Carl

I was asking for trouble. This wasn’t something that was a surprise for me of course, but at the same time, it should have at least made me pause. Melanie was acting strange today and she had this upbeat smile that I was hard pressed not to respond to. She was in a mood and tonight was going to be more of the first night she was back. That should have held me back some, but it didn’t.

Bianca was starting to get suspicious. Ever since that day that Scott and his sister came to pick me up, Bianca had had nothing good to say about Melanie. She didn’t know her, but she wanted me to stay away from her and she would have a fit if she knew I was driving towards the bar to meet up with her right now. Scott wouldn’t be too happy about it either, but here I was, doing that very thing. It was stupid, but there was still something that drew me to Melanie and just because of all of the reasons why, there wasn’t enough reasons why not. I knew that I was going to pay for it later, one way or another, but now I had  a feeling that it was going to be sooner than later. I was pushing it, when I should have just walked away.

When I got there, I saw that Melanie was already there and I also saw Jake’s new car. I hoped the man wasn’t sniffing around her again. He really was bad news, even if it was Melanie that had ended it before. I didn’t want to think about the two of them together. It didn’t make sense. It didn’t make sense for her to be with anyone else but me. That’s all that mattered and I wish that she would learn it sooner than later.

Melanie was inside and Jake wasn’t far behind. He hadn’t seen me yet and it was obvious that he was trying to get back in Melanie’s good graces. She wasn’t giving him that much attention, so it wasn’t so bad, but there was part of me that already wanted to hit him. All it took was her drinking too much for him to get in where he wanted to and that pissed me off to no end. She was mine.

The thought popped in my head with a vengeance and it was an overwhelming feeling that surprised me. I’d never really claimed a woman before, especially not one that I hadn’t ever slept with. While I wanted to say that it was because she was Scott’s sister, I knew that it had nothing to do with it. I wasn’t being the good friend to the big brother. It was nothing like that at all. I was pulled to her for some reason and I really wasn’t sure why. Maybe forbidden fruit really was just that much sweeter than the rest.

Walking up to the table where the two were sitting, I pulled out a chair next to Melanie. Jake saw me and his face was a litany of emotions, stringing one into another. He was not happy to see me. He was about as happy as I was to see him. I thought that I had made it clear last time I was in here that she was mine.

“You told me eight.”

“Yeah, but I needed a drink. Jake here was just telling me about his new car. Did you see it out front?”

I shrugged, not giving a damn about Jake’s car. I didn’t want him around and I hoped that he got the hint quickly or I was going to have to be a little clearer about it all.

Calling the waitress over, I got myself a couple of shots and a beer and another mixed drink for Melanie. I didn’t know how long I was staying or what the hell I was doing here, but Jake gave me a reason to stay. Why was it every time I turned around he was around Melanie?

After a time, Jake was still sitting there, Melanie smiling and laughing at his jokes and I’d had enough. She invited me for a drink and Jake needed to go. She was encouraging him of course, but that didn’t matter. Melanie got up and went to the bathroom and I took the opportunity to tell the guy to beat it. He had a few too many drinks and I thought he was going to get loud for a minute, but the feeling must have passed because he left much like he had last time I caught him with Melanie.

When she got back, she asked where he was and I wanted to know if she really cared, or if she was just messing with me. It felt like she was just messing with me. She couldn’t like that guy, right? I know they’d dated in the past, an idea that I didn’t like to have, but now she had to have outgrown him.

“Your little friend said he was sorry, but he had to go.”

“My little friend?”

“What?”

“Well if that wasn’t condescending as hell. What about your little friend. Bianca?”

“What about her?”

“Is that for real?”

I had to chuckle at the way she asked and at the way she said it. I don’t know how me and Bianca got together in the beginning beyond that she was hot and easy. The reason I stayed was a mystery, but most of the time I figured because things were safe with her. She did relatively anything I wanted and she didn’t expect much in return. I didn’t have to pretend I was in love to have sex with her and that was a bonus. I didn’t fall in love.

“It’s something to pass the time.”

“Ouch.”

“Too harsh?”

“A little. I would be devastated if someone said that about me.”

“That’s impossible for anyone to say that about you Melanie. There is something special about you.”