I pursed my lips at her, but bit my tongue.
I really did not want to be at this bar. I’d rather be curled up in bed with the blanket over my head, pretending all was right in the world. But Remy really did look like she needed this.
She seemed to work non-stop, and I hadn’t heard her mention any friends or guys since I had gotten here, which was extremely strange. Remy hadn’t been a hardcore partier or serial dater when we were at school, but she always knew how to have a good time. So, I guess I would suck it up, and try to enjoy myself. “Well, you could’ve at least given me a little bit of warning before you dragged me out. I’m sure I look like a hot mess.”
“Oh, please,” she said, giving me an eye roll. “I don’t think that’s possible even if you tried. And clearly he doesn’t care,” she murmured, with one eyebrow raised.
I could feel someone behind me before I even turned. I stifled a groan as I twisted around, and saw a guy grinning back at me. This had been one of the main reasons I didn’t want to go out. I wasn’t looking to be hit on or seen as a piece of ass by a bunch of horny guys looking for a random hookup. And this guy would probably be one of the last I would pick if I were interested.
If Teddy had a clone, this guy was it. Yeah, he didn’t look exactly like his twin; his hair wasn’t a shaggy blond mess like Teddy’s, but he had sort of the whole rocker look going on with his ripped jeans, tight black band t-shirt, and both arms covered in sleeves of tattoos.
No, what really reminded me of Teddy was the cocky ego that I could sense before he even talked, like he had picked me as his prey and knew he would win his prize. Well, I guess I was going to have to squash that little dream. “You look like you could use another drink. Mind if I buy you one?”
“Actually I do,” I replied, shifting back around in my seat to face the bar. He slid into the empty seat next to me, clearly ignoring my subtle “get lost” tactic.
“Aw, c’mon. Can you at least give a guy a chance?” He signaled to the bartender who placed another drink in front of me. “What’s your name, pretty girl?”
I snorted before taking another drink, and continued to ignore him, but he didn’t seem to get the hint because he kept inching closer to me, invading my personal space. “Alright, you must be one of those quiet ones. I like the quiet ones, they’re normally the wildest.” His lips were right next to my ear as he whispered the last part. I finally turned towards him, his brown eyes glittering with amusement.
“Or maybe you’re just annoying as hell, and I really don’t want to talk to you. Ever think of that?” I popped a cherry in my mouth, hoping he would just go away, but instead he let out a low laugh.
“Feisty too, huh? I think I like you, blondie. Think maybe you wanna get out of here? I know this little place downtown that has some good music, actually I play there some—”
I turned towards him quickly, putting my best bitch face on. I hadn’t really used it much before, but now I was getting a lot of use out of it. “Ugh, hell no. If I wasn’t clear enough before, I definitely will be now. There is no way this is happening.”
I waved my hand at him, and thankfully, this time he stood up, looking a bit dejected, and shuffled back towards the table that he had come from. I hated to squash anyone like that, but at the mention of him possibly being a musician of any sort, I couldn’t consider even talking to him. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, and never, ever, wearing it again.
“Sorry about that, he’s not used to girls telling him no.” I turned when I heard a deep voice, and another guy slid in next to me. I took in his appearance, that being totally opposite of my former seatmate.
His outfit of fitted black pants and a crisp light blue dress shirt that was rolled at the elbows, screamed some kind of professional businessman, but the one tattoo that was peeking out gave him just a little bit of an edge. His dark hair was artfully styled like he actually took the time to do it that way in the morning, but the scruff on his face looked like he just didn’t care, even though I actually found it pretty sexy.
And those eyes…they matched his shirt perfectly. That shade of blue was almost electrifying, piercing in the way that he looked at me so simply, but there was something in his eyes, too, that mirrored mine, like he had experienced some kind of hurt, as well. “It’s alright, I wasn’t trying to be a bitch. I’m just not really in the mood to be hit on. I’m not looking to date…or whatever he was looking for.”