Trevor

Trevor

The dark liquid in front of me swirls in its smooth glass. The liquor is near mesmerizing, or maybe it just is in comparison to the woman across from me. Don’t get me wrong, she’s hot. Her long blonde hair, full red lips, and tight body would be a great way to waste the night away.

Unfortunately for both of us, the moment she opened her mouth was the moment my interest faded. Her voice is fucking annoying, like the high-pitched voice from that nanny sitcom my mom used to watch. She immediately started talking about how many kids she wants and where she wants to get married. I get that I have been out of the actual dating scene instead of just the hook-up game for a while, but even I know that’s fucking crazy.

Let’s be real. I only came because I knew Sage would bug the fuck out of me until I relented. I’ve got my rules for a reason, and number five is the most important reason of them all. You fall in love, you get hurt. That’s just the way it goes. Still, I can’t help but see her point even slightly.

I’m in pain every fucking day because no matter how hard I try to stick to my rules, there is one little problem. I’m still in love with Erica, and at this rate, I don’t know if I ever won’t be. So, maybe trying to see one woman a little more frequently wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I’m not saying I want to fall in love and undoubtedly get my heart smashed to smithereens again, but maybe something consistent could help distract me from the redhead who never leaves my mind.

Except this woman. She is definitely not consistent casual hookup material.

“Are you even listening to me?” her nasally voice whines, causing me to lift my eyes from the glass for the first time in easily ten minutes as I look at her.

“Truthfully, no.”

Her mouth parts like she’s shocked by my honesty. I may be an asshole, but I vowed to myself almost ten years ago to being an honest asshole, no matter what, no lies. She doesn’t say anything. Instead, she shoves her phone into her purse, slings it over her shoulder, and slides out of the booth of Blackwoods where Sage chose for our ‘date.’

My eyes roam around the room before landing on the little raven-haired devil. Sliding into the booth, Sage stays quiet with a smile playing on her lips as she takes a drink out of her dark-colored glass.

“Enjoy the show?” I scoff.

“Yeah, kinda. I thought you’d be all smooth pickup lines, dropping her panties to the floor within two minutes. You looked like you were more interested in taking that Pappy home than her.”

“Did you hear her voice?” I say with a lift of my brow.

She rolls her lavender-colored eyes in annoyance, but I see the smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

“The whole bar heard her voice. Still, you could have tried.”

“And you could have stayed home,” I grumble as I drain my glass, gesturing for the bartender to get me another.

“And miss the opportunity to watch you crash and burn? Not on your life, Michaels.”

“Well, what now? You gonna admit this was a stupid idea and let me be miserable in peace?”

“God no. I’m too meddlesome for that, but for now,” she pauses as a waiter about my age sets down another round of drinks for both of us, earning a smile and a wink from Sage before she lifts her glass. “We drink,” she continues as she raises her glass, clinking it against mine before downing it in one go.

“This isn’t a college bar serving well bourbon, you know? This is meant to be savored, enjoyed.”

“No, it’s meant to get me fucked up and nursing the same glass all night isn’t going to get the job done,” she says as she calls over the waiter again.

“Can we just get the whole bottle? Put it on his tab,” she says as she gestures to me.

I roll my eyes but don’t refuse as he goes to the bar coming back moments later with practically a full bottle of Pappy. Sage takes the bottle, filling both of our glasses halfway before looking at me. Her dark hair falls in her face a little, but one run of her hand through the silky tresses has them pushed out of her face in a way that reminds me of just-had-sex hair.

Does everything this woman does just exude sex appeal? She’s not even old enough to be in this bar, and yet she’s been charming every waiter, bartender, and man who walked in here like the temptress she clearly is.

I don’t think she saw me watching her as she sat at the bar. My head was facing forward, but my eyes were tracking her every movement, fascinated with the confidence she radiated, the way she carried herself, and the obvious draw she had over every man and woman in this bar.

“Question for a question, yeah? If you don’t want to answer, you drink,” she asks as she lifts her glass slightly.

“Why?”

Those vibrant eyes roll as usual, I swear to God they’ll get stuck like that one day with how often she does it.

“Because it’s fun, jackass. Just shut up and agree.”

I bristle at her demanding attitude as I sit up in my seat a little more.

“Why are you so prickly?”

“Is that your question?” she asks.

“Sure, why the fuck not.”

“Daddy issues, mommy issues, and ex-boyfriend issues,” she fires off passively as she lifts the glass to her lips and sips.

“I thought you said you only drink if you don’t want to answer?”

She shrugs. “I was thirsty. My turn.”

Sage pauses for a moment, tapping her red-painted nail against her chin.

“What’s your favorite color?”

I frown at that.

“Who cares?”

“I do,” she says, “hence why I asked.”

She stares at me unyieldingly, like this is actually an important question.

“Green.” Like those eyes that live rent free in my head.

Her face lifts with what looks like intrigue as she leans closer.

“Any particular reason?”

I lift my glass to my mouth, taking a healthy sip of my drink as I do. I know why. She knows why. The words don’t have to be uttered and make me out to be more pathetic than I already am.

“Where did you go to college?” I ask.

“Didn’t.”

“Why not?”

She gives me a smile, a beautiful one, showcasing her perfect teeth and full lips, but the sarcasm and maybe even a little bit of pain in her eyes taints the sight.

“Thought it would be better to follow a boy instead.”

I nod at that—guess that’s where those ex-boyfriend issues come from.

“Bet your dad loved that,” I muse as I take another drink, quickly abandoning the game as I wait for her response.

She snorts and nods as she sips her drink.

“Oh, totally,” she drawls. “I’m not sure I remember what a conversation with a parent is supposed to consist of when the words disappointment or screw up aren’t intertwined in every other sentence.”

“I know the feeling,” I say on a dry huff, flashes of my last conversation with my father coming to the forefront of my mind.

Her head tilts to the side slightly as she stares at me, those bright eyes practically burrowing into my soul.

“What’s up with that? Your parents don’t think being a superstar NFL quarterback is enough of an accomplishment? Wouldn’t any parent be thrilled for their kid to achieve that?”

“You’d think. My parents always thought I was destined for the boardroom, not the field. My father, more so than my mother.”

“That’s pretty first-world problems there, bud,” she says simply.

My god, she’s so fucking blunt. If you just met her, you’d probably be thrown off by her abrasive personality. For some reason, I’m starting to get used to her attitude, though.

I’m not sure that I like that.

Before either of us can say more, she pours another glass for both of us, and we tip back our glasses before repeating the gesture. We sit there in comfortable silence for several moments, allowing the soft fuzzy haze of our buzz and the background music to take up the empty space of the room.

I watch as Sage’s bare shoulders sway in the booth, the skintight black cocktail dress she slipped on when she said she was coming to spy on my date hugging her every curve. Goddamn. She’s fucking hot when she isn’t mouthing off.

The song changes, morphing into a smooth rhythmic beat. Sage’s closed eyes fly open at the sound of it, damn near taking my breath away at the intensity of them just for a moment before she scrambles to her feet and reaches for my hand.

“C’mon,” she says with a small smile playing on her lips.