Chapter 26
Sarah's POV
It is so clear to me that both Lincoln and Gabby are a bit buzzed. Lincoln is probably a little bit on the drunk side, and Gabby has been drinking a lot. Maybe she's more than buzzed, but Gabby definitely seems to hold her liquor better, or at least it looks like she does.
Hmmm.
The entire place feels so alive, pulsing with energy as everyone starts dancing, their bodies swaying and stomping despite the biting cold.
The alcohol is warming everyone from the inside out, turning the frigid night into this hazy, euphoric blur where laughter echoes off the water and the lights from the lanterns flicker like distant stars, making it impossible not to get swept up in the rhythm.
Looking at Lincoln and Gabby laughing and giving each other eyes, a pit of jealousy seethes deep inside me.
So this is why Lincoln has been distant.
I thought that it was because he and Gabby were having problems again or she was getting on his nerves, but clearly, looking at the both of them, it's like they're flirting with each other or falling in love again, and I can't have that happen.
I worked too hard and came too far with Lincoln. It's not fair, and he's going to end up falling into the same shit, and who am I kidding?
I don't want to lose Lincoln.
I care about him, and I put the work in, so an idea brews in my mind when I see Lincoln walking away with Gabby, probably somewhere to be quiet.
Putting on a plastic smile, I skip up to Gabby and link her arm and pull her away.
"What are you doing? Get off me," Gabby says, slurring her words.
"Sorry, Lincoln, I just need to talk to you, Gabrielle, for a second. Gabrielle, do you mind? It's important."
Surprisingly, Gabrielle allows me to pull her a little closer to the shore. There is a very evil part of me that wants to push her into the water and drown her.
Now that's messed up.
Plus, I wouldn't get away with it anyway, and so I take one of Gabby's hands that Gabby quickly withdraws.
There's an overwhelming need to head-butt Gabrielle, but I maintain my smile.
"I just wanted to apologize to you formally," I start to say.
Gabby looks at me with narrowed eyes. Even in the semi-drunken haze, Gabby doesn't trust me.
"You're apologizing to me now after you already took my husband?" Gabby challenges.
I look back towards Lincoln and lift a hand in his direction before letting it fall back to my side.
"He loves you, Gabby. He's always loved you.
I mean, at first I wasn't sorry about what I did, but it destroyed him, and I did…
I did start to feel like shit. Because the truth is, I was jealous of you. "
"Oh really," Gabby says dubiously.
My head bobs up and down emphatically. "Of course I was jealous of you. Look at you. I liked Lincoln a lot, and then I found out what you look like, and I'm like… damn, no wonder he's married to her. No way I'm ever going to measure up to a woman like you."
Gabby just stares at me, grilling me up and down.
"I'm sorry for everything I put you through and all the things I said to you.
I know that's not going to make you trust me, but…
it's a new year, and I don't want to enter the New Year being a bad person.
I still care about Lincoln, I'm not going to lie to you about that, but I know that he cares about you, and because he cares about you, I'll try my best to be better with that. "
"You don't need to be better with anything. I don't want you around me, and I don't want you around him."
Wow, the alcohol is definitely making her honest. What else can I get her to say?
Smiling, I nod. "I know. But I do want to try anyway.
I want to make it up to you. Lincoln's been out of it at work, and I thought that, you know, maybe…
I don't know, that you guys were having trouble again, but now I see that that's not the case.
You guys have amazing chemistry, and he's probably just missing you a lot. I'm sure."
I want to slap myself so bad. Truth is, Lincoln is pulling away, and nothing I'm doing is working, and so the only way I'm going to get to be around Lincoln is if I'm around Gabby in some way, shape, or form.
Gabby gives me a smug smile and shrugs a shoulder confidently. "Yeah, he's been pretty pent up. That's why."
She giggles a little, heading towards one of the tables slowly to get another drink. I pour it for her.
"I figured you guys were being intimate. Right?" I ask.
"I mean, yeah. He wants to fuck me all the time."
"And does he?" I ask with a smile, as if I'm a best friend trying to share in the juicy details of Gabby's romantic life.
Another giggle escapes Gabby, clearly a result of the alcohol flowing through her; nature's very own truth serum.
On second thought, I get Gabby to drink more, pretending to drink as well, only to pour out my drink onto the grass when Gabby's not looking. It's a cliché thing that I've seen on TV, but it definitely works, and Gabby's too drunk to notice.
"There's a place nearby where we can get better drinks," I say to her.
She just stares at me with those glassy eyes.
"Let's find Lincoln." I tell her, and when we find him, he's talking with Tom, both of them being loud and boisterous.
Lincoln isn't usually like this, but he's definitely drunk.
"...so this absolute moron decides he's gonna fix the garage wiring with a fucking fork," Tom is saying, words slurring just enough to blur the edges. He claps Lincoln hard on the shoulder, nearly causing him to spill his drink. "Swear to God, thought the handle was insulated or something."
Lincoln chuckles, eyes shut like it’s really that funny. "A fork? Jesus. Dumb clearly runs in the family."
"Hey, don't pin that on me!" Tom protests, grinning. "That's all him, man. I wasn't even there when he decided to clap himself off the face of the Earth."
"Yeah, but it's your brother," Lincoln shoots back, still chuckling. "Kid looks up to you. Clearly you rubbed off."
Tom snorts. "Fine, but picture this: guy gets zapped, hair sticking straight up like he stuck his finger in a socket on purpose, pants literally smoking. And the first thing out of his mouth? 'It's fixed!' Like he's proud of it. Lucky he didn't kill himself."
Lincoln shakes his head, grinning wide. "You know, statistically, you're more likely to hurt yourself with a fork than a gun in this country. So I’d keep an eye on him."
“That’s his wife’s job, but between the two of them, I don’t know how that house hasn’t burned down. The damn dog is always clawing at the window to get out and shit-”
And with that, they dissolve into another round of belly laughs, the imagery probably being the culprit of what sent Lincoln into a fit of drunken laughter.
Men are weird.
I step between them, looping my arm through Lincoln’s before they can launch into another dumb-guy story.
“Hey, you two,” I say, loud enough to cut through their laughter. “There’s an after-party starting at Eclipse Lounge, ten minutes from here. We’re going.”
Lincoln blinks, the grin still lingering on his face, but his eyes immediately start scanning the crowd over my shoulder. He’s looking for Gabrielle without even realizing he’s doing it.
I glance back and spot Gabby a few steps away, hugging her coat closed against the cold, watching us.
The second Lincoln finds her, his whole expression softens, like someone turned down the volume on everything else around him.
She gives him this small, knowing smile, the kind that doesn’t need words, and he smiles back the same way at her.
Ugh God, it’s almost sweet. Almost.
But I want to throw up in my mouth.
“Tom, you should come too,” I add, turning to him.
"No, I got to get home to my wife," he says, sounding drunk himself.
"Awww, really? A bunch of the other coworkers are going. Why didn't she come with you?"
"Doesn't like all the noise," he says.
His wife honestly sounds like a fucking killjoy. Not unlike Gabrielle over here.
Tom waves us off with a sloppy grin and stumbles toward the street, disappearing into the swirl of New Year's stragglers.
Lincoln and Gabrielle trail behind me as I lead them the few blocks to Eclipse Lounge, the bass from inside already thrumming through the pavement like a second heartbeat.
At the door, I flash my membership pass to the bouncer, matte black card, silver lettering, and lean in close enough for him to hear me over the noise. "Me plus two guests," I say, nodding back at them.
He scans my card, checks the list, and unhooks the velvet rope without a word. Perks of being a regular: two guests max, no cover, no questions.
Inside, the air is thick with heat and perfume and the sharp bite of expensive liquor. We shed our coats at the check near the entrance, trading winter layers for the humid pulse of the club.
The bartender spots me immediately, I've tipped well enough times for that, and slides three drinks our way without me even ordering.
"These are better, right?" I ask Gabby, who now is loosening up a bit.
"Yeah, way better. Bet they cost a bitch too," Gabby replies.
"I'm paying for them. Don't worry about it," I scream over the music.
A song comes on, one that I had danced with Lincoln to a while back when I had taken him to another club: a mashup of "Love in This Club" by Usher and "Kiss Kiss" by Chris Brown and Taylor Swift. An oldie but still a bump which spurs on the excitement of everyone in the club.
I dance with Lincoln, something that I notice Gabby does not like, so let's make her feel a little included, shall we?
I ease out of Lincoln's grip, my breasts no longer pressed up against him, and pivot toward Gabby instead.
My arms slip around her waist with grace, fingers splaying across the small of her back as I draw her in close.
And even closer until our bodies align and the space between us vanishes.
Then… I kiss her.
My tongue ventures down Gabby's throat, and at first, Gabby seems a little confused, but the alcohol makes her a lot more pliable to my gesture.
Stealing a peek at Lincoln, who is almost standing right between us, I notice his mouth open wide, just gawking at us.
This is actually hilarious but also hot. The poor man is utterly transfixed, watching the side profile of our faces right in front of him, making out.
Smiling, I continue sensually kissing Gabby, who kisses me back.
Lincoln is definitely into this. If Gabby hadn't been as drunk as she is right now, she definitely wouldn't be doing this, but when opportunity presents itself…
Maybe the girl will loosen up now.
Continuing my makeout session with Gabby, my hands roam through her wavy hair, raking my nails gently over Gabby's scalp, eliciting a moan from the darker woman.
Breaking away gently, I come up for air, smiling seductively towards Lincoln.
"We should go back to my place," I yell out towards him.
He barely comes back to himself.
He's drunk too. Not as drunk as Gabrielle, apparently.
Now the real fun begins.
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