Morning Glory - A Novelette (4 page)

“Yes,” I say with a flourish of my hand. “Yes, food. Eating will be a good activity.”

He laughs. He’s the only one that does. “I love that food is a sport to you, Hayley Girl. How about Tequila Taquer
i
a?”

“Great idea! Let’s go,” I announce as enthusiastically as I can while trying to bury my devious plot to stop this relationship from developing. That restaurant is bright and busy and serves good food and drinks. Yes, we should definitely go there. I’m being a horrible person right now, and an even worse best friend, but I’m okay with that.

Ni
ck stands. “Let me close my tab
and we can head out.”

“I’ll go with you
.
” Jennifer
stands as she
volunteers.

“I’ll go with him. I’ve got to ask him about a news assignment we have coming up. We’ll be right back.” Lies in the form of work. No one
ever
questions work details.

“Oh, okay. We’ll meet you out front then,” she says with a smile, none the wiser.

I follow Nick in silence. Once we’re at the bar, he signals the bartender to close his tab then turns to me. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering if we could do lunch tomorrow.” Another lie, making something up on the spot.

“Lunch? Um,” he scratches the back of his neck. “That’s what you wanted to talk to me about in private?”

I’m at a loss, and he knows it.

He lowers his voice and leans close. “Hayley, you’re going to be all right. I know it feels like I’m abandoning you right now, but I’m not. I’m here. I’m yours any time you want. Me and Jennifer,” he says and sighs, “we’re just getting to know each other
better
. Only friends.” He tugs me by the wrist. “You’re not losing me. You’re actually stuck with me, whether you like it or not.”

“I like it.”

That makes him smile. “I’m happy to be stuck with you, too.” He turns to sign the check, and I lean my forehead against his back.

“Why do I get jealous?”

He turns
around
and hugs me tightly. “I’ve
felt that
more times than I can count.” He kisses the top of my head and says, “Let’s go have some fun now.”

“With Jennifer and Chance?”

He nods
, chuckling
. “Maybe Jennifer. I still don’t trust her brother.”

“Ha ha.”

Things seem back to normal when we join the others outside. I walk with Jennifer, chatting about what we’ve been up to. Nick and Chance are behind us, and I hear Chance making an effort to talk to Nick, much like he does every time we see him
.
Nick has a wall up with him, and he’s not letting it down tonight. That much is obvious.

When we walk into Tequila Taqueria, I don’t even recognize the place. It’s been renovated. It’s dark with colored mini-lights covering the ceiling, and it’s packed. “I think the world has discovered our little secret,” I say to Nick.

“Guess so.”

A pitcher of top-shelf margaritas later, we’re sharing a plate of nachos. Chance is telling us a funny story of how he ended up at a modern-day brothel in the Montmartre district of Paris last month. “I hightailed it out of there. I may not always get the girls,” he says, looking at me, “but I don’t have to buy their attention, either.”

Nick isn’t amused—not sure if it’s the story or the glances Chance keeps giving me that irritates him so much. He looks completely bored by the story but when Chance gives me direct attention again, Nick’s suddenly very interested. He’s on his second shot of tequila and decides to peer-pressure me to drink another.
“Don’t make me drink alone, Hay.”

Without missing a beat, Chance says, “We’ve had a lot already. Maybe she doesn’t want another.” He turns to me. “You don’t have to drink any more if you don’t want.”

When I look back at Nick, I can see he needs this. He
needs
me to side with him, and I do. I always will. I pick up my shot, and we tap the glass together. Nick smiles and toasts, “Bottoms up.” I drink and close my eyes
,
shak
ing
my head as it flows harshly down my throat. A loud
chuckle
draws my attention, and Nick is smirking with weighted lids. “Damn, Hayley Girl, we haven’t done shots in forever.”

There’s a reason. We get horny when we drink and several times too many we almost hooked up. We play kiss and hug
all the time
, but not really on the lips and
we keep it platonic. That gets
skewed when
we’re
drinking. Nick’s a really good-looking guy. He’s damn hot, actually. But he’s everything to me, and I’d hate for us to lose that to one night of drunken fun.

I eye Chance as the effects of alcohol take over.

“You feeling okay?”
He asks, and
I can hear his concern.

“I’m good. I’m all good.” I smile, slow and carefree, and scoot out from the table. “I do need to visit the bathroom though. Jennifer, wanna join?”

“I’m up for some gossip. I mean, er, I can go with you,” she says, giggling. She’s a lightweight. I think she’s only had two drinks
all night
, and she’s getting goofy
, but I drag her along anyway.

The restroom is too crowded, and I don’t like the confined space. After I wash my hands, I yell to Jennifer, “I’ll meet you right outside the door.”

I walk down the short corridor and stand at the corner so she’ll see me when she comes out.

“Hayley?”

The Spanish accent, the way my name lingers in the air between us, the way my body tenses and tears threaten without even seeing him. Alejandro.  I turn around to discover him standing behind me.

“
Hola, hermosa mujer
,” he says, the words rolling off his tongue with the smell of mojitos strong on his breath. I don’t speak much Spanish, but I remember
enough from high school to know he called me
“beautiful woman.” I’m not used to hearing terms of endearments like that from him
.
He drags his hand along the side of my body
, his eyes following the line of my curves.
“I’ve missed the smell of your perfume and your homemade plantain muffins. Have you missed me?”

I don’t know if I can speak, if I’m ready to. Seeing him dredges up the pain of being dumped, and my chest aches as memories of good times flood my thoughts. I search for an escape to save myself from being hurt again, but my body is frozen in place.

He leans
close, oh so close, and whispers, “I’m sorry. I was rash when I broke up. I was drunk. Maybe we can talk?”

“Alejandro?” I hear someone with a Spanish accent calling him, but it belongs to a female. He drops his hand from my side and smiles guiltily toward her. Just by looking at her, I can tell she’s a model. Damn models.
Figures
. Although he was fun, he wasn’t my forever, but he’d fooled me into thinking he could be. His photography career is taking off and as much as I’d rationalized that he loved me, currently under the haze of tequila, I question it. The truth hurts, and when he greets her with a kiss, I start to remember New Year’s and the pain of that night.

He mouths that he’s sorry as she pulls him away. “
My
Alejandro,” she repeats over and over, loud enough to stab me with her words as she takes possession once and for all.

I want to break down, and I’m on the verge of tears as my body begins to shake. My once broken heart doesn’t feel shattered. Instead, I’m hurt and embarrassed
that I fell for his lies
.

“Hayley, come here.” I look up and my heart sparks to life, giving me strength in the form of Nick’s voice. He wraps me in the security blanket of his arms, and I hear him
call
Alejandro
an asshole.

That, I expect. Nick has never liked him and hates him even more now that he hurt me. But what I don’t expect is Alejandro to confront him. “
Follas con ella ahora
?
”

I knew I should have taken Spanish instead of French, but French seemed much more glamorous to me at the time.

But Nick knows Spanish, so he replies, “
No te acerques a ella o te patearé el culo
.
”

I have no idea what they are saying to each other, but I hear the venom in the words.

Nick spins around to face me and puts his body as a direct barrier between me and Alejandro.  “Don’t think about him, Hay. He’s not worth it.”

I peek around him and see Alejandro walking away with his arm around the other woman. I don’t know what hurts more right now—that he dumped me for a model or that he just left me for another woman, again.

I can’t stop the sob that erupts from me as I lean against Nick’s chest and my tears wet his shirt. 
H
e
cares more about me than
his clothes
, so h
e tightens his arms around me and whispers, “Let’s go home.”

I nod, unable to speak. The sobs will just turn ugly if I try.

“I’m going to take her home,” he says.

I hear Jennifer behind me say, “Okay, yeah, right. Um, call me?”

He nods. “Sure.” There’s no conviction in his response, but thinking about his love life is more than I can deal with right now. I know I’m being selfish, but hell, it
hasn’t even
been a week. Why did I have to run into Alejandro tonight?

With one arm protectively around my shoulders, w
e head for the door
.
Chance catches up with us and asks, “Is she all right? What happened?”

Nick squeezes
me
tighter
into his side
, his body tens
ing
just as mine had a few minutes earlier. “She ran into her ex. I’m taking her home.”

“I can do that. I know you were hanging out with my sister—”

“No, I’ll take her. I’ve already talked to Jennifer. She knows.”

“Hayley?” he says, questioning if this is what I want.

Before he says anything else, I
step forward and
put my hand on his chest to keep him at a distance. “I’m sorry. I need to go. Thank you for tonight.” I retreat back to the safety of Nick, and rest my hand on his stomach. I can feel the difference, the special connection I have with him. As I give Chance a faint smile, I realize I’d be settling if I dated him.

Nick makes my heart skip a beat when we’re close, and I’m always anxious when we’re apart. I think about how he has one smile for everyone else, and a special one just for me. I think about all of these things on the cab ride home
as I sit pressed against the door, hoping
it
give
s
me
perspective
on the situation
.

I had stopped Chance from coming closer while holding Nick to me. I wasn’t in love with Alejandro. I was shocked that he broke up with me. That was a low blow my ego couldn’t take, but he was doing my heart a favor.

Maybe it’s the alcohol, but when I look over at Nick, I start to question the feelings he stirs within me, feelings that are stronger than a friendship and much deeper than buddies. He makes me feel protected and comforted and other sensations I always stopped my mind and body from delving into.

He pays the driver, and both of us get out like we always do, and walk into my apartment like we both live there. He tosses his keys on the entryway table, just like I do, before taking his shoes off. I go into my bedroom to change clothes, and he follows right behind and heads for his drawer.
His
drawer. Why does he have a drawer here?

“You. Alejandro.” I say, not making any sense
as I slip out of my dress.

He stops and turns to me.

“Me and Alejandro what?” he asks.

He takes off his shirt and starts on his pants.

“Wait!” I say. He freezes. “What are you doing?”

“I’m changing clothes. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Changing clothes, but why? How?”

He looks around the room as if he’s trying to interpret my words into some sensible order.

“You have a drawer but Alejandro didn’t.”

He shrugs. “He rarely stayed over.”

“I know. Are you?” I hope I’m sounding clearer than the alcohol makes me feel.

“I was going to crash on the couch. It’s late. Are you all right?”

“I don’t know.” I grab my robe
and put it on
, suddenly feeling very exposed. “What did Alejandro say, and what did you say back?”

“What does it matter?”

“It matters to me.”

He stares at me before he finally says, “Not much. Don’t worry about it.”

He knows I don’t speak Spanish. I walk closer, gripping my robe closed. “No, I want to know. I need to.”