Twelve #2
I listen to my brothers volley back and forth but my attention is still on her.
Her date gets up and I’m back out of my seat before he is even a step away from the table.
I tap my knuckles on the table and stare each of them in the eyes.
“We know what matters. We know her heart. She will share the rest with us when she’s ready.
Don’t push her. And drop it.” I order them.
We went through the same process with AJ but we were younger then.
We watched her move at a glacial pace while learning to trust us.
And even then, she never gave all of us the full story.
It wasn’t until Rory came into the picture that we saw light shine through her cracks.
There’s a reason she and Mia connect so much.
They are both made from broken glass. I just don’t know what the glass was made of with Mia, yet.
I make quick strides until I reach her table and sit opposite of her. She doesn’t even look surprised, which makes me happy. She was waiting for me.
“Hey.” I sit my glass down in front of me and smile at her.
“Go away, Oliver.” Her words are meant to bite me, but they only make me smirk at the fact that her date is already ruined. Because of me. At least I assume that’s why she seems so annoyed.
“How’s your date going?” I keep my voice calm even though my body is itching with the need to tell her to just let me take her home.
“Go away.” She repeats before leaning forward and I match her, leaving my forearms on the table.
“What drink did he order you?” I hold up my finger as I tease, “Hold please. Let me guess instead.” I pick up the menu pretending to read it. “Gin and tonic.”
The small sound that could only be described as a growling sigh leaves her throat as I put the menu back down and smile fully at her. I was right. “You are insufferable.” She grits out.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” She just glares at me instead of answering. “Why do you let them order for you? That doesn’t seem like you. To let a man make a decision for you.” I watch the surprise light her eyes before they darken again as she regains her composure.
“He will be back soon. Please leave.” She is working hard to not give me anything.
She tries to push a small section of hair out of her face, but it springs back forward. I love that. I’ve never seen a girl's hair match her personality so accurately. “Is he in accounting? I feel like he is.” I keep pushing.
She glares across the table at me. We’re at a standoff with me pushing and her pushing back, just staring, no words until she breaks.
“Investment Banker. He comes in for coffee every morning.” She finally lets out in a rushed breath.
“Will you leave now?” She keeps asking but I’m having too much fun.
“You didn’t wear pants.” I don’t break her eye contact. If I look down I will be too distracted by her legs to speak to her.
“I don’t like being told what to do.”
“Yet you won’t speak up and just order your favorite drink.” I point out. “All of your dates give off the same vibe actually. And they all bore you. What are you trying to prove?” She sits straighter, shoulders pinned back.
“Davey wasn’t in finance.” She argues.
“Davey can’t handle you.”
“And you can?” She cocks her head, thinking her words will land harshly.
“I have.” She quickly straightens back out.
“Let’s make a deal.” This could back fire, but a brilliant idea comes to me.
As expected, Mia perks up. She loves an opportunity to win.
“Since you won’t tell me what drink he bought you…
and I’m sure it isn’t what you actually want.
If he ordered you the wrong drink, then you make plans to come to my house Saturday and we will start on one of those projects you keep harassing me with.
” Her shoulders relax a little as I watch her consider what I said.
“You’re being serious?” Her eyes narrow in suspicion and I love that her red stained lips twitch with the want to smile.
“Absolutely.” I assure her.
“AJ said that you don’t like people in that house.”
“I’ll make an exception.” I see her date rounding the far corner and I lean in further so he can see me being close to her. “Make your decision fast.”
Her nose scrunches softly but her colorful eyes glimmer. “Deal.” I let my eyes drop to her lips before meeting her eyes again.
A throat clears but Mia being the girl that she is doesn’t even startle. She waits for me to lean back first. I pick up my glass before looking up at him. “Hey man.”
“I think you’re sitting in my seat.” He motions to where I still have not moved. I wet my bottom lip while I consider my next words.
“Just saying hi to one of my favorite girls.” I tilt my head to Mia. Even though my stare is still on him, I can see her shake her head out of the corner of my eye.
“One of?” He snorts. “Sounds about right.” He crosses his arms and heat travels up the back of my neck. What a pretentious dick.
I stand up. I tower over him by a good four inches and he breathes in to make his chest a little bigger. “Hey, pretty girl?” I speak to Mia, who is sitting behind where I’m standing.
“Hmm?” Her sweet voice travels as I smirk down at the asshole still glaring up at me.
“When you’re ready to go home, come find me.” I wink at him and make my way back to where my brothers have been waiting for me. I don’t have to look back to know that Mia is watching me walk away.
“What the fuck did you do?” Eli asks before I even sit down. He’s definitely done putting up with my shit tonight.
I dig my bike key out of my pocket and toss it on the table. “I need your car tonight.” I flag down the waitress.
“The fuck you do.” Eli hates taking my bike, always prefers his own.
“She didn’t wear pants.” I tap the keys. “I can’t take her on the bike.” Eli groans as he pockets the keys and puts his on the table. I knew he rode with Maxwell in the car. But our brother has been drinking and Eli has been nursing a rootbeer all night.
“Fine. But only because it’s Mia and AJ will murder us if anything bad happens to her.” I would never let anything bad happen to her. Hence why I’m switching out the bike for the car.
“What do you need, Oliver?” Morgan, the waitress I flagged down, asks as she reaches our table.
I put the barely sipped glass of whiskey on the tray she is holding.
She and I hooked up a few times and now every time she sees me she likes to act annoyed but I know that if I were to ask her to come home with me, she would.
“I need the biggest glass of water you have. And a napkin and red sharpie if you have one. And a cherry margarita. Extra cherries. Tell Grover it’s for me.
He won’t argue about the extra cherries.
” She looks at me like I’m crazy. “Please, Morgan.” She rolls her eyes but I know she’ll do what I ask.
“Why does the guy Mia is with keep staring back at you?” Maxwell asks, looking over my shoulder.
I scoot back into the booth and grin as I meet the stare of her date. “Because I told him that I was taking Mia home. Well, kinda.” Eli and Maxwell laugh then Maxie flips the guy off for safe measure. Ride or die.
“That’s why you two were squared off.” Eli says, understanding more now. I actually have no idea why he brought her on a date here. This is definitely not his scene.
Mik’s has had several contemporary updates over the years.
It’s definitely still a dive bar but it’s slightly more upscale.
There isn’t grime on the floor but the tables and booths are well worn and loved.
The lights are new and the paint is fresh.
The bar was reinstalled with the same top, just freshened up.
I watch Morgan, carrying the tray of drinks, reach their table and put two gin and tonics down on the table.
Mia grins at the drink and then looks up at me amusingly.
Morgan walks over to me and drops the sharpie down on the table and a stack of napkins.
My water is filled to the brim and almost overflowing.
The cherry margarita is made to perfection though. Thank you, Grover.
Morgan starts to walk away and I catch her by the wrist. She smiles at me but I ignore it. I scratch out a new note on the napkin with my free hand. I gently lift the napkin and the margarita back to her. “Will you take this to the blonde?”
“The one with another guy?” She says in shock. “Stealing a date is below you. You can have anyone in here.” She says anyone but she really means her. Subtlety is not her strong suit. And I liked that about her at one time. But now I crave Mia’s vibrancy.
“Just take the drink to her. And the napkin.” I let go of her hand to tap the napkin for a reminder.
“Whatever.” She pouts as she makes her way back to the table she just came from.
Mia’s whole face is annoyed now. She glares at Morgan as she brings her drink to her.
She slaps the napkin on the table. And puts the glass of margarita on the table without care, causing some of the liquid to run down the side of the glass.
Mia quickly picks the glass up before it can ruin the napkin.
I know she’s reading what I wrote in red ink. See you Saturday, pretty girl.
She picks up the glass and stares at me unwaveringly. Her date is still talking, not even noticing that she is paying absolutely fuck all attention to him. She drops her head to something in her lap.
Mia
After you finish that water and eat something, you can drive me home.
Oliver
Yes ma’am.