Since my vocabulary had clearly taken a vacation, Finn spoke up and said, “Yeah I know her. We went to high school together.” That snapped me out of my daze. “She’s married by the way.”
“Emilyn didn’t tell me she was married. She’s not wearing a ring. So if you’ll excuse us.” Vance said in a condescending tone dismissing Finn. He put himself in front of me, effectively blocking my view of Finn.
“I don’t think you get it my man. She’s taken, whether she’s wearing a ring or not. Now back away from her and go find another pretty woman to dance with.” I could hear the threat in Finn’s voice. I was getting pissed. Who did he think he was, coming and scaring off a guy I was just dancing with? I hadn’t seen him in such a long time and he thought he could just go scaring people away from me?
Vance was clearly losing patience but I could tell he didn’t want have kind of physical altercation with Finn. Besides, Finn had a good four inches on him. Between the two you could tell who was going to win if punches were thrown. After a few moments of a tense standoff, Vance turned towards me, lifted my right hand to his mouth and gave it a gentle kiss. “It was very nice meeting you Emilyn and thank you for the dance. Maybe I’ll catch you around later.” He winked at me, gave me a suggestive smile, and walked away.
I watched him walk through the crowd until I couldn’t see him over the top of all the people. Did that just happen? Seriously in what world does your ex-boyfriend that you haven’t seen in a forever get to waltz into your life—in a bar—and make a scene? I was fuming and I was going to let him know that he could fuck off but not until I’d had another drink. Turning on my heels, I walked straight past him, brushing my arm against his abdomen, and started back towards to bar. I swear I heard him growl.
Making my way back to the bar and sitting on a bar stool Harper and Kyler came and stood next to me. “How are you doing Em? You feeling okay?” Harper asked.
“I’m fine… feeling happily numb.” The bartender came over and I asked for two California Car Bombs. As he placed them in front of me I threw them back, one right after the other. I knew this was probably a bad idea but at this point I didn’t care. My brain couldn’t work out what my heart was feeling and I definitely couldn’t talk about it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Finn approaching but I didn’t feel like talking or dealing with him right then. The more I drank the more bitter I felt about what he’d just done out on the dance floor and what he did to me back in high school.
I hopped off the bar stool and wobbled a bit. Ky reached out a hand to steady me and so did Finn. Not wanting either of them to touch me, I shook them both off and grabbed Harper to go dance.
I weaved in and out of all the people, found an opening and began shaking my hips. She giggled and danced right along with me. Moving my hands down my own body, I dragged them down my breasts, past my hips, and slid them down my thighs. I bent down and started to get back up sticking my ass out. I think I channel my inner stripper when I’m drunk. However, that little move made me feel a little queasy. Standing all the way back up, I definitely swayed more than I did getting off the bar stool. Harper took a hold of me around the waist and said, “Emmy are you feeling okay?”
“Sheppp…I’s jusss fineeee.” Wow, the alcohol had really gone to my head!
Just then I was picked up. An arm went behind my knees and another around my back. My head felt heavy so I rested it on the hard chest of whoever had picked me up. It probably wasn’t the safest thing to allow a stranger to carry me around but I wasn’t feeling that great, and frankly I probably would have hit the floor if this person hadn’t taken me out of Harpers arms.
“Just relax Emilyn I have you.” Finn’s voice rumbled somewhere in my head.
“Hmm….Finn, I misted yous.” I sighed. As the person carried me through the bar, I heard Harper and Kyler talking somewhere behind me. They were arguing about Harper letting me drink so much. I vaguely heard her tell Ky that I was a grown woman and I could make my own choices, and there was nothing wrong with getting wasted every now that then. I think I heard her call him a pussy too because he had been drinking some sort of strawberry daiquiri. I giggled. “Harps, das not nice.” Just then I threw my hand over my mouth. A loud hiccup escaped me, and I felt like I was going to get sick.
“Oh fuck,” came that all too familiar voice.
I squirmed out of the arms of the person holding me, and bent over at the waist; throwing up everything I’d drunk. I felt my hair being swept back and held away from my face by the stranger so I turned to see who it was. Not an easy feat when you’re still bent in half. My eyes were blurry from tears because I had puked so much, but I could still see it was Finn at my side. When I thought I couldn’t puke anymore, those big arms wrapped me up again and he said, “Come on my Tiny Girl, up you go.”
I hadn’t heard him call me that since the day we graduated and felt a pang of hurt crack through that undisturbed part of my heart. Finley had told me once that I was quite possibly the shortest person he had ever seen. Although I knew that wasn’t true, I remember laughing, and the nickname stuck. I hadn’t minded his little term of endearment back then, but now it didn’t make me feel warm, it made me feel something that I wouldn’t let myself feel ever again.
Finn carried me all the way out to the car and soon enough I felt him putting me in the back seat. Whose car was this? I got my answer when Finn walked around the front of the vehicle and sat down in the driver’s seat. Almost immediately we had company; Kyler got in the passenger side and Harper had climbed in back with me. I lay my head down on her lap and let her run her fingers through my long hair. I knew the three of them were talking, but I was too dizzy and tired to even care what they were saying. I drifted into a state of unconsciousness, into a world where I was happy and my heart didn’t feel empty.
I was sitting in Kyler’s parent’s small kitchen drinking a cup of coffee thinking about what had happened last night. When Ky told me two days ago that our old high school was having its ten year reunion, I immediately thought of Emilyn.
I always thought about Emilyn.
I’d often wondered what it would be like to see her again after all these years, but I hadn’t quite imagined it going down the way that it did.
Kyler wanted to go to the bar to grab a beer and relax. When we got there, I went to get the drinks and he said he would go try to find us a table. After getting the beers, I caught up with him but was surprised to see him standing next to Harper Graham. Those two had always wound each other up but that wasn’t the issue I was concerned with. If they were anything like they were in high school, Harper being there meant that Em was likely there too. Judging by the look on Harpers face when she saw me, I would venture to guess she was. I started looking out on the dance floor and that’s when I saw her. She was still as tiny as I remembered. She had the most beautiful long blonde hair I’d ever seen. I remembered the way it felt as I ran my fingers through it; silky and soft. From the looks of it, she’d grown it out a little bit longer. She was so beautiful out there dancing.
That’s when I noticed the guy behind her pressed up against her body and getting a bit too grabby. I leaned down to speak into Harpers ear. “Isn’t Em married?”
“She’s just having fun Finn. Leave it alone.”
I kept watching Em as she swayed her hips back and forth. The guy’s hands had started to travel a little far down and he was about to get a handful of Em’s ass. I saw nothing but red. Oh hell-fucking-no! If Harper wasn’t going to go stop her from getting fondled by a complete stranger, then I would.