Jeremiah
I can hear the borderline screeching—some might call singing—from the street.
I’ve parked my car in a parking lot a few blocks down, so it takes me a moment to walk up to Donnellys.
Which is perfect because it gives me some time to collect my thoughts. Thoughts about why the hell am I even here tonight. I should be securing last-minute sponsorships or reviewing budget reports for the Gala. There are things I should be doing to get ahead and yet…
I walk up to the front doors of the bar.
It just had to be karaoke. I’ve never understood it. Are you supposed to sing well? Sing badly and have fun? It's like Jell-O—are you supposed to chew it or just let it slide down your throat? I don’t enjoy being confused so I avoid it, just like karaoke.
I push through the first set of doors and into the small foyer outside the main bar.
The stained-glass windows offer glimpses of the crowd inside.
It looks like a full house. There’s people laughing, talking, moving between tables.
I reach for the second door but stop short when I notice someone leaning against the wall to my right.
“Heather?” I ask.
Heather turns to look at me, shock on her face when she sees it’s me, turning into a sweet smile. “Oh, hey! Jeremiah, I’m so glad you made it.”
I offer her a content smile, taking in her pantsuit and her long blonde hair cascading down her back in a long pony-tail. “You look great tonight.”
“So do you, though, we look like we’re heading to a funeral.” She laughs softly, gesturing between our matching black outfits.
I glance down at myself with a sigh. “I never know how to dress for these things. Is this a ‘congratulations’ or a ‘goodbye’?”
Heather shrugs, gaze drifting toward the bar. “A little of both. But honestly… it feels more like one than the other.”
I hear it in her voice. The weight of letting go.
“Must be tough, leaving after everything you built,” I say, stepping beside her.
She leans against the wall, exhaling slowly. “I’ve dreamed about this moment since I started WingMate. But now that it’s here… it feels like an ending. Like…what now?”
I rest a hand on her shoulder. “Now, you get to live. You get to watch what you built thrive.”
Her lips twitch into a small, grateful smile, eyes shining. “You just got here. What do you know?”
I glance through the stained glass at the bar full of people laughing and dancing. “Not much. But, I’m learning.”
Heather lets out a quiet laugh before stepping forward, wrapping her arms around me. It catches me off guard, but I return the hug, rubbing her back gently.
“There you are!” Jocelyn, our HR manager, exclaims. Heather and I break apart, and Jocelyn sighs, relieved to find the star of the party. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Jocelyn, great. Your job tonight is to get me drunk.”
Heather mouths a quick ‘thank you’ to me before she grabs Jocelyn’s wrist.
I smile as I watch them head inside, heading straight for the bar.
Stepping inside, it’s clear that most of our office has shown up. Chase was right; this place looks way different, full of people.
I can hear someone singing ‘Aint No Mountain High Enough’ by Diana Ross on the stage, which isn’t bad but definitely not good.
A few people I met earlier this week say hello to me as I pass by but I can’t shake a strange pull inside of me as I walk through. I’m not too sure what I’m looking for, but I can feel myself seeking it out.
“Blackwood!” A young man's voice calls out to me.
I feel my heart skip as I turn around to find where that voice is coming from. But quickly, it settles when I realize it’s just Todd.
“Boss, over here.” He smiles, waving me over to his table.
I give him a slight grin as I walk over, squeezing through the crowd. It looks like he’s sitting with everyone else I had met the other night, plus a red-headed young woman that I don’t recognize.
“You made it.” Mia smiles up at me. “I was hoping we’d see you tonight.” She’s sweet. Mia wraps her arm around the red-headed woman's shoulders, bringing her in closer. “Rachel, this is our new COO, Mr. Blackwood.”
I reach out my hand. “You can just call me Chase—” The second his name leaves my lips, my stomach plummets and my chest tightens.
Mia tilts her head, mid-word, confused.
“Chase, it’s nice to meet you—” Rachel begins.
“No, I—I’m sorry. I mixed up my name. That’s so weird.” I cough to clear my throat. “My name is Germ—Jeremiah.” I spit out, fumbling even more with my words. I feel sweat starting to feel slick on my back.
Holy shit. What the hell is going on with me?
I nervously stick out my hand. “Jeremiah,” I firmly state.
Rachel gives me a happy smile, nonetheless taking my hand and giving it a nice firm shake. “Jeremiah. It’s nice to meet you.”
My eyes glance over at Mia, who is still giving me a curious look. I swallow deeply, darting my eyes away.
Thankfully, it seems like the rest of the table has zoned into their own conversations. If this is any indication of how this night is going to go, I should probably leave while I’m still ahead.
“Do you want a drink? There’s a couple of servers walking around here somewhere.” Mia motions over my shoulder, thankfully changing the subject.
“Oh, yeah. I better grab one of those,” I say, looking around nervously.
Suddenly, I feel the hairs on my neck tingle as that familiar feeling I’ve been growing accustomed to creeps up.
I turn my head towards the stage and spot him almost instantly. Chase stands there, looking just as frozen as I am.
Of course, I knew he’d be here tonight. But, still. Seeing him, being around him, and knowing we’ll have to converse all night is completely different.
“What are you doing just standing there? Pull up a seat. Sit down.” Todd cheerfully, kicks out a chair for me.
I blink a few times, returning my gaze to the man who’s speaking to me.
I nod, slipping into a seat beside Todd and across from Mia and Rachel.
“We’ve got the best seat in the house. Plus, Chase just put his name in, so we get to watch his performance up close and personal.” Todd smiles at me before turning his attention back to the stage.
Great. So much for avoiding each other.
***
Chase doesn’t come over to the table. At least not right away. I know I shouldn’t notice, but I do. I don’t want him avoiding his friends just because I’m sitting here.
Mia and Rachel have been speaking to me about the cities I’ve lived in.
I find out they’re a couple years younger than me, which makes Chase older than all of us.
They’ve still got that charm about them young twenty year old's have. Like the world is their oyster and there’s so much to explore and experience.
It’s addicting. I can see why Chase and Mia get along so well.
Before I can stop myself, I bring myself to ask. “Have you and Chase always been close?”
Mia’s lips curve upwards as she takes in my question.
Why’d I ask that?
“Yeah, we’ve been close ever since I started at WingMate,” she answers simply. “I was new, and Chase went out of his way to make me feel comfortable and included. I was so nervous, and I think he knew. He does that for people. Makes people feel seen and wanted.” She smiles.
I squint at her before feeling the need to look away. That’s not the Chase that I remember from high school.
SMACK.
Chase rests a tray right down a few inches beside me. It’s filled with drinks and shots. My eyes widen at the assortment of beverages.
“Woah, who are these for?” Todd exclaims, clearly excited about the free drinks.
“Drink up, bitches.” Chase sings, passing out all the drinks to everyone at the table.
“I don’t–” I begin to say.
Before I can finish my sentence, he rests a tall glass of Sprite in front of me. “Sprite for you, freshly squeezed.”
I hold in a laugh, because what the fuck does that even mean?
I watch him continue to pass out the drinks to all of us.
Feeling the need to do something, I reach into my back pocket in search of my wallet. “Let me pitch. This is a lot.”
“I’ve got it.” He bites out, resting a firm hand on my arm.
He takes his hand away, but I still can feel the lingering touch moments after he leaves.
It’s like when he touched my face in the office.
It’s infuriating how easy it is for him to do that.
Like it means nothing. Like it doesn’t set my entire body on edge.
“Chay likes to treat his friends. You have to pay in secret if you want to pay him back.” Mia laughs, taking a swig of her Mojito. I nod slowly. Rachel snuggles into Mia, holding her closely.
Are they together? I wonder if Rachel knows how buddy buddy Chase and Mia are at work, while he has a whole girlfriend at home?
Chase walks around the table to pull out a chair beside Mia when suddenly the sound system cuts out, and the speaker announces his name.
The whole bar erupts in a cheer as Chase proudly puts his hands up, walking confidently over to the stage.
My brows pinch. “Is it really that big of a deal?”
“Nah. Chase is just…fun.” Mia shrugs, watching him get up on the stage.
My eyes narrow as I watch the admiration on her face. How does Honey feel about Mia always being around Chase? If it were me, I would hate another person talking so highly about my significant other and being with him eight hours of every day.
“Where’s Honey tonight? She doesn’t like coming to these events?” I ask, taking a sip of my drink.
Mia’s eyebrow raises as she looks at me. “I’d imagine she’d probably hate this. Too many people.” She slips her straw into her mouth.
“Oh, she’s a mousy type?”
Mia, almost coughs up her drink from chuckling. Rachel rubs a small circle on Mia’s back. “That’s a good one. You’re funny,” she laughs.
I look at her confused, ready to ask why that’s so hilarious when all of a sudden, music starts up.
Chase has his back to the crowd, but from where I’m sitting, I can see the microphone in his hand and his hair pushed back out of his face with some black sunglasses. Where the hell did he get the sunglasses from?