3. The Worst Happens #2
Because the worst did happen…I’m standing at a bar in sweatpants…staring at my ex.
What was I thinking?
The bar is abuzz with noise and chatter, but within a breath, my ears are ringing, and there’s a pain thumping in my head.
My smile fades. I can feel it pulling my lips one second, and the next it’s gone.
I blink, just once, and that’s all it takes for him to leave me. Tears pool in my eyes as I search around, trying to find where he went.
I look out the window, peering outside to see if I can find him.
But he’s nowhere in my sight. The only thing remaining is the scent of him and the phantom whisper of his touch on my shoulder.
Nowadays, that is all Liam Anderson is to me.
A ghost. A phantom touch I can’t un-feel.
I stand there. Staring out the window, like he will suddenly appear from thin air. But if I wait on Liam Anderson to show himself, I’d be waiting here for an eternity.
After a while, I shrug out of my winter jacket, placing it on the back of one of the many scattered barstools throughout Melbourne’s. Instantly, I pull my phone from my back pocket and text June.
Aubrey:
Where are you?
She replies almost instantly.
June:
Back side of the bar.
I shove my phone back into my pocket, grab my coat, and navigate my way around the crowds of people.
I spend several minutes trying to find June, but it’s not long before I see her chestnut hair and bright eyes widening as she waves me in her direction.
June and Reese used to tell people they were twins.
It was a believable lie when they were younger, since they were both tall and girlish.
Nowadays, though, June and Reese barely look enough alike to pass as cousins, let alone twins.
June’s hair darkened past Reese’s honey blonde, her skin the same sun-kissed tone that the Vaughns are known for.
In contrast, Reese’s genetics are all her mother’s: pale skin, wide gray eyes, full lips. The type of looks that steal attention in any room she walks in—not that she ever notices that. She spends too much time wishing she looked like the rest of us.
“No Reese?” June asks as she stands from her stool to pull me into a hug.
“Come on, June,” I say while ordering a beer from the bartender. Anything to try to ease my shaky hands from my encounter with Liam, from the memory I had to revisit. “You know how she is.”
She heaves a heavy sigh. “So much for her ‘this year is going to be different’ speech.”
We look at each other and giggle, knowing that Reese always gives the best advice, but doesn’t always follow it.
I take a long drink of my beer, looking to see where Rory ran off to.
She’s too young to legally get into bars, but Rory has a fake ID and a killer smile that can get her into any bar on or off campus.
Which is exactly how she got in with me tonight, using that charming smile to flirt her way in when the bouncer wasn’t so convinced she was a Cressida Thornberry from New Hampshire.
A chuckle escapes me as I look for her, but Rory’s already long out of sight, likely having run off with her best friend, Elsie.
June’s eyes trail over my outfit, and I’m shocked it’s taken her this long to notice.
“Rory already lectured me! I don’t need to hear it from you, too!” I pull at my sweatshirt, suddenly self-conscious.
“Well, for once, Rory and I agree.” June shakes her head, like she’s actually disgusted by my choice of attire.
She goes off on a tangent about needing to look my best if I ever want to find a boyfriend before I graduate. She means well, but I don’t want to date anyone.
No desire to date ever again, actually.
My mom insists that one day, when I meet the right person, I’ll change my mind. But the thought of being with anyone except Liam turns my stomach, even after being broken up for over a year.
I hold up a hand in defense of my outfit choice. “Look, I didn’t feel like changing, and what does it matter what I wear?” I make a point of looking around. “It’s not like anyone is going to notice.”
June takes a sip of her wine. She has always prided herself on being the sophisticated one, so she insists on drinking wine at a college bar. Unlike me, who has actually grown to enjoy the taste of beer more than anything else. But I try not to think too much about that.
“Next time,” she says, setting her glass down, “get something from my closet.”
I raise my brows, taking a look at her outfit. She’s wearing a corset top, jeans, and black knee-high boots. Of course, she looks like she just stepped from a photoshoot. But she’s always had that model-esque look to her.
Whereas I just have the ‘hometown’ good looks. You know, the kind that makes you want to take me home to your mom, but not the kind you see in a magazine.
I nod my head, pretending to thank her for her offer of the clothes, though she and I both know I would never wear any of them.
I’m honestly just impressed that she offered.
Rory is always dying to wear anything of hers, but June never lets her.
In fact, last year, when Rory borrowed a pair of June’s heels, she called the cops.
Trying to say Rory “stole” them. I spent an hour explaining to the campus police that this was no more than a sisterly fight.
“On a more serious note—” June turns on the barstool to face me.
“How awkward was it running into Liam? And in sweatpants, no less?” My heart drops to my stomach.
She saw that? I make an attempt to open my mouth, but she gently presses a finger to my lips.
“Don’t bother lying because you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I take a deep breath through my nose.
“That bad, huh?”
I drain half my beer before answering. “He didn’t even say hello! Or hey, or fuck you!” I slam my glass down. “Just stormed out the door and that’s it! I mean—” I finally find the courage to meet June’s gaze, “I mean, he can’t avoid me this whole year!”
The bartender approaches and asks if I want another, which I clearly agree to because alcohol is the only thing strong enough to remove the recent encounter from my mind.
“Delleth is a big campus, but not that big. That’s a part of its charm, right? Big college with small campus vibes! I mean, he couldn’t even look at me! I didn’t even have his name out of my mouth, and he was running away like a scared puppy!”
Words vomit from my mouth. I don’t even realize what I’m saying, and honestly, I was just as awkward standing there, staring off into space, silent, struck speechless by him and the memories he stirred up.
June’s eyes narrow, looking at something far beyond me. She lays a hand on my shoulder, bringing her attention back to me for a final moment.
“You broke his heart, Aubs. People just don’t get over that.
Plus—” she says, lower, grabbing her clutch and tucking it under her arm.
“He’s been through a lot. He lost his scholarship.
Lost his chance to play in the NHL. Almost lost his life.
Then lost you.” Her thin shoulders rise as she finishes her glass of wine.
“I think he’s allowed to be a little fucked up… don’t you think?”
June doesn’t wait for my response before she walks away.
“Where are you—” I ask, spinning on my stool to watch June disappear into the crowds. But my words are cut short as I see Brennan eyeing her from afar.
June doesn’t think I know…but I’m more than aware that she’s been hooking up with Liam’s friend and roommate over the summer. I know she’s hiding it to try to spare me, but it’s so obvious I can’t help but let it irritate me.
Does she think I’m that clueless? It’s not like I’m upset.
I mean, what is there to be upset about anyway?
I broke up with Liam after the incident, just weeks before my junior year started—that’s been over a year ago.
Plus, I would never stop her from seeing one of his friends—no matter how awkward it might be for me.
I want June to be happy. It’s just…Brennan Barnes?
She could have anyone…but that idiot? Who sleeps with anyone?
I sigh. Whatever. If he makes her happy, then so be it.