But I was going to need a few more drinks if I was going to even begin to think that that was true.
“All right, ladies,” I said as I wrapped my arm around the waist of the cute little brunette standing next to me. “Who’s up for a game?”
The night blurred on—a haze of alcohol and avoidance. I flirted, I drank, my new pool playing partner was more than happy to keep rubbing up against me, and Nora never once made eye contact with me. At first, I felt saddened by the fact that she was hell bent on ignoring me, but the more I drank, the less I cared.
I’d be out of this town in no time and I’d never have to see her again. The air had been cleared. She hated me, but I could feel someone staring in my direction and I was pretty sure it wasn’t Georgia. If she was really as over me as she pretended to be then surely she wouldn’t have been worried about me flirting with some girl at a bar.
“Wanna take a shot?” she said with a giggle that would have normally driven me insane. I’d make the sacrifice if it meant giving Nora something to think about. I glanced in her direction and finally managed to catch her staring. She turned her head quickly, but I was already on to her. I smirked, knowing that I could still affect her.
“You bet, doll,” I answered, handing my new drinking buddy some money. “Make it a double.”
When she returned with two shots in her hand, I’d just started to feel like maybe there was a still a chance for me and Nora. Then I saw a familiar face walk through the door and make his way over to where she was sitting. Beau Gregurich. I couldn’t stand the guy in high school and just seeing him again made me want to pick a fight. Fuel was definitely added to the fire the second I saw Nora stand up from her booth and wrap her arms around his neck like she was actually happy to see him.
What the fuck?
I tossed back my shot and felt the burn of the liquor coat my throat simultaneously with the rising bile. I watched Beau put his lips on Nora’s and actual pain shot through my body from the proverbial knife I felt her sticking into my back.
“I’ve moved on,” she’d said. I grabbed the other shot from What’s-Her-Name and brought the glass to my lips. Nora had failed to mention that she’d moved on with the one person in Halstead that I couldn’t stand. Tossing back the second shot, I knew that the next few months were going to be torture. Complete and utter fucking torture.
“So what did he say?” Georgia asked when I dragged her into the bathroom.
Telling Reid that I didn’t want to hear his apology and that I’d moved on should have been liberating, especially after all the nights I cried myself to sleep after he left, but it wasn’t. I’d waited years to give him a piece of my mind, but when push came to shove I couldn’t say that I hated him for what he’d done. Not when he looked at me the way he did. The regret and sincerity on his face had pulled the rug right out from underneath me. As easy as it would have been to forgive him, I had more pride than that. I mustered up the best “I’ve moved on” speech I could manage and left him on the sidewalk.
“He tried to apologize,” I told her. I felt the tears welling in my eyes and I knew if I blinked it would be game over. I’d start crying. Then Georgia would cry because I was. Then we’d be a couple of nut jobs crying in the bathroom together. I touched the corners of my eyes and tried to push back my emotions. “I told him it was too late for apologies and that we shouldn’t waste our time talking about it.”
“You didn’t even let him say he was sorry?”
“Honestly,” I sighed, “I’m not really sure what he said exactly. All I know is that it’s hard to talk to him and I don’t have the energy to revisit the past, G. I just want him to stay away from me and let me live the life I’ve been living. There’s a lot of baggage I’m not even close to being ready to unpack.” If Georgia even knew half of what it had been like when Reid left she wouldn’t be so quick to root for a reconciliation.
“I’m sorry that I called them over to the table,” she said, wrapping her arms around me. “I should have known it would be uncomfortable for you. I really thought it would help for you to talk to him.”
“It’s fine.” I hugged her back. “Can we please just go back out there and act like he’s not even here?”
“Of course,” she promised, dropping her arms from around me and taking her hand in mine. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
“I want to drink.”
“Done,” she said, as we made our way back to the table. I didn’t even have to look at him to know Reid was still in the building. I could feel his eyes on me, and as much as a part of me wanted to tell him that I didn’t hate him, I couldn’t. I would not let myself be vulnerable to him again.
Three months.
I’d made it seven years pretending he didn’t exist, I could keep doing it. I was suddenly very understanding of the “out of sight, out of mind” concept. It was easy to ignore his existence when he was gone, but here, standing in the same room as me, it wasn’t that simple. He was drinking and laughing with his friends and letting Tally Westbrook hang all over him. Tally was a year younger than me and a typical Halstead barfly, out every night and went home with whoever would buy her the most drinks.
I should have known that he’d immediately seek out someone to replenish the ego I was sure I’d knocked down after our conversation. I’d meant to hurt him with my words, or at least wound him, but it had backfired. Typical Reid behavior, he sought out comfort after a loss. Anytime he lost a race, he’d beat himself up until I managed to convince him that he was a great rider. Pissed me off now that I thought about it. He was probably doing it on purpose back then just like he was now. He knew he was great. He just loved people fawning over him. Fucking asshole.
Georgia ordered us a round and I took a drink as soon as the waitress handed me my glass. Reid was doing exactly what I’d asked him to do. We were strangers now. He could do whatever—or whoever—he wanted and so could I.
I avoided looking over at the pool tables for the majority of the night, but every now and then I’d sneak a glance. I’d expected the booze to help me forget, but it seemed to be having the opposite effect. Why couldn’t he have just gotten fat or went bald? Why did he have to get better looking? Or better yet, why couldn’t he have just stayed away from me and pretended I didn’t exist like he had for the last seven years?
“What is he doing here?” Georgia suddenly asked, disdain laced in her voice.
“Yeah,” I agreed. What was Reid doing here? He could have left after our conversation. He didn’t need to stay in the bar and rub in my face that he could have whoever he wanted. That he could totally be a stranger. “What is he doing here? He could have went anywhere else.”
“Nora?” Beau’s voice let me know that Georgia was not talking about Reid. She was talking about the fact that my boyfriend had once again interrupted my night out with my sister.
“Oh, hey Beau,” I said, painting on a smile and standing to greet him. It was perfect timing, really. I was getting a little too caught up in the fact that my ex was groping a girl he barely knew. “I missed you.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. Much to Georgia’s dismay, Beau showing up was exactly what I needed.
“You too,” he said before pressing his lips to mine. I held our kiss for a few seconds longer than normal, and I could still feel Reid’s eyes locked on me. I’d told him I’d moved on and I wanted to make sure he could see for himself. “You really missed me.” Beau laughed when he broke our kiss and slid into the booth where I had been sitting.
“Why are you here?” Georgia asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” Beau rolled his eyes and she returned an equally sarcastic glare. The two of them seemed to have mastered the exchange of dirty looks. I ignored my sister and Beau’s general dislike of one another. I had other things to focus on at the moment.