Seven

"Megan has an ex-girlfriend?! Sam are you kidding me?"

Blair was taking this blow just like I had. It was like being blindsided. And I had tried my best not to stereotype, but Megan had been the last person I would assume to have dated girls.

"So what, is she bisexual? Has she had boyfriends too? Or is she just as gay as you?"

"No one's as gay as me," I admitted. "But I don't know. It's not like she was up for interrogation after that phone call."

"You need to find out."

"Why?"

"Because," Blair answered. "You just need to."

"You sound crazy."

She just stared at me before shoving my head. "Have you not fully processed this information yet? Megan, your astoundingly attractive roommate is into girls and you seem not to even care?"

"She's not just my roommate Blair," I answered. "She's also my teacher."

"Oh since when do you care about all the technicalities?"

I decided to ignore her.

Trust me, I've been freaking out about this information since Saturday night and I wasn't sure if I had processed it. It was enough I was already extremely attracted to her. So Blair drilling it into my head would probably only make it worse.

"So what's her ex's name?"

"Nikki," I answered.

"Why'd she call?"

I took an exasperated breath. "Apparently she's coming down for work and knew Megan was gonna be around."

"And Megan wasn't happy?"

"I mean, I don't think so. She seemed pretty upset for agreeing to meet but then again, why did she you know?"

"Because she still loves her."

"You get ahead of yourself sometimes."

"Sam, I'm telling you that's what it is," she answered. "Megan's ex dumped her and she's still hurt over it. And since she still loves her she couldn't help but accept to meet with this Nikki girl."

"Well, I wish her the best of luck."

"You're not curious?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

Blair tilted her head with an unconvinced expression.

"Okay, I'm a little curious," I confessed. "But I doubt if she's gonna invite her over to the apartment for me to see."

"We could creep on their meeting," she suggested.

"Once again, you're crazy."

"Oh c'mon, don't act like you don't wanna see the girl who dumped Megan Adams."

She was right, I was pretty curious. "Fine, I'll find out where the meeting is."

"Atta girl. See you later," she dismissed herself, leaving me in the hallway.

I walked towards Megan who stood outside her door looking a bit off on this Monday morning. Usually she was chirpy and talking with the other teachers, but today was different. I couldn't help but wonder if this was about the whole Nikki thing.

"Morning," I greeted.

"Good morning," Megan responded, keeping it professional. "Stay after class today."

I just nodded, already aware of what she needed to talk about. What I wasn't aware of was why she wanted to talk to me. Didn't she have a better listener in mind?

So I sat through her class and paid attention the best I could. Yet there was the constant nagging thought about what this Nikki girl had done to make Megan act so strange. Of course, I didn't really know her all that well anyway, but I knew she wasn't a downer. So if a simple phone call from her ex made her lose sense of who she was, I knew their breakup had to have done some serious damage.

Soon the bell rang, dismissing fourth hour and leaving me alone in Megan's classroom.

After I closed her door I walked back up to her desk. "So, has Nik-"

"Sam, she called me this morning," Megan cut me off.

"Well?"

"She wants to meet for drinks tomorrow."

Well, getting that information was easier than expected.

"Meet where?" I continued.

"I suggested Jinx." Megan rubbed her brow. "I have a feeling this is a bad idea."

"Why? It's your chance to get closure."

Megan looked down at her desk with guilt. "Yeah."

"You do want closure, right?"

"Well..."

"Megan."

"Okay, yeah. Yes, I want closure."

I sat on the edge of her desk. "What are you so afraid of?"

"It's just, Nikki's never been good with apologies."

"So are you saying she owes you an apology?"

I could tell Megan wasn't letting me in on the whole story, but I didn't expect her too. After all, this was her personal life.

"Nikki and I didn't exactly end on great terms," she confessed.

"Wanna elaborate?"

She took in a deep breath. "It was the night of her graduation party, almost a year ago. I should've sensed something was off when she continued to avoid me the whole time. Anyways, I ended up cornering her in the bathroom and found out she had been offered a job in California. And she was leaving the very next morning."

My face must've given away my reaction.

She continued. "That's when she decided to break it off. She left the next morning and I haven't seen her since. She'd text me every now and then but... this is the first time she's asked to see me."

"Damn," I mumbled. "I can see why you were so upset with yourself for agreeing."

"I shouldn't have," she stated. "But I have a feeling she's not just here to just catch up with me, if you know what I mean."

"You think she's gonna try getting back with you."

For some reason the thought of that made me uncomfortable.

"And that's what I'm trying to avoid," Megan stated, leaning back into her chair.

"Is Nikki the jealous type?"

Megan laughed. "Oh yeah."

Before I could even think about what to say words were already spilling. "I can help."

She looked up with curious eyes. "How?"

I shouldn't say it. I should leave and let her handle her own problems. I should keep my mouth shut. But instead I did what I did best, and suggested a bad idea.

"I can pretend to be your fake girlfriend."

* * *

"Can you explain to me why we're at Jinx right now?" Blair complained.

I hadn't told her anything Megan and I had discussed yesterday after class. Of course, it was embarrassing even to admit to Blair, which was why I held off. Megan hadn't liked the suggestion, but then didn't discredit it either. She was upset, but only after she had contemplated the idea.

"We're here to spy on Megan and Nikki's meeting."

"What?"

"Yup." I sipped on my drink.

"Wait, did you talk to her yesterday?"

I just nodded.

She shoved me. "Dammit Sam, gimme the spill!"

I sighed. "Well, she told me about her and Nikki's split. It wasn't pretty. And then I may have suggested to pretend to be her new girlfriend to make Nikki jealous."

"You what?"

"Yeah." I cringed. "She didn't like the suggestion."

Blair was laughing now, but I didn't find anything funny. Then again, it was so typical of me to do such a thing. The whole "no thinking before speaking" ordeal.

"Oh shit, Megan's here," Blair alerted.

I turned away from the door with haste, making sure she didn't spot me.

"Is she alone?" I asked.

"Yeah, no sign of Nikki. What does she look like anyway?"

I shrugged. "No idea. But I'm sure she won't be long."

"What if she stands her up?"

The thought of that happening made my stomach ache. Megan would have a hard time dealing with that. I already knew her hopes were up, even when they shouldn't be.

That's when I heard the door open as a tall blonde walked through the entrance. She pulled her sunglasses off and hooked them to the front of her shirt. There was an essence about her. A confidence that was tangible. Yet, even when she was highly attractive there was a darkness that settled in the pit of my stomach at the sight.

"Woah," Blair mumbled. "I'm assuming that's her."

There was no doubt in my mind that that was Nikki. She stuck out like a sore thumb here. A city girl in the small town of Baldwin was always noticeable.

She sat across from Megan in the booth, allowing me and Blair to study her further. And surprisingly enough the greeting didn't come off as awkward. After an entire year I figured there would be some hostility, but maybe that's just how Nikki was. She pretended everything was fine for her own selfish game.

I turned away. "Lemme know if she tries anything funny."

"You sure you're not Megan's real girlfriend? Cause that's what you sound like right now."

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh shit," Blair exclaimed.

I faced her. "What?"

"She just grabbed her hand. Oh dude, Nikki's totally flirting right now."

I couldn't help myself. I turned back to see exactly what Blair was talking about. A flame burned the inside of my stomach. From afar it looked as if Nikki was coaxing Megan to forgive her, but I didn't sense an apology. And I already knew Megan wasn't prepared for this meeting. This is not what was supposed to happen. Nikki was supposed to give Megan closure, not lure her in just to leave again.

Should I let this go on knowing exactly what Nikki was doing? After all, I considered myself a friend of Megan, and a friend wouldn't sit back and allow this to happen on their watch.

I stood from my stool, knowing deep down that what I was about to do was a bad idea but I couldn't stop myself. I wouldn't let Nikki get the best of Megan when she was vulnerable.

"Where are you going!?" Blair whispered harshly.

"Just stay here," I ordered.

"Sam don't do it!"

I walked straight up to the booth, Nikki's gaze finding me first. My palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding. I watched Nikki release Megan's hand while throwing me a smirk. Oh, I saw right through this woman.

"Hi guys," I greeted. Megan's face went white. "Could I get you two some drinks?"

"Sam, what are you doing?" Megan asked.

I leaned on her side of the booth. "Babe, I'm working. But don't let me distract you from your meeting."

Okay, so it wasn't much of a strategy, but I figured it was the easiest way to break Nikki's plan. So if pretending to be Megan's bartender girlfriend did the trick, then so be it.

Nikki inched forward. "Oh, Megan didn't tell me she had a girlfriend."

I sat next to Megan who was now fuming and stuck my hand out. "Yeah, well you must be Nikki. She's told me all about you."

She shook my hand. "Oh has she?"

I placed my right hand on top of Megan's, her death grip cutting off the blood circulation. "Of course she has," I forced. Okay, where did Megan find all this strength?

"Sam is it?" Nikki asked. "Short for?"

"Samantha," I admitted. The name burning my tongue.

"That's a beautiful name," she admitted. "So how long have you two been together?"

I sucked in a tight breath. Oh, I didn't think this through at all. "Um well, about four months."

Megan was burning holes with her glare. "Oh it's been that long already?"

I smiled. "Time flies when you're happy."

Her grip on my hand tightened.

"Where'd you meet?" Nikki asked.

"Here, actually. At this very bar," I answered.

Oh God, how original Sam.

"Really?" Nikki asked, a little unconvinced.

"Yeah. I was working when I met her. It's hard not to notice a new face around here."

"So you bartend?" Nikki sounded a little disappointed.

Why did this feel so much like an interrogation? And why was I so desperate to impress this woman I didn't even know for Megan's sake?

"I also half the ownership here with my friend Danna," I lied. Jesus what was I doing?

Nikki furrowed her brows. "You look a little young to own a bar."

"Yeah well, I guess you can say I'm a go-getter," I boasted, attempting to hide the fact that I was freaking out inside.

I pulled my hand out of Megan's death grip and snaked my arm around her waist. Nikki's eyes remained locked with mine. Megan was tense, but I had a feeling she knew exactly why I was doing this. Or so I hoped, because I knew she would chew me out once we got home.

I tilted my head. "What about you? What brings you to Baldwin?"

"The company I work for is acquiring a smaller business down here," she answered, looking at Megan. "And I figured Megan and I could catch up."

"Right," I stated. "From where you left her?"

"I need to use the restroom," Megan suddenly stated.

I stood to let her out of the booth, leaving me alone with Nikki. Fantastic.

"I have to give Megan props. You're a catch," Nikki complimented. Yet, I wasn't buying it.

"Thanks. Can't say the same for you."

And as if Nikki had taken off a mask, her entire demeanor changed. She sat back into the booth and crossed her arms. "Yeah well, we all have our flaws."

"Except your mistakes are fixable," I challenged.

"Are they?"

"You know I'm right."

She tilted her head. "Megan may have painted me as the bad guy, but don't let her fool you. She's suffocating. She's needy. And she has her flaws just like I do."

Suffocating? Needy? For some reason this was hard to believe.

"You owe her an apology."

"And give you satisfaction? Yeah right."

I felt anger flare up. "It's not for me. It's for her. What you did was messed up."

"If she had been in my position she would've done it too."

"You left her."

"And she didn't follow me."

I was getting nowhere with this woman. She was completely self-absorbed and had a thicker skull than me. And I had a feeling Megan would never get closure from her, which was sickening.

"I advise you to leave," I ordered.

She leaned forward. "Or what?"

"Or I'll call the police to personally escort your ass as far away from me and Megan as physically possible."

My tone was acidic. The bitterness seeped from my tongue as Nikki's stone-face cracked. I felt as if I was witnessing history being made as she stood and exited the bar without another word. I wasn't able to breathe until her car peeled out of the parking lot.

Once she was long gone from Jinx I stood from the booth, Megan rejoining me from the bathroom.

"Where's Nikki?"

"I made her leave," I confessed. "That woman is a snake, Megan. How the hell did you date someone like her?"

She looked through the window and shook her head. "I honestly can't even talk to you right now because I'm so mad." She grabbed her things and dismissed herself. "I'll see you at home."

Then I was alone, and Blair finally met up with me. "Oh. My. God. What the hell did you just do?"

"Long story," I answered. "I'll tell you about it in the car."

Then we left, and I prayed that when I got home Megan wasn't waiting to murder me.

* * *

"Sam are you mentally insane?"

Okay, so Megan hasn't tried to murder me, but she wasn't shy about verbally expressing how angry she was. Of course I couldn't blame her. What I had done was out of line, but it still felt like a good decision. Especially after talking to Nikki one on one.

"What on earth made you think that was a good idea?"

"I saw the way she was touching you. Apologizing and giving you closure was the last thing on her mind," I admitted.

"Yet, that doesn't seem to be any of your business."

"It's my business when you involve me in it!"

"I didn't ask you to pretend to be anything for me!"

I took a deep breath, knowing I needed to calm down. She was hurt and I had to take that into account. There were obviously still hard feelings she had yet to let go of, and me making Nikki leave before she could try was wrong.

"Megan, you don't see what I see."

She shook her head. "You don't know her."

"And neither do you. Not anymore."

It was as if the dam broke. Tears flowed down her smooth face, leaving streaks of pain. She stood from the couch and excused herself upstairs, leaving me alone.

I felt bad. The only time I had seen Megan emotional was when she had mentioned her sister, but she hadn't cried. I figured this was a fresher pain. And the fact that Nikki didn't get to see how much pain she was putting her through infuriated me.

But why did I care so much anyway? It wasn't like Megan and I were exactly best buds. Yet, we weren't exactly strangers either.

I raked my fingers through my hair, unsure of what to do. I felt slightly responsible for this, which then made me want to make it up to her.

Deciding it was best to give her some space I waited about half an hour before heating up some leftovers. I poured her a glass of wine for dinner, knowing food and alcohol always made things better. In all honesty, I just didn't know what else to do.

I hadn't been up to the loft since Megan had moved in, so it felt odd to walk up the winding staircase. I peeked my head above the opening, seeing her in her bed with earbuds in. There was a stack of books next to her bed, her laptop sat open on the tiny desk in the corner while a dirty shirt laid across the carpeted floor. For some reason this made me smile.

She didn't look up to address me. "You must feel bad."

I set the food down on her desk. "Is it not obvious?"

"What you did was extremely inappropriate."

"I know."

"And you should trust that I know how to handle Nikki and her ways."

I bit the inside of my lip and nodded. "I'm sorry."

"But," she paused. "You were right."

"I was?" I asked. "About what?"

"About not seeing what you see. You're right, I don't know Nikki anymore. And I'm starting to think I never really did."

Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence. It made my heart jerk. I sat at the foot of her bed in silence.

"What did she tell you when I left?"

Oh no. I couldn't tell her the truth, could I? That would just hurt her more. But if anyone could tell when I was lying it would be Megan.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Um, well, we kind of had it out."

"About?"

"You."

"Sam, elaborate please."

I sighed. "She said that you painted her as the bad guy but you weren't perfect either. Called you suffocating and needy. Then I said she needed to apologize. She refused to, said she didn't want to give me the satisfaction. Can you believe that? So I told her it wasn't for me. Then she got all defensive and said that if you would've been in her position at the time you would've left her too. I swear Megan it took me everything I had not to deck her in the mouth. Then she said you didn't follow her, which I felt was the right decision because that woman's a bitch."

Megan shook her head. "And then she just left?"

"I may have threatened her a little bit."

"You what?"

"Well, I told her to leave my bar before I called the police."

"That's it?"

"Okay I told her that if she didn't leave I'd call the police to personally escort her ass as far away from me and you as physically possible."

Megan's brows raised, and then as if the sun finally broke through dark clouds, she laughed. This then caused me to laugh as well. I was just relieved to see Megan smiling again.

"She bought everything you said," Megan forced through fits of laughter.

"I'm a convincing liar," I boasted.

"Not to me."

"Okay well you're one in a million then."

"I'm just good at reading people."

"Yeah, everyone except Nikki."

She frowned.

I held my hands up. "Okay, too soon. Sorry."

"You know, I was going to encourage you to date that girl Emma but honestly relationships suck."

I laughed. "You were going to encourage me to date Emma?"

She just nodded while sipping her wine.

"I don't think I like her like that," I defended.

"You like her like that."

My eyes rolled at the accusation.

"You can either ignore the feelings and protect yourself from the possibility of getting hurt, or you can experience what it's like to be with one person you truly care about."

I shrugged. "I just don't think monogamy is for me."

This time Megan rolled her eyes.

"What if she's as crazy as Nikki?"

"No one's as crazy as Nikki," Megan answered.

I took in a deep breath. Me and Emma as a couple? Just the thought of that made me anxious. Not to mention the fact that Emma wasn't exactly sure about her own feelings either.

"I'll think on it," I claimed.

"You'll never know if you don't try."

Relationships scared me for multiple reasons. It's why I always ran from them. Maybe after seeing mom and dad fight constantly was the reason I was so hesitant. And the thought of having to reveal my dark past for someone to judge me was terrifying. What if I opened myself up only to get shot down again?

I had felt that pain with my family years ago, and I wasn't sure I was ready to get hurt like that again. I wasn't strong enough to get cut open.

And I was afraid I never would be.