Chapter 8
Noah
The guys had been rattling on for about thirty minutes now, and I had difficulty following the flow of their conversations. I was trying my best to have fun, but I couldn’t help getting frustrated with the whole situation. Everything about it—sitting in a loud, crowded bar among people I didn’t actually want to be with and listening to their pointless talk—was driving me up the wall.
I had thought that once I came back home, I would be able to return to normal life, but I was so wrong. It was even worse because this kind of life—this ignorance that my friends had—didn’t fit me anymore. I couldn’t relate to my friends and my old life anymore, and this made me even more lost and panicky.
I hadn’t counted on the fact that once I got home I would have to reorganize and find myself.
My headache was persistent, and I felt like I was close to losing it. I had to get out of here before my anger took over me.
“So, man?” Jake asked me. “Have you spotted someone interesting?”
I downed my beer, not feeling even close to how drunk I wanted to be. “Nah.”
“I can’t believe you, dude. Like, there are so many gorgeous chicks, and you don’t even notice them.”
“Maybe he’s gay,” Aiden added, winking at me.
I rolled my eyes. “And maybe I’ll fuck your ass next,” I bit back, mistaking his joke for affront. I had the serious urge to fight with someone, and if this continued, that someone would be Aiden.
“Eww. Shit, man. What have they been doing to you in the army? You’re totally different.”
“Well, losing your comrades and killing to survive every day does that to a man,” I remarked, unleashing my fury, and the whole table grew silent and deadly serious.
Dominic scratched his neck, realizing we had touched upon a sensitive topic. “Hey, it’s okay. If you aren’t interested in the girls here, then that’s less competition for the rest of us.”
“That’s right,” Jake said, forming a smile that was so fake that I could’ve spotted it from a mile away. I let this slide, swallowing the put-down that had been on the tip of my tongue.
“You really need to chill,” Aiden told me and raised his hands in the air. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I mean it as a friend. We should pick up some girls at the bar and go somewhere quieter. Believe me, everything will be way better if you find a nice pussy for the night.”
Even if I actually gave his idea a shot, I really wasn’t sure how I was supposed to find anyone that could compare to Emma.
I was about to tell them I was leaving, but then Jake ordered another round of beer for all of us, refusing to take no as an answer. I fisted my hands bellow the table, telling myself to calm the fuck down and stop acting like a petulant child. I could endure another round. I hoped.
A few girls came up to our table, all of them dressed in a way that revealed more than it covered. I appreciated the view, but then one of them, a blonde, sat next to me, and I had absolutely no desire to talk with her.
However, she had other plans for me, since she didn’t let my silence deter her. “You look lonely,” she said in an overly sweet voice.
I arched my eyebrow at her. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“How so?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I just know. My sister is a psychiatrist, so I’ve picked up a few things.”
I barely resisted snorting. “And what do you do?”
“I’m a real estate agent.”
“Nice.”
“I haven’t seen you here before,” her red-haired friend, who was sitting across from me, told me. “And I know everyone since I’m here all the time.”
“Noah has returned home only recently,” Aiden responded instead of me.
“Oh? And where have you been?” the girl next to me asked me.
I didn’t like talking about the army, and I wanted to smack Aiden for speaking in my name.
“You know. Here and there.”
The redhead raised her eyebrows. “Why does that sound like you’re a spy or something like that?”
Dominic burst into chuckles. “You’ve been watching a lot of movies, sweetie. He was in the army.”
The blonde next to me stared at me in admiration. “Oh. The army. That’s great.”
Yeah. The chicks dug soldiers. I had no idea why because the life in the army wasn’t as nearly glamorous as they thought it was.
“I always admired soldiers,” the blonde said, wrapping her arm around mine, and leaned closer to me. I tensed, angry that she was now completely invading my personal space. Her overly sweet fragrance engulfed me, and I wished she would stop touching me. I wanted to tell her that, but I was afraid I would snap at her if I tried to.
“Really? Why?”
“Because you’re brave, strong, confident… Just the type of men I like,” she replied to me, and I was seconds away from rolling my eyes.
We continued talking, but it didn’t take me long to realize that I had nothing in common with these girls. Actually, it was quite the opposite, since I usually steered clear of the girls like them. Their world revolved around things that I couldn’t care less about. I was thankful for the buzz from the beer because without it, I wouldn’t be able to just sit here and listen to their small talk.
At least Aiden was going to get laid if his bubbly excitement was anything to go by. I guess I was happy for the guy?
All of a sudden, the air felt thick around me, and I could feel goosebumps appearing on my skin. I looked around to see if other guys noticed it, but they didn’t. I glanced at the blonde next to me, but she wasn’t even looking at me, her attention directed to Jake as he talked about something.
I started to look around, my skin prickling, and that was when I saw Emma enter the bar. All the air got stolen out of my lungs, my heart rate skyrocketing.
What the actual fuck? It couldn’t be. I was hallucinating. That had to be it.
I narrowed my eyes at her, studying her, but she didn’t disappear. She was real, and I wasn’t imagining things. Emma Smith was here. The rest of the bar melted into the background, and all I could focus on was her.
She was looking better than she ever did in high school. She was wearing a red mini cocktail dress that really fit her, accentuating her plump breasts and curvy hips. Her long blonde hair was falling down in curls I wanted to run my hands through. I felt my cock hardening, much to my surprise.
I tightened my jaw when she walked over to the bar, and I had a perfect view of her hot ass. I could practically imagine my hands moving down her gorgeous body and taking all of her. I closed my eyes, panting, and imagined her tight and wet pussy, all open for me.
The intensity of my reaction took me aback, and I tried to reel it in, not wanting my friends to see me like this. The blonde next to me was in a deep conversation with Jake, and others didn’t even look in my way. I used this to move my hand under the table and adjust myself, my throbbing cock pressed in my pants too tightly for me to feel comfortable.
My eyes flickered to Emma again, watching her as she talked with her friends. She was so beautiful, and I wondered if she had someone who was waiting for her at home.
There were two things that confused me more than anything.
One, I hadn’t expected my body to react this strongly to a woman, even if that woman was my old flame. There had been a period in the army when I couldn’t get aroused at all, the stress killing my libido, and even after I returned home, I couldn’t look at women the same way as before. And I kept comparing them to Emma, remembering very well how good she made me feel each time her hands and lips connected with my skin.
Two, whenever I thought about meeting Emma again, I never imagined I would get this attracted to her. I didn’t count on wanting her more than I thought was possible. Sure, I had the lingering memories of our heated encounters, but I had accepted them as a part of the past. I certainly didn’t expect to be floored by how good she looked now.
All I could focus on was the fine line of her waist and gorgeously-shaped ass on that bar stool, and it was messing with my mind.
I shouldn’t be paying attention to her. It would be best if I left this place right away.
But I was damned, because my body and mind didn’t listen, keeping me seated with my eyes glued on her.