Chapter Twenty-One
I placed my glass back on the bar counter. My first beer went down fairly quickly. I still hadn’t taken any painkillers so I might have been hoping for a little liquid pain relief. I looked over at Anthony. He had a strange look on his face as he focused on his whiskey. “Are you feeling okay?” I asked.
He looked up at me and I could see his deep brown eyes trying to focus in on me. He stood up without saying a word and disappeared around the hallway to the bar restroom. Not surprising. They had all been here a long time before I finally showed up. It looked as if his drinks had finally caught up with him.
I turned around on my stool to my other side, where Jane and Michelle were sitting, surrounded by their usual group of young admirers. We had closed off the bar, for the most part, agreeing to pay the bouncers triple their pay if they helped Mason with his security detail.
Jane selected a song from her phone to play over the jukebox of the bar. I watched over her shoulder as she selected it. "‘Baby?'" I asked with uncertainty as she selected the Justin Bieber song. “Not really your type of music...”
Jane put her phone down and looked up at me mischievously while pushing a lock of black hair behind her ear. “Have you met Ryan? He dances to that song.” I hadn’t met any of the young men following around my friends. They recognized me when I came in, but Mason’s hulking frame kept away any unwanted visitors.
Also, when I arrived, I had wrapped my arms around Anthony and kissed his cheek, making it clear he was the person I was here to see. He had responded exactly how I hoped he would, by immediately turning towards me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my neck, sending shivers down my spine. He whispered sweet greetings into my ear, telling me how much he missed me. Until he had gotten up to go to the restroom, he had been always touching me in some way, whether it was holding my hand, touching my face, or playing with my hair.
Jane turned quickly towards the group of young men behind her, breaking my train of thought, and called out, “Ryan!” Instantly, a man about 5’10 with short-cropped black hair and a chiseled jawline popped up between Jane and me. He smiled the brightest smile, his blue eyes shining in the bar light. His black button-up shirt was unbuttoned at the top, giving me a glimpse of his chest hair underneath. He was cute, though nothing spectacular.
Jane giggled as he stepped closer, “Elena,” she said to me, still using the same mischievous tone. “This is Ryan. Ryan, I told Elena about your famous dance moves.” He laughed and did a cute little sidestep jig.
Ryan had such a bubbling personality; I couldn’t resist interacting with him, “Yes, so is it just Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ or do you dance to all Justin Bieber songs?” He laughed and stepped closer to me
“Well,” he said, whiskey rolling across his breath and into my face, causing my eyebrows to rise. “It’s really just ‘Baby,’ but if I get enough drinks in me, I’ll dance to anything.”
“Oh, I’m with ya,” I agreed, enjoying his company. “I become a dancing fool when I get enough alcohol in me.”
“Well, let’s dance then!” he raised his voice and did a little jig again, moving closer into my personal space.
I laughed putting my hand on his hard chest and pushing him back a bit, “No way,” I laughed loudly. “Did you not see me limping in here? I can’t dance right now.”
“Oh, come on,” Ryan said. His eyes traveled up and down my body, drinking me in. “I don’t buy it. When’s the last time you really let loose and danced your ass off?”
I smiled and thought about it for a moment. My smile faltered as I realized the last time I danced was with Ethan at Destruction after party. Pain enveloped my chest as I recalled the fun we had and how much I missed him again. How could we go this long without talking? Did he still really think I was an uncaring person? Did I make a mistake by not reaching out to him after our fight? I had so many questions and the lack of answers made it feel like I wasn’t getting enough air.
“Whoa,” Ryan said, ducking his head to look me in the eye. “Where did you go there? I lost you for a minute.”
I shook my head, giving him a smile. “Sorry,” I said. “It’s been awhile since I’ve danced, I guess.”
“Well come on, then!” he tried again. “Here, I’ll carry you.” He pretended like he was going to lift me up. I yelped and lifted up my good leg to ward him off, laughing loudly. This guy’s energy was contagious.
Anthony suddenly appeared over Ryan’s shoulder looking down at me. “Babe,” he said quietly. “I think I’m gonna head back.” My smiled drooped a bit and I looked over at Jane and Michelle who looked like they were having a blast. I turned back to Anthony and took in his appearance. He held an arm in front of his stomach as if to soothe his pain. His face was pale, his eyes bloodshot and dilated. He almost slurred when he asked, "You staying here long?"
I looked over at Michelle and Jane again. “Hey,” I said drawing their attention. The whole group looked over at me. “Are you guys ready to go or do you want to stay longer?”
The group groaned and Michelle laughed loudly, “We’re gonna stay.” She wound her hand through one of her admirer’s arm and smiled at me. “But don’t let us stop you two.” She gave me a wink.
I bit my lip and turned back to Anthony. "Would you be okay if I stayed a bit longer? I'm actually having a good time."
His gaze softened and he shook his head. “No problem, babe,” he said. “I called a car so it’s out front. I’m gonna go ahead and head back.” I nodded and he disappeared out the front entrance. I bit my lip knowing I should probably go with him. I was being a little selfish by staying here, but I was genuinely having a good time. I was little alarmed actually at the lack of guilt I felt by wanting to stay.
As soon as Anthony left, a couple more guys made their way over to me, leaving the group of admirers surrounding my beautiful friends. Mason stepped away from the group of bouncers that had been almost surrounding all of us. He stayed right behind my barstool, so if the guys looked at me, they also looked at Mason.
Ryan, undeterred by Mason’s sudden appearance at my side, stepped closer and pointed over his shoulder towards a dance floor area – or really just an area without any tables, stools or pool tables. “So,” he said. “You ready to shake it?”
I shook my head again. “No way,” I said. “I’m not leaving this bar stool.”
“Well,” one of the guys said that just approached. He had a white cap backwards on his head. He gave me a glowing smile as he pulled a stool closer to me and sat down. “Guess we’ll just have to keep you company. I’m Seth.”
“Hi, Seth,” I said politely, glancing back at Ryan, who was also pulling up a bar stool for himself. “Do you guys know each other?”
“Unfortunately,” a third guy said. He looked a little geekier than the others, though still cute, his hair slightly spiked. “I’m Dave. We all work together.”
“Oh, nice,” I said. “What do you guys do?”
“We’re in sales,” Ryan said simply. Anything else he was about to say was forgotten as ‘Baby’ finally began to play over the jukebox. I heard a squeal and we turned towards Jane. She jumped up and ran into our little circle, standing between Ryan’s legs and placing her arms possessively across his shoulders.
“It’s our song,” she purred. I raised my eyebrows. Ryan laughed, slipping off the stool and sliding his arms around Jane’s tiny waist. They started to dance as one, right next to me, and I laughed, shoving them away.
“Jane,” I scolded. “Move your little bump and grind away from me.” She laughed and they stepped further away. Michelle and her man jumped up from their own bar stools and began dancing next to them. I laughed, sipping my beer, and watched them for awhile.
Dave or Seth – I couldn’t remember who was who – slid his chair closer to me and pulled out his phone. “Hey,” he said, in a somewhat gravelly voice. “Help me pick a song. I can’t take this Justin Bieber shit.” I laughed and leaned my head over his phone as we searched through songs. When we finally selected one, I slid back in my chair and glanced around the bar again. The crowd was still pretty thick, but the bouncers and security guards were doing a good job keeping the peace.
My eyes caught on a tall, redheaded woman standing just outside the circle of admirers. She seemed familiar, though I couldn’t really tell why. And she was watching me very closely. Her dark eyes were pinned straight to me with such intensity. I narrowed my eyes, inspecting her back. Some emotion was swirling in her eyes – maybe anger… She broke eye contact first and turned sharply, making her way to the restroom.
As she passed, I nudged Mason behind me. “Do you know who that is?” I asked, keeping my voice low so I didn’t alert the guys around me.
Mason nodded, a scowl crossing his face. “Yep,” he said quietly. “I’ve been watching her since she got here. I don’t know what she’s doing here.”
I gave him a puzzled look. “Who is she?”
He looked down at me and blinked. “You seriously don’t know who that is?” he asked incredulously. I shook my head. “That’s Cate.” I stared at Mason for a moment, my surprise causing everything to almost fade around me.
“Ethan’s Cate?” I asked, my voice rising slightly. I lowered it, asking, “How do you know what she looks like? Why do you know who she is?”
Mason raised his eyebrows. “I’m your security, Elena,” he said simply. “I look into everyone that comes in contact with you.”
“But I’ve never even met her,” I said, glancing around looking for her. “How do you know what she looks like?”
An odd expression crossed Mason’s face. “I can’t really get into this right now,” he said quietly. He crossed his muscular arms, and glared around the room, ending our conversation.
I looked towards the restroom area where she had disappeared. What was she doing here? And why was she staring at me like she hated me? I mean, I know her and Ethan broke up, but it had nothing to do with me. And it had been years! More than anything, I wanted to text Ethan but knew that wasn't an option. Instead, I fished my phone out and texted Colton.
So what do you know about Cate? Ethan’s ex?
I finished my beer and ordered another while I waited for a response. Instead of getting a text, my phone rang, Colton’s face flashing across the screen.
“Hey,” I said, surprised, trying to project my voice over music in the bar.
“God, where are you?” Colton’s voice responded. I stood up from my chair and motioned for Mason to follow me.
“Give me a minute,” I told Colton. “I’m stepping out back so it’s quieter.” Once we were outside on a patio area, I sat down on a chair. There were heat lamps out here, but only one was on, so the back patio was empty. Mason stood next to me, helping me down into a chair. “Okay,” I said into the phone. “That better?”
“Much,” Colton responded. “Are you raving tonight?” He sounded sarcastic.
“Yeah, you know me,” I said. “So anyways…”
“Why do you want to know about Cate now?” Colton asked almost warily.
“Because she’s here,” I said.
“What?! She’s in Aspen?”
“Yes,” I said. “According to Mason, that’s who keeps glaring at me like she wants to kill me all night.”
“Elena,” Colton said sharply, sounding entirely too serious for his normal demeanor. “You need to stay away from her. She’s unstable.”
“Unstable?” I said, sitting up straight, my eyes widening. I stared at Mason who wouldn’t look at me. Instead, he glared at the door. “As in, crazy?” I mean, I knew she was a little nuts when she was with Ethan… he had pretty much said so. But being a little crazy and being certifiably unstable were two different things.
“Yes!” Colton said. “Ethan never really told you everything because he didn’t want you to worry, but he told me and Mason. After the Oscars a few years ago, she went a little insane, contacting Ethan constantly wanting to get back together and give it another shot. When he denied her, I guess your name slipped up and she got – I don’t know – vengeful, I guess? I don’t know the reasons. She’s Psycho Bitch.” He said it like it was her name. “But she had it out for you. I guess she threatened Ethan that she would hurt you if he didn’t take her back.”
My jaw was literally hanging open listening to Colton tell me everything. He continued, “Ethan, of course, never did take her back, you know. Instead, choosing to go a little bachelor wild. But we all kept our tabs on her anyway. A few years ago, it seemed like she had forgotten about you because she never actually threatened you, just threatened Ethan that she would hurt you, or herself, or his family, or whatever if he didn’t come back to her. And eventually, even that stopped. He has a restraining order against her now, I think."
I was silent when Colton took a breath. He waited for me to say something unwilling to break the silence, giving me time to comprehend everything. “How did I not know about any of this?” I asked, breaking the silence. I looked over at Mason, who was still glaring at the door.
“We didn’t think it was a reason to worry you until she actually did threaten you,” Colton explained sounding less confident.
“But she did threaten me!” I yelled, going from shocked to pissed in two seconds. “That’s what you just said!” I turned to glare at Mason, while Colton began spewing excuses into my ear. “Put yourself in my shoes. I don’t care if it wasn’t directly to me. If anyone had ever threatened you or Ethan, I would never keep that from you.” I looked over at Mason. “How could you keep this from me?” I asked, the hurt in my voice was apparent over the anger I was fighting to control.
Mason lowered his head, looking at his hands, before finally turning to look me in the eye. “I had to protect you, Elena,” he said filled with anguish. All three of us were quiet momentarily, unsure where to go from there.
I lowered my voice even more and said, more to myself, “How could Ethan keep this from me?” My eyes brimmed with tears. His ex had threatened to hurt me and he never thought I should even know? I didn’t understand how he could hide something so monumental from me. Especially when I thought about all the times I had questioned him about Cate. There were so many opportunities to tell me.
I shook my head in an attempt to regain some composure. “I’m not mad at either of you,” I said to Colton on the phone still and Mason beside me. Mason’s shoulders visibly relaxed, losing some, but not all the tension he carried. “I understand, I guess,” I continued. “But I gotta go, Colton.”
“Call me later,” he said quickly. “And for what it’s worth… I am sorry, Elena. We should have never kept this from you.”
Before I could respond, he ended the call. I lowered the phone to my lap, glancing at Mason. He still looked at me as though he thought I might start yelling again.
Silently, I took a deep breath, directing my attention back on my cell phone. Pulling up my contacts, I clicked on Ethan’s name, his contact photo appeared, filling my screen. It was an image we took of ourselves at a Kentucky Derby party about a year and a half ago. I had brought Ethan as my guest and it was a perfect day – most days with Ethan usually were perfect days. Before I had a chance to second-guess myself, I pressed the green call button.
The phone rang several times before his voicemail picked up. He didn't have a voicemail greeting, only an automated voice asking to leave a message. When the tone sounded, I hesitated unsure what to say.
Finally, I sighed into the phone, "I know about Cate," I said. "We need to talk." I hung up, looking at my phone once more, the photo of Ethan's face crowding the screen with my own shown back at me. We looked so happy. His tan, smooth cheek was pressed flushed against my own, big cheesy smiles on our faces. His deep green eyes catching the light from the camera phone, making them sparkle.
I locked my phone, the screen going black as tears filled my eyes again. I looked up at Mason where he was watching me closely. "I think we should head back," I said. Mason nodded, helping me up and escorting me straight out the door.