Chapter 29
twenty-nine
Friday night can’t come soon enough. But I sure as fuck wouldn’t be mad if the world imploded, taking me along with it, just so I could avoid the inevitable.
Lizzy.
It reminds me of how I felt on prom night.
How I stood just out of sight at the top of the stairs, nervous as shit.
Not because of my date—the girl I was seeing at the time was nuts, and I’d been wanting to break it off for weeks—but because I was out of my mind about seeing Lizzy in her prom dress.
Torn between drinking in the sight of her and wanting to tear her dress off and show her just how much I’d missed her.
With my tongue.
I didn’t want to care about her. I didn’t want to be out of my mind for her blossoming curves and her full, pouty mouth. And I sure as hell didn’t want to be reminded of how she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen in my life. And I’d known her for most of it.
Keeping my baseball cap low, I climb out of the car and head inside The Brew. The bar slash restaurant is a new experience for me as it didn’t exist the last time I was home.
Home.
Used to be that Lakeside was the only real home I’d ever known. Now? I plan on sticking around. Even if it’s only part-time.
A loud cacophony of voices hits me dead on. Music thumps and glasses clink as I scan the bar for the one person I came to see.
The place is packed with locals, most of whom are gathered around tall, round tables in the center of the large room. The energy is almost tangible in the air. It takes me a moment to spot her in the corner, surrounded by her friends.
She’s stunning. Her tight black T-shirt hugs her curves, showing a dusky sliver of skin, with blue jeans and a pair of Chucks completing the look.
Her dark hair, loose around her shoulders, catches the light when she throws her head back to laugh at something Sasha says, making my heart do a little flip.
Holy hell. What I wouldn’t give for a chance to run my tongue along that tiny exposed section of midriff.
“Rowan!” Logan’s voice breaks through my Lizzy-induced trance as he waves me over from where he’s standing by the bar. “Over here, man.”
I make my way through the crowd, nodding at a few people who recognize me as the whispers of: “Holy shit, that’s Rowan Cole!” nip at my heels. But I’m used to it.
“Hi,” I say, clasping Logan’s hand and pulling him in for a quick bro hug.
“Hey, my friend.” He grins, sliding a beer toward me. “Lizzy mentioned you were coming. Figured I’d better be here to run interference in case things go south.”
I take a deep swig from the bottle. “Your confidence as usual is unsurprising.”
“Just being realistic,” he shrugs, clapping me on the shoulder. “Come on, we’ve got a couple of tables saved.”
As I follow Logan through the crowd, I can’t keep my eyes off Lizzy. Still caught up in whatever story has her friends doubled over in laughter, she hasn’t noticed me yet. The sight of her so carefree, so vibrant, makes my stomach ache with familiar longing.
“Hey! Look what the cat dragged in,” Jax announces as we approach the table.
Lizzy’s head snaps up, green eyes locking with mine. For a split second, a surprised grin flickers across her face before she schools her expression to casual indifference.
“Hey,” she says with a small nod.
“Hey yourself,” I reply, sliding into the empty seat across from her.
Before I have the chance to tell her how beautiful she looks, someone taps on a microphone, cutting through the dissonance in the bar. A tall, bearded guy steps onto a small platform at the front of the room.
“Alright, folks! Welcome to The Brew’s monthly Trivia Night!” His voice booms through the speakers, drawing cheers from the crowd. “For those who don’t know me, I’m Drew, the owner of this fine establishment, and your host for the evening.”
Logan leans over, whispering, “Drew’s cool. Ex-military. Opened this place about eight years ago.”
I nod, keeping my eyes up front as the large, burly man continues.
“Tonight’s theme is Movies and Music, from the 80s to today.” More cheers erupt. “We’ve got eight rounds, ten points per question. Winning team gets their tab covered and a $100 gift card for their next visit.”
Lizzy’s eyes light up at the mention of the theme. She’s always had the most eclectic taste in music—everything from classic rock to obscure indie bands I’d never even heard of.
“Teams of four,” Drew announces, gesturing to a chalkboard where the rules have been neatly written out. “No phones, no googling, and absolutely no sharing answers unless you want to get your ass banned from the game.”
“We need to split up, choose teams,” Ryder says, looking at everyone gathered around the two tables that’ve been pushed close together.
Pulling off his baseball cap, Jax grins. “Already got it covered.” He holds up a handful of small, folded pieces of paper and drops them into his hat. “This time, to make it fair, everyone draws.”
“Seriously?” Lizzy arches an eyebrow, sticking out her bottom lip into a tiny pout. “Why can’t we just do girls versus guys like we always do?”
Fuck, what I would give for another chance to suck on that pierced bottom lip.
“Don’t be a spoilsport,” Sasha nudges her. “It’ll be fun. Mix things up a bit.”
Jax shakes the cap, rustling the papers inside. “My lady goes first.”
“Aww, thanks, babe.” Sasha reaches in, unfolding her paper. “Team One.”
Noia’s next. “Team One.”
Claire, Ryder, Jax and I pick Team Two.
When Lizzy declares Team One, my heart sinks.
Carter draws last. “Team One,” he announces, cutting his gaze to Lizzy with a flirty grin.
Unexpected jealously flares hot in my veins.
Logan saves me from punching Carter in the face by clapping me on the shoulder. “Team Two it is, brother. Just like old times, yeah?”
For some reason, I feel like a lost puppy as I watch Lizzy slide over to join her team at the adjacent table, while the rest of us scoot to huddle closer together. The distance between us feels like miles instead of just a few feet.
“You good?” Logan asks quietly.
“Yeah,” I lie, taking another swig of my beer. “Just getting into competitive mode.”
Ryder snorts. “Good, ‘cuz you’re gonna need it. Lizzy’s a trivia beast.”
“I remember,” I say, a smile tugging at my lips despite my irritation.
Memories of family game night competitions flash through my mind: Lizzy’s fierce concentration and the way she’d bounce in her seat when she knew an answer but couldn’t say it, how she’d stick her tongue out at me whenever her team beat mine.
“Alright, teams!” Drew’s voice booms through the speakers. “First round is ‘80s Movie Quotes. Write your team name at the top of your answer sheet and let’s get started!”
Jax grabs our sheet. “What are we calling ourselves?”
“The Inevitable’s,” I suggest with a smirk, my eyes landing on Lizzy.
“Why The Inevitable’s?” Claire asks, tucking a strand of purple hair behind her ear.
I shrug. “Because our victory…” Leaning in for dramatic effect, I waggle my eyebrows. “…is inevitable.”
Claire shakes her head with a snort as Ryder and Jax laugh.
“Wait,” Logan says, gesturing to the other table. “What’s their team name?”
I follow his gaze to see Sasha scrawling something on their answer sheet, the whole table giggling conspiratorially. When she holds it up, I can just make out the words “Trophy Wives.”
“Seriously?” I call over to them. “None of you are even married. And Carter’s a dude.”
When Carter shoots me a smug look and scoots a tad closer to Lizzy, I grind my molars so hard, I’m surprised they don’t combust into dust.
Lizzy smirks, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Because we’re taking home the trophy tonight, Hollywood.”
Competitive fire flares to life and my dick jerks painfully against my zipper. “Guess we’ll just have to see about that, won’t we, Sunshine?”
She narrows her eyes at the nickname, but before she can throw back a retort, Drew’s voice blasts through the mic, “First question! In what 1980s sci-fi film would you hear the line: ‘I’ll be back’?”
“Terminator,” our entire table whispers in unison as Logan quickly scribbles the answer.
The questions fly—everything from The Goonies to The Lost Boys to Die Hard. By the end of the first round, both of our teams are tied with perfect scores.
“Not bad,” Lizzy snarks during a brief break between rounds. “But the night’s still young.”
“Just warming up,” I shoot back, enjoying the spark of challenge in her eyes.
The next round is ‘90s One-Hit Wonders, and I watch with amusement as Lizzy’s entire face lights up. Her eyes practically sparkle as she mouths lyrics to herself, counting beats on her fingers when the question is about “Mambo No. 5.”
“How does she know all of these?” Claire whispers.
I can’t help but grin. “She used to burn CD’s of one-hit wonders. Said they deserved to be remembered for their fifteen minutes of fame.”
A memory hits out of the blue. Twelve-year-old Lizzy sprawled across her bed with her headphones on, meticulously writing out music track lists for her latest collection of songs. I’d tease her about her weird music obsession, but secretly, I loved every CD she ever made me.
By the time we reach the mid-2000s movie soundtrack round, the competition has heated up considerably. Our teams are neck and neck, with only two points separating us.
“Name the Oscar-winning song from the 2018 film ‘A Star Is Born’,” Drew reads from his card.
“Shallow!” Logan blurts out, a bit too loudly.
“Dude!” Jax chuckle-hisses. “Keep it down! You’re gonna get us disqualified!”
I glance over at Lizzy’s table to see if they heard, only to find her staring at me. Our eyes lock and she holds my gaze, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.
Aaannnd... there goes my heart doing that stupid stuttering thing again.