Wanna Bet? (40 page)

“
Brooke I…” he
starts

“
I know sex might not mean
a lot to you, but it does to me. What we did, every time we did it,
it meant a lot to me. That you could do that with me and then a few
hours later do it with my best friend, that tells me something
Tucker”

“
Does it tell you that what
happened with me and Lucy was something I did to try and block out
the feelings being with you brought back?” he asks
pleadingly.

I shake my head at him
sadly “No, it tells me you got three out of three”

“
And you didn’t sleep with
Andrew last night?” he asks unbelievingly.

“
Why are you asking a
question that you already know the answer to? If you don’t know the
answer to that then you don’t know me. I slept with Andrew yes but
I didn’t have sex with him” I let out a long sigh, surprised that I
don’t feel like crying. “I have been so up and down since you came
here, I don’t even know which way is up any more. You make me
really happy and I’m going to miss you like you wouldn’t believe
but I’m not going to miss the stuff comes along with it. You make
me so happy that you also have the power over me to make me
crazy”

“
I’m not going to let you
walk out on me again”

“
I’m not walking out on you
Tucker, I’m walking out on us”

“
You can’t leave me, I love
you Brooke. I want to be with you. Now. Always.”

“
I know you love me and I
love you too but are you in love with me? There’s a very big
difference. I’m trying to decide which one it is for me. I think
you’re in love with the idea of me. We have so much history that
I’m comfortable to you. I know we have passion but that can run
out. Then where would be? Two people who are relatively attracted
to each other but not in love? I can’t live with that possibility.
You mean too much to me for me to risk ever resenting
you”

“
You really are giving up”
he whispers.

“
No, I’m taking a step
back, If what we have is real then it will never go away” I say
softly

“
Are you coming
back?”

“
That depends” I
answer

“
On what?”

“
A lot of
things”

“
I’m going to miss you” he
wraps his arms around me and squeezes me tightly.

“
I’ll miss you too, always”
I reply.

He pulls back a little and
looks into my eyes. I close them as his lips meet mine but pull
away when he tries to deepen the kiss.

“
I can’t do this, I’m
sorry” I whisper and kiss him on the cheek. For the second time in
my life I walk away from Tucker not wondering if I’ll ever see him
again or wishing that I won’t but wishing that when I do see him
again he finally feels the same way that I do.

To: Brooke
Daniels

From: Lucy
Stanton

Subject: Missing
you

Date: Friday 2 November
10:58

Morning Brooke!

Just wanted to write to
let you know that we all miss you and the past two months haven’t
been the same without you.

I hope that you are
getting on okay wherever it is that you are.

I also want you to know
that if I hurt you in anyway at all I am so deeply sorry you don’t
understand. I feel like I have lost my best friend and I don’t like
it. I would never intentionally upset you.

Your friends Sophie and
Matt came up here, they wasn’t too happy to find out that you had
left town and Sophie went a little crazy at Tucker, it was very fun
to watch. I have never seen a grown man cower before.

The club isn’t the same
without you. Andrew hasn’t been on the bar or stage since you left.
Chloe is fitting in well and is now one of the fastest barmaids I
have even seen.

Anyway I miss you and hope
to hear (or see) from you soon. Lots of love

Luce xxxxx

To: Lucy
Stanton

From: Brooke
Daniels

Subject: RE: Missing
you

Date: Friday 9 November
15:23

Hey Luce!!

I’m doing great! I think I
really needed to get away, I didn’t realise how stressed ECT I
really was.

You didn’t hurt me so stop
worrying about it, I know you would never upset me on purpose but
you haven’t upset me so it doesn’t matter. Stop worrying I love you
and miss you too.

I would have loved to have
seen Sophie go off on one as well that’s always very entertaining
(poor Tucker) I’ve been on the end of one of her rants, it’ not
pretty.

Is everyone
OKAY?

I’m glad Chloe is fitting
in, I knew she would!

I really miss everyone and
being at the club.

Hope you’re all having fun
and the weather is good for you. We have snow… too cold!

Love you & miss
you

B xxxxx

To: Brooke
Daniels

From: Lucy
Stanton

Subject: RE: RE: Missing
you

Date: Friday 16 November
23:12

Hey girlie,

Everyone’s fine, they all
say hello.

Yeah she fit in well, it’s
nice because I get a two days off now instead of just
one.

The weather here is cold
enough but no snow for us (yet).

Where are you by the way?
I heard that Tucker went looking for you but had no luck so he came
back here. Have you heard from him?

A lot of the customers at
the club ask about you too.

Will has been very quiet
since you left and asks everyone everyday if they have heard from
you.

It’s become a little
tradition that on a Thursday night they play your bar dance song
and we all do a shot for you.

It would be better if you
were here though.

Anyway I’m glad that
you’re doing well and feeling better. I didn’t realize you were
stressed. You can always talk to me you know, I’m here for
you.

Love you,

Luce xxxxx

To: Lucy
Stanton

From: Brooke
Daniels

Subject: RE:RE: RE:
Missing you

Date: Friday 23 November
17:30

Hey yourself,

Tell them all I say Hey
back :)

I’m glad you get another
day off, you deserve it, you work so hard!

I’m not that far away, but
far enough.

No I haven’t heard from
him. He has my email address but I guess he’s giving me my
space.

Everyone at the club is
always so sweet to me, I miss them more than I thought they would.
You’re all like a giant family to me!

Love that you all do a
shot for me haha!

I know I can always talk
to you and your there for me but how were you supposed to know that
I wasn’t happy when I didn’t even know myself?

I miss you and MAY be home
for Christmas.

If you want me back that
is?

Lots of love and hugs and
kisses

B xxxxx

To: Brooke
Daniels

From: Lucy
Stanton

Subject: Coming
home?

Date: Friday 30 November
09:08

ARE YOU KIDDING
ME???

Of course I want you to
come back!

Get your sexy little butt
back here!!

Are you coming
home?

Luce xxxxx

With help from Chloe and
Will I know that tonight is Lucy’s night off but she will be here
with the band and Andrew. I manage to sneak in unnoticed and it
wouldn’t surprise me if the few of the customers that saw me only
kept quiet because they didn’t recognize me. In the three months I
was away I put on some weight, not much but it’s noticeable, I look
healthier. I also got rid of my plain brown hair and it’s now a
more chestnut brown/red with blonde highlights, I kept the length
though and it has grown so it goes down just past my breasts. I’m
not wearing anything short or flashy like I normally do when I work
at the club. I’m in a cream ruffle skirt that ends halfway between
my bottom and my knees, black ankle boots, a black tee with a
silver scarf tied loosely around my neck. My hair is down and in
loose curls pulled in front of both my shoulders and I have a cream
woolly knitted cap style hat on, slightly sideways to the left
where my new fringe covers my left eye almost
completely.

Chloe arranged it so at
exactly ten the DJ plays my song.

As the song begins to play
I walk out of the office and as predicted my friends are all here
sat at their usual table, without them noticing me I jump on the
bar and the club erupts in screams. Not cheers like normal. Ear
splitting screams. I laugh and start my usual dance. Lucy runs up
and jumps on the bar alongside me and starts dancing with me. The
rest of my friends all jump up from the table and head over to the
bar. As soon as the song has finished the DJ shouts out ‘Brooke’s
back!’ into his mic and the club erupts into a mixtures of cheers
and different shouts of ‘welcome back’ and ‘we missed
you’s.

Lucy wastes no time in
pulling me into a long hard hug.

“
I can’t believe you’re
back!” she exclaims loudly in my ear.

“
Uhh .. Lucy … I need to
breathe” I rasp out trying to loosen her hold on me a
little.

“
Oh sorry” she laughs and
lets me go.

I take the mic that Chloe
is holding out for me and turn to the crown.

“
Did y’all miss me?” I call
playfully.

“
YES!” goes up around me
and I laugh at the enthusiasm I see in so many familiar
faces.

“
Not as much as I missed
all of you”

“
Wanna bet?” they all
scream at once making me laugh hearing my own catchphrase thrown
back at me. I’ve missed this. This is home for me. I turn to my
friends and catch Andrews’s eye. He’s watching me as if he can’t
quite believe I’m really here.

“
What’s the matter honey,
cat got your tongue?” I tease surprised that he hasn’t joined me on
the bar with Lucy. He shakes his head at me.

“
I’ll be back with you all
in a bit. I think there’s some people that want to say hello to me
before I do something silly for you lot” I wink at the crowd and
jump down from the bar with Lucy on the customer side.

As I make my way over to
my friends a few people stop me to welcome me back and offer hugs
and kisses. I feel like I’ve spoken to a hundred people when I
finally reach the group. The girls all hug me and the boys all kiss
me on the cheek. Well everyone apart from Andrew and Tucker who
haven’t said a word to me yet.

I turn to Andrew first
figuring he will be the easiest option. I look up at him and take
in his still shocked expression. “Did you miss me?” I smirk at him,
he says nothing for a few more minutes and then grins and picks me
up spinning me around making me giggle.

“
I can’t believe you’re
back, you never told anyone you were coming back!” he shouts over
the music at me once he has returned me on my feet.

“
I wanted it to be a
surprise, if I told you, then it wouldn’t have worked” I laugh at
him.

“
Don’t leave again like
that again” he scolds

“
I won’t. I can’t this is
my home. I know that now” I promise him.

Turning to Tucker I watch
as he takes in every inch of me. “Hey” I say softly smiling up at
him.

“
You look different” he
notes not smiling.

“
I made a few changes” I
shrug not sure if he’s happy to see me or not, his expression is
giving nothing away.

“
I see “ Is all he says
before he gives me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek “I missed
you” he tells me still not smiling.

I frown at him but quickly
smooth my expression into a smile. “You too” I turn to the rest of
the group. “I need a drink, anyone else?”

“
Hell yes!” Cam shouts
making us all laugh.

I spend the rest of the
night catching up with everyone, listening to the stories of their
nights out and things that have happened at the club. I learn that
Mel and Tommy are now a couple and Lucy has been dating someone for
two months now and is going to introduce me to him tomorrow, none
of the guys have met him yet so I wont be the only one who doesn’t
know him. Andrew tells me stories of the girls he has been out with
lately and a very long walk of shame he had to do this morning. A
few times we are interrupted by people coming over to welcome me
back and buy me drinks. Jess is dating Cam now but I don’t think
it’s going well, there seems to be some tension between them.
Tucker still doesn’t say much just makes a random comment here and
there. They ask me about what I’ve been doing and where I have been
and I explain how I stayed with Luke and spent some time with my
younger brother Phin. I tell them about some of the nights out we
had and replay some of the things we got up to. Everyone seems
happy that I’m back. It’s a bit surprising to see how much they all
truly missed me. I knew before I left that they all cared for me
but it’s true when I say that they are more like family to me than
friends and because I’ve never really had a family it means a lot
to me.