Love on the Rocks (Bar Tenders) (17 page)

“I hate this plastic cutlery,” Justin complained. “Feels like it’s gonna snap any second.”

“You’re too rough with your cutting,” Tara told him.

“They rolled my burrito too tight,” Justin went on, although he knew Tara was right. He was being too rough, taking out his irritation on his food. Tara curled over the table, chuckling, until Justin demanded, “What?”

“Too tight,” she said, amidst giggles.

Justin rolled his eyes. “Mind out of the gutter, love.”

She straightened up and gave him a look. “You’re one to talk! What’s with you today? Is it PMT?”

This brought a snort of laughter. “Yeah, probably,” Justin admitted. He poked at his food but wasn’t really in the mood for eating.

Tara went quiet and ate a mouthful of rice. She glanced at Justin, but he tried to pretend he didn’t notice. Another moment of quiet eating, then Tara swallowed and asked, “Have you heard from your man?”

Justin deflated a little. “No,” he said, finally giving up with his food and pushing it away. “Not for two days.”

“Two days isn’t much,” Tara said gently. “What did he tell you? His dad wasn’t well, or something?”

“Yeah.” Justin nodded, frowning. “And I feel like a twat for getting stroppy about it, but he’s hardly been texting me back at all. I just thought….” He shrugged, and sighed again. “I dunno. I don’t know what to think.”

Tara was a good listener. She continued eating her food delicately, as she advised Justin. “Some people aren’t good at texting anyway, even without drama going on. Maybe he’s just one of those. That doesn’t automatically mean he doesn’t care about you, Justin.”

“Hm.” Justin thought on that. “Yeah… maybe.”

“All blokes are rubbish at texting back,” Tara said with a sidelong smile. “You’re abnormal. You’re really good at texting.”

At this, Justin laughed. “I know, right? I’m amazing.”

“So, all I’m saying is, bear in mind not everyone is as amazing as you.”

“Hmm,” he said again. He conceded she did have a point. And who knew what was going on at Yena’s home? He hadn’t been forthcoming with the details. “Okay, Tara, you’re right. And I guess two days isn’t that long.”

“Exactly.” She nudged him gently with her elbow. “Are you going to stop sulking now?”

“Hah! No.” Justin nudged her back. “Well, maybe a little bit. Just for you.”

“Atta boy.”

After Tara was finished eating—and Justin had made a half-hearted attempt at a couple of mouthfuls—they disposed of their food containers in a bin and set out to mooch around the stalls, searching for the perfect present for Tara’s mum.

“What color is she into recently?” Justin asked, eyeing some silk scarves.

“Still blue.” Tara peered into a stall selling jewelry. “I’m trying to steer her away from pink. At least the more garish shades.”

“Oh, right.” Justin turned away from the silk scarves, all of which were extremely bright and garish. “Well, if you want to find something really nice, we could go halves.”

Tara shot him a look. “You want me to choose it, you mean.”

“Er… maybe.”

“Justin, come on. You’re usually really good at picking presents.”

“I am?” Justin’s eyes flicked back to the loud scarves.

“What about jewelry?” Tara said.

“Works for me.”

Justin had been hoping for a quick shopping trip, but Tara insisted on doing that girl thing of looking round every single jewelry stall first before making a decision. Justin wasn’t into understated silver jewelry anyway. His eye was drawn to statement pieces, all of which Tara turned her nose up at.

After nearly an hour of traipsing around, Justin was itching to suggest they get her high street vouchers instead. He knew Tara would say no. She was in a dark, Bedouin tent-style stall, with colored glass lights dangling low, scraping the top of Justin’s head when he walked under them. This stall sold gold jewelry, and Tara was trying to have a look at the earrings while the shopkeeper promised the best prices in Camden.

Justin snorted. “Yeah, right,” he muttered, having heard it all before. His pocket vibrated; his phone had received a message. Justin went tense all over with anticipation. Taking out his phone, he told himself not to get excited, it was probably something boring.

He checked his messages, and his eyes lit up when he saw Yena’s name.
At last!
Hurrying to open it, Justin read the message.

Are you at work?

Not quite what he was expecting, but a fair question. Justin often asked the same to his friends, so he knew when was convenient to talk. Texting a quick reply, he said he was happily shopping for gifts in Camden.

Justin smiled to himself, and kept his phone in hand. Maybe if he was lucky, Yena would text back straightaway.

Tara had evidently had enough of browsing gold jewelry, and retreated from the stall and its eager owner. Justin’s heart sank; he’d been hoping she’d choose something soon.

“Let’s go back to that stall with the turquoise earrings,” she said, as Justin rolled his eyes and dragged his feet behind her.

His hand juddered with vibration as his phone buzzed again. Justin looked at the screen, surprised to see that Yena was calling him.

Oh.

His heart shot into his throat, and he swallowed. “Tara, I’m… I’ll only be a minute.” He began to move away from the stalls, heading for somewhere quieter. He accepted the call and quickly put the phone to his ear. “Hey, you.”

“Hey…. Justin.” Yena sounded hesitant, then asked, “Where are you?”

“Stables market,” Justin said. He was headed back through the food court, which was rather noisy. There was a quiet area farther on, with fewer stalls, and a fountain surrounded by benches.

“Who are you with?”

Justin paused at the question, glancing behind him. “Tara. She’s dithering over jewelry.”

Silence on the other end. Or had he strolled into a bad reception spot? Justin resumed his pace, and hurried to the fountain, with fewer loud tourists nearby. “Hello? You still there?”

“I’m here,” Yena said quietly. He breathed out, which could’ve been a sigh. Instantly, Justin could tell something was wrong. Was it Yena’s father? Was it bad news? His heart sped up.

“You okay?” Justin asked. His free hand clenched, nervous.

Another moment of quiet, then Yena spoke. “Did you see Eric today?”

The question confused him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Justin realized he was in deep shit. “Er, yeah, I did,” he answered, uncertain. “We all did. He came in our bar to do our cocktail training.”

“Today?”

“Yeah, literally a couple of hours ago. He just strolled in with our area manager and….” Justin’s voice wavered.
Shit
. How did Yena even know this? And why was he asking?

More silence. Justin’s heart thumped heavily. “Why, what—”

“Did anything else happen?”

Oh, shit
. Justin wracked his brain, but he could only think of that weird standoff with Eric outside the toilets. Was that was this was about? How did Yena know?

Nothing happened
.

Justin felt guilty anyway. He cleared his throat a little. “Yeah, I guess… I dunno, I guess Eric got a bit smarmy with me. I wasn’t expecting him to, he just sorta….” Justin’s free hand flailed as he tried unsuccessfully to get his words out. “I think he came on to me, but it was a joke. I mean, I didn’t take it seriously. Then he got huffy and left.”

Yena didn’t reply. Justin had been hoping for a quick response, even a laugh of relief. What the hell? Was he actually being accused of something he hadn’t done?

“Are you still there?” Justin asked, his voice becoming wobbly.

“Yes” came the clipped reply. “Justin, why would Eric send me a message, saying he’d had fun with you this afternoon? Are you
sure
there’s nothing else you want to tell me?”

Justin’s jaw dropped, his eyes growing wide.
Oh, my God. Seriously?
“I-I didn’t…. What am I supposed to say?” Justin snapped, desperate. “What are you accusing me of here? I told you exactly what happened, and you don’t believe me?”

“Justin, I don’t have
time
for this,” Yena responded. “My dad’s going in for surgery as we speak. I am standing outside the hospital right now, trying to figure out what the hell is going on between you and Eric, while my mother and sister are inside crying their eyes out.” His voice hitched, and he breathed in. “Do you have
any
idea how stressed I am right now?”

Justin felt his anger deflate, and guilt crept over him. “I didn’t know,” he said meekly. “I’m sorry.”

“Will you please just tell me what happened,” Yena snapped at him.

“I already did! I swear, that’s the entire thing. Eric was like, in the hallway as I was coming downstairs, and he tried to be all suggestive, I don’t know what the fuck he was doing, so I walked away. That’s it, nothing else. I don’t even want him, I….”
I want you.

The line was horribly silent.

Justin had to prod him for a reply. “Yena?”

“That’s it?” he asked quietly. “You promise that’s all there was?”

“Yes, I swear,” Justin insisted. “I wouldn’t lie about it. I don’t like Eric anyway. I think he’s a dick.”

Yena snorted lightly. “Yeah, he is. Okay, look, I’m sorry I had to ask. But he’s been really weird with me lately, and the message he sent made it sound like he’d been with you, and….” He sighed. “I’m sorry, but I can’t be messed around again.”

“I’m not messing you around,” Justin said. He bit his tongue over saying more, like
he’d
been the one waiting for Yena to contact him. As his brain played catch up, Justin then asked, “What do you mean, he’s been weird with you?”

Yena sighed again, although it sounded more like a groan. “I dunno, he’s been such a prick. Thank God he’s left now, but he was being all… weird on the last few shifts.”

“Weird, how?”

“Like… trying to flirt with me, I suppose. Which was fucking annoying, actually. I wanted to punch him.”

Why didn’t you?
Justin stared ahead into nothing, as his mind filled with images of Eric and Yena together, in every which way possible. He blinked, trying to shut them out. “So… he made a big deal of flirting with you, then he did the same to me, and told you about it because I turned him down?”

“Sounds like it,” Yena said.

“So, do you believe me?” Justin asked.

Yena hesitated before answering. “Yeah, I believe you.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Another pause, then Yena snapped, “Justin, not
now
, please. I need to go back inside. My mum’s really upset.”

“Right, fine.” Justin swallowed hard. “I hope everything works out for you.”

Yena didn’t answer, so Justin lowered his phone and ended the call.

As he stood there stock still, the bustle of the market carried on around him. His mind whirred. All he could think was, why the hell had he ended it like that? He was cross, yes, but he knew that’d been an
awful
time to throw his toys out of the pram.

Guilt and dread settled, and Justin felt like slapping himself.

Tara found him, and said something about coming to see a necklace she’d found. Justin breathed deeply. “I think, if it’s all right, I’d rather go home.”
And hide under my comforter for the rest of my life.

Tara looked at him more closely and nodded her head. “Okay, hon. I’ll choose the present. You go on.”

Justin thanked her and trudged off. He kept his phone in his hand, in case Yena called or messaged him back.

By the time he’d walked home, Justin’s phone hadn’t

Chapter Fifteen

W
HEN
T
ARA
came back from Camden and knocked on Justin’s bedroom door, Justin was still in the same position on his bed as when he’d first flopped down on it.

“Are you decent?” Tara poked her head in.

Justin grunted. That line was always a perfect setup for a quip, but he didn’t have it in him.

Tara noticed. “Hmm, that bad?”

He grunted again, this time more of an
I’m not sure
grunt.

“Want some biscuits?” Tara came into the room, proudly displaying a packet of some interesting-looking Cadbury’s chocolate biscuits. Justin gazed at them forlornly.

“Oh… what the hell,” he muttered, sitting up in his bed. “Bring ’em here.”

Tara came to sit on the bed and opened the packet.

After demolishing two biscuits in a row, Justin picked up a third. “Thank you,” he said, still miserable, but at least now he had chocolate.

“No problem.” She took off her shoes and made herself more comfortable on his bed. “I chose the turquoise earrings with a matching necklace. You owe me ten pounds.”

Justin nodded. Presents were the least of his worries.

“So… want to tell me about it?” Tara offered.

Justin wasn’t sure what to say, so he shrugged. “I think I messed up,” he admitted.

“Well, tell me what happened.”

Breathing deep, Justin finished off his third biscuit and then dusted his hands. He told Tara about Eric coming on to him in the bar—if
that’s
what it could even be called—and Yena’s strange phone call following the incident. He recounted what was said, wincing at the memory of it still fresh in his mind. Yena hadn’t called back or sent a message since Justin had abruptly ended the call.

Not that Justin expected him to after that.

“Blimey, Justin,” Tara exclaimed. “Eric sounds like a manipulative twat, but the two of you have done exactly what he wanted you to do, which is have a row and fall out.”

Justin blinked at her in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t you see?” Tara laid a hand on his arm and then swatted his shoulder. “You muff, Justin. All it would’ve taken was for one, or both of you, to see through this guy’s flimsy bullshit, but instead you got cross with each other. One of you will have to see sense and apologize.”

As her words started to sink in, Justin frowned in annoyance. “But why should it be me? He started accusing me of sneaking around behind his back, and I haven’t
done
anything.”