Page 23 of Best Served Cold

“Some jackass ran a stop sign and nearly sideswiped me. I pulled into the lot to catch my breath but figured a drink wouldn’t hurt.”

“Are you okay?” River’s eyes were tight, which was unusual for him. Nothing rattled this guy.

“Fine. Just took five years off my life.”

He nodded, that same tight look in his eyes.

“What about you? Do you come here a lot?”

The bartender stepped into my field of vision. “What can I get started for you?”

“I’ll get a pint of whatever IPA you have on tap.”

With a nod, he grabbed a glass. “Would you like a menu?”

“Not tonight, thanks.”

The bartender poured my drink, put it on a coaster, and slid it to me.

He told me the total. I went to pull my wallet free, but River slapped a bill on the bar top.

“No change,” he said as the bartender took it.

“Thanks,” I said awkwardly.

“Don’t worry.” He smirked. “I’m not hitting on you. Just repaying the round you bought us at Ralph’s but didn’t get a chance to enjoy.”

“Sorry.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I mean, thanks. But it’s not that.”

He swiveled his stool a bit so he was angled toward me. “Still freaked out about the near accident?”

“A bit.” I sighed as all the stress from the weekend came crashing down on me. “It’s been a long weekend and I’m not used to people doing nice things for me. Not unless they want something.”

He looked rueful. “I know that feeling.”

“So, are you meeting someone, or…?” I asked, still feeling awkward as shit.

Had Zane told River the truth? He had to have, right? They weren’t just twins, they were best friends and operated like a single unit.

If he did know, River wasn’t acting or treating me any differently, and a part of me relaxed as he let out a long sigh.

“I was.” He ran his finger over the cover of the sketchpad in front of him.

“Oh?”

“Got stood up.” He shrugged like it was no big deal, but his forced smile and sad eyes betrayed how he really felt about it.

“I’m sorry. That’s shitty.”

“It is. Especially when it keeps happening.”

“Is this like, a girl you’re seeing or talking to?” I sipped my beer, remembering to pace myself.

“We’ve been talking for a few weeks. But she’s like, the fourth girl in a row to ghost me or stand me up. It’s not so bad when they just stop messaging or leave me on read. Even unmatching me isn’t that bad. But it sucks when they just don’t show after we made plans.” He picked up a pencil I hadn’t noticed was tucked up against the side of the sketchpad and spun it around his fingers. “It’s the no-explanation that hurts. I get it if we don’t vibe or if they find someone they like better, but tell a guy that. I don’t mind if that’s the case because no one owes me anything until we’re exclusive, but I guess a lot of guys do mind and that’s why they feel safer ghosting me instead of rejecting me.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way, but that could be a big part of it.”

“And I get it, which is why I don’t get mad when this happens. It just sucks because I know they have to treat me like I’m a bad guy because there are so many bad guys out there. I don’t like that people can be so mean and hurt each other. It makes me sad.” He put the pencil down. “You had a long weekend?”

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