We entered Beck’s Whiskey House after paying the cover charge, and we were able to score a high-top table for the four of us. But it took some maneuvering so I wasn’t flashing anyone.
“Alright, here’s a round for all of us,” Alyssa said, setting the whiskey shots down.
We each grabbed one and raised it up to click our glasses. “Cheers.”
We downed our shots. “Since we are all here together, I wanted to see if you ladies would be my bridesmaids.”
“Oh my gosh, yes,” I said.
“Say less,” Alyssa responded.
“Hell yeah,” Iris cheered.
“Here, I got you this.” Alyssa handed me a silver, sparkly happy birthday crown to wear.
“Thanks!”
“Maybe some guys will buy us shots,” Alyssa said.
“Oh, so I’m the pawn.” I laughed.
“Well, I got this for Elena.” she handed Elena an ‘Engaged AF’ sash with a ring on it.
“This is awesome. Thanks, babe.” Elena always called people babe, honey, or some term of endearment.