Page 26 of Halloween Hottie
The waitress comes over and takes our order. We sit and talk about work, the party, and everything in between while we wait for our food. We get our appetizers, and I excuse myself to use the restroom. I’m just walking out when I bump into the chest of a man who’s entering the men’s room.
“Oh, sorry,” I say, looking up and finding Steve.
His hands are on my biceps, steadying me. “Liz?”
“Hey, sorry about that.” I try stepping around him, but he steps in the same direction, blocking me.
“I’m so glad I ran into you.” He laughs. “Literally. Hey, can we talk for a minute?”
“I’m actually here with Margo, so I should be getting back.” I step again but he follows.
“It’ll only take a minute. Just… sit down, have a drink with me, and let me apologize.”
I hold up my hand. “It isn’t necessary.”
“Yes, it is. Look, I’m really sorry about the party. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did. Truth be told, I’ve really been missing you lately. I haven’t been able to eat or sleep, and I wasn’t even going to go to the party, but then I thought I might see you there, so I went. I was already drinking way too much to go out, but I did because I wanted to see you.” He shakes his head. “It’s just that I wasn’t expecting to see you in the arms of another guy. I lost it. I got angry and said things I shouldn’t have. I know things are done with us. I accept it. But that doesn’t give me the right to say the things I did. What do you say? Will you forgive me?”
I take a deep breath and think it over. When it comes to Steve, I have no idea what to believe. This whole speech right now could be a lie. I can accept his apology, knowing that he doesn’t really mean it, or I could reject it and take the chance of him trying to prove it, resulting in him never leaving me alone.
I nod. “It’s fine, Steve. I accept your apology.”
His smile breaks free. “You do?”
I nod.
He pulls me in for a hug that I don’t return. “Thank you, Liz.”
“No problem,” I say, pulling back.
“Hey, how about that drink?”
I step around him. “Maybe another time.” He finally lets me walk away, and I can take a deep breath. It feels good to walk away from my past.
I return to the table and the food is already there waiting. Margo, and I eat and talk and have a good time. By the end of dinner, I feel like everything is in the right place in my life. Almost everything. Steve is officially out of my way and all I need is a little perspective on Jake. Even if we don’t end up together, it’s okay.
I know that it has very little to do with me and a lot to do with what he’s already been through. I decide to leave the past in the past. Jake and I had a good night together, but that’s all it was,a night. It wasn’t ever meant to be forever. I know that now, and I’m okay with it.
If I hear from him, great. If I don’t, that’s okay too. It’s time to focus on my life and my future. No more staying home so I don’t run into Steve, no more avoiding people or places. My past is behind me and if Jake makes an appearance in my future, he’s always welcome.
I make the drive home feeling good, just happy that I have things figured out. When I pull into the drive, the house is dark, and I quickly let myself in and lock the door behind me. I brew a cup of tea and change back into my pajamas before curling up on the couch with a good book and a warm blanket. The temperature is dropping quickly, and I’m in my cozy, safe place—at the moment, I never want to leave.
I flip open the book and look at the title page. Suddenly I’m wondering if this book is one that Jake’s wife had read, since he said she was a reader, too. It seems that no matter what I do, I can’t get him off my mind. But that’s okay. I’m patient. I’ll wait for him to figure things out. In the meantime, I’m just going to focus on making myself happy. And being at home reading a book is the happiest place I could be.
Chapter Fourteen
JACOB
I'm about six beers in on my thinking about how I want to handle the Elizabeth situation. It’s a slow night for the bar, only a couple of patrons sitting around the bar, and Step is more concerned with looking at her phone than making conversation. The jukebox is on, but it’s playing quietly, more like background noise than anything else. The two men at the bar and I are lost in our own worlds, none of us talking or making any noise.
With it being eight o’clock at night, the bar is dimly lit. Only the neon bar signs light up the room. I’m sitting in a corner booth, alone and drowning out my thoughts with beer. The only problem is that the thoughts aren’t getting quiet. Now they’re just screaming at me to address them. I’m still confused about what I should do, though.
My buddy, Xander, walks in and notices me as he’s heading toward the bar. “Whoa, what’s going on?”
I look up. “What do you mean?”
“What’s got you so down that you’re joining us on this side of the bar?” he asks, sliding into the seat across from me. “After watching you with that girl, I figured you’d be in new relationship heaven.”
I scoff and roll my eyes before lifting my beer and taking a swig.
