Chapter Twelve #2
I chuckle to myself, making my way through the crowd to sit at the opposite end of the bar from Everleigh. Before I get my butt planted on the stool, she hops down, straightens her dress, and grabs a guy’s hand. They strut past me toward the restrooms.
“What the fuck,” I whisper, jumping on her tail before she gets to the door. “A word,” I say, clasping her free hand and yanking her away from the guy who looks like a teenager.
“William,” she scolds as I drag her out of the bar and around the corner of the building.
“What are you doing?” I release her hand and back her against the brick wall.
“What do you mean? I’m getting laid in the bathroom of a bar. Are you having memory issues?”
“Everleigh, we just got here. It literally wasn’t a full minute. Who is that kid, and how the fuck did you convince him to go with you so quickly?”
She squints. “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. But in case you haven’t noticed, I look hot tonight.
How long did you think it would take me?
I’m playing Fortnite with some online friends at eleven.
I don’t have all night to engage in small talk.
He asked me if he could buy me a drink. I said I was just looking to have sex in the ladies’ room since I have to stay sober to drive.
I asked if he was interested. And as luck would have it, he is. ”
I open my mouth to speak, but as luck would have it, no words come out. So I grunt and shake my head, hoping to knock a few words free. “Do you know how old he is? Is he legal?”
“Kade is a running back for the Grizzlies. Don’t you follow football? So, yes. He’s legal. But I understand your concern. And I appreciate your looking out for me. Also, don’t say anything because I don’t want him to know I recognize him. Nobody likes an obsessed fangirl.”
“Ebony?” Kade says, popping his head around the corner.
I grit my teeth. “Her name is Everleigh.”
“Sorry. My bad. Listen, my friends just showed up. They want to get pizza, so if you’re still wanting to”—he eyes me before returning his attention to her—“you know, then we need to make it quick. I mean, I’m still down for it.”
“Yes. I’m ready, Kade—”
“Actually, no, Katy. She’s no longer interested,” I say, because I’m losing my fucking mind.
“Kade,” he corrects me.
“Sorry. My bad. Enjoy your pizza.”
He lifts an eyebrow at Everleigh, and she sighs with a slight headshake, so he disappears back around the corner.
When I look at Everleigh, she has me ensnared in her unblinking gaze.
“William,” she says slowly.
“Everleigh,” I say just as slowly.
“I think we need to set some boundaries. Would you like to share what your expectations were of me tonight? Then I’ll reciprocate, and we can find a healthy compromise since we’re friends.”
I twist my lips to keep from laughing. Is she serious?
“Okay.” I nod. “I expected you to order some fruity virgin drink and awkwardly try to flirt with an old married guy who just came into the bar to pick up some burgers and chicken fingers for his wife and kids. Then I figured you’d give up and go home. ”
“You thought I’d fail?”
“No. I thought you’d feel too . . .”
“Too? Too what?”
“Too sophisticated to have sex in a bathroom with a stranger.”
“But you suggested it.”
I rest a hand on my hip and stare at the gray evening sky, a sliver of light still visible over the building across the street. “Not literally,” I say. “The things I suggested weren’t literal. It was more of a vibe.”
“There’s a vibe to sex in a public restroom?”
“Stop shrinking me.”
Her grin explodes. “You think I’m shrinking you?”
“I think you like fucking with my head.”
Everleigh bats her eyelashes at me, just like her mom did. “Let’s go home. I’ll have sex with you.”
She’s proving my point. Why would she say that? She’s not serious. And she can’t really think I’d agree to such a ridiculous suggestion. Sure, history repeats itself, but smart people learn from their mistakes and don’t make them twice. I’m too old not to be smart.
“My dick still has PTSD from eleven years ago. Sorry.”
“Maybe I want to apologize.”
“You already did.” I slide my hands into my jeans’ back pockets.
“I apologized to you, not your penis.”
“Please don’t call it that.” I cringe.
“That’s what it is.”
“Maybe if you’re diagnosing herpes or circumcising it.”
“Well, I can do both while I’m down there apologizing to it. But I thought you were circumcised. I don’t recall for sure. You never let me get a good look at it.”
There is nothing normal about this woman. And I don’t know if that’s frightening or endearing.
“Have you ever performed a circumcision?” As soon as the words are out, I internally berate myself for continuing this absurd conversation.
She glances to the side. “Hmm. No. But I observed a pediatrician performing the procedure. Looked pretty simple.”
“Everleigh, go home. I don’t need any medical procedures. I’ll tell my dick you’re sorry. Let’s just leave it at that.”
She deflates, and we have a brief stare-off. “Do you remember that kiss standing outside of the cab after you crashed my kite? I think about it every day. Do you think that’s weird?”
“Do you think this is weird?” I glance around and chuckle.
“You have a fucking medical degree and, by all measurable standards, are a genius. You make a lot of money. You’re still in your twenties with endless potential.
Yet, you’re standing outside of a run-down bar in downtown Missoula with a smoke-eating man-whore who graduated high school with a three-point-one GPA.
There are a million guys with fancy degrees, impressive financial portfolios, and knowledgeable views of the world who would love to spend the evening in your company. Do you not see that?”
She keeps a poker face. After I lose and look away first, she turns and walks toward the street. “I’m going to IHOP.”