“You’re a fucking idiot, my friend,” Tad tells me, swirling the wine inside his glass.

“Thanks for the support,” I reply, refilling my own glass and sighing. I’ve just told Tad about what happened this morning with Emily, and he’s already roasting me about it.

“Seriously… What the hell did you want her to do? You shouldn’t have left. You can’t be with her and then just up and leave like it’s nothing. Of course she’ll think you just want to hook up if you keep doing shit like that.”

“Don’t be too hard on him, Tad,” Susan tells him, ducking under the cover to get some more bottles. It’s a slow night, so I have the luxury of hanging by the counter with Tad while Susan handles whatever customers we have.

“Me? I’m a softie, Susan,” he laughs, but I notice his gaze following after her. Susan isn’t the kind of girl I’d see Tad with, but there’s this weird chemistry whenever the two of them are close to each other. They’d make an odd couple if something were to happen between them, but so what? Love is an odd thing.

“Fuck. You’re right,” I admit to Tad, downing my glass of wine at once. I know I shouldn’t be drinking this much while our doors are still open, but what the hell; it’s my bar. If I can’t drink here, then I can’t drink anywhere.

“Of course I’m right… I’m always right,” he adds smugly and, even though I’m frowning, I don’t have the strength to protest. “Oh, shit, eight o’clock,” he continues, lowering his voice and pointing with his head to the door.

I turn my gaze toward the bar’s entrance, and I do it just in time to see a drop-dead gorgeous brunette walk in. She’s wearing a skirt that’s probably a few inches shorter than her mother would recommend, and her breasts seem like they’re about to pop out of the tight blouse she’s wearing; all in all, she’s definitely the kind of girl Tad’s crazy about.

Don’t think that I’m acting all high and mighty right now, because girls like that are usually my thing as well. And I hands down guarantee you I stand where I’m at I’ll get hit on at least five to ten times by girls like that even on a slow fucking night.

In fact, I’m not really picky when it comes to women; as long as they’re hot enough and know how to hold a conversation for more than thirty seconds, I’m game for a few hours of fun.

“Go, go, go,” Tad starts saying under his breath, grabbing the sleeve of my jacket and pulling me to his side of the counter. “You’ve been obsessed about that Emily for too long… Go chat to that one and clear your head.”

“No, I don’t think that —” I start to say, but Tad just gives me a strong push and, whether I like it or not, the brunette has just turned her attention toward me. Fuck.

“Good evening,” I greet her, trying to act like a true professional, which means not looking at her breasts more than I need to.

“Good evening,” she repeats, looking at me with a shameless look. Arching one eyebrow, she then offers me one appraising smile. What’s up with women nowadays? I’m not a fucking piece of meat, ladies. It might not seem like it, but there’s a soul under my handsome looks.

“Here’s our wine list,” I continue, handing her the list. As she picks it up from my hand, she brushes her fingers against mine, and I have the feeling that she just did it on purpose.

“What do you recommend?” she asks me, not even bothering to look down at the list.

“We’ve got a terrific Barolo, and I —”

“The Barolo will do.” Cutting me short, she offers me a wicked smile. “What time do you get off?”

“I’m sorry?” I ask her, not entirely sure if I heard right. Seriously, what happened to romance? Just because I’m a guy it doesn’t mean I’m walking around horny 24/7… at least most days.

“Late,” I find myself saying, not even thinking twice about my answer. Usually I’d be all over her proposal, and I’d just take her to the bathroom and be done with it. But tonight I simply can’t bring myself to do it. Emily’s shadow looms large over me.

“I can wait,” she continues, looking completely unphased.

“Oh. Thank you, but I… I have a girlfriend!” Jesus Christ, did I just say it out loud? And why doesn’t it sound like an excuse? I’ve always sucked at making up excuses, but this one slipped out of my lips so perfectly that even I am tempted to believe it.

“Oh,” she merely replies and, taking her eyes off me, she fishes her phone out of her phone and starts playing with the screen. I guess this one doesn’t believe in the sunk cost fallacy.

“So?” Tad asks me the moment I get back behind the counter. “I noticed the way she was looking at you… She’s down for it, man.”

“She’s definitely down for it, no doubt about it,” I tell him with a chuckle. “But I’m not.”

“Oh, right… I forgot, you’re a romantic now,” Tad laughs, and Susan hits him with her elbow as she walks past him. “Ouch!” He protests, but he smiles at her all the same. Yeah, there’s definitely something going on between these two… I might have to pull a few strings and make them go out on a date one of these days. Even if it turns out to be a bad decision, at least I’ll still get to laugh about it.

“Seriously… Maybe a one-night stand would help you take your mind off Emily,” Tad insists, and that’s when I realize I don’t want to take my mind off Emily. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

“No, I can’t.”

“Why? It’s not like you’ve got a girlfriend…”

“Yeah, but maybe I should…” I whisper, more to myself than to Tad. “Maybe I should.”

“Woah, what are you saying? Are you thinking of —?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking of,” I tell him. “It’s time I stop being a coward.”

It’s the fourth quarter and I have the ball.

Time to man up.