Mack

Denise couldn’t have come at a worse time and I wanted to tell her to go. She wasn’t taking the hint though, instead she insisted on staying next to me. It was like she knew that I wanted Danny and she was going to make sure that it didn’t happen. I’d caused this by wanting her here in case Danny wasn’t here. I couldn’t have imagined coming to the reunion by myself. It would have been a mess. But now I created a mess that I didn’t know what to do with.

I told Denise that I would be back in a minute and though she protested behind me, I wasn’t going to let Danny walk away, not this time. I’d done it before and missed her ever since. The least I could do was get a taste of what I’d missed out on all this time. It was most likely not even as good as I remembered.

When Danny turned around and there was fire in her eyes, I knew that I was wrong. It had been as good as I remembered. I just knew it.

“What Mack? I have other people that I want to talk to.”

“Really?”

She shook her head and told me that I was still as full of myself as before. Maybe she was right, but she used to like this confidence. It won her heart once before. There was no reason that it couldn’t work again.

“Yes really Mack. Do you really think that I came here for you? You really haven’t changed all that much. You’re just the same guy in a better looking suit.”

Her words stung a little bit. This was all for her, whether she wanted to believe that or not. I was here because I knew she would be here and Danny was the only person I wanted to see. She was still as feisty as before though. This time around, I didn’t think she was going to go off with me and neck like we had done in the past. This time was different.

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do. So it was nice seeing you again. You’ve given me a real blast from my past, though I’m not sure if that was the past I was looking to relive. You and your friend have a good time.”

She was mad about Denise. I should have known that’s what it was that had her staring daggers at me. I had really fucked up bringing her with me. I’d gotten used to a woman on my arm at all times and this was one of those times that I shouldn’t have done it. She was now a liability instead of a status symbol.

“She’s really just a friend. Not like you and me.”

“You introduced me in the same way Mack. Or did you not notice over her fake boobs?”

I grinned at her and asked if she was jealous.

“How do you know that I’m not blissfully married with kids by now Mack?”

“You’re not married to me, there’s no ring on your finger and that body of yours hasn’t have a child. There is no way. It’s just as tight as I remember ten years ago.”

She was quiet for a moment and I knew that I was right. I hadn’t noticed a ring when I met her and I’d looked. She had as well, though I wouldn’t admit that I’d seen it. I didn’t want her to know how much I noticed. She wouldn’t like it.

“So am I wrong?”

“You always were good at talking out of your ass, you know that Mack? Seriously though, I’ve got to go and your little friend over there is staring daggers at me. I didn’t come here for this. You seem to bring drama with you, so no thanks.”

I couldn’t believe she was acting this way, but I wasn’t going to beg her for her time.  I was too stubborn for that, no matter how much I wanted her and missed being inside of her. No broad was worth that. I wasn’t going to lose dignity because she wanted to be mad.

Walking back to Denise, I have to say that I wanted to just go. She really was the only reason that I was here and if she wasn’t going to even entertain the notion of going back in time, there was no reason for me to be here.

“Are you done talking to your stuck up friend?”

The two women amazed me. They didn’t know each other and they were ready to go after each other’s throats like they were lifelong enemies. I don’t think I would ever really understand women. I knew enough to get what I wanted and that was enough, most of the time.

“Yes I am, but she isn’t stuck up.”

Denise made a huffing sound and asked me if I was going to dance with her. I agreed, but it wasn’t who I wanted to spin around the room in my arms. The one I wanted was playing hard to get, even though I knew it was my fault for causing trouble. I shouldn’t have brought Denise.

Now I was holding her against me while she went on about how tacky the reunion was. She didn’t like the colors, the decorations, and the people. I started to wonder if she even liked me, but then pushed the thought aside because in reality it didn’t really matter either way if she did or didn’t, it never had.

After the song was over I pulled back from her and looked around the room. I knew that I was looking for that signature color of blonde hair that Danny was known for and I saw her going to the side entrance by the bathrooms.

“I’m going to hit the head. I’ll be back in a minute. You still didn’t get us a drink.”

She tried to protest or say something, but I wasn’t too worried about what Denise said or felt. She was supposed to be helping me, not hindering me so she was going to have to learn her place if this was going to work. She was either going to stay out of the way or I would take her home.

I got to the bathroom hallway and waited for Danny to get out. She was still drying off her hands on a towel and tossing it back in the trash before she stopped short when seeing me.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Where’s your friend?”

I shrugged and told her that I didn’t know and I didn’t care.

“She was here as a distraction.”

“Well it worked.”

Danny started to walk past me and I stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“I don’t want to fight Danny.”

“It’s Danielle and we’re not fighting. We don’t have anything to fight about and I haven’t thought of you in years.”

“Liar.”

“Maybe.”

She pulled her arm back and took another step before I stopped her with my body in her way. “If you really haven’t thought of me in all this time, kiss me and tell me that you feel nothing.”

“You’re being a bit much Mack, even for you.”

“I’m serious. If you’re so sure that you’re over me, kiss me. Just once and I won’t bother you again for the night or ever.”

“It’s tempting, just to get you to go away.”

I knew she didn’t mean it, so I just nodded my head like I understood. I did actually, but she was about to. I knew as soon as our lips touched, it was all going to start coming back to her. I would have moved if she had really insisted, but she didn’t want to. While she fought me tooth and nail, we both knew that I was going to win in the end. She had been mine for a long time. Space and time wasn’t going to change that.