Chapter 17: Chapter 17

“And why does she think that?” Nosy fucker.

“Because I told her that I did.” I swing my gaze to him and say with dead eyes, “That’s enough confessions for one night.”

“Have it your way.” He smiles and raises his glass to hit mine but I pull away, shaking my head. I can tell by his laughter that he hadn’t expected me to toast with him anyway and he finds me very amusing, the same way that I find him very annoying.

A woman around his age appears at his side and takes the stool next to him. She wraps her thin arm around his shoulder and he greets her warmly. She doesn’t strike me as the homeless type, but she obviously knows him. He probably spends the majority of his time in this shithole of a bar. I use this distraction to check my phone for messages or calls from Tessa: nothing.

I’m relieved but annoyed that she hasn’t attempted to talk to me. Relieved because I’m drunk, but annoyed because I miss her already. Each glass of scotch that slides down my throat makes me want her more, makes the hollowness of her absence grow.

Fuck, what has she done to me?

She’s so damn infuriating, always trying to push my buttons. It’s like she literally sits around and devises new ways to enrage me. Matter of fact, she probably does. She’s probably sitting cross-legged on the bed with that stupid fucking planner on her lap, a pen between her teeth and another behind her ear, coming up with things to do or say that will drive me insane.

Six months we’ve been together now—six months. That’s a long-ass time, longer than I ever thought I could stand to spend with one person. Granted, we haven’t been dating the entire time, and a lot of those months were spent—no, wasted—with my trying to stay away from her.

Richard’s voice breaks my thoughts. “This is Nancy.”

I nod at the woman and stare back down at the dark wood of the bar top.

“Nancy, this well-mannered young man is Hardin. He’s Tessie’s boyfriend,” he proudly says.

Why would he be proud of me dating his daughter?

“Tessie has a boyfriend! Is she here? I’d love to finally meet her. Richard here has told me so much about her!”

“She isn’t here,” I grumble.

“That’s too bad; how did her birthday party go? It was last weekend, right?” she asks.

What?

Richard looks to me, clearly imploring me to go along with some lie he’s obviously told. “Yeah, it was nice,” he answers for me before gulping down the rest of his drink.

“That’s nice,” Nancy says, then points toward the entrance. “Oh, there she is!”

My eyes dart to the door, and for a moment I think she’s talking about Tessa, but that wouldn’t make sense. She’s never met her. Instead a too-thin blonde walks across the small room and over to us. This dive bar is getting too damn crowded.

I hold my empty glass in the air. “Another.”

After an eye roll and a whispered “Asshole,” I’m given another drink.

“This is my daughter, Shannon,” Nancy informs me.

Shannon looks me up and down with eyes that appear to have spiders stuck to them. This chick is wearing way too much makeup.

“Shannon, this is Hardin.” Richard speaks, but I don’t make any motion toward greeting her.

Many months ago I probably would have paid at least a little attention to the desperate girl. I maybe would have even let her blow me in the disgusting bathroom here, but now I just want her to stop fucking staring at me.

“I don’t think it’ll go any lower without taking it off,” I say regarding the obnoxious way she keeps tugging at the hem of her shirt to show off the small bit of cleavage she can manage.

“Excuse me?” she huffs, placing her hands on her narrow hips.

“You heard me.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s all just settle down here,” Richard says, putting his hands in the air.

With that, Nancy and her slutty daughter walk away to find a table.

“You’re welcome,” I say to him, but he shakes his head.

“You’re an unpleasant son of a bitch.” Before I can react, he adds, “Just how I like ’em.”

THREE DRINKS LATER, I can barely sit on the bar stool. Richard, who obviously drinks for a living, literally, appears to have the same problem, as he’s leaning way too close to me.

“So then when I get out the next day, I had to walk two miles! Of course it started raining . . .”

He continues on, telling me about the last time he was arrested. I continue to drink and pretend that he isn’t talking to me.

“If I’m supposed to keep your secret, you should at least tell me why you told Tessie you were expelled,” he says at last.

I somehow knew he would wait until I was full-on drunk to bring this up again. “It’s easier if she thinks that,” I admit.

“How’s that?”

“Because I want her to go to England with me, and she isn’t exactly thrilled with the idea.”

“I don’t get it.” He pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Your daughter wants to leave me, and I can’t let that happen.”

“So you tell her you got kicked out of school so she’ll go to England?”

“Basically.”

He looks down at his drink, then over at me. “That’s really stupid.”

“I know.” And it does sounds really fucking stupid when spoken out loud, but it somehow makes sense inside my fucked-up head.

“Who are you to give advice to me, anyway?” I say to him at last.