Chapter 5
W hat the fuck just happened? I walk down the hill toward our favorite bar in Fontana, a dumb smile plastered on my face as I think about Adam. “The Renter,” I whisper aloud. I shake my head in disbelief, still smiling.
I show the bouncer my ID and walk in—a memory of being here underage flashes through my mind. No blonds, I remind myself—that’s been my rule ever since Sorin.
“You fucked him, didn’t you?” Kelsey shouts before I even sit down.
I nod, smiling, and raise my hand to get Ben’s attention.
He’s a fixture at Charlie’s, one of the few bars around Geneva Lake that hasn’t gone upscale to cater to the Chicago tourists.
Ben’s been bartending around here so long that he’s celebrated both my fake and actual twenty-first birthdays.
Well, my belated twenty-first, after I got back from studying abroad.
“Ben, I just nailed a random man and I’m feeling high on life, so whatever cocktail suits that vibe!” I twirl my finger in a circle, gesturing for him to surprise me.
“Dish! Dish! Dish!” Sarah chants, patting my wet hair.
“I’m still processing!” I shout over the music. “But let’s just say he had me for dinner!”
We all scream, and I realize that maybe my time at home this summer will be a little less terrible than anticipated.