Page 3 of Before We Were Us

Together we walk down the hallway of our small two bedroom apartment, toward our kitchen. Our place isn’t huge, but it's big enough for us. The living room and kitchen are separated by a small dining area. The floor to ceiling windows give us amazing light, and a balcony is just outside the sliding doors.

We share a bathroom, our bedrooms on opposite sides of the hall.

Taylor picks up two shots, handing me one. “To a fun night after a stressful day.” She clicks her glass with mine before we both tip them back.

Doing the same to the next two she takes it upon herself to continue on. “May we meet some hot, hot men that help us relieve the stress.” Wagging her brows I laugh and we both tip back our second shots.

It would seem that my best buddy is on the prowl. When she is like this it makes for a very interesting night.

“Are we ready?”

“Let’s do it,” I tell her with a knowing grin. Let the fun begin!

“I love this song,” Taylor hollers out over the loud beat, standing before Marco or myself can respond. She’s moving toward the dance floor with her hands up, shaking her hips all the way there. Soon she disappears into the crowd of people and Marco looks over at me wide-eyed.

“She had a real rough day,” I offer with a little shrug before lifting my drink and sipping the sweet contents through the straw.

“I’d worry if she wasn’t one of the meanest girls I know,” Marco chuckles and I don’t argue. Taylor is mean, when she needs to be. Truth is she’s had a shit upbringing with shitty parents. That’s a huge part of the reasoning behind her being at my house more than she was her own. She learned at a young age that if she wanted something, she had to fight for it. She also learned that love is messy, and with that she has grown weary. She trusts, but her trust is hard to earn.

Most consider her a bitch, but those people don’t truly know the real Taylor. Honestly she is one of the most loyal and strongest people I know.

If I was going to battle she would most definitely be the one I would want by my side.

To me she is so far from a bitch it isn’t funny, she just knows what she wants and doesn’t waste her love on someone she doesn’t feel is deserving. She doesn’t need anyone…but I secretly know that deep down she is a romantic. She just hides it well, it would take the right kind of man to break through her armor. Because I can guarantee you that shit will not come down easily.

“Maybe we should join her,” I finally say as I empty my glass and set it down on the table. “What do you say Marco, you ready to show me your moves?”

Instead of him answering me with words he stands and holds out his hand.

I place mine in his and he leads me to the dance floor just as the current song rolls over into another great hit.

The two of us start to shake our hips. Seeing Taylor we move in closer and the three of us make our own little circle.

“I needed this,” she hollers, a huge smile covering her lips.

Song after song, I lose track of them as the three of us let loose and dance into the night.

three

. . .

Jensen

I stood near the end of the bar, nursing a whiskey, while Connor, my best friend and partner, lays it on thick with an attractive blonde he met no more than an hour ago. His lines are comical, and I find myself hiding my grin repeatedly thinking how on earth any woman could fall for them. Maybe it's the alcohol hindering her judgment, or maybe she too is only looking for some relief.

Again I question my own judgments, wondering how in the hell I continue to let him drag me along on his adventures.

“I need three Jolly Ranchers, two Mai Tais, and a whiskey.”

I shift my attention away from Connor to focus on the confident, sexy voice to my left. Long silky dark hair hangs around her shoulders in waves. Full pouty lips, shimmering in the lighting of the club as it flashes around us to the beat of the techno pop playing throughout the surround sound. She stares ahead, her head moving ever so slightly to the rhythm as if she is oblivious to anything going on around her. When her lips move, mouthing the words to the song I can’t help but smile.

She’s gorgeous.

“Where’s Seb?” the bartender asks her and immediately disappointment hits me. She’s got a guy it seems, how could I think otherwise?

“He’s home, I’m sure, with Ciara.”

“Never thought I’d see the day your brother gave up being a bachelor.” The bartender smiles at her and she returns the gesture, with a shrug. Okay, so Seb is the brother.

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