Page 90 of Reckless

The need to see him, just be close to him, overwhelmed me.

Tyler: I can’t. I’m all yours tomorrow.

Are you?I wanted to ask but didn’t.

I knew I shouldn’t act like a needy, possessive crazy woman, storming into his work place uninvited. On a Friday. When the bar was full to the brim. I also knew that Chloe would probably be there with all her off-putting self. And yet I wanted to see him, even for a few minutes. So I didn’t text him back. Instead, I walked over to my bedroom to change.

As I thought, the bar was crowded. It was pouring outside, so it smelled of sweat and wet hair. There wasn’t a single free table.

I walked over to the bartender. He recognized me from the previous times I had come and smiled at me.

“He is in his office,” he shouted over the noise. “Go,” he cocked his head towards the back door.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “He instructed us to let you in there whenever.”

My heart flipped inside my chest at the sound of that.

“Okay, thank you.”

I walked over to Tyler’s office and knocked. No sound.

“Ty,” I cracked the door open. He wasn’t there.

I thought of waiting at the bar counter for him, but he specifically told the staff to let me in whenever, so I decided to invite myself into his office. I left the door open and sat down in front of his desk. His office looked like his apartment. Empty. Soulless. No pictures. No personal belongings.

Twenty minutes passed and nothing. A weird feeling crept up on me. Like something bad was about to happen. Like I couldn’t see something that should be grabbing my attention.

Taking my phone out of my purse, I caught a glimpse of my keychain. Tyler’s keychain. The poppy inside it looked as fresh as always. I couldn’t believe almost ten years had passed since I made it.

What would he think If I gave it back to him? Would he figure out I was in love with him for the second time around?

It was too soon. Too messy. With his sister being my best friend. With our history. With all the things we wanted differently in life.

I threw my keys in my purse again and checked my phone for messages or calls.

Nothing.

Leaving everything on his desk, I peeked at the hallway. I could hear the sound of music and people having fun, but also something else. Footsteps. Deciding it should be Tyler, I followed the noise and found Chloe crouching down next to a shelf. I didn’t see her face, but I recognized her thick black hair. I was about to start a conversation with her and ask if she knew where Tyler is, when I heard something resembling a crowd cheering. It came from a door a few steps away from me. It was cracked open, and it looked like Chloe came out of there.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Clem’s words echoed in my body making my heart beat faster.

Chloe knocked off a bottle and I used that moment to sneak behind the door she had left open. There was a staircase leading under the ground. The cheering became louder with every step I took. Chills went down my spine.

I could hear men shouting. By the time I reached the end of the stairs, my hands shook and I could barely breath. Pushing open the only door, I found an entirely new crowd. The one upstairs drank and sang. This one cheered for two men beating each other on a huge ring in the middle of the room.

Scanning the faces around, I tried to find Tyler, but there were so many people, I couldn’t see him.

“Excuse me,” someone tapped my shoulder and I whirled around. “Who are you with?” A man dressed in back stood in front of me.

“I’m with Chloe.” The lie slipped out effortlessly.

“Do you want to place a bet?”

“What?” I asked, my voice almost missing.

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