Page 20 of F*ck You

8

Lee

The forty dollars weighing down my pocket felt pretty nice, and I couldn’t resist the urge to celebrate. Hesitant to brave the growing crowds of the shop-lined street, I looked around and breathed a heavy sigh of relief when I saw the little bar on the corner. It was away from the insanity of the crowd, and it had a celebratory drink inside that was calling my name. Grinning, I made my way over and breathed in the musky scent of the bar as I entered my domain.

Paying no attention to the wandering eyes inside, I laid a bill on the counter and nodded at the bartender. “Your best whiskey sour.”

As the drink slid my way, I took a sip and closed my eyes, savoring the taste of lemon and sugar that wasn’t in my normal whiskey imbibing. I’d been drinking straight from the bottle and had forgotten how amazing it could taste cold. And in an actual glass with a cherry on top.

I thought back to this morning. Swimming in the ocean with Chase and jellyfish, and then waking up to find him in the kitchen cooking me food. He’d made a lot of food too. It wasn’t just coffee and toast. It was the fucking works. Now why couldn’t I have found a guy like that years ago instead of Asshole?

Holding the drink in one hand, I turned around, rested my elbows on the edge of the counter behind me, and leaned back. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I dropped my head with a groan. I’d had it temporarily on silent, and now I guessed those eight hours were now up. I needed to leave it permanently on silent or risk losing my sanity for good. If I wasn’t careful, I would end up tossing it into the ocean to be fully rid of it. Actually, that didn’t sound like a bad idea.

Turning the phone off, I let my head fall back and my worries escape. Tonight was supposed to be a celebratory night. I had control of my life, and I was the dealer of my cards. No one was here to fuck up the system I had going on now.

Although, I was alone. Yes, I had full control, but now that I wanted to share some excitement with another person, there wasn’t anyone around. There was nobody to share it with other than the people in my phone, but they could fuck off.

Noticing the older gentleman to my left, I nodded in his direction and caught his attention. “Hey, I got a job. I’m not homeless or a complete waste of space.”

The man smiled and raised his glass to me, and I did the same before we both took a drink.

There, see? I could make friends after all.

I had met two people here, Chase and Larsen. They seemed nice, and they weren’t too bad-looking either. I found I was actually looking forward to my surf lesson tomorrow. I’d go home after this glass and do my best to get some rest, because I had no doubt I would need it. I could already feel the soreness creeping into my muscles as I stood there, letting my body relax from the grunt work. The last thing I needed was to show up looking like the mess I’d been until a few hours ago. I wondered if I would tell him about my new job. It wasn’t the most glamorous thing in the world, but it was exciting to me and it meant so many things. Would he look down on someone who used mops for a living?

Suddenly I didn’t feel quite so confident. He was someone who knew who he was and didn’t need this whole journey of self-discovery to figure his shit out.

Great, now my solo celebration was turning into a pity party.

Downing the rest of the whiskey, I slammed the glass on the counter and shook the negative thoughts from my head. Anyone who looked down on someone who was bettering themselves wasn’t anyone I needed in my life anyway.

Swaying my hips to the beat of the music, I moved out onto the dance floor. The song was a smooth one with a good rhythm, and it didn’t take long before I was lost in the beat. The music drowned out the rest of the world and temporarily suffocated my problems. Even the little voice in my head shut up for a while.

A pair of hands appeared on my hips, and I leaned into the strong chest behind me. I didn’t know whom it belonged to, but I didn’t care. Right now, all I cared about was drowning in the music, and I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to come up for air.

Lips pressed against my neck as a whisper so light, I barely registered they were there.

Larsen flitted through my mind, which surprised me even if it was only for a brief second. I recalled how I’d chased after him with literally nothing on me, and how kind and respectful he’d been when most other guys would have tried to take advantage of me.

My skin grew hot as I danced with a stranger and a need inside of me began to boil. Spinning around, I kissed underneath the jaw of the man I was dancing with before making contact with his lips for another two beats. His hips pressed into me, rubbing against me, before he leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“You want to get out of here?” His breath sent a shiver down my spine, and my need grew as the fog creeped through my mind.

Fuck it, I was newly single, so I was going to have the time of my life no matter what. Nodding, I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door, out into the fresh air warmed by the setting sun, and across the short distance to my condo.

We hurried, the need building with every step. The distance was shorter than I remembered it to be, and the thin veil of being in the bar began to fade, exposing the situation for what it was.

There was something nagging at me in the back of my head, but I couldn’t figure out what it was, not until we reached the front door. It was only when I turned the lock and the handle that a feeling of dread sank to the pit of my stomach, sobering me up quickly, and I swallowed hard. This was a terrible, terrible idea.

“Maybe…maybe this isn’t such a great idea right now. I’ve had a lot to drink lately, and I might need to sober up a bit. Like, spend a month recovering from the last few days.”

The unknown man’s lips kissed against the side of my neck as he pressed his chest against my back, pushing me into the doorframe of the cracked door. “Come on, you’re so fucking hot.” His once erotic whispers now sent alarm bells ringing through my head as they cut through the fog I’d been under. I pressed back against him, my senses on full alert.

“No. Maybe another time.” My promise was empty, but it was all I had right now. I kept my voice stern, leaving no room for compromise.

“You can’t fuck with me like this,” he growled, as he pressed his erection into my ass, and I yelped and spun around. He took the opportunity to shove me backward through the door, and I fell to the floor, slamming my elbow into the hardwood with a smack.

The man advanced, and for the first time, I saw his face. It held such rage, such hatred, that I couldn’t believe that much animosity could exist within one human being. Why hadn’t I looked at his features before? Was I really that blinded by a good time?

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