Chapter 4 #2
She hugs me just as tight, her familiar perfume, vanilla and a hint of spice, wrapping around me like a comfort blanket. When I pull back, she gives me one last look making sure she’s done with her best friend duties.
“Good thing you’re ready,” I tease, eyeing her up and down. “Because if your hair and makeup weren’t already done, we wouldn’t be leaving this house until midnight.”
She scoffs. “It takes time to look this hot, Viv. Come on.”
I push her playfully. “You look hot all natural too so.”
Which is true, but Mindy has this obsession about always being polished to perfection.
Her warm auburn hair is curled into those soft effortless waves that take actual effort but her natural hair is full of curls.
Her makeup’s flawless; dewy skin, smoky eyes, perfect long lashes.
And her dress hugs every bit of her body with the kind of confidence only she can pull off. Sexy. Bold. Just like her.
She catches me looking and raises a brow. “You’re admiring me, aren’t you?”
I smile, grabbing my purse. “Always.”
We hear a gasp come from the hallway. “Wow, both of you look so pretty!” Riley exclaims as she bursts into the room, dressed in her purple Rapunzel princess attire and sparkly plastic heels, looking utterly adorable.
“Thank you, honey, you look absolutely beautiful,” I reply, planting a kiss on her cheek.
Riley does a quick twirl and curtsies gracefully. “Why, thank you! I’m having a tea party with Grandpa downstairs,” she announces.
I laugh at the thought that my dad does anything for her, it’s so sweet.
“That sounds like a lot of fun! It’s a shame Auntie and I have to go out,” I say, putting on a pouty face while levelling myself to her height.
“But I’m sure you’ll be able to convince Miss Potts to do another one with us, right?”
Riley’s face lights up with excitement as she bounces up and down, her heels making clanking noises on the wooden floor.
“Yes! Of course!” she says excitedly.
Mindy takes out her camera from her handbag and pulls me in.
“Smile.”
So I do. I give her a real smile.
And the flash goes off.
We catch Riley grinning up at us, her eyes squinting the way they always do when she’s happiest. She adores taking photos just as much as Mindy, so the two of them press their faces together, snapping a photo with cheeks squished tight.
“Get in here, Viv.” Mindy laughs, waving me over.
I crouch down, Riley tucked safely between us, her tiny arms wrapping around my neck as we all squeeze into the frame.
“Cheese!” we chorus, our laughter spilling over before the shutter even clicks.
After I don’t know how many photos, Riley takes off ahead of us and we make our way downstairs to find my dad, who’s currently sitting cozily with Riley on the living room rug, surrounded by her tea set.
I seize the opportunity to capture this moment, snapping a quick photo on my phone.
“Hey, Dad, just letting you know we’re heading out,” I announce, a hint of concern in my voice. “Are you sure you’re up for babysitting again?”
“Darlin’, you look absolutely beautiful. Don’t worry about a thing. Go out and have a good time. Riley and I will be just fine.”
I give them each a peck on their cheek, wait for Mindy to do the same, then grab my house keys, purse, and before we’re off to Honky-Tonks, I glance at the photo frame that holds a picture of Trevor, my fingers grazing his face.
Here I go, Trev. Wish me luck.
I hear footsteps coming from behind me and an arm wrapping around mine.
“I’m so happy you agreed to this!” Mindy says as she squeezes into me.
* * *
As the cab pulls into the parking lot, my stomach twists into knots, and I feel a flush of anxiety wash over me. I stare at the entrance, my mind swirling with a mix of emotions.
“Are you all right? We don’t have to stay here if you’re not feeling up to it,” Min says, her voice laced with concern as she squeezes my hand gently. “We can go somewhere else if you prefer.”
Her consideration warms my heart, but I can’t tell if my nerves are from being out again after so long or the memories tied to this place. It could be both.
“No, it’s okay. I think I need this, Min,” I respond, mustering a brave smile.
I inhale deeply, trying to steady my racing heartbeat, and unbuckle my seat belt, and exit the taxi.
As we approach the entrance, my nerves skyrocket.
Just breathe, Vivian.
Inhale, exhale.
We step inside and I’m immediately struck by the bustling atmosphere. The noise and crowd overwhelm me, my eyes scanning every inch of the room. I need something to calm me, so I grab lean into Mindy as I spot the bar.
“I need a drink, Min,” I yell over the music, and she grabs my hand, leading me through the crowd toward the bar.
Mindy effortlessly catches the bartender’s attention, as always.
“Two shots of 99 Peaches, please,” she orders, shooting him a flirtatious grin.
I chuckle. “Skipping the beers and going straight in with shots? Bold move, Min.”
“We haven’t been out together in ages…so, yes!” she confidently states.
I catch a glimpse of someone watching me by the bar, it’s hard to tell who it is with all these people, though. My attention is brought back to the bar where our peach shots have been poured.
We raise our shot glasses. “To many more years of us,” she toasts, and we clink our glasses together before downing the shot.
I can’t help but grimace at the taste. It tastes like peach but with a hint of vodka…or more like the other way around.
I quickly compose myself when I notice Miles walking toward me, accompanied by Greg. My reaction must be obvious, as Mindy now follows my gaze.
“Oh, he’s cute,” she remarks.
“Which one?” I reply cheekily.
“Both,” she quips with a mischievous grin.
Now they’re both standing in front of us.
“Hey, Viv, fancy seeing you here,” Greg says as he pulls me in for a hug, his cologne smells of wood with a hint of spice.
As I hug him back, I spot Miles looking at me.
We pull away and he pulls out his hand toward Mindy. “Hi, I’m Greg, I work with Vivian. Pleasure to meet you.”
Mindy’s eyes light up in response, clearly intrigued. “Hi, I’m Mindy, nice to meet you too,” she replies, a hint of flirtation in her tone.
While these two exchange their hellos, I sense Miles’s gaze fixed on me. “Hey, Bambi,” he quips, earning an eye roll from me.
“Miles,” I respond curtly.
“So, how do you two know each other?” I ask, because Greg’s never mentioned being friends with him, yet again I haven’t really asked so curiosity strikes.
Miles and Greg look at each other, looks like they’re holding in a laugh. “We’re brothers,” Greg announces.
My jaw drops. I think Min’s panties might’ve dropped after hearing that, she’s had this thing for brothers since we were in college. The Vampire Diaries is the reason why. You know…Stefan and Damon, she’s basically Elena, or actually I’d say she’s more like Katherine, I guess.
“You two? Brothers?” I move my finger from Greg to Miles.
Miles interjects. “Not biologically, I was taken in by his family when I was younger.”
His response shocked me a little. I wonder why he was taken in. I wonder what happened to his family.
“Yeah, he was a little shit when he was younger, causing trouble all the time, especially when it came to our sister Dahlia and boys.” He nudges Miles. “Things haven’t changed.” He laughs, Miles features grow serious and then we lock eyes.
I watch his scowl turn soft as he looks at me. In that moment, time feels like it’s slowed down because what must have been a few seconds, feels like eternity but my attention returns to the loud music, chattering, and Greg moving between Mindy and me as he orders beer for all of us.
Looks like our girls’ night is on hold. Mindy looks very interested in Greg so I figure it’s my cue to slip away to the bathroom for a quick breather.
“Min, I’m heading to the bathroom,” I tell her as I place my empty beer bottle on the bar where she’s trying to guess what Greg’s zodiac sign is.
“Okay, don’t you dare think about leaving.” She stares me down and points her finger at me with her red nail. “I know where you live.”
I nod in agreement as she returns to the conversation she was having.
As I turn around, Miles stops drinking his beer. “Are you okay?” he asks. “You seem a bit tense,” he adds.
If only he knew the memories this place holds.
Then he looks down at my necklace, the one I always wear with the ring Trevor proposed to me with. He doesn’t say anything about it.
I give him a small smile as I fidget with my necklace. “Yeah, I’m fine…just a little anxious, I guess,” I tell him.
He raises an eyebrow, taking another sip of beer, leaving his lips wet before he licks them. “So, you chose to come to the busiest, loudest bar in town?”
I mean, he’s right, first night out in a while and I decide to come here. Well, Min wanted to come here but I knew this would mean a lot to her, so I smile and reply to Miles.
“It was her idea.” I point back at Mindy who seems to be enjoying herself as she orders a round of shots.
“Come on, I got us more shots!” she yells as she passes another shot to me, one for Greg, and the last for Miles. We take them from her hands and lift them in the air, clinking our shot glasses together.
We down our shots, and I struggle not to make a face of disgust, that’s when I see Miles in the corner of my eye trying not to laugh but as I turn my head to say something, he beats me to it.
“Hopefully that should loosen you up a bit.” Then he brings his beer up to his lips again.
I ignore his comment and walk past him, heading to the bathroom.