Page 77 of One More Round

I try to smile, but it’s strained. “I’m not mad. Really. At you or anyone else. I’m not even mad at him,” I tell her.

“OK. But for what it’s worth, I still think he’ll show up tonight. The night’s still young,” she says, grabbing my hand. I give her a smile when the table erupts at a joke that Bernie just told. We both turn back to the table and I try to submerge myself back into the pack. I feel like I’ve forgotten how to be around a group of friends.

A while later I excuse myself for a trip to the bar. I need a shot of something. We’ve been here for almost three hours now and there’s no sign of Simon.

I down my shot of tequila and wince as the smooth burn slides down my throat. I consider ordering another when I feel someone move into the spot on my right at the bar. The later it gets, the busier in here it gets, but this guy is kinda close. Out of the corner of my eye I see strong, lean, sexy-as-fuck forearms leaning onto the bar. It isn’t until I hear an all-too-familiar voice order two shots of tequila that I realize it.

His voice is like my own personal brand of tequila. It warms my bones and soothes all my aches and pains. I angle my head toward him and offer a small smile.

His head is hanging slightly down toward the bar top but he’s looking right at me.

“Why are you always late?” I ask.

“Why are you always leaving?” he shoots back but there’s no venom behind it.

“I’m done leaving,” I tell him honestly. I’m not going to beg him to believe me. I’ll show him in time that I’m not leaving again if that’s what it takes.

“Is that right? Not your cup of tea?” He lifts a brow.

“Nope, leaving always means I lose the best parts of me.”

“Hmm.”

I turn toward him right as the shots are placed in front of him. My knees brush his thigh.

“Simon. I mean it. I’m done leaving. I didn’t have a choice the first time. I wanted a chance to chase my dream the second. And the one thing that was constant both times was that I had to leave you.”

He turns toward me now, giving me his full attention. I use his thoughtful expression as a cue to continue.

“I miss you when you are not in my life. I don’t care what capacity it is in. Whether we’re just friends or more, I want to be in your life,” I tell him.

“Bossy much?”

I smile but don’t give in. “You’re stuck with me.”

He sighs and, for a second, I think he’s going to tell me there’s not a chance in hell that I’m getting what I want. But when he speaks, his voice is full of tenderness.

“G. I’m sorry I ended things the way I did. I’m sorry that I didn’t say goodbye to you. I’m just sorry that I’ve wasted the past seven months not being a part of your life.”

I can feel the stupid happy tears in the back of my throat. He grabs my head in his hands and leans in close to my face, his eyes searching mine.

“G. I love you so fucking much. I’ve never stopped, and I neverwillstop.” I gasp, and I barely get my “I love you too” out before his mouth is on mine.

His lips are warm and soft, just as I remember. His hands stay cupped around my face and I hear distant cheers and catcalls. His tongue parts my lips as he steps in closer to me. I breathe him in, and his warmth, the feel of his lips on mine, the feeling of his entire being wrapping around me makes me feel at home.

We break apart, both taking in lungs full of air. His hands leave my face and quickly grab mine. He reaches back to the abandoned shots and slides one in front of me.

Then he brings his shot up in front of him.

“So, what do you say, G? How about one more round?”

Epilogue

Gia

Pushing a massive box of comic books into the closet, I let out a heavy breath. I’ve never seen that many comics in one place before.

“Rube, how did you get that box up here?” I ask. She’s standing at her dresser arranging her jewelry on the stand. Ruby moved in yesterday, which I’m excited about. I’ve missed having a roommate, even if Simon stays over a lot of nights.

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