I always loved going out with my girlfriends. There's always a good anticipation, that question about who you'd meet. That particular night, it was just me and Wendy. I'd gotten new skinny jeans with perfectly placed rips in them that would fit beautifully into my boots and a really cute red and black striped shirt. I spent the afternoon pampering myself. I was in such a good mood. Five minutes before I wanted to walk out the door, I piled my very curly hair into a ponytail at the crown of my head, sprayed perfume through my locks and on my neck, and applied glittery pink lip gloss to my mouth. As I stared in the mirror through darkly lined eyes, I shivered. It was going to be a great night.
I pulled into Wendy's driveway and immediately my mood soared higher. Memories of Valentine's Day flooded my head and as I walked to her door, I ran my hand along the body of Nathan's blue truck. Adrenaline pumped through my body as I knocked and then let myself in. Wendy was on the couch and the boys were nowhere to be seen. An odd mixture of relief and disappointment coursed through my veins as Wendy stood up and slipped into her boots.
"What are the guys up to?" I asked on the way out the door. Again I stroked Nate's truck, wishing it was the man himself.
"They went to some bar in Fort Worth," she answered carelessly. "Where are we going?"
"Pete's?" I suggested.
"Done. I'll drive."
My stomach knotted at the thought of Nathan getting home before us; would he react to seeing my car at all?
Of course he wouldn't, I reasoned. If he'd thought about me half as much as I thought about him, I would have heard from him over the past few weeks.
The drive to Addison wasn't short, and we jammed to Bruno Mars the entire way. When we were about to exit, my phone rang. Another girlfriend of mine was at a bar a bit past Pete's and wanted us to come meet her. Wendy was up for anything, and she followed my directions to McFadden's. The scene was incredible, but miraculously we found a parking spot at the front of the lot. Amanda and her boyfriend Steven were waiting for us on the front porch, and we pushed our way through a huge crowd to get to them.
I couldn't help checking out the guys as we waited at the bar. There were a bunch of gorgeous choices, but it seemed each time I saw someone who interested me, they put their arm around a girl. Or, on occasion, around another guy. We got our drinks and Amanda led us to a dartboard. Wendy and I watched Amanda and Steven play the first round. As I sipped my drink, I surveyed the room. And that's when I caught sight of Brandon. I was surprised to see him; last I'd known, he was working security at Sherlock's. But nonetheless, there he was, looking just as hot as he'd done at Sherlock's. He cut his eyes at me once, and the shock I saw only lasted a split second before recognition dawned and he smiled. That's all it had even been about with us: flirting, eye contact, coy smirks. I hadn't even ever spoken to him.
At first I thought, that will change tonight. But then I thought maybe it would be more fun to continue our silent relationship. I bit my lower lip and tried not to smile. I looked up again and once more he flicked his eyes to me. They were always so short, those sizzling glances, but they made my nerves light up. When it was my turn at darts, I threw three precise shots, landing a bulls-eye twice. I grinned triumphantly, and when I turned to look if Brandon had seen, he wasn't there anymore. My breath came short for a second.
A waitress delivered our next round, and we continued playing darts for well over an hour. Amanda kept me well-supplied with drinks, and eventually my bladder couldn't take it anymore. Wendy and I went in search of a bathroom, and I felt Brandon rather than saw him. Without looking at him, I put my hand out as we passed him. His palm grazed mine and it felt like I'd been electrocuted.
The rest of the night, I couldn't stop searching him out. I definitely didn't want to talk to him; the fear that he wouldn't live up to the fantasy was too real. But I didn't want to take my eyes off him. I watched him break up a fight and intense passion heated my entire body.
The warm glow of alcohol combined with unbridled sexual chemistry had me ready to kiss him as we walked out the door. Whether it was a good thing or a bad one, he was nowhere to be found at that last minute. I was wound tightly and extremely hyper on the drive home. Wendy, who didn't drink when she was driving, put on a mix of dance songs, and we bounced in our seats the entire twenty minutes home.