Chapter 5
Lynn clicked her heel against the back of Jessica’s couch as they tried to decide where they wanted to eat for dinner.
“What’s close? The only thing I care about is the tequila,” She joked.
Jessica winked at her and smiled, knowing full well they’d both be enjoying as much as they could get their hands on.
Lynn’s phone dinged from the arm of the couch behind her, and she picked it up without hesitation.
Aiden: Oh, I guess we’ll have to figure out what those circumstances are then! I’ll be off work soon and then I’ll meet up with you guys. Let me know where you end up and I’ll come hang with you for a little.
Oh.
Lord.
He’d actually answered her, and her stupid flirtatious text that literally made little to no sense. Not only that, but he’d agreed to come out with them.
“He said he’ll meet up with us,” She said softly as her eyes met Jessica’s.
She squealed excitedly and nodded, “See?! He ain’t comin’ to see me tonight babe, he’s coming out for you. I told you he was interested.”
She couldn’t exactly argue that, but she didn’t think he was coming out specifically to see her, why would he? Maybe he’d actually enjoy spending time with his sister.
“He could just want to spend time with you.”
“Ha! No, Lynn. I can count on one hand the amount of times we’ve hung out with each other in the last year. He’s coming to see you.”
That made her nervous as hell, but instead of panicking because there was actually a possibility that she would see him again as soon as tonight, she sucked in a deep breath.
“Let’s go get some food before I pass out. If he actually is doing to show up, I want to be drunk first.”
Jessica hummed under her breath and suggested a chain restaurant around the corner from her house, which suited Lynn just fine. She happened to know they made excellent margaritas.
“Sounds good to me, sweet cheeks. Let’s get going though, it’s probably going to be packed on a Friday night. Not to mention we still have to pick a bar to hang out in, and that, is all up to you.”
Jessica winked at her as they stood and slid their jackets on, both ready for a night of flowing alcohol and truth and fun.
As they slid into Jessica’s car and headed for their first destination of the evening, Lynn felt her anxiety grow.
“I don’t want to sleep around. I don’t want to play games. I’ve had enough of that.”
Jessica glanced at her knowingly and patted her thigh.
“If there is one thing I can guarantee you, it’s that Aiden isn’t looking for that, either. I’m surprised it took him this long to get back to you, but I know he’s been working a lot. He hasn’t had much extra time for dating. Trust me, Lynn. That isn’t what he’s looking for tonight.”
That made her feel a little better, but her brain instantly jumped to all the times she’d heard that before.
It was easy hear it, to take it in at face value. It was a pretty direct response. Yet, wasn’t it always just a game at first? To see who could crack first, who would slip up first? It was stupid, of course it was, but after everything Jake put her through, Lynn couldn’t discern a truth from a lie very well, anymore.
“Don’t worry.”
“He may not even show up.”
Jessica smirked, shaking her head.
“He’ll show up. I know he will.”
Lynn would have to take her friend’s word for it, because she already had it in her head that he would blow her off and then she would settle with the disappointment and move on. Convince herself she didn’t feel a damn thing when their skin met, when he looked at her, when he leaned in close.
There weren’t fireworks, time didn’t slow down, and she definitely didn’t feel like the only woman in the entire world when he wrapped his arms around her. That would be crazy…right? After one hour-long encounter?
She already felt bat-shit insane over even thinking along those lines, but the only comfort she had, is that she’d given herself to the wrong man enough times to know when she met the right one.
“I’ve learned my lesson, Jessica. If he shows, he shows. If he doesn’t well, then I got to spend the night with you and that’s just fine by me.”
∞∞∞
Tequila…
Tequil…
Tequi…
The room spinning, Lynn had her head thrown back laughing, and Jessica was slapping the top of the table as she leaned in closer.
It was getting later by the second, and still, neither one of them were ready to go home. In fact, Lynn was so tanked, she was pretty sure she was having the best time ever.
“You heard from Aiden, yet?”
Lynn drunkenly shook her head.
“Not a peep! I told you he wasn’t coming,” She giggled.
Jessica grabbed her phone and held it out for her to unlock it. Lynn hurried to do so, wondering why Jessica needed to use her phone when her own phone sat right next to her on top of the table. Jessica’s fingers flew over the screen, and then she started to laugh.
“He’ll come now. Watch.
Panicked, Lynn reached for her phone. She scrolled through her text messages.
Lynn: We’re at the bar. Here are the directions. You should cum ;)
Lynn: Sorry, I meant come.
Lynn: No, I didn’t.
“Oh. My. God! Why would you say that? Now he’s gonna think I’m a tramp!,” She cried, laughing all the while. Jessica was laughing so hard she almost wheezed, but Lynn couldn’t stop herself from responding in kind.
“He’ll definitely come now, ha! Don’t worry, he won’t think you’re a tramp. It’s funny!” Her phone dinged.
Aiden: Give me a little to shower and get cleaned up, and then I’ll be up there.
“He said he’ll be here soon, Jessica! God, now what? We have to think of a code name for him,” She demanded.
If she were sober, she would admit that there was absolutely no fucking reason to make a code name for him when they both knew he was going to show up, but drunk Lynn was positive that was the next step.
“What should it be?”
Lynn had no idea, but it had to be good, because from where she was sitting in the bar, she would likely miss his entrance and say something really embarrassing. Not that the text Jessica sent out wasn’t embarrassing enough. She hung her head for a second, thinking.
“Pillow-pants!”
Jessica’s head snapped up and her eyes widened.
“What?!”
It made literally no sense, but it sounded funny, and it rolled off her tongue before she could stop it.
“Pillow-pants! It’s perfect! You just have to remember to use it Jessica, and give me a heads up!”
Jessica was giggling so hard she couldn’t swallow the tequila in her mouth.
“It’s the ugliest codename I’ve ever heard, but fine! We’ll use that!”
The bar wasn’t too crowded when Lynn looked around, but it was busy. Steady. There weren’t many free tables near them, and the bar top itself was full.
Her and Jessica were sitting at a high top table across from one another, and from where she sat, she could possibly see the door if the crowd parted accordingly, but she was willing to admit that she was drunk enough that she more than likely wouldn’t notice.
Her heart was pounding in her chest like a bass drum, and the alcohol in her bloodstream had her feeling light as a feather. She’d had at last eight shots of tequila by now, and that was a lot for a woman who weighed just a little over a hundred pounds.
“Panty-pillows!”
Lynn looked up, laughing on instinct.
“What?”
Jessica was flailing her arms around like her fingers were on fire.
“Pants! Pillow-pants!”
Lynn’s brain couldn’t make sense of what was happening until Jessica slapped the top of the table between them and pointed less than discreetly towards the door.
Just like that, her heart was pounding double time, as Lynn’s drunken gaze focused on whatever her friend was pointing at.
Her eyes darted back and forth for a second before they found what she was talking about: Aiden.
Aiden.
He was there, walking towards them with a small smile on his lips. He was wearing the same basketball cap on backwards as the day she’d first met him. He had on a leather jacket, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of jeans.
He had on dirty converse that had obviously seen their fair share of use, but Lynn liked it. She liked that he didn’t get all dolled up to come out and meet them. She liked that he was comfortable to be himself instead of going out of his way to impress anyone.
Jessica was still giggling by the time he got to the table, which was just fine with Lynn, because she was too busy staring at Aiden like he’d fallen from heaven and knocked her in the head with his dick.
Do not be weird.
Then, she started to giggle too, because Jessica was laughing so hard at the absolute butcher-job she’d given their codename, that seeing him in person made the name seem even dumber.
Without hesitation he leaned in and hugged Jessica before he turned to her and did the same thing.
She was surprised to say the least, but not upset by any means, because hello he smelled amazing.
Like nicotine and motor oil and the slightest hint of beer, and yes, she found it intoxicating. That worked just fine for her, too, because she couldn’t believe that he’d actually shown up after the embarrassing messages Jessica sent on her behalf!
After the waitress had taken his order, some fancy-shmancy- label beer, he looked up at her and smiled softly.
She returned it, couldn’t help it, because guess what?
She was right.
There it was again: That distinct flutter in her chest that told her to pay attention. That warned her that things were changing, that she couldn’t fight the universe, and that some things were just meant to be.
She was too drunk to make heads or tails of it, and that was fine, because the conversation was moving along swiftly. Before she knew it, they were all laughing, having a great time, enjoying themselves.
When Aiden excused himself to use the restroom, Jessica waved her hands in the air like she’d just won an Oscar.
“See! He came here for you, babe!”
Lynn shook her head.
“No way!”
“That man did not come here to listen to you and me talk about other men and laugh hysterically while we drown in tequila, Lynn! He came, he showed up, that means something. I haven’t seen him go out for anything in a long time!”
It made her happy as hell to hear that, to hear it more than once, because then she felt like she had some kind of foundation to build on trust wise. She didn’t want to have to convince herself that it wouldn’t work out, or that he wouldn’t want to see her again.
She wanted to believe that it already had worked out, because there he was.
Walking towards her from across the bar, a smile in place, his eyes on her.
He rejoined them with a joke on his lips, a story to tell, and both Jessica and Lynn were laughing yet again by the time he was done.
The night went by much faster with him sitting beside her, but it felt good. Like another test. Like it wasn’t just Jessica’s word anymore that she could take at face value.
Now, she was getting to know him.
And, she liked what she was seeing and hearing.
With a glance at the clock, Lynn realized it was past midnight. She wasn’t in a hurry, but she was tired and slowly sobering up, so she requested the final bill after suggesting an early exit to both Jessica and Aiden. They all agreed it was time to call it a night, even though she didn’t want to leave Aiden just yet.