Page 8 of Give Me a Chance
It makes sense the sun favors her, too. That the sun is drawn to her, just like everyone else is.
Other than the first day when she caught me working out, she acts unbothered by me. She’s polite, nice even, but it’s such a contrast to how I know her, it drives me mad. I want to see the spark in her eyes again, whether it’s from anger or passion. Anything’s better than the indifference she’s currently showing me.
It’s the day of the bachelor and bachelorette parties. We’re on the island of Pag, known for its party scene. During our thorough research, Natalie and I divided the clubs and bars we can each visit, so we don’t risk running into each other. It’s still a small place.
It’s basically a big beach with a bunch of clubs, but we’re hoping to stay separated throughout the night. I wouldn’t mind merging the two parties, but honestly, having a break from my attraction to Natalie will be a relief.
Connor, Noah, and I start the night in a praised restaurant where we arranged a selection of steak to try out.
“To tonight!” Noah toasts. His white shirt contrasts his dark brown skin and has a few top buttons undone.
“To Rina and Connor!” I add.
“To good friends!” is Connor’s contribution before we each take a sip of our whiskeys.
“Fuck, I can’t believe you’re getting married,” Noah says. “I always thought this one,” he points a thumb at me, “would be the first.”
“Yeah, I think all our bets would be on Mr. Husband over here.” Connor snorts, his dark eyes lighting up with humor.
“Har-har, very funny.” If you would’ve asked me a few years ago, I’d also say I’d be the first one getting married.
“What’s up with you, anyway? How’s dating going?” Connor continues. His brown hair is immaculate, freshly cut for the wedding.
“Horrible. Haven’t gone past a first date for like six months.” They both wince at my statement.
“Are they all really so bad?” Noah interjects.
“Nope. There’s just no chemistry. Zero. Nada.” Noah smirks, like he knows something he’s not supposed to.
“What about you, Noah? How’s that guy you’ve been seeing?”
“Alex goes by they,” he responds, and Connor quickly apologizes. “It’s going ok. Nothing serious. We’re hanging out.”
Noah dates regardless of the gender. He says personality is what attracts him to someone, and I respect it. We met a few years ago when I started working at Jones & Williams’, where he works in IT. Connor met him through me and the three of us have been inseparable ever since.
After dinner, we hit one of the clubs where I booked a VIP section. None of us are party animals, by any means, so I decided a closed off section of the club without the crowd would be best.
The barely dressed hostess walks us to the elevated VIP area with a large sectional and a couple of ottomans. The area is placed above the sea of people dancing and grinding of the dance floor. The dress code is nonexistent, so we stick out like sore thumbs in our dress pants and shirts.
“There’s people in bikinis,” Noah notices, and I glance another look at the crowd. He’s right. Girls are dressed either in miniature dresses or bikinis, and guys are mostly in jean or cargo shorts with polos— some of them shirtless.
“Yeah, I read they’re hosting after beach parties here, so maybe they just continued the party?”
“Fuck, I’m too old for this.” Connor groans and takes a huge sip of whiskey, making Noah and me chuckle.
“Well, at least you’re getting married in two days, so there’s no reason for you to frequent similar places,” I poke.
“You’re right, and I’ll drink to that!” he toasts, and we clink the glasses together.
“I used to live for these kinds of nights. Where girls were easily accessed and horny. Now, I’m not interested in even looking at them.” He continues, describing the time when he was both a professional hockey player and a professional player.
“You know what we should do?” Noah says, flashing his pearly whites. “We should find a girl for Mattie Boy.”
“Yes!” Connor agrees, and I groan.
“I don’t know guys; I’m not really interested.”
“Come on. It doesn’t have to be anything serious. You can have fun for just one night,” Connor says.
