Page 5 of Feel It All

“Hey there, Blackjack, you haven’t been by in a few days. Are you cheating on me or something?” he rubs up again my legs and purrs in response. “You hungry? Let me go get you something to eat.”

Blackjack showed up the day I moved in meowing like crazy at my back door. He was a skinny little thing, so I took him to the vet for a checkup and some shots. They checked for a chip, but there wasn’t one, so I went to the store and bought all the stuff I would need to bring the little guy inside.

It lasted one good day and Blackjack was over it. He constantly pawed at the back sliding doors, desperate to escape. I tried not to take it personally—was living with me that bad?—but I have accepted that Blackjack is just a free soul, and he comes and goes as he pleases. I still feed him and take him to get his shots when the time comes.

“I met the new neighbor today, Blackjack. Between you and me he is quite the looker, but you can’t be leaving me for him, buddy.” He ignores me as he gobbles up every bit of food I set out. “Well, if you are just going to ignore me, then I am going to go back inside.”

My phone starts ringing just as I sit down after finishing my daily tasks. I reach for it and see it’s Flynn calling.

“Hey, Flynn.”

“Hey, babe. Listen, a group of us are going to Bluebird’s tonight and you are coming with.”

“I don’t know, Flynn; it is my only day off…”

“Exactly, it is your day off, so no excuses. I will pick you up at six; wear something hot.”Click.

Well, I guess I am going out tonight. Bluebird’s was the only local bar in town. On the weekends, they do karaoke, which was fun, but it was Monday so no karaoke and it would be with Flynn’s friends. It is not that I don’t like them, they are just—well, I don’t like them. They all are pretentious, and I don’t think they really like me either.

I honestly do not even know how Flynn and I are still together, or really how we got together to begin with. I guess we have just always known of each other; he was two years ahead of me in school. We never really talked though until one day he came into Crossroads and asked me out, and here we are three—no, four months?—later. Man, I really should work on that.

A knock at my door came at exactly 6. Flynn was never late. I did decide to wear something hot. For myself though, not him. I put on a black silk dress, with a chunky belt to help accentuate my waist, and my kick-ass combat boots. I had my hair down in loose curls and a silver layered chain necklace. To finish the look, I put on my favorite red lipstick. Nothing made me feel more confident than red lipstick; don’t know why, but this outfit gives “fuck off” vibes and I liked it.

“Whoa, went a little heavy on the black, didn’t we?” Flynn states as he looks me up and down.

“What? You said hot, and I think I look hot,” I throw back. I don’t need his approval; I feel good and that’s what matters.

“Well come on, let’s go,” he says flatly, completely unamused with my answer. Just as I head toward his car, I hear a door open and close. It’s Graham. He’s in his uniform, and I am pretty sure I am staring. Graham gives an awkward nod and half wave as he gets into his car.

Okay, not sure what to think about that.

“Um, hello? Are you getting in or not?” Flynn sneers.

“Right, yeah. That is my new neighbor, he is new to town and one of Dad’s new cops.’

“Mhm, that sounds great,” he replied, clearly not listening to me.

Bluebird’s is just about a ten-minute drive from my apartment, and when we get there, we grab a table with his friends, whose names I definitely cannot remember. A girl named Sara, maybe, has been talking nonstop throughout the whole dinner. She keeps finding ways to not-so-subtly touch Flynn. It should bother me, but it doesn’t. I have made up my mind, I have to end it with him, tonight. Just not here; I will do it tonight when he drops me off.

However, my plan to end thing starts to look further and further away, just like Flynn’s consciousness. He is on his sixth drink, and he is not holding up well, and neither are his friends. I head over to the bar; Lacey is working tonight thankfully or we probably would have been thrown out by now.

“Sorry Winry, I am going to have to cut your friends off,” she says with a half-smile.

“That is perfectly fine with me, I just came to get some waters for me and Flynn.”

“I know you are good to drive, but I will call cabs for the others.”

“Thanks, Lacey, you rock.” I make my way back over to our table, happy the night is nearing its end.

“Looks like we have been cut off guys. Lacey is going to call some cabs. Flynn, I can drive your car to my place, and you can sleep it off there.”

“That’s bullshit. Why are we cut off,” a guy who I have been calling Chad in my head all night starts ranting.

“Seriously, babe, that’s ridiculous. Tell Lacey we need another round,” Flynn retorts.

“No, I am not telling her that. Look, I do not care where the rest of you guys go as long as you are not driving,” I tell the group. “But we are going back to my place so you can sleep this off.”

“What if he doesn’t want to go with you?” Sara chimes in now.

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