Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Ientered what looked like an old, rustic barn from the outside.
If there hadn’t been a few dozen cars in the parking lot and the sound of music pulsing from within, I wouldn’t have followed Sarah, Danielle, and Emily inside.
I would’ve thought they were pulling my leg.
An enormous bar stretched along the wall to the left, while tables and chairs filled the right side.
The entire center served as a designated dance floor with a raised stage in front of it, where a live band performed.
“Holy shit!” Danielle said as she shimmied her hips in excitement. “This place is awesome.” She grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled her to one of the last empty tables.
“There are a lot of people our age here,” I said, not knowing if Emily could hear me over the noise.
“I’m glad,” she replied. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
We followed our friends and sat at the table with them.
Sarah pulled out her phone, checking her texts. “George is here.” She looked up, searching for the guy she was supposed to meet. “There he is. He has a freaking cowboy hat on. How cute is he?”
A guy on the other side of the dance floor waved.
“His friend, Curtis, is with him.” Sarah shoved her phone into her pocket.
“You met George at a football game?” I asked.
“Yeah. Last year.” She smiled. “We’ve been dating since then, but we don’t use labels like boyfriend and girlfriend. I live in California. He’s from Minnesota. It is what it is.”
As George approached, I noticed he was a little on the skinny side with dark hair and freckles covering his nose. When he reached our table, Sarah stood and hugged him. George wasn’t much taller than her.
After introductions were made, Sarah and George went to dance.
Curtis slid his hands into his pockets. “I’m only here because George needed a ride, and I have a car,” he said. “I want to be upfront and let you all know that I have a girlfriend, so I’m not going to ask any of you to dance. I just don’t want you to think I’m being rude.”
Danielle patted the empty chair next to her. “Sit. We don’t bite. And I have a boyfriend, so you don’t need to worry about me hitting on you. She has a boyfriend, too.” Danielle pointed at Emily. “That one,” she pointed at me, “you’ll need to watch out for. She’s as horny as a dog.”
He slid onto the empty seat, eyeing me.
“She’s joking,” I assured him. “I’m not horny.”
“You sure about that?” Danielle asked.
I buried my face in my hands, groaning. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“Embarrassing?” she said with a smirk. “Girl, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Oh good lord, this night was going to be interesting with Danielle around.
A server came by, and we ordered some drinks and a few appetizers to share.
Danielle grilled Curtis on his major and classes, and she had endless questions about his college. I kept an eye on Sarah, who seemed to be laughing and having a good time with George.
After a couple of songs, Danielle stood. “I’m going to dance. You bitches coming?”
“Absolutely,” Emily said, laughing.
My initial reaction was to decline, since this was out of my comfort zone and I was a terrible dancer.
Which meant I had to join them because I needed to branch out and all that nonsense I’d promised myself.
Or, as my dad often said, life experiences.
When in…well, this wasn’t Rome, so when in a country bar, you line dance.
The three of us girls lined up behind Sarah and George.
I watched the people around me in order to figure out what to do.
After observing the sequence of steps a couple of times, I got the hang of it and joined in. It was pretty simple to follow along.
Curtis stepped next to me. “What the hell,” he said. “It looks fun.”
The music pumped through me. Step, step, twist, clap. Laughing, I hooked my thumbs in the loops of my jean shorts and tapped my heel then toe.
Five songs later, I was sweating and having the time of my life.
Since the band was going to take a ten minute break, we all headed back to our table.
I downed my iced tea, thankful to sit for a few minutes.
When the band returned, we all jumped up and ran to the dance floor.
I never knew dancing could be this much fun.
The best part was being able to dance with my girlfriends without having to think about guys.
It made the experience so much better. And country music was growing on me.
I might actually start listening to it. Mom always played classical music when we were at home or in the car.
“We’re going to slow it down now,” the lead singer said. “Couples only.”
George pulled Sarah into his arms, staring at her adoringly.
The rest of us went back to the table.
“I’m glad I came,” Emily said, taking a sip of her lemonade.
“I thought you’d be at the rugby game watching your man,” Danielle said.
“Nope,” Emily replied. “I needed a break tonight.”
“How long have you guys been together?” I asked, curious to learn more about their relationship, especially given the weird connection I felt toward Rowan.
She shrugged. “It feels like forever.”
“Is that why you needed a break tonight?” Danielle asked.
“Partly.” Emily plopped a fry in her mouth. “Honestly, I needed a break from my…other friends. It feels like I’m always with the field hockey players or hanging out with rugby players. Sometimes it’s nice to get away from it all.”
“I get that,” Danielle said. “But what about Rowan?”
Emily took another sip of her lemonade. “I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like our relationship is rather boring.”
“Then why are you with him?” she asked.
“College should be the time of your life,” I said. “You’re supposed to date a lot of guys to figure out what you want. The last thing you should do is settle.” Everyone looked at me. “What?” I asked, wondering if I had ketchup on my face.
“Is that what you’re doing?” Emily asked. “Dating a lot of guys?”
“Well, no.” I folded my arms and leaned back in my chair. “I was being philosophical. My point is that if you’re not happy with your boyfriend, you should date someone else.”
She wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I wish it was that simple, but it’s not. My family expects a lot of me, and marrying Rowan is one of them.”
I blinked several times, dumbfounded. I must have heard her wrong. “Did you say you’re going to marry Rowan?” My stomach twisted, and I swore I could taste bile in the back of my throat.
“Yup.” She started tearing off pieces of her napkin.
“Why does your family care who you marry?” Danielle asked.
“Like I said, it’s complicated.”
“Do you love him?” I asked.
“In a way, yes. It’s just that…we never fight. Like ever.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked.
“No. It’s not. It means he doesn’t care enough to fight with me.”
“Or maybe it means he doesn’t want to upset you?” Danielle offered.
“We’re good friends, nothing more. I know he feels the same way.”
“At least he’s easy on the eyes,” Danielle said with a smirk.
Emily grabbed a fry and threw it at her.
“What?” Danielle asked, batting the fry away with a laugh. “I only speak the truth.”
Emily looked pointedly at me. “She has a crush on Rowan.”
My heart skipped a beat until I realized she was talking about Danielle, not me. “I plead the fifth.” I raised my hands.
“See!” Danielle pointed at me. “She thinks he’s a hottie too!”
I rolled my eyes. “Whether I do or not, that’s not something you say to the girlfriend unless she asks.”
“Thank you,” Emily said.
“My point is that if your parents are going to make you marry Rowan, which is totally archaic, at least he’s good looking and not a dog.”
Emily snorted. “That would be what you’d prioritize.” She glanced at her phone. “It’s getting late. We need to go.”
“I’ll find Sarah,” Danielle said as she stood.
Curtis had remained silent through this conversation. “What do you think about all this?” I asked him.
“I don’t think any of us should be talking about marriage while we’re still in college.”
“How long have you had a girlfriend?” Emily asked.
“A few months,” he said. “But I won’t even consider getting married until after I graduate and have a job.”
I chuckled. “Don’t want to get married and live at home with your parents?”
“Exactly. I can’t get married until I can support myself.”
Danielle returned. “Sarah is staying with George tonight. He’ll bring her home tomorrow.”
“Do we trust this George?” I asked. While he seemed like a decent guy, I’d only just met him.
“Yes,” Emily said as she stood and pulled out her keys. “She’ll be fine. Curtis, it was nice to meet you.”
The three of us exited the barn and headed to Emily’s car. I slid into the back seat since Danielle’s legs were longer than mine.
Emily started the car. “Thanks for inviting me tonight. This is exactly what I needed.”
“I’m glad you came,” Danielle said as she began a playlist for the ride back to school. “Otherwise, we couldn’t have gone since none of us have a car.”
“As always, you’re blunt and honest,” Emily said, pulling out of the parking lot.
“Blunt and honest would tell you not to date someone you’re not really into,” Danielle said.
“And yet, you just did,” I said. While it seemed like Danielle had no filter, I got the impression she withheld a lot and only actually said what she thought others needed to hear.
“I don’t want to hurt Rowan’s feelings or disappoint my family,” Emily said as she took the highway toward campus. It was only about a thirty minute drive.
I really wanted to respond, but it was hard to formulate my thoughts when it came to Rowan. Just hearing his name made my heartbeat increase, my palms sweaty, and my insides warm. When I thought about him in relation to Emily, jealousy flared like a raging fire.