by Haley Nix
***
Inside, Garrett and Tyson were still passed out. I wagered they must be pretty hung over after the night’s drinking. I could have waited around for them to wake up, but I was looking to get things moving. I woke them up and they lay on the floor grumbling, begging for another hour of sleep.
“Come on, boys. Rise and shine,” I said, flipping on the bright fluorescent lights of the basement.
“Dammit, Colt. Stop being a bastard,” said Tyson.
“Listen, buddy. Are we going to Vegas or not? If we’re driving all that way in Garrett’s beater of a truck, we’re at least going to have a shop do a tune-up before we head out.”
“My truck’s fine. Ford Tough,” said Garrett, turning his face away from the light.
“I’m not spending this trip walking to a gas station after your truck breaks down on the side of a desert highway.”
“He’s got a point,” said Tyson.
“Fine. Get me some Tylenol and let’s get some food,” said Garrett.
“Keys. Give me the keys,” I said.
“They’re up on the kitchen counter. Let me just change clothes and we’ll head out.”
***
About twenty minutes later, I was behind the wheel of the old Ford, taking the boys to the diner for a late breakfast. I figured that was just as good of a place as any for some food to cure these vicious hangovers. Of course, I was feeling fine, but I knew both of them were having a hell of a time with it.
After we sat down and ordered, Garrett looked at me, his face sly and mischievous.
“So, why don’t you tell us about your night, buddy,” he said, stirring cream into his coffee.
“What about it?” I asked, my voice even.
“Hey, we know you better than anyone. Don’t think we don’t know you went home with that girl from the bar.”
“Cat,” I said, correcting him.
“Yes, Cat. How was she?”
“You know a gentleman never tells.”
“Alright, alright,” said Garrett.
“You lucky bastard,” said Tyson, shaking his head. “Why can’t I meet a girl like that?”
“You’re not this handsome,” I said, deadpan.
“Such a cocky son of a bitch,” said Garrett. “Let’s hope you bring that confidence to the card tables.”
“I’ll bring it,” I said.
“Good.”
***
After breakfast the boys were in much better spirits. We dropped the car off at a nearby auto shop and called Kelly to come pick us up. She drove us around for a bit after, helping us get a few things for the road. Mostly food, beverages, stuff to keep us going during the nearly eighteen hour drive between Tulsa and Las Vegas.
Damn, what a trip. Part of me felt like we should fly, save the time. But Garrett would have none of it. He wanted to see the country, to speed down those long, straight and empty desert highways. Tyson was inclined to agree. And after a little persuasion, so was I.
Chapter Three
Catherine
After dropping off Colt, I started running errands. I had a few hours to myself and there were a few mundane things that I needed to pick up before heading to work. It gave me a lot of time to think about the night earlier and all that had happened in the intervening time that could potentially have big consequences for my life. Colt was a special guy, there was no doubt about that. But given the short timeline, I was having trouble separating out my lustful feelings from a deeper attraction I might feel towards him.
He had this calm about him, a calm that spread to me and gave me escape from my own anxiety. I needed someone like that in my life, especially on the rugged road ahead as I continued on with my studies. Everything was still largely unsettled. For right now we would just plan on talking about it after the trip to Las Vegas.
But what did that even mean? Would he consider moving here, or was a long-distance relationship on the table? I didn’t know what was waiting for him back in Austin. There had to be something, I figured, if that was the place he called home. Maybe there was a girlfriend back there he hadn’t told me about. Maybe last night really was just a one-night stand.
Dammit. Why was I questioning myself like this? I had good instincts, and Colt didn’t seem like the guy to do something like that. I needed to relax and stop talking myself out of what might turn out to be a good thing, a chance for something in my life to finally work out how I wanted it to. So I made a conscious effort to forget about things for a while and just sort of let life flow how it would. Things like this take time, I kept saying. All great things need time to develop.
***
At work later that day, I had a strong impulse to spill everything to Ellie. I just needed someone to confide in, a second opinion, someone to reassure me and help sort things out. It took everything I had to resist that impulse, at least for the time being, and just go about my work. But the truth was that there really wasn’t much time to talk today. It was Sunday in December, and anyone who works a busy bar knows what that means: football Sunday, NFL games all day long.
Ellie had been here since noon. Customers had started streaming in around 1:00 PM and the flow hadn’t stopped. By the time I rolled in at four o’clock the place was an absolute madhouse. We had specials on Bud and Bud Light, plus 25 cent wings. Yes, as you can imagine, things could get a little crazy. Especially this afternoon with the Cowboys playing the Giants.
I always liked working the afternoon games. People were usually pretty drunk by the later games, which typically meant they were better tippers. Also the atmosphere was just great. I’m the type of girl who can get into a good football game, so getting paid to watch the Sunday games was one of the best parts of my job. Another added bonus was that Mike, my boss, was apparently still home sick with the flu. Today it was just Ellie and me working the bar room, plus a couple line cooks back in the kitchen cooking up food.
My heart raced a little what I saw Colt and the boys walk through the door around 7:00 PM. They were coming in just in time for the final plays of the late afternoon games, all of them surprisingly close. The Cowboys, at the time, were on the Giant’s 43 yard line. It was 3rd and five. I watched the center hike the ball, the quarterback rolled, looked for a receiver, but didn’t see anything downfield. He tried to scramble for the first down but came up short. The Cowboys would have to punt.
I turned away from the television to walk over to the guys, see if I could get them anything to drink.
“Buds, all around,” said Garrett. “Actually, shot of Jack as well.”
“Not for me. I’m still feeling last night,” said Tyson, looking slightly tired, all things considered.
“Colt, you gonna do a shot with me?” asked Garrett. “Of course you are.”
“Three Buds, two shots of Jack.”
“You got it.”
Colt never said anything. It was sort of an interesting contrast. I felt that I knew him so intimately after last night, it was weird for me to see him so shy once again. But I supposed that this was just the old group dynamic restoring itself. Colt was there to maintain quiet authority, while Garrett did enough talking for all three of them.
I came back with the drinks and hung around a bit while Colt and Garrett took their shots. Suddenly a loud roar filled the bar. A Dallas cornerback had intercepted a misplaced pass, returning it for a touchdown as the clock ran out and the game ended. There was lots of yelling and high-fiving all around.
I saw a smile flash across Colt’s face, big, but also slightly secretive.
“What are you so happy about, mister?” I asked playfully.
“It just dawned on me that this is the first football game I’ve seen all season,” he said.
“I swear it’s one of the things I hate most about being over in that damn desert,” said Garrett.
Tyson punched Garrett on the arm.
“Hey, you know what I just realized?” said Tyson.
“What?”
“We’re actually go
nna be home for the Super Bowl this year.”
“Hell yeah!” yelled Garrett, slapping him on the back. “You want to do a shot now?”
“Sure, what the hell. Why not?”
I laughed and headed off to grab the bottle of Jack.
“You sure I shouldn’t just leave this here?” I asked, holding up the bottle after pouring the shot.
“Dangerous idea,” said Tyson. “I cannot head off to Vegas feeling the way I did this morning.”
“Oh, you guys are heading out tomorrow?” I asked, sort of caught off guard. I thought it was still two days away.
“Yup. Got the car checked out today. We’re good to go, nothing holding us back,” said Garrett.
I didn’t know how I felt about the last part of what he’d said. I looked over to see Colt studying my face and did my best to hide what I was thinking. It really was no big deal, but I guess part of me was disappointed that I wouldn’t get a chance to spend any time with Colt before he headed off to Vegas with the guys.
Other customers were calling, so I had to part ways with them for the time being. Colt gave me a wink as I left. I smiled back. He was still an enigma to me. I hoped he would have fun in Vegas, but I wanted him back here sooner rather than later. I needed to know for sure where things stood between us.
Chapter Four
Colton
Being here at the bar just wasn’t the same as the night before. I found myself with nothing to say. After those private moments, it felt weird being in public and not able to converse with Cat as freely and openly as when we were alone. I watched her work, my eyes examining every movement of her curves as she walked alongside the bar counter, leaned in to take drink orders, reached up to grab bottles of liquor off the shelves. There were three separate football games going on, and here I was unable to take my eyes off of the gorgeous bartender.
Around 8:30 PM the place started clearing out a little. The late afternoon games had ended and there was about an hour gap between those games and the primetime game. Tyson and Garrett looked like they planned on sticking around for the whole game, a matchup between the Broncos and the Chargers, two high-scoring offenses that were both likely to make their way into the playoffs this year.
After things had quieted down a bit and the boys had gone out for a smoke break, I motioned to Cat to come over. I needed a refill, but more than that I just wanted to talk to her, maybe explain away a bit of my silence.
“You didn’t say you were leaving tomorrow,” she said, as she took the empty glass from my outstretched hand.
“I know. Trust me, I just found out a few hours ago myself. It’s just a day early, though. No big deal.”
“I know, I know,” said Cat. “I guess I’d just hoped maybe you’d be coming over tonight. I wouldn’t mind spending some more time together before you leave.”
“You know I feel the same,” I said.
And it was true, I did feel the same. The Vegas trip had been planned months ago when I was bored, looking for some kind of excitement when I got back to the U.S. It seemed like a typical thing to do, go to Vegas and go crazy for a few days to decompress from the time overseas. After that, I’d settle back into a normal civilian life for the next few months.
I just never anticipated I’d meet someone like Cat in the few days between landing and heading out to Nevada.
“I’m not just going there to get buck wild,” I said, trying to reassure her. I didn’t know how well it worked.
“Well, what are you going for then?”
“I promised Tyson and Garrett. Besides, if I’m not there to keep a watchful eye on things, they’re liable to end up getting into who knows what.”
“Valid point,” said Cat.
***
A few hours later we left the bar. Before I headed out the door, I pulled Cat to the side. It had slowed down quite a bit, now that the final game of the day was drawing to a close. Most of the patrons had left early, seeing as how the Broncos were up by three touchdowns at the start of the fourth quarter.
I wanted to talk to Car before I left just to make sure we were parting on good terms. The trip would only be about a week, but I didn’t want her to have any uncertainty as to my loyalty to her. Sure, they called it ‘Sin City’ for a reason. But I knew how to hold my own. My word was my bond. And by all accounts, I was head over heels for this curvy girl.
She left her post behind the bar somewhat reluctantly. I brought her over to one of the empty booths while Tyson and Garrett were out for another smoke break.
“How you feeling?” I asked, trying to break the minor tension between us.
“Good,” said Cat. “Happy the night is coming to a close.”
“We’re leaving early tomorrow. I’m not going to have another chance to say goodbye.”
“So this is it?”
“Yes,” I said. “For the time being.”
I gave her a deep kiss, then stared into her eyes across the table. We could have spoken more, but frankly there wasn’t much else to say. Neither of us were happy to be parting ways so early on after meeting each other. Were we risking something here? Was there a chance that things would fizzle out? I think both of us were concerned about that deep down.
For now, we kept quiet, keeping our mutual worries to ourselves. I got up from the booth, giving one last squeeze to Cat’s small, soft hand as I stood. I walked outside to join Tyson and Garrett. No need to call his kid sister tonight for a ride; I was plenty sober.
Garrett threw me the keys and I hopped up in the cab of his old Ford. I had to admit, since the tune-up it wasn’t running half-bad. If we were lucky, it’d bring us to Vegas after all. I thought about that for a second.
“Do you realize that this time tomorrow night we’ll be sitting around a poker table in Vegas?” I asked, turning the keys in the ignition.
The Ford gave a healthy roar, then settled down to a rumbling idle. I eased down on the gas pedal and pulled out onto the empty street. Five hours of sleep, then seventeen hours to Vegas. I would miss Cat, but I was ready to take that city for all it was worth.
Chapter Five
Catherine
I collapsed into bed alone that night, exhausted and grateful for the simple pleasure of its warmth on this terribly cold night. Of course, it would have been better to have Colt next to me, but it hardly mattered since I fell asleep within minutes.
When I woke up after my long slumber, I realized it was Monday. My only day off of the week. I might have spent my time missing Colt, wondering where exactly he was in Vegas and what he was doing, but the truth was I didn’t really have the time or the energy to waste on that. My two finals were coming up this week and I needed to do all I could to make sure I was prepared for them. After all, if I couldn’t pass my basic Bio and Chem classes, I could say goodbye to the dream of going to vet school.
As luck would have it, I had back-to-back tests on Friday. One from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM, the other from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM. I made a mental note to call Mike and let him know I couldn’t come in until around 7:00 PM this Friday night. But damn, Friday was going to be a brutal day. I lay there in bed, trying to plan out a study schedule for the week ahead, but realized I might as well get up and get to it. There surely was no time to be wasted.
I felt pretty good about my Chemistry final; I’d received good grades on the first couple of quizzes and the midterm. It was Bio that I was worried about; this was the class I was always having to leave early to get to work. My grades were OK, but not stellar. I’d have to do well on this final if I wanted to boost them up to the appropriate level.
Within an hour of getting up, I was sitting down on the couch in the living room, my bio books, notes, and lab reports spread out across the coffee table in seeming disarray. But there was a method to my madness. My plan was to read through all my lecture notes in chronological order, go through textbooks if there were any points that were unclear, and then focus on questions I missed on earlier exams.
***
&nb
sp; Colton
I woke up right outside of Amarillo, TX. Garrett was driving, while I had been dozing in the front seat, Tyson doing the same in the back. It was around 10 AM and the sun was blazing. Truth be told, I don’t know how I even managed to sleep this late. I felt a bit groggy, but there was something nice about being back in Texas.
I looked over at the dash and saw we were low on gas.
“Hey, next gas station, you wanna pull over and fill up? Give me a chance to drive,” I said to Garrett, adjusting myself so that I was now sitting straight up in the passenger seat.
“Sounds good to me. I’m looking to get some breakfast, too. I’ve only had a coffee this morning and I’m close to starving.”
“Well, we’re near Amarillo, should be some place around here.”
“Right.”
About thirty minutes later we came across a spot that looked suitable to our needs. Garrett pulled into the small, dingy diner and I turned around to shake Tyson awake.
“I’m up, I’m up dammit,” said Tyson groggily, struggling to open his eyes in the brightness of the Texas sun. “We’re here already?”
“No, we’re in Texas you dumbass,” said Garrett.
“Yeah, we’ve still got about eleven or so hours to go, buddy,” I said, stepping out of the truck and onto the pavement of the parking lot.
Tyson and I walked into the diner while Garrett went over to a nearby gas station, telling us to order him an omelet in his absence. I thought momentarily about texting Cat, just a small “hey, how are you?”
Part of me thought that there was no need to bother her with something petty like that. But the truth was I liked having any connection with her, no matter how small or insignificant. It was nice knowing she was still there on the other side. I decided to send a text her way. It would give me something to look forward to as we drove the long stretches of highway the rest of the day.
