Page 15 of Broken Promises
Samuel handed me a napkin to wipe my face as I struggled to catch my breath. I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed so much, and instantly, I decided to take Samuel up on his offer more often. Getting out, not obsessing about things I couldn’t change, and enjoying myself were things I needed to work on, but for the first time since my move, I didn’t feel so alone.
“Have you met anyone since you’ve moved to town?” Samuel asked as the music grew in volume.
I glanced over my shoulder and noticed people were starting to dance to the infectious music on a small dance floor before turning back to Samuel and answering, “Between workand getting settled, I haven’t given much thought to meeting anyone.”
I hated to lie, but there was no way I was going to tell him I got shot down today. Since the moment I first saw Rhys, I felt drawn to him, and after his display of manliness today, I made a split-second decision to kiss him. I never expected it to backfire in my face and certainly didn’t expect Rhys to tell me I was a mistake. The pain from his rejection still stung my chest, but the more I drank, the less it hurt.
Looking down, I noticed my drink was less than half-full. I usually didn’t drink that much, but tonight, I wanted to forget everything. Samuel raised his hand, trying to get Nick’s attention, when I slipped off the barstool. Leaning close, I said, “I’m going to find the ladies’ room.”
Samuel nodded and asked, “Do you want another shot?”
“Hell yes.”
He smiled and pecked me on the cheek, saying, “I’m so glad you’re here.”
I offered a wide smile before he pointed to a hallway alongside the end of the bar. Following his direction, I walked away from the bar, and as soon as I got into the hallway, the volume of the music lessened. The women’s restroom was nicer than I expected, and after making quick work inside, I washed my hands and took a moment to look at myself in the mirror.
Happiness looked back at me through my slightly wobbly vision, and after touching up my eye makeup, I returned to my seat at the bar. Samuel was leaned over the bar, saying something to Nick, when I got back, and the two of them turned to look at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher. I heard someone yell Nick’s name, and he glanced and lifted his chin before leaving Samuel and I alone.
“Why do I feel like you were talking about me?” I asked as I noticed two shots sitting in front of my chair and two in front of Samuel.
“Because we were.” He chuckled and picked up one of the glasses.
Clinking it to mine, he said, “Here’s to getting you some good bone.”
Confused, I took the shot and looked at him before asking, “Good bone?”
“You know? The man bone,” Samuel explained and wiggled his eyebrows at me again.
“I’m not interested in hooking up with anyone tonight,” I said, and he patted my hand.
“I never said tonight.” The song changed and Samuel hopped off his stool and held his hand out to me.
Slipping mine into his, I allowed him to lead me to the dance floor, and when he started strutting his stuff, I couldn’t help but join in. He was fun and unafraid of being himself. I envied him and his carefree attitude, wishing I could be more spontaneous like he seemed to be. The song changed again but it slowed down, so Samuel pinched his nose and gave the thumbs down before guiding me back to our seats.
I finished the last of my second cocktail to cool off before starting on my third. The liquor was starting to hit my head as Samuel ordered us each another cocktail and shot. I needed to slow down because I didn’t want the evening to end too quickly. I was afraid being back in my house would cause the loneliness to grow, and the last thing I wanted was Rhys ‘monitoring’ me.
I was halfway through my third cocktail when I felt like someone was watching me. Samuel was speaking with someone who’d walked up to him, so I carefully looked into the mirror behind the bar, trying to see who may have had their eyes on me,but there were too many people and I’d had too much to drink to be sure I wasn’t just being paranoid.
Samuel turned back to me, and I swung my chair to face him, hoping to get a better visual of the people in the bar, when I saw the one person I wasn’t interested in dealing with tonight. Rolling my eyes, I shook my head and lifted up the last shot of whiskey before shooting it back. The fire rolled down my throat as he approached behind Samuel, his hardened brown eyes locked on me.
Samuel, seeing my actions, turned and saw Rhys standing less than ten feet behind him. He leaned over and asked, “Who’s the tall drink of water who looks like he wants to eat you alive?”
Smirking, I lifted my gaze over Samuel’s head and spoke to him, though my words were meant for Rhys. “Him? He’s the guy who said kissing me was a mistake and nearly broke his neck to run from me.”
Samuel leaned closer and asked quietly, “And you wanted him to stay?”
I only had to look at Samuel for him to see how much Rhys hurt me with his words and actions. My happy friend’s face grew hard as he spun around and stood from his seat. Fearless, he walked up to Rhys and said something to him I couldn’t understand before he glanced back at me and walked to the other end of the bar, leaving me alone for Rhys to corner.
I was expecting anger.
But that’s not what I received, and the back and forth nearly gave me whiplash.
Chapter 7
Rhys
After I hung up on James, I drove straight back to Hannah’s house, hoping to stop her before she left for the evening, only to see her pulling away in a ride share. I followed the car into traffic but lost sight of it when we got into the tight, overcrowded downtown roads. I tried to find her, but I had no idea where to start, so for at least an hour, I wandered from one bar to another, looking for her.
