Spark (7 page)

I shrug, pretending not
to know what she’s talking about. “Maybe.”

“All I
can say is it’s about damn time!”

“Nothing is going to happen, so keep your panties on.” I roll my eyes, trying to hide the smirk on my face.
Nothing can happen. I’m just not wired that way.

“Are we riding in the L
adybug or mine?” she asks, grabbing her bag off the chair.

“We can take L
adybug. She fits better in the parking stalls on a busy night. Especially when drunk people can’t park.” Her head falls back as she laughs.

“Sounds good to me!” I grab the
keys and head out the door. I was eager to see Alex again. A part of me felt excited to see him. However, part of me was desperate to see Eric, too.
Why hasn’t he come to see me yet?

A million thoughts ran through my mind on the way to work.
Was he with another girl right now? Who was that girl that showed up in the parking lot? What in the hell is wrong with me?

I hate men.

Why are they so frustrating?

Why am I so frustrating…

My mother tried to convince me that I imagined the whole thing.
It was just a dream
she’d say, not believing a word I told her. It was not a dream. That was a fact.

It didn’t stop after that first night Aiden stumbled into my room. Night after
night, he would tell me I needed to be punished for my sins. I didn’t scream. I didn’t run. He convinced me this was my only way to go to Heaven.
You must pay for you sins, Laney
he’d tell me…making me feel horrible for the things I’d done. What horrible things can an eight year old really do?

I tried telling my mother again, and that time she became mad.
Do not say that! Never say that, Velaney! It’s a lie. You will not ruin our reputation, young lady!
That was more important to her than anything else. Everyone saw us from the outside and immediately thought we were the
perfect
family. What a cliché. There’s no such thing. And there never will be.

Onc
e I met Jake my freshman year of college, I had tried my best to let go. I really wanted to. I never kissed a guy before Jake. He was kind, sweet, and went at a slow pace. It wasn’t until two years went by that he started begging for more. I wanted to give in—but I just couldn’t. I wasn’t with him for the right reasons and he knew it.

Carissa and I arrived at the bar, ready to defeat the mad rush that was already forming. Kenna and Julia were working as usual, completing our team of four.

“What’s up
, my bitches?” Carissa calls out, already appearing drunk.

Kenna
and Julia roll their eyes and l laugh. Carissa is loud and obnoxious, but she’s the best.

“So
, I hear you found yourself some nice man candy?” Julia smirks, looking directly at me.

“
Ew, that’s my brother,” Kenna reminds her, displaying a disgusted look on her face.

“Does everyone know about that?” I ask, embarrassed.

“He won’t shut up about you, Lane. It’s annoying,” Kenna remarks, making me blush.

“Really? I thought he was just being polite.”

“Are you kidding? He doesn’t sit and talk to just anyone. The fact that you’re hot helps, but Alex is a genuine guy, Lane,” she says seriously, as she loads dirty glasses in the dishwasher.

“I’m not even looking for a boyfriend, guys. You have nothing to worry about.” That wasn’t a hundred percent a lie, but the truth was I hadn’t been searching for a man in my life.

“That’s exactly when it happens, Laney. Plus, it’s always best when you find something you weren’t even looking for in the first place,” Carissa chimes in, lecturing me as she always does.

“I don’t know guys. I’d be a bad girlfriend anyway.
Or whatever you would call it. I wouldn’t be any good.” That I knew was true. I could never be someone’s girlfriend again. Just the label itself sends shivers down my spine. I was an awful girlfriend to Jake. He gave me his whole heart when I hadn’t been able to give him any of mine.

“Heads up!” Julia calls, throwing a bottle at me. She nods her head over to the guy sitting across from me at the bar.

“I take it this is for you,” I say, smiling. I hand him his beer and continue washing glasses.

“I think you’d make a wonderful girlfriend,” he says, smirking back at me.

“Oh god, not you too,” I moan. “Sorry about that. Guess girl talk isn’t something guys want to hear.”

“Nah
, it’s okay. I grew up with three sisters. Trust me, I know
too
much.” I laugh back, grabbing the money he set on the bar for his beer.

“So
, tell me then. What makes a good girlfriend? You’re probably an expert by now,” I joke, crossing my arms.

“Oh honey,
I don’t have a clue. All I’ve gathered over my years is what a guy
is not
supposed to do.” He takes a swig of his beer and sets it back down. “Basically, don’t let past relationships affect your future ones.”

“That won’t be a problem,” I huff. “There’s only been one
relationship
, and I completely screwed it up.”

“Oh, you live and learn girl. Trust me
when I tell you, you won’t have any problem finding a man.” He smiles, making me incredibly embarrassed that I’m spilling my dirty laundry to a complete stranger.

“
Hello, Beautiful.” I turn and see Alex standing nearby. My face instantly reddenss, blushing from the conversations that just took place. I have only been around Alex once, but the way we connect when we talked made it seem like we’ve known each other forever.

“Hey, w
hat can I get ya tonight?” I place my hands flat on the bar, smiling back.

“I’ll take whatever is on tap,” he says, handing me a few singles.
“And don’t forget, first rounds on me. So, take a shot,” he reminds me, smirking back.

“Fine. I’ll do a Cherry Tootsie Pop.” I smile, grabbing a shot glass.

“Cherry, huh? Interesting.” He smirks, curling his lips up.

“Shut up, Alex. Velaney is one of my best friends,”
Kenna yells, storming over and pointing her finger at him. I stifle a laugh at Kenna for being my over-protective mother. She was the mother hen around here, always watching out for us girls.

Alex puts his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t do anything, chill out.”

“And you won’t, mister. I mean it. Vel is too sweet for you.”

“What does that mean?” Alex and I both say at the same time.
I’m too sweet for him?

“Nothing,
Velaney. Just that…you’re a sweet girl. You don’t sleep around and party.”
Was that supposed to be a compliment?

“Wow, thanks for telling Alex how boring I am!” I shrieked
. With that, I fill my shot glass, and tilt my head back and feel the burn of alcohol as it flows down my throat.

“You are not boring,” Eric chimes in, shocking me completely. “In fact, you are the opposite of boring.” My hear
t begins racing just from the raspy tone of his voice.

“Hey
, stranger,” I say, avoiding the completely awkward looks both Eric and Alex are giving me. “Been busy saving lives lately?”

“Always.”
God, his smile is breathtaking.

“Um, Eric this is Alex. Ale
x this is Eric. He lives in my building.” I gesture between the two and they give head nods semi-acknowledging each other.

“And how do you and Alex know each other?” Eric asks,
and slams singles on the bar.

“He’s
Kenna’s brother,” I say vaguely, not wanting to mention the Laundromat.

“I’ll take a
Coors, please.” Eric smiles back at me, giving me his biggest grin. I had no idea what was happening.
Were these two playfully bantering over me? No. There’s just no way. Plus, why would they?

I shake the thoughts from my mind and continue working. The bar quickly fills up, leaving no time to chat with Alex or Eric. My heart feels ripped in half between them being here and the fact that I like them being here.

This is too messed up.

“Looks like your pussy
fairy brought you two edible desserts,” Carissa whispers in my ear as I reach for a bottle.

I groan. “Can we name it something else, please? Or hey, here’s an idea. Stop referring to it as an actual person or thing… or whatever it’s suppose to be!”

She laughs back at me, noticing how flustered I am. “Getting to you that much, huh?” She crosses her arms, staring at me.

“Is it that obvious?” I pout,
handing the beer off to someone.

“They haven’t taken their eyes off you, Lane.” I glance over her shoulder and see that it’s true.

“This is so confusing, Riss. I mean, Alex is so sweet. But Eric…well, he’s Eric.” That’s all that needs to be said about Eric. She knows what I mean. Eric is a southern gentleman that makes my heart flutter every time he’s around. But the fact is, he doesn’t see me that way. However, he sees other girls that way…
lots and lots of other girls.

“Just have fun, Lane. Don’t take it too seriously. You have time. Lots and lots of time,” she grins, w
agging her eyebrows at me. I know what she means by
fun
, but that just isn’t who I am.
Or who I’m capable of being.

An hour passes and I decide to take a break outside. It’s extremely warm inside, and every time I see Alex or
Eric, the heat rises even more between my thighs.

“Doing alright?” Alex approaches me from
behind.

“Yeah, just getting some fresh air.” I smile and watch as he sits on the curb next to me.

“So,” he stumbles, breaking eye contact with me. “What’s the deal with this Eric guy? I mean…are you two a couple or something?” he asks, looking back up at me.

“Eric and me? No. He’s a neighbor and friend, but we are definitely not a couple.” I don’t know why I say
definitely
, but it was the truth.

“Good.” He smiles and looks relieved.

“Would that be a problem?” I ask, feeling brave. “If we were a couple?” I lean back on my hands, getting a better view of him.

“Well, yes. It would prevent me from being able to ask you out.
So, since you and him aren’t a couple, perhaps I can ask you to dinner or something,” he asks, acting shy, but then smiles as he looks up at me. His fingers find mine on the sidewalk and he locks it with his, taking it up to his lips.

The feel of his lips against my skin feels amazing. I don’t know how a pair of lips can feel so good against my skin, but it does.
It feels wonderful.

“Perhaps,” is all I say, waiting for him to actually ask.

“Go out to dinner with me.”

“That’s not asking,” I tease, still linking my fingers with his.

“I know. I figured I’d try the whole guy dominating routine and see how far it got me,” he teases, stifling his laugh.

“It won’t get you far at all
, actually,” I say back, grinning at his lame attempt.

“Damn. Okay.” He takes inhales slowly before speaking again.
“Velaney, will you please go to dinner with me tomorrow night?” He looks adorably genuine, sending intense shivers down my body and landing smack dab between my legs.

“I would love to
,” I smile, trying to hide the secret happy dance I’m doing in my head.

“There you are! You sneaky bitch
. I was worried about you!” Carissa yells, soon realizing I wasn’t alone. “Oh, shit, sorry. Didn’t see ya there, Alex.”

“No worries.” He grabs my hand and kisses it once again. “I’ll let you get back to work now.” He flashes his incredible smile at me, only leaving me capable of nodding back at him like an idiot.

He stands up and walks back through the employees only door. Carissa sits down next to me, examining my face.

“What?” I ask.

“You like him.”

“Maybe.”

“About damn time,” is all she says, leaving me laughing at her. I stand up and head back into the bar.

I feel
such a rush of emotions that I can barely control them. The fact that Alex makes me smile, laugh, and is genuinely sweet makes me giddy like a hormonal teenager. It wasn’t a feeling I was used to. Sure, I’ve watched chick flicks where the love is so intense and raw that you feel your own heart clench during the whole thing, but I never felt
that
feeling.

Eric was so darn confusing.
One minute I feel like we have this connection and then the next minute, he’s letting some girl hang all over him. I couldn’t grasp why I felt that pull toward him. It was there…there was no doubting that.

“
Be up in time for breakfast,” Eric says, smiling back at me as I clean up the mass destruction of the bar. Alex shoots him a look, and I can’t help the look that plasters on my face.

“What?” I ask, sweeping the floor.

“You girls need to eat after a night like this. Don’t worry, I’ll let myself in.” He smirks, finishing the last of his beer before he sets it down on the bar.

“Can I request waffles this time?” Carissa asks, playing along.

“You can request anything you want.” He turns and winks at me. He waves his goodbyes and heads toward the door.

I glance over at Alex and see that he is eyeing Eric
and watching him all the way, until he reaches the exit and walks out. I don’t know what the hell just happened, but I wasn’t going to try to figure it out.

***

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Eric welcomes in his beautiful sweet tone.

“Why is it so bright out?”
I ask, crashing my arms on the breakfast bar, laying my head down.

“That typically happens when it’s morning
, my dear.”