A Love Like This (Book 1) (21 page)

“
Its oranges,
”
 
I say.

“
It makes me want to eat you,
”
 
he says pressing me against the car and kissing me forcefully.
 
I wrap my legs around his waist and we make out right in the parking lot like two randy teenagers.
 
After a few minutes of cat calls from passersby he lowers me to the ground and I take a few steps away on wobbly legs.
 
I adjust my clothes and apply a new coat of lip gloss.

“
Are you ready to go in,
”
 
I ask when I
’
m done.

He
’
s leaning against his car,
 
“
I need a minute for the blood to go back to the proper places.
”

“
Should I go in and get an ice pack?
”

“
Funny,
”
 
he says locking the car then taking my hand and leading me inside.

He spots Riley in a far corner of the bar nursing a rum and coke.
 
 
“
Where the hell have you been,
”
 
Riley says giving Tucker a half handshake half hug thing that men do.
 
Riley looks exactly like Sarah with wide set green eyes and narrow features.
 
He has short neatly cut dark hair and the same mischievous look in his eyes Sarah always has.
 

“
We ran into traffic,
”
 
Tucker says grinning and rubbing lip gloss off his face.
 

“
Hello beautiful you must be Leila.
 
 
This guy,
”
 
he motions towards Tucker,
 
“
has been going on about you for weeks.
”
 
Riley reaches for my hand
 
and brings it up to his lips but
 
Tucker pulls my hand away before Riley can kiss it.
 

“
Nice to meet you,
”
 
I say smiling politely.
 

“
We can
’
t stay long,
”
 
Tucker says.
 

“
That
’
s not going to work dude.
 
Sarah and you
’
re girl
’
s family are on their way.
”
 
 
Riley looks past
Tucker,
 
“
and I think you
’
re stalker
’
s here.
”
 
 
Tucker and I turn around and see Amy walking in with two scantily dressed women.
 
“
Dude does she have a tracking device on you?
”
 

“
I
’
m starting to wonder,
”
 
Tucker says.

This is my first time seeing Amy close up.
 
She is a few inches taller than me.
 
She has a large Roman nose and straight capped teeth that are a bit too big for her face.
 
The boobs, what can I say about the boobs?
 
Amy has to be about 90 pounds on a good day.
 
Her unnaturally round breasts rival those of any porn star.
 
Even with the amount of silicon she
’
s supporting she could be pretty if she didn
’
t constantly look as if she smells something that stinks.

Amy and her friends walk over to where we
’
re standing.
 
“
Hello
 
Tuckie,
”
 
Her dry nasally voice makes me want to puke.
 
 
“
Who
’
s you
’
re little friend?
”
 
She asks looking me up and down with her stink face.
 

“
You must be Amy.
 
I
’
ve heard a lot about you,
”
 
I say extending my hand.
 

She looks down at my hand as if I recently touched shit and rolls her eyes back to Tucker.
 
 
“
Oh
 
Tuckie
 
do you still talk about me?
”
 
 
She looks at me with her head tilted to one side sympathetically.
 
“
We were in love for so long that I
’
m sure our break up must be taken its toll on him.
”
 
 
She reaches out and touches his arm.
 
I mentally count to ten. Amy watches as Tucker places a hand around my waist and starts to pull me away.

My body stiffens,
 
“
Tucker hasn
’
t mentioned you but Sarah
’
s told me plenty.
”
 
 
Amy
’
s expression changes from smug to angry.
 

“
Did she also tell you that she spent a year in a mental institution,
”
 
Amy says.
 
Her smug smile returning.

Sarah told me that she was on antidepressants for a long time.
 
She said she
’
s always been a little high strung and that she had a hard time keeping her emotions under control when she was younger.
 
 
She stopped taking the pills once she started acting.
 
It gave her
 
a
 
platform for self expression.
 
I had no idea she
’
d been hospitalized and listing to this horse face bitch discuss the intimate details of my friends life makes me want to punch her in the face.

“
You need to focus less on Sarah
’
s personal life and more on finding a man of your own because this one
’
s mine.
”
 
 
I say pointing to Tucker.
 
 
“
Excuse me,
”
 
I say pulling away from his grasp and leaving them all standing with their mouths open.
 
When
 
I reach the
 
place where Riley is sitting he puts up one hand and I high five him,
 
“
I can
’
t believe I just said that,
”
 
I say before walking away.
 

I rush into the bathroom and call
 
Pookie.
 
He doesn
’
t answer so I call Sarah.
 
She answers on the first ring,
 
“
Where are you guys?
”
 

“
Riley told me Amy
’
s there. We
’
re on the bridge we
’
ll be there in a few minutes.
”

“
Help is on the way baby,
”
 
I hear
 
Pookie
 
yelling in the back ground before the call disconnects.

I walk into one of the stalls and send Keisha a text message briefly telling her about Tucker and the ex-girlfriend.
 
I place a handful of seat covers on the toilet and sit down to wait for her reply.
 
The bathroom door opens and I peek between the stall doors.
 
Amy
’
s goons sashay in and stand in front of the mirror. They are average weight, average height not pretty or ugly.
 
In fact there
’
s nothing memorable about either girl.
 
I assume that
’
s why Amy hangs around them.
 
They are so unremarkable that they make her pretty by comparison.
 

My view through the stall door is limited so I can
’
t tell which girl is saying what.
 
 
“
Did you see Amy
’
s face when she saw Tucker with that girl?
”
 
one of the goons says.
 

“
Yeah I can
’
t believe he left her for a black girl.
”
 

I imagine myself kicking the door down and punching the first plain girl in the face while delivering a round house kick to the stomach of the second girl.
 

One of the girls says,
 
“
My brother dated a black girl once.
 
He said they
’
re good in bed but he
’
d never marry one of them,
”
 
She says adding a fresh coat of mascara to
her
 
lashes.
 
 
“
Amy doesn
’
t have anything to worry about I
’
m sure Tucker will fuck her and forget her,
”
 
They both laugh.

“
You
’
re probably right,
”
 
the second girl says.
 

“
That outfit is
 
hella
 
cute though,
”
 
The second girl says as they walk out of the bathroom.

I open the stall door
 
and
 
look at myself in the mirror.
 
 
“
What if they
’
re right?
 
What if Tucker has a case of jungle fever?
 
I leave the bathroom and sit on a bar stool next to Riley.
 
Tucker is still standing with Amy who is waving her arms and talking loudly.
 
Tucker tries to leave but Amy grabs his arm and pulls him back.
 
I reach over and pick up Riley
’
s rum and coke and down it in two swallows.
 

“
I told him that girl was a train wreck
 
but he didn
’
t listen.
”
 
 
Riley raises his hand to get the bar tenders attention.
 
 
“
What are you drinking?
”
 
he says.
 

“
I
’
ll have whatever this was,
”
 
I say raising the empty glass.
 
The bar tender sets two glasses in front of us.
 
I look away hoping he doesn
’
t ask for an ID.
 
The bartender walks away and I quickly drink my rum and coke.
 
I squeeze my eyes shut and hold on to Riley
’
s arm to steady myself.
 

“
You alright,
”
 
Riley says with a chuckle.
 
 

“
Uh huh,
”
 
I say snatching his drink before it reaches his lips.
 
I take it down quickly gagging a little with each bitter sweet gulp.
 
Tucker is watching me while Amy rants.
 
I slide off the barstool
 
with
my head spinning.
 
 
“
Why should I always be the responsible one?
”
 
 
I take Riley by the hand and drag him onto the dance floor.