Rex"Miss Garcia?""That's me."Chloe stands from our place in the waiting area off of the resort's spa. I arranged for a day of pampering complete with making sure her hair and makeup is done for the wedding later this afternoon. By the time she walks down the aisle, she'll be relaxed and hopefully the tension and stress of the last few months will have washed away.Right after I proposed, we had a bit of a scare with the baby.She started spotting and since this was our first, we both panicked. The doctor assured us it was totally normal, but then her blood pressure started dipping. She'd be at work doing a client's hair and suddenly feel light headed with no warning. After the second time it happened, I made her see the doctor who put her on a limited work schedule, to put it simply. It wasn't bed rest, but for Chloe who loved her job, it might as well have been.She was cranky and irritable but soon started seeing the benefit of being home part-time and putting in
Chloe"I need you to listen to me, Chloe girl, and don't interrupt."I fluff my mom's pillow behind her head. At least the beds at the Hospice house are nicer than they were at the hospital. She's more comfortable here, despite what the underlying meaning behind it is. "Mom, you need your rest. Whatever you have to say, you can tell me later.""You and I both know there might not be a later," Mom says, taking a deep breath through the pain. Cancer is a bitch and it's stealing away the only family I've ever known.I never knew my father, they met while he was in Mexico on spring break, had a brief fling, and went back home to Ireland. She went through a bit of a wild phase and getting pregnant with me was her wake up call. At least, that's what she's always told me. My grandparents, though, thought a little differently of her awakening. They all but disowned her after I was born. Apparently, it wasn't okay for me to have an Irish father."Mom," I sniffle, not even trying to
Rex"This one's on me, sweetheart," I tell the brunette standing in front of me. I throw in a wink for good measure. Her eyes give me a once over, stalling on the tattoos that peek out from under my rolled-up shirt sleeves. Both of my upper arms are covered in tattoos I've designed myself but I've purposely kept my forearms bare. There's no rhyme or reason to it, simply a personal preference."Thanks, Rex," Brooklyn coos. For the last few months, she's been coming in to The Flying Goat, the bar I work at nights and weekends when I'm not glued to my computer, working codes and creating apps. I work for myself which allows me to take on whatever contracts I'm interested in. "Whatcha doing later?" she asks. This isn't the first time and likely won't be the last. Every time, I've turned down her advances but she's persistent."I have an early day tomorrow," I tell her, purposely avoiding her question. If I tell her I don't have plans, she'll jump on the chance to come home with me
RexShit.I take a step forward.A friend of hers places a hand on her back, rubs up and down. Leans over and speaks into her ear. Another woman scoots closer, resting a hand on her arm and another reaches across the table, doing the same. Her friends are comforting her, offering her support for whatever is going on in her life to make her break down in tears in a public place.What am I doing? I don't know her. Yet I want to go console her. Cheer her up. Figure out what's making her sad and fix it.She's here at The Flying Goat, with what looks like a group of friends out for drinks which means it's supposed to be a happy time for her. So, what is happening that's causing her to stand here and cry? Better question is, why do I care so much? It's not that I lack compassion, but typically if I see someone upset, but they clearly have a support system surrounding them, I wouldn't think of it again.But this beautifully broken girl, I can't tear my eyes away from her. I sti
Chloe"I've had a really shitty day." That's putting it mildly."Yeah? Want to talk about it?""Why am I in here? Was I bothering the other guests? I'm sorry if I was, I really didn't mean to.""You weren't bothering anyone," he says, leaning a smidge closer."Then why?""I can't tell you that."I scrunch my eyebrows together and rub my bottom lip with the tip of my finger. His eyes follow the movement and I drop my hand."Why not?""Because I don't know," he admits. "I just know that I saw you out there crying and couldn't just stand there.""I'm sorry.""Don't," he snaps. He shakes his head and softens his tone when he continues. "Don't apologize for allowing yourself to feel the effects of whatever is going on in your life. If you need to cry, let it out.""Okay?" The entire conversation is confusing me and I don't know what I'm supposed to say to him. "If I wasn't making a scene, then why did you haul me back here? Am I in trouble for something? I paid fo
ChloeI can tell he's waiting for my response. Which any other time would make me want to mess with him a little bit. But right now, the thought of even pretending to still like this guy turns my stomach. So, I don't let Rex wait for my response longer than the few seconds it takes me to gag and burst out laughing. "Want him? Screw that! No. Noooo. No." I shudder in disgust. "Blech. I was the one who broke up with him and we weren't that serious to begin with. It was a Tinder swipe that never should have happened and we were only together for a little over a month.""Good. He doesn't sound worth it.""He wasn't. I think the only I absolutely shouldn't have slept with him, either. Nasty fucker." Rex chuckles at my grumbling and I point at him. "What is it with guys? Why? WHY? WHY? WHY are you this way?"He raises his hands in the air and scowls. "Hey now, don't lump me in with men like that."I narrow my eyes on him but don't respond. He could be married with 2.5 kids at ho
Chloe"You taking back your offer of dessert? That's not a nice thing to do to a woman who's had such bad day, you know."Gone is the half smile, replaced with a full one. And damn if it isn't sexy."Now what kind of man would I be if I took away dessert? I'll meet you there, sound good?"I nod once, still unsure what I'm planning to tell my overbearing friends. Okay, so overbearing isn't really the right word since they're just friends. My people who care about me.I feel his eyes on me as I leave the office and I can't help the goofy smile spread across my face by the time I've reached the table where my friends are sitting."Sorry, ladies, I've gotta go see about a guy."They all groan but Ari's the one who speaks up. "You've gotta be shitting me right now. You just gave us a line from Good Will Hunting!""And?""And the cheesy one, too! Besides, Chloe! What the hell?"I shrug. "He invited you guys."Choruses of "Ewww!" and "What a perv!" are shouted as they
RexWhat the fuck am I doing? Seriously, what the fuck am I doing? I'm having dessert with a beautiful woman who has had a super shitty day, that's what I'm doing. That's all I'm doing.Maybe if I keep telling myself that, I'll actually believe it.Because I already know that I'm lying to myself.It's not as if I never have more than only sex with women. It's just rare. Dinner usually leads to expectations of more, and I don't do more.I wouldn't be surprised if Chloe stood me up. Especially after she goes to her friends and tells them where she's going. And if she does show up, the chances of her being alone are pretty slim.That thought leads to me wondering why I care so much and really want her showing up alone.I'm already seated at a table, the late hour of the evening allows for a quieter restaurant, even for a Saturday night. My server refills my water and gives me a sympathetic look. No doubt she thinks I'm getting stood up given the fact that I've been here f