Chapter Fifteen
Xavier
The club was nice. Better than I had expected it to be. There was a nice vibe and I had to admit that it felt good to get out again. Part of me felt desperate to let loose again. I wanted to experience another full night of drinking and dancing and having fun, but I had to keep reminding myself not to. I had already messed up big time before, and I couldn’t let myself get into that downward spiral. It wasn’t going to be easy, though. It was always so much harder to be in an environment like this and not get swept up in having fun. I had to learn how to have fun without alcohol being involved. I couldn’t allow myself to lose Norman just because I couldn’t control my drinking. I made my way over to the bar to order myself a beer. It would be my one beer for the night, and I was going to have to drink it slowly.
It took me longer to get to the bar than expected. I kept bumping into people that I knew. A lot of them were already drunk, and the moment someone mentioned that I was a firefighter, I was getting high fives from everyone. Everyone wanted to know what it was like, and if it really was as glamorous as the movies made it out to be.
“Glamorous?” I said in surprise. “Where do you get that impression from? Trust me; there is nothing glamorous about going out and fighting a fire. It’s heavy work. And a lot of the time it’s pretty devastating. It doesn’t always end well, unfortunately.”
“That’s so sad,” one of the girls said. I forgot her name but recognized her from the area. We’d probably gone to school together, although she looked like she might’ve been a few years younger than me. She touched my arm. “So, any chance you’re going to be in one of those calendars?” she asked, and the girl next to her giggled.
“Calendars? What do you mean?”
“You know. With your shirt off? The firemen are always doing those calendars. It’s for charity I think, but it’s also great for eye candy. Sometimes the guys are completely naked, just a little something covering them where it counts.”
I shook my head and laughed. “I definitely won’t be doing one of those.”
“That’s such a disappointment. You really should. Trust me; I’d buy it.”
I thanked her and laughed uncomfortably. No wonder Kenny was always sleeping with girls he met at clubs. I hadn’t expected it to be so easy to find someone to flirt with. But the more I talked to these girls, the more I realized they were not what I wanted. They seemed to have no interest in me at all. They were just excited by the fact that they were talking to a fireman. No matter how many times I tried to explain that there was nothing glamorous about the job, they didn’t seem to believe me. I was desperate to get away and to get a beer. I would have to be careful, though. The thought of just downing a few beers seemed more and more tempting to me. I was sure that a few beers would make the girls seem a lot more appealing to me. They would be easy to take home, I was sure of it. But right now I wasn’t finding the thought an attractive one. I finally excused myself and made my way to the bar. I was grateful to see that they weren’t following me. When I turned back around, they had already turned their attentions to someone else.
In the short span of time that I had been at the club, I had already lost Kenny. I made my way to the bar and ordered a beer, looking around for him. He was nowhere to be seen. I got my beer, took a grateful sip, and then laughed when I saw him on the dance floor. He looked like he’d already had a bit to drink, and he was having the time of his life practically dry humping some poor girl on the dance floor. I couldn’t figure out if she was happy with it or not, but she didn’t seem to be moving away so she must’ve been enjoying it. I shook my head at the sight of him.
I saw Silas in the distance and walked over to him, but I almost stopped in my tracks when I recognized the girl that was standing beside him. It was Holly. I gulped. Holly was wearing a small black dress. It was the first time I had seen her in anything as sexy as that. I immediately thought back to the thoughts I’d had of her in bed and realized that I hadn’t been imagining her figure. She was gorgeous. I smiled at her.
“Look at you! You look amazing, Holly. I see you found my brother.”
She beamed at me. “I sure did. He was incredible up there. Talented family.”
“Well, just me, really. I mean, there is no talent in fighting fires and Xavier can’t sing or play an instrument to save his life.”
I groaned. “It’s true. I can’t. But fighting a fire is definitely more interesting. Just ask that group of girls over there. They were just asking me if I was going to pose in calendars.”
Silas snorted. “Calendars? Don’t tell me you’re doing those!”
I laughed. “I’m not.”
“Good. It’s fine telling people that my brother is a fireman, but to tell him that he’s a nude model would not sit well with me. Anyway, I better get up there again. We’re about to finish the second half of the gig. It was so good to see you again, Holly.”
“It was good to see you too,” she beamed. “Break a leg, or whatever it is they say.”
I chuckled and smiled at her. “Wow, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Yeah, I’m not much of a club goer, to be honest. I came with Andrea, and I figured it would be good to get out a bit. This place is a lot better than I expected it to be too. I haven’t been out in ages. I was expecting to be the oldest person here, but I’m glad to see that I’m not,” she said and grinned at me.
“Oh yeah? Are you calling me old?”
“You’ll always be older than me.”
“That’s true. So, where’s Andrea?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea. She was with me and then she suddenly disappeared. What about you? Did you come with anyone?”
“Yeah, I came with Kenny. But he’s grinding up against some poor girl on the dance floor. Although, I’m starting to think the girl is really enjoying it.”
We turned to look at Kenny on the dance floor, and Holly gasped.
“That’s Andrea. He’s grinding up against Andrea.”
“No way! That’s hilarious. Does she like him?”
Holly shrugged. “I have no idea. She always goes for the wrong guys, though. Tell me that Kenny is at least one of the good ones. I know the guy, but I don’t know him very well.”
“He’s a great guy. Uh, but he is a bit of a player. I mean, he’s not looking for anything serious. But he’s honest about it, and he won’t lead a girl on. Looks like they’re having fun.”
She laughed. “Tell me about it. They’ve both clearly forgotten about us too. Oh hey, there’s your brother. He’s really good.”
I smiled. “He is. Let’s go cheer him on.”
We stood in the front cheering for Silas. Every now and again he looked down and smiled at us, and I knew he was grateful for the chance to finally show off a bit. And why not? He certainly deserved the praise. He was excellent. After a few songs, we decided to head off to the bar. I had put my beer down on the counter somewhere and when I looked again, it was gone. I ordered myself a drink and then turned to Holly.
“Let me get you something. What would you like?”
“Oh, you don’t have to,” she said. “I don’t mind getting my own drink.”
“I know you don’t mind. But I’d like to get you one.”
She smiled. “Well, okay then. I’ll take a vodka and coke please.”
We walked over to the far corner of the bar and found a seat slightly away from the crowd.
“You really look great tonight, Holly,” I said.
She smiled. “I didn’t know what to wear. I’m not used to going out. Andrea came around and helped me, though. I would never have worn this if it wasn’t for her.”
“She made a great choice. It’s so strange to see you all grown up like this.”
She blushed. “Oh, stop it. I’m the same Holly. I don’t know why people keep telling me that I’ve changed.”
“You have. I mean you’re still the same sweetheart, but you’re just a lot more grown up. That’s all.” I gulped. I really needed to stop looking at her that way. “Let me get you a few shots.”
“Shots? Oh no. I better not. I’m not much of a drinker.”
“Oh, come on, you deserve to relax a little. And we should celebrate you being home. It’s been way too long since we’ve been able to sit and talk like this.”
She smiled. “Oh, why the hell not? Okay, let’s do it.”
I called over the barman and asked him to bring some shots. He poured four for us, and I grinned when I turned to look at Holly. I handed her one and laughed when I saw her throw it back and grimace.
“Oh wow. That’s strong. Aren’t you going to have one?”
I shook my head. “No can do. I’m driving tonight.”
“What? I can’t have all four of these myself.”
“Why not? Chicken?”
“Are you honestly daring me to finish the rest of the shots?”
“I am. Unless you’re too scared?”
“Scared? No way!” she said and downed the next three in quick succession. She looked drunk almost instantly, and I couldn’t help but laugh at her.
“That was amazing,” I said.
“I can’t believe I did that. Although, the last one was the best out of them all. They obviously get better the more you drink. I actually almost enjoyed that last one.” She giggled.
“You want another one?” Was I really trying to get her drunk? I couldn’t help myself. I wished I was getting drunk with her.
“No! You’re bad news, Xavier, you know that?” she said.
I laughed. “Want to dance?”
“Dance? Don’t you remember how hopeless I used to be at dancing?”
“I remember.”
“Hey, you’re supposed to tell me that I wasn’t that bad.”
“You were awful. But don’t worry, so was I. Come on, we can be awful together.”
“These shots must be working because I suddenly feel like it’s a great idea.”
I got off the chair and helped her to her feet. She was a little unsteady, and I couldn’t help but think how nice it felt to hold her hand. We walked to the dance floor, and the moment she started dancing, I wanted to laugh. She was just as bad as she had always been. It was good to see that some things hadn’t changed. She looked at me and smiled, and I felt body shiver. Get a grip, I told myself. But it wasn’t going to be easy. She was dancing with her eyes closed now, swaying to the music. Her head was down, and her hair was moving around her shoulders in soft waves. I looked up and down her body and found myself unable to look away. Why did she have to wear that dress?