“Do you want a drink?”
The bar is right near the entrance. The setup of this place isn’t ideal, but a lot of people our age hang out here, and I like the general vibe.
“Yeah,” Damien says. “A Coors Light is fine.”
I scrunch up my face. “I don’t know how you drink that shit.”
“Easily. What are you getting? Jack and Coke?”
“Exactly.”
“At least we’re both predictable.”
“Is that supposed to be a good thing?” I ask.
Damien shrugs. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”
I consider this as I order our first round of drinks. The least I can do is buy Damien a few beers considering he’s only here to help me. This bar is definitely not his scene.
Maybe being predictable isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not good, either. I don’t want someone to be able to guess my every move. That’s boring.
Then again, I showed up to the same bar I always come to, drinking the same drink, expecting a different end result. Even with Damien’s help, I doubt I’m going to come out of this with any boyfriend prospects.
With our drinks in hand, Damien and I move closer to the DJ booth. It gives us a good vantage point to check out the room.
“See anyone interesting?” he asks.
I glance around. There are a bunch of hot guys I could see myself talking to. The problem is, I’m not sure I can actually talk to them.
I choose the least likely to run away screaming if I approach him. There’s a guy standing alone over by the corn hole game, watching his friends play.
“How about him?”
Damien checks him out. “Yeah, he’s okay. Let’s go.”
“What? Now?”
“Of course, now. Jump off the deep end!”
Before I can respond, Damien is approaching the guy.
“Hey, man, I’m not asking for me, but I was wondering if you’re single?”
The guy is taken aback at first, but then he laughs. “Yeah, I’m single. Why?”
I walk up next to Damien and he gestures to me. “My friend Jenna here is on the lookout for a nice guy. You interested?”
“Hi, Jenna, I’m Toby. And yes, I’m very interested.”
I blush. “It’s nice to meet you, Toby.”
“Jenna is studying to be a dentist,” Damien tells Toby. “What do you do?”
“Wait, seriously? I’m in school to be a pediatrician. I feel like I never meet anyone in the medical field out in public.”
“Same!” I say. “Let me ask you this, though. Do you ever get people asking you for medical advice?”
Toby laughs. “All the time! Actually, about twenty minutes ago, I was chatting with a group waiting for my friends to get here and when they found out what I do, they were all asking me to check out various bodily issues.”
“Oh, no! How’d you get out of that?”
“I told them I only know how to diagnose children. Which is a lie, since pediatrics is my specialty but not the only thing I can do, but it got them to leave me alone.”
“I get people asking me to check out their teeth all the time, too. It’s a risky business we’re entering!”
“Seriously.”
One of the guys playing corn hole comes over and drapes an arm over Toby’s shoulder. “Toby! My man. We’re on to the next venture.”
Toby rolls his eyes, then turns to me. “It’s our friend Jake’s birthday, so we’re bar hopping to celebrate. I’m designated driver/babysitter, so I really need to follow them.”
“Oh,” I say, disappointed. “I get that. I hope you have fun with your friends.”
“Thanks. Can I get your number? I’d love to hang out again.”
“Yeah, of course!” I rattle off my number and he enters it into his phone.
“I’m glad I met you, Jenna. I hope to see you again soon.”
“Me, too. Bye!”
Toby and his four friends leave the bar for wherever they’re heading next. As soon as they’re out the door, I turn to Damien and squeal.
“Did you see that! I actually talked to a guy!”
Damien laughs. “Yes, you did, and I barely even had to help!”
“You helped more than you know. I wouldn’t have approached him without you.”
“Well, then, let’s keep up the good luck, shall we?”
I frown. “What do you mean? I got a number.”
“Technically, he got your number. And besides, one is not enough. If we’re going to do this, you need at least three potential boyfriends before we leave.”
“Three?” I say. “I could barely handle the one!”
“It’s a good thing you’ve got me here to help you.”
I sigh. I know this is what I wanted, but I expected to maybe find one guy who might be interested. Damien expects me to leave here with three? That’s not going to happen. I appreciate Damien’s optimism, but it’ll take a miracle to achieve his goal.
Despite my hesitation, I follow Damien back to our spot by the DJ booth to scope out another prospective guy.
I may not think this will work, but I’m still going to try.
Maybe miracles do happen.
Damien
Jenna’s second prospect is in no hurry to leave this weird, southern-themed Connecticut bar.
It took some pushing to get her to talk to him. I did the same introduction I’d done with Toby, and I offered them some conversation starters. After a few minutes, Jenna was telling the guy about a book she read that he would love based on his interest in Sci-Fi.
My beer was empty, so I excused myself to let the two of them talk. Now, I’m standing over by the DJ, sipping a beer, and keeping an eye on Jenna.
She seems happy. Her gestures get wider with every second, and she’s smiling like a maniac.
I feel a twinge of sadness. I’m used to her looking at me like that. I’m not sure I like seeing her with other guys.
Whoa, where did that come from?
This feels strangely close to jealousy. I don’t get jealous, especially not when it comes to Jenna. She’s my best friend, but there’s nothing romantic between us.
I’m probably just horny. That’s the only explanation. I haven’t hooked up since I got to Connecticut. I was too busy settling in to find a good prospect.
This bar isn’t exactly my scene, but I’m not too pick with girls. I glance around and find one that is just my type. She’s blonde, shorter than me, and looks to be about my age. That’s honestly all it takes to get my interest.
“Hi,” I say when I approach her. “I’m Damien.”
She blushes. “I’m Bella. What brings you over here?”
“I wanted to know if you’re single”
“You’re in luck, because I am.”
“Excellent. Can I buy you a drink?”
“Sure. Jack and Coke?”
Plenty of people drink Jack and Coke, but my mind immediately goes back to Jenna. Bella’s name is even eerily close to Jenna. What are the chances?
At least they don’t look alike. That would be too weird for me to handle.
Bella and I go to the bar together. I order myself another beer, and a drink for her. While the bartender prepares the Jack and Coke, I glance back at Jenna. She’s still chatting animatedly with the guy. I don’t even remember his name. It’s probably something stupid, like Chad. Or Toby. I didn’t like that guy much either. I don’t get what Jenna sees in them.
Whatever. I’m not the one trying to date them. If Jenna wants to be with lame, twiggy losers, that’s her prerogative. I’ll stick with sexy girls like Bella.
“So, what brings you out to the bar tonight, Damien? You here by yourself?”
I nod towards Jenna. “Actually, my friend over there has trouble talking to guys, so I offered to wingman her.”
Bella laughs. “You can’t be serious! That is so cool. None of my guy friends would ever do that for me.”
“I’m just cooler than them, obvious
ly.”
Bella steps a bit closer. “That sounds about right.”
I’m leaning in to kiss her when someone taps on my shoulder. I turn to find Jenna standing there.
“I’m so sorry!” she says. “I panicked. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Bella gives Jenna a dirty look, which immediately ruins her chances of going home with me. No one gets mad at my best friend. Except for me.
“It’s fine. Sorry, Bella. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
She blows out a breath and walks away. Sucks for me. She would’ve been fun for a night, I bet.
“What’s up, Jenna?”
“I didn’t realize what was happening! I thought you were just talking. I wouldn’t have…”
“Don’t worry about it. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Nick has work early tomorrow so he had to leave. But, he asked for my number! So that’s two down, one to go.”
I smile, but it feels forced. First of all, his name wasn’t nearly as dumb as I remembered. Second of all, that pesky jealousy is bubbling up again. I wish Jenna hadn’t interrupted Bella and me. A quick make out session would’ve cured me of this weirdness.
“Alright,” I say, tamping down the jealousy that shouldn’t exist. “Let’s find number three.”
It doesn’t take long for Jenna to point to a guy she’s interested in. This one looks a bit broodier than she goes for, but who am I to judge?
I walk her over to the guy and go through the same script I used on Toby and Nick.
“I am single,” he says. “As long as it’s this girl you’re asking for.”
He nods towards Jenna. I don’t like the way he calls her “this girl” but Jenna practically has hearts bursting from her eyes. If this is what she wants, it’s what she’ll get.
“I’m Jenna,” she says. “And I’m the one asking.”
I study her face. Her eyes are a little glassy. Damn. Nick must’ve bought her a couple more drinks. Jenna is a lightweight. It only would’ve taken two or three of those mixed drinks to get her to this level. If they were stronger, it only would’ve taken one. I watched them make the first one, though, and there was barely a shot of alcohol in there.
“Well, Jenna, I’m David. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too. Do you come here often?”
I choke down a laugh. She did not actually just say that!
David is good-spirited about it. “This is my first time. But if this is the scenery I can expect, I might come more often.”
This guy is good. He’s got the lines to lay it on thick. I don’t like him.
I want to tell Jenna to forget it and pick someone else, but she’s clearly smitten. I sign. I guess this is how it’s going to go.
Jenna didn’t need me this time. She manages to start up a conversation with David just fine.
“I’ll be over there if you need me,” I say. Jenna waves me off. I guess all she needed was some alcohol to loosen up.
My perch by the DJ stand has been taken, so I end up by the bar. I watch David as he encourages Jenna to finish her drink, and then he comes over to buy her another.
“Hey, man, thanks for hooking me up with your friend. She’s hilarious.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
David buys me another beer, so I can’t dislike him too much. I keep one eye on him as he returns to Jenna. Something about him doesn’t sit right with me. It’s probably just my overprotectiveness, though. I’ve always been like this around Jenna. I wanted to kill Mike when they first got together. It was even worse when he told her to stop hanging out with me.
I hate that she listened to him.
That’s in the past now. We’re adults. We can move on. But I refuse to lose Jenna again. If she starts dating some new guy and he feels threatened by our friendship, I’ll tell him to fuck off.
For now, everything seems fine with David. I take a look around the room to find someone else for me to talk to. It doesn’t take long for me to find one.
“Hi, I’m Damien,” I say. I find that introducing yourself is the best line to use.
“I’m Jen.”
Of course, she is. Jenna is still with David, laughing at something he says. I can see them over Jen’s head. It’ll be fine. I don’t need to use the girl’s name to take her own.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jen. Are you here with anyone?”
“Just my friend and her boyfriend. I guess you could call me a professional third-wheeler.”
“Does that mean you’re single?”
Jen laughs. “That’s exactly what it means. Are you interested?”
“I could be. You should know, I don’t like relationships.”
“Good, me neither. And I know the perfect place for us to go.”
Jen takes my hand and leads me out to the back patio. There’s a section that is relatively private. As soon as we’re hidden behind a fake bush, Jen pulls me against her and kisses me.
This is exactly what I needed. I’m not thinking about Jenna when Jen is shoving her tongue down my throat.
Okay, maybe I am thinking about Jenna a little bit. Not a lot, though. I’m just worried about leaving her alone with David. Something is off about that guy. I don’t trust him.
It could just be the fact that Jenna likes him that has me feeling off. I’ve never had these jealous feelings about Jenna before. This was obviously a bad idea.
Coming out here with Jen was the best idea. She’s an excellent kisser. I nibble on her lip and she responds with a light moan. My fingers tangle in her straight, blond hair.
“Yes, Damien,” she says. I pull her closer. There are too many people around to go further than this, but I love a good make out session as much as the next guy.
Are David and Jenna making out right now?
The thought sours my stomach. Jenna is not like Jen. She doesn’t make out with guys she just met. She hasn’t even slept with anyone sense Mike because she wants to be in a committed relationship before she takes that step.
I swear to God, if David is taking advantage of Jenna being drunk, I’ll kill him.
Jen pulls back. “Is everything okay?”
Fuck. I was so distracted by Jenna that I think I gave Jen fish lips. That is not my style. “Yeah, of course.”
I lean forward to kiss her again, but she stops me. “There’s something else on your mind. Is it that girl in there? I saw you guys together. She was chatting with some other guy, so I assumed you weren’t together. Was I wrong? Is this some weird make each other jealous foreplay thing you do?”
“What? No. Jenna is just my friend. But yeah, I’m worried about her. That guy she was with seemed weird to me. We came here so I could help her talk to guys. I should be out there keeping an eye on her.”
Jen studies me for a minute. “I believe you for some weird reason. It’s sweet of you to care about your friend. Sorry for dragging you away.”
“Don’t be sorry. I very much enjoyed that. I just know that if something happened to Jenna, I’d never forgive myself. I should get back out there.”
“No worries. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
Two seconds later, Jen is dragging a guy from his cigarette over to the private nook. She wastes no time kissing him the way she was just kissing me.
Ugh. This girl would’ve been perfect for me. Why did I have to let Jenna ruin it for me? She’s probably fine.
I trudge back into the main bar. At first glance, I don’t see Jenna anywhere.
I start to panic. Where the hell is she? I check my phone, and there’s no text. She wouldn’t have left without letting me know. She’s not like that.
I’m about to ask around if anyone has seen her when I spot her and David off in a corner. She’s no longer smiling, and he is standing way too close for my liking.
I study the situation for a minute. If I run over there and nothing is wrong, Jenna will be pissed. If I don’t go over there and something is wrong, she’ll be pissed.
David
puts his hand on Jenna’s cheek and she recoils.
Okay, that answers that. Something is wrong. If this asshole things he can touch Jenna without repercussions, he is very, very wrong.
I throw back the rest of my beer and drop the bottle on a table. If I have glass in my hand, I might do something I regret. A bar fight would definitely get me kicked off the team.
It takes me about three large, angry steps to reach David and Jenna.
“What the hell is going on over here?”
Jenna
I like David.
I liked Toby and Nick. They were both more my type than David, that’s for sure. We had easy conversation. I may have only had a few minutes with Toby, but I’m sure we could’ve talked for much longer. If Nick didn’t have an early shift tomorrow, we’d still be talking now.
I’m almost glad he had to go, because now I’m talking with David, and it’s amazing.
He’s not my type at all. David is on the burlier side. He has actual muscles on his arms. He’s got scruff on his face. His eyes are hooded and mysterious.
I usually like guys who are skinny noodles. I don’t like mysterious. However, I’m trying out new things. My type hasn’t worked out for me thus far. Maybe David is going to turn things around for me.
We’ve been talking for what feels like hours. It could be the alcohol making it seem longer, though. I’m pretty sure we’ve only been here for like twenty minutes.
The alcohol is flowing freely, too. David has bought me three more drinks. I think that makes six? I have no idea. If it is six, that’s about four more than I should have had. I’m going to have a wicked hangover tomorrow.
“Need another drink?” David asks.
“I think I’m good for now.”
He laughs. “Come on, one more?”
“No, seriously, I don’t need another.”
I hate being drunk. My head feels foggy. I want to remember this conversation. Another drink would put that at risk.
“Fine,” David says, sounding annoyed. “I’m going to get one, though.”
“Okay. I’ll be here.”
Arrogant Puck: A Friends to Lovers Sports Romance (Hockey Heartthrobs Book 2) Page 4
