Take it All (Blinded by Love) (7 page)

Lennox, checking her phone one last time before tossing it on her bedside table, sighed, then got off her bed and went into her small closet and started looking for something to wear. It was Saturday and she had finally given into Tatum’s begging and agreed to go out for a night of drinking with her and Londyn. When she first brought it up, Lennox instantly declined her offer. But after Tatum’s constant hounding, and even bribing, followed by Londyn telling them she would join, Lennox gave in. They both knew she needed to get out and have some fun, while getting her mind clear of all things Caleb.

Grabbing her black flats with the tiny bow over the toe, she tossed them out of the closet and went back to digging around for something to wear. The weather had been surprisingly nice the last few days with the snow starting to melt, and she knew she would be fine wearing flats, regardless of the fact they were walking down to Aces.

Aces was the local bar in Spruce Hill. It was in one of the two strip malls the town had and was usually the place to be Friday or Saturday nights. It was a typical bar with pool tables, a dance floor, tables and chairs, and televisions mounted to the walls where the only thing they ever showed were sports highlights. It wasn’t the first pick to hang out at on a Saturday night but it would do. She knew if she didn’t get out and try and take her mind off Caleb, she was going to end up spending her night watching her phone, as if it was about to do magic tricks. She had already spent her Friday doing that, and it was beginning to drive her crazy.

Settling on a pair of jeans and a cream colored top that had an open back and hung loosely off her shoulder, she made her way out of her closet just as a knock sounded at her door.

“Come in,” she called, laying her clothes on the top of her bed.

Her door opened and her mom poked her head inside and said, “You decent?”

“I wouldn’t have said come in if I wasn’t.”

Her mom pushed open the door and walked in, closing the door behind before walking and sitting on the side of her bed. “What are you doing?”

“Just about to get dressed then head over to Tatum’s, why?”

Her mom’s face fell and a small pout formed on her lips. “Oh, you’re going out tonight,” she said, sounding as disappointed as she looked.

Lennox sat on the end of her bed, facing her mom, “Yeah, we’re going to Aces. Why what’s up?”

“Nothing, just that your dad’s out of town till tomorrow night and I thought it’d be nice to go for a mother daughter movie date.”

“I wish I hadn’t already made plans to go to Aces, or I would go out with you instead,” she said apologetically.

Her mom waved her hand, dismissing her, before saying, “Don’t worry, you’ve seemed off the last few days so go have some fun with the girls. Are you coming home tonight or are you staying with one of the girls?”

“Haven’t thought about it, but probably coming home.”

“Okay,” her mom said, standing and making her way to the door. “I was thinking about getting Fizzy’s for breakfast in the morning. Croissants and the usual latte sound good?”

She smiled at her mom, “Sounds perfect, mom.”

Kelli opened the door and called over her shoulder as she left the room, “Have fun tonight, but be safe– in every way possible.”

Lennox listened to her mom’s laugh as it echoed down the hall and shook her head. If there was one word you couldn’t use to describe her parents, it would be strict. They were both open and forthcoming in every way possible without crossing the parent child line. Of course growing up they were more strict, but as Lennox matured with age and grace they loosened the reins and let her live her life by making her own choices. They still offered their support and guidance in any way she needed and they were always there for her. She knew she lucked out with her parents; they were both in their late thirties and young at heart. They each had hearts of gold, loving, kind and ever so patient with whatever came their way. It was something Lennox saw every day, from the moment she woke up and joined them in the kitchen for coffee right until she told them goodnight; her parents were still madly in love with each other.

Her phone vibrating on her bedside table caught her attention and had her diving across her bed and snatching it, hoping to see Caleb’s name lighting up the screen. But when she looked, her heart fell and she felt a pang of disappointment. Sighing, she placed the phone to her ear only to be cut off by Tatum, “You know, you really should have tried out for the swim team in high school.”

Her brows pulled together in confusion, “Huh?”

“That was one hell of a dive!” Tatum burst out laughing from Lennox’s doorway, Londyn following.

Lennox rolled her eyes as she ended the call and tossed her phone down on the bed. “Shut up. What’re you guys doing here anyways, I thought we were meeting at your place?”

“I take it Mr. Kingston hasn’t graced you with his hotness,” Tatum said, ignoring her question all together as she tossed her purse down on the bed and pulled out three plastic shots filled with red and blue liquid.

“No, and I repeat, I thought we were meeting at your place.”

“Here, catch,” Tatum said as she tossed a shot to Londyn and Lennox. “Changed my mind, your place is closer.”

“If you say so but I still need to finish getting ready,” she said, grabbing her clothes off her bed and heading to the bathroom to change. “You guys... do whatever until I’m ready.”

“Wait. Shots first.”

Pulling the aluminum cover off the top of their shots, Tatum let out a small cheer before making a toast. “To... a night of clear heads,” she glanced at Lennox and winked, “and hot yummy guys, who hopefully buy us our drinks. Cheers.”

“Cheers,” Londyn and Lennox said at the same time as their cups clinked and they tossed back the shot quickly.

Londyn coughed as her face scrunched up. “Ugh, what the hell was that?”

“Duh, a Pornstar.”

“I’m going to get ready and then we can get out of here,” Lennox told them, then went into her bathroom and started to finish getting ready.

She had a feeling the night was going to be... interesting. Not interesting like last time, but in a different way, and if she knew Londyn, like she knew she did, she’d make it an hour before she said she was leaving to meet Jeremy. Then it would be just her with Tatum, and that’s what was going to be interesting. Tatum was on the lookout for a guy, and especially tonight, she’d be looking for two so there’d be one for both of them. But Lennox wasn’t going out to Aces to meet someone; she didn’t want to meet anyone now because of Caleb.

They weren’t together in any way; she didn’t feel right thinking about possibly meeting someone tonight at Aces. Even if there was a part of her that was angry at Caleb for going completely awol the last four days that made her want to walk into Aces and sit down with the first good looking guy she saw just to mentally stick it to Caleb. But that was only a small part of her, where the rest of her would have a hard time being convinced. But she felt as if she should wait, to see if anything came up for Monday night. She knew exactly what her luck would bring; she would end up meeting someone at Aces then receive a call from Caleb in the morning.

Finally finished getting ready, Lennox joined the girls and were on their way out the door. Aces was only a twenty minute walk from Lennox’s place, thirty from Tatum’s or Londyn’s, so it didn’t take long for the girls to arrive at the bar. As usual the parking lot was full of cars as loud music drifted through the front entrance. It wasn’t like a bar you’d find in the city. It wasn’t as dumpy as the ones you found in the city and it didn’t have line ups out the door, down the block and around the corner. There had never been a wait to get into Aces. Though the patio was closed through the winter, with all tables and chairs stacked in the corners, the doors were kept unlocked during working hours so customers had a place to go and smoke instead of blocking the front door.

Inside was dark; there wasn’t a bouncer to check your ID and turn you away if it was fake. ID’s weren’t checked until you ordered your drinks. The girls walked into the section where all the tables were scattered and grabbed one of the few open in the center. The music was blaring to a half empty dance floor, the six pool tables at the back were full with guys laughing and yelling drunkenly at one another, while the line to the bar was long and moving fast.

“Okay girls, what are we drinking tonight? Shots?” Tatum called out over the loud dance music.

“No shots. I’m not planning on getting wasted tonight so Vodka and seven for me,” Lennox told her, sneaking a peek at her phone that remained blank.

“Same, no shots, just a spiced rum and Coke for me,” Londyn said sliding her coat off and hanging it on the back of her chair.

Tatum rolled her eyes and looked at the two like she had just bit into something sour before saying, “You’re shitting me! Come on, it’s Saturday night.”

“Not shitting you Tate, no shots and no crazy drunken nights where we have to crawl home and it takes us over an hour,” Londyn said.

“What? Why not, those are the best nights.”

“Come on, Tate, let’s just have some drinks. We don’t have to drink the place out of booze to have a good time,” Lennox told her, agreeing with Londyn.

“Whatever,” she said, pushing her seat back and standing up, “I’ll be back with your boring ass drinks.”

They watched as she made her way up to the line before Londyn turned to Lennox and said, “So, still no word from Caleb?”

Disappointed, she shook her head. “I’m sorry Dollface, maybe something came up,” Londyn said, feeling bad for her friend.

She shrugged her shoulders as she looked around the bar, not seeing anyone she recognized, “Yeah, maybe.”

Londyn’s eyes narrowed as she read her mind just from the look on her face, “Don’t even.”

“What?”

“I’m telling ya, he will call.”

“Okay.”

Lennox and Londyn held one another’s gaze, as if battling to see who would look away first, then both broke out laughing. There was something about the way Londyn had seemed so convinced about Caleb, and she had nothing to go off of other than what Lennox had told her. But hearing the conviction in her voice gave her something to hold on to, that if Londyn believed he’d call maybe she should have the same confidence and not be too quick to get down about it; maybe something had in fact came up. It was the one and only circumstance she hadn’t thought about; she’d gone right to the negative, thinking it was all her and that he changed his mind, when in fact that may not be the case.

“Drinks are up,” Tatum’s voice hollered, as she set three drinks down in the middle of the table. “I know you guys said no to shots but I just couldn’t turn them down.”

As Tatum finished a shadow appeared to the left of Lennox, belonging to an older man who was holding a tray of shots that he began empting and setting down on the table. “Here ya go ladies, enjoy,” he said with a smile before walking away, back to the bar.

Tatum distributed the shots, each getting three, before picking one up and tossing it back with Lennox and Londyn following suit. The night began to pick up with the girls sitting around their table tossing back shots and drinking their drinks as they laughed and talked about Tatum’s latest sexcapades with her current guy of the week, Cory.

“What,” she laughed, tossing her head back,”he does this thing where he thrusts–”

“Whoa, Tater Tits, stop right there,” Londyn giggled, holding her hand out to stop her.

Lennox choked on her drink as she laughed at Londyn’s new nickname for Tatum. “Did you just call me Tater Tits?”

“I think I did, it just kinda came to me and I went with it,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, a lazy smile spreading across her lips.

They burst out laughing as they threw back their last shot each when Londyn’s phone vibrated on the table. “It’s Jeremy,” she said with a grin as she picked it up, flipped it open and put it to her ear, answering, “Hi baby.”

Lennox used the time Londyn was on the phone to grab her phone and see if she had any missed calls or messages but like every other time before, she hadn’t missed anything. She tossed her phone back in her bag before she grabbed her drink and tossed the rest of it back, leaving only the ice and straw in her glass.

“Okay, bye baby,” Londyn said, her voice slightly slurred as she hung up her phone, her already lazy smile, growing.

“I know that look.”

“Jeremy’s coming to get me. He wants me to go to Roy’s party with him,” Londyn explained then finished what was left of her drink.

“Uh huh,” Tatum eyed her, her mouth turned into a sly grin, “you’re going to wake up with an expired V card in the morning.”

“Tatum!” both girls exclaimed, looking at her with their mouths gapped open in shock.

She looked between them, back and forth, “What, I’m just saying, I mean you guys have been together over two years now and you’re still a virgin; it’s probably killing the poor guy.”

Lennox could see Londyn’s defence go up and decided to jump in before things turned awkward, “Tate, it doesn’t matter whether Lond’s a virgin or not, and it’s definitely none of your business.”

Before Tatum could stop the words from sounding through her tipsy mouth, it was too late. “She’s the lone virgin in our group.”

Lennox looked at Tatum, horrified. No one but the two of them knew about the night Lennox lost her virginity; she never told Londyn, and she definitely didn’t tell her parents. Tatum had promised to keep it to herself as it was the one thing Lennox did in her life that she wasn’t overly thrilled about it, and she knew telling Londyn wouldn’t go over well. If there was one bond the two shared, it was that of their agreement that Tatum slept around with too many guys, and that one day it could come back around to bite her in the ass.

“What do you mean I’m the lone virgin?” Londyn asked looking from Tatum to Lennox who was still trying to kill Tatum with a death stare. “Lennox, what the hell does she mean?”

Lennox, glaring at Tatum, shook her head and turned to meet Londyn’s questioning gaze. “Well,” she started, stopping not knowing what to say or how to say it without just blurting it out, “that night when Tate and I came here, back in January, I got hammered, I mean
hammered
, and we met these guys.”