Page 27 of Pucking Secret

I glance at him and arch my brow. “Are you a booze snob?”

“Absolutely, and between you and me, I know this place downtown that’s a little more… upscale. A club that I think you’d like. I could take you sometime, if you’re interested.”

I look down at my glass of cheap beer and let out an amused snort. “You know what? That sounds great. I’d definitely be interested in checking it out.”

“Great!” Jayce claps me on the shoulder. “It’s a man-date.”

Laughing, I turn and order another cheap beer.

Jensen and Carson don’t stay too much longer, claiming they have to get home to their women. As the night progresses, the bar gets more crowded, and beautiful girls flock around me, Zander, Jayce, and Wilder. I watch as Jayce and Wilder soak up the attention, flirting and turning on the charm for every one of their admirers. Zander is more contained than the other two. Curious, I slip over to him. He grins at me and we clink our bottles together.

“How’s it going?” he asks.

“Great,” I reply. “How you doing?”

He shrugs. “I’m fine.”

There’s a wistfulness underlying his tone that surprises me.

“You don’t seem that into all this attention.”

A small chuckle slips past his lips. “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a pretty girl’s attention as much as the next guy. It’s just…”

He doesn’t continue. “Just what?”

He hesitates, then explains. “Well, there was this girl that I was really into. Super smart, gorgeous, and the perfect balance of nerdy and sexy. We really bonded. I thought that we might be more. She didn’t feel the same. Truth is, she was already in love with someone else, she was just fighting it.”

Damn, I hadn’t really expected him to open up to me like this. “That sucks. I’m sorry, man.”

He shrugs. “It’s okay, really. She’s happy. We’re still friends, and it’s for the best. Fuck, I sound so sappy. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be sorry,” I tell him. “I get it. I had that once. There… was a girl I thought I’d be with forever. She was my best friend.”

I hesitate to say that the girl was Stacey. I don’t want to make things even more awkward for either of us at work. Plus, it feels like I’d be telling a secret that’s not fully mine to tell. Stacey has a life here that I know nothing about, and I don't want to disrupt it by telling everyone about our past together.

“What happened?” Zander asks.

“We were young,” I hedge. “Our lives took us in separate ways. Still, that connection set the standard, so I get where you’re coming from.”

Zander gives me a wide smile. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”

I laugh, and at that moment, several girls break away from the group surrounding Wilder and Jayce and saunter our way. Zander flirts with them more enthusiastically than before, as if our talk was able to clear his head and get his mind off the one who got away.

Unfortunately, now I can’t stop thinking of Stacey. I’d usually be more willing to engage in a mindless hookup, but not tonight.

While the other three guys are distracted, I slip away.

As I drive back home, my mind wanders back to the letter I wrote to Stacey all those years ago. It sounds foolish, but back then, I thought she’d wait for me. I definitely didn’t expect that she’d hook up with somebody else right after, much less have a baby with him.

Did she fuck another guy to try and forget me and get over the break up? Was she too embarrassed to stay in touch after she got pregnant?

Damn it, how could she sleep with someone else so soon after I left? I didn’t even think about hooking up with someone else until my sophomore year of college, and that was strictly sex, nothing more. I just couldn’t bring myself to be with anyone else because I could only think of her… but she apparently didn’t have that same problem.

I’ve finally found her again, but nothing is the same as it was before. I’m not sure if I should try to reconcile with her or finally move on and leave my feelings behind for good.

CHAPTER TEN: DISRUPTIONS

STACEY

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