CHAPTER FIVE
Moments later, I slid onto the barstool next to Declan, who was taking a sip of his previously abandoned drink. He smiled at me over the rim of his glass, and I blushed all over, remembering what had transpired mere moments ago in the bathroom.
I opened my mouth to say something when Declan’s phone rang. Instinctively, I glanced at the clock over the bar to see that it was a quarter to three in the morning. Which meant we’d been talking—and doing other things—for over five hours.
Declan muttered an excuse and dug around in his pocket for the device, flipping it over to look at the caller ID.
I wasn’t sure what possessed me to sneak a quick look at his screen, but my heart felt like someone just ran a knife through it, over and over again.
The caller ID read—Cassidy, with a heart emoji next to the name.
Declan frowned, then his expression quickly morphed into worry as he answered on the third ring.
A woman’s voice, sweet and frantic, came through the muffled speaker pressed to his ear.
“Cass, what’s wrong?” Declan asked urgently. And while I couldn’t hear her exact response, Declan abruptly jumping to his feet was answer enough. He took a few steps to a corner of the room, presumably to escape the noise of the bar, but not before I heard him ask, “Where are you, love?”
My heart was beating so fast, I wanted to throw up. My face burned with embarrassment, and I felt like a fool.
At that moment, my stomach started to churn, and maybe it was the six or seven martinis finally coming back to bite me in the ass. But either way, before further embarrassment could occur, I shoved to my feet, grabbed my purse, and sprinted for the bathroom.
Melodie, you’re such an idiot!
Just because a random guy came up to you at a bar, talked to you for hours, and gave you a mind-blowing orgasm, it didn’t mean that he wanted anything else from you.
Declan merely saw a sad woman sitting alone at the bar, and he felt sorry for her.
And, like the gentleman he was, he decided to say hello…
and fuck me with his fingers. That was all.
So why did I feel like I’d known him my entire life?
Why did I feel like we were lifelong companions who were estranged for no particular reason, and had finally reconciled after years of separation?
Why did his touch light me up in ways I never knew existed?
And why did it feel like my soul recognized his?
Then again, hadn’t I felt that way about Seth once? And look how that turned out.
He never mentioned it, and I never asked, but why wouldn’t Declan have a girlfriend?
He said he wasn’t married, but he never said anything about not having a romantic partner, either.
Which was quite possible. Of course, he had a girlfriend.
He was gorgeous. Also, I had no right to feel hurt or betrayed by any of this. I was married.
What a fucking joke.
Of course, something like this would happen to me. Falling for a guy after one conversation and an orgasm, only to find out he had a girlfriend all along. Pathetic.
After an eternity of dry heaving into the public toilet. I gathered my wits and went to the sink—which was apparently my new favorite spot now—where I spent a careful few minutes washing my hands and grudgingly taking in my reflection.
The sounds of the bar were dulled in the restroom, yet I found myself straining to hear a distant phone conversation that was probably long finished.
Was Declan gone? Had he left to go meet Cassidy?
I shook my head. “Stop it, Melodie. You need to pick up your dignity and go home,” I demanded of my reflection.
Still, she lingered. And were those tears in her eyes?
No, absolutely the fuck not!
It was simply the stress and disappointment of Seth not showing up for our birthday celebration that had finally gotten to me. Right. That was it.
At the reminder of Seth, I dug around in my tiny purse for my phone; no missed calls and no response to my texts.
Of course not. What did I expect? A long, heartfelt apology and a promise to make it up to me?
I sighed.
Wake up, girl. Seth doesn’t want you. Declan is patently unavailable. And our time together was simply a fleeting moment of pleasure. You’re on your own. Get used to it.
Eventually, I pulled myself together and trudged out of the bathroom and back into the main area of the bar.
My eyes immediately drifted to where I last saw Declan, but the spot was empty. Without thinking, my eyes scoured the room for his presence, but there was no six-foot-three Irishman anywhere in sight.
Hurt and disappointment slammed into me, but I told myself this was for the best. I wouldn’t get my hopes up, only for them to be crushed yet again.
I made my way over to the bar and signaled for the bartender.
“What can I get ya, pretty lady?” Frank asked.
“Nothing, I just wanted to settle my bill.”
“Already taken care of.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, confused.
Frank smiled. “Your bill has been paid. Oh, and before I forget—” he reached under the counter and pulled out a small square white box with a pink ribbon tied around it, “—this is yours,” he said, presenting the item like some kind of priceless artifact.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I leaned forward to peek through the clear plastic covering at the top of the box.
Inside nestled a pink cupcake with white frosting, with the words ‘Happy Birthday’ scrawled across the top.
My heart did a funny little lurch, and I didn’t know why, but I suddenly wanted to cry.
I met Frank’s gaze, and he preened a little, smiling from ear to ear.
“Declan had to run, but he wanted me to give this to you along with this note,” he announced, sliding the folded-up note across the bar top, which I realized was a paper napkin with a message written on the inside of it.
“Melodie,
I’m sorry. I have an emergency at home and had to run. I truly enjoyed spending time with you tonight, and I very much would like to do it again. Here’s my number. You can call or text me any time of the day, and I promise I will answer. Happy Birthday.
Declan.”
Scribbled beneath his name was his phone number, but my eyes kept drifting back to the first line of his message: ‘I have an emergency at home’.
At home? With Cassidy?
I shook my head. It was none of my business. Plus, I wasn’t going to entertain the attentions of a man who clearly had someone waiting for him at home; someone who was calling him at nearly three o'clock in the morning.
Was Declan another Seth? That would make Cassidy another me, waiting alone at home for our significant others to come home to us?
No, I wouldn’t be the other woman who made Cassidy feel the way I did every time Seth left for another date.
I crumpled the note and dropped it in the glass of water I was drinking, then flashed Frank my brightest smile.
He frowned, looking utterly confused.
“Thanks for the cupcake,” I said sweetly, grabbing my bounty and getting the hell out of dodge.