Control You (19 page)

“Easiest hundred I’ve ever made. Thank you.” She flashed me a shit-eating grin, and I laughed.

PAIGE

Thursday night at Shooters hadn’t been in my cards for tonight. In fact, all I’d wanted to do was sit at home and repaint my nails. Alone. Craig had been super clingy since we’d gotten back together. In the last week, he’d managed to nail down my entire schedule at work and know where I was at all times of the day. It was treading on stalker-creepy. I needed a break from his smothering ways, and Lauren getting fired was the best excuse for a girls’ night I could come up with.

I followed Blaire and Lauren to a table tucked up against the wall, listening to the music streaming from the little jukebox in the corner. Shooters was packed. People I’d seen around campus stood on the tiny dance floor, bumping and grinding like dancers from a rap video. A group of frat guys stood at one of the pool tables, pounding back drinks and ogling the group of girls at the pool table beside theirs. The girls were laughing and cutting up, practically oblivious to the guys checking them out one table over.

“So, what are you two drinking tonight?” Blaire asked. “I’ll have just one of whatever and then drink water the rest of the night.”

“I want something different, but it’s got to be cheap,” Lauren grumbled. “Because we all know I can’t freaking afford to even be here right now.”

“I’ll cover the tab for tonight. How about that?” I offered with a pointed smile directed her way. “Drink your blues away. I’ve got this.”

Lauren pursed her lips together in an effort to hide her smile forming. “Seriously?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got this tonight.”

“Well, in that case, you get to pick out what we drink tonight, then.” She grinned.

“Pick something other than Lemon Drops,” Blaire insisted. “How about something a little more exotic?”

“No pina coladas though.” Lauren scrunched her nose.

I thought for a moment. “What about some mojitos?”

“Oh, I haven’t had one of those in forever!” Lauren shouted.

The waitress came by and handed us little menus. I ordered some cheese fries, and then we all placed an order for a mojito. Crossing my legs, I listened to the song playing while wondering if I should put my cell on vibrate in case Craig texted or called.

“This sucks. I can’t believe the way my life is turning out.” Lauren propped her head up with her palm and cut her eyes from me to Blaire. “I’m so scatterbrained lately.”

“You’ll be fine. We all have our moments,” Blaire assured her.

I leaned against my elbows. “Yeah, and everything happens for a reason. You have to keep that in mind.”

“So, I was supposed to fry that lady’s hair to the point of it breaking off and becoming a frizzy mess?” Lauren narrowed her eyes at me. “Normally, I’m all for the everything-happens-for-a-reason way of thinking, but right now, I’m finding it really hard to see the reason. I mean, I have bills that need to be paid in a few weeks.”

I spotted the waitress coming with our cocktails. “Drink, that’s what you’re supposed to do tonight. Drink and forget it all for right now. Something good will come along. It has to.”

Blaire shook her head at me, and then turned to Lauren. “Sometimes I swear she dreams in cartoons.”

Lauren laughed. “I’ve often thought the same thing. It’s got to be all musicals and pink bunnies all the time in that head of hers or something.”

“Right here, guys, I’m right here,” I muttered.

The waitress set our drinks down in front of us, and let me know my fries would be out shortly, before walking away. I took a sip of my mojito, relishing in the minty freshness as it slid down my throat. My cell vibrated in my lap, and I scooped it up to see who it was. Craig—go figure. I frowned and hit the silence button.

“Is that Craig calling you already?” Blaire asked, her frown mirroring my own.

“Yeah.” I pursed my lips together tighter.

“Why is he calling you? He knows you’re out with us for a much needed girls’ night.” Lauren took a sip of her drink and rested her elbows on the table.

“I know.” I sighed. While neither of them knew how obsessive Craig had been lately about knowing my whereabouts, I thought Blaire was beginning to pick up on it. She hadn’t been thrilled when I’d told her we’d gotten back together, even though she hadn’t known the true reason for us taking time apart. “He’s probably just making sure I’ve got a safe ride home again.”

“You told him I was D.D. tonight, right?” Blaire tucked her hair behind her ears and grinned. “After this drink, I mean.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, he knows.”

That was all I’d told him. I’d purposely left out where we were going for fear that he might randomly drop by, like he had about a week ago when Lauren and I had met for lunch.

My cell vibrated from where I’d set it on the table. It was a text from Craig. My stomach dropped. If I didn’t respond to him soon with something, he was going to be pissed. I scooped up my phone and glanced at the screen.

I just wanted to make sure you didn’t want me to come pick you up in a bit from Shooters. Blaire is really going to be your D.D., right?

How had he known where I was? A creepy-crawly sensation flitted along my spine. Maybe he’d guessed. I mean, there weren’t too many places we could go for a girls’ night out in Norhurst. That had to be it.

I’ll be fine. Blaire is still the D.D. ~ Paige

I hit send and waited for his response.

All right, well have fun (not too much) and be safe.

“Give me that thing, damn it.” Lauren jerked my phone from my hands before I could type a response. “We are having a girls’ night in honor of me losing my job, because I’m an idiot. He needs to respect that and find someone else to bother for one freaking night.”

I cracked a smile. “He’s not bothering me, and you’re not an idiot.”

Lauren’s eyes widened and she leaned forward. “He’s bothering me, and yeah, I am an idiot. I’m the one who left the crap on that lady’s hair so long it nearly singed it all off!”

Blaire lifted her drink and laughed. “I’ll toast to both things. You being an idiot and Craig needing to bother someone else tonight.”

The three of us clinked our glasses together and laughed. Containing myself, I took another sip of my drink and forced myself to seem as though Lauren having my cell phone wasn’t eating me alive right now. The tightness in my face had to be a dead giveaway though.

“Relax. I’ll give you your phone back if you really want to respond to his texts,” Lauren muttered. She slid my cell across the table to me. “What is up with the two of you anyway? Every time I see you, you’re always frowning at his messages or calls. Why are you with someone you can’t stand?”

“Exactly what I’d like to know. Thank you, Lauren.” Blaire set her drink down and folded her arms across her chest to glare at me.

I felt as though I was being interrogated by my best friends, as if it was some sort of flash intervention or something. Tonight was not going to be as fun and freeing as I’d initially hoped.

“I don’t frown at his calls or texts.”

Lauren took another sip of her drink. “Yeah, you do.”

I dropped my eyes to the tabletop, wishing my fries would hurry up and get here so the tension would shift some. “Well, I don’t mean to, and nothing is going on with us.”

“There’s something there. You just don’t talk about it. One minute you two were fine, then you didn’t talk, and now you’re back together and he seems all creepy. What happened?”

There was no way I was talking about this. My face was growing hot just thinking about it. Everything going on with Craig and all the things that had happened between us weren’t the type of things you boldly admitted to anyone, not even your best friends. What was I supposed to say, that he was creeping me out too with the way he was behaving lately? Or that he’d hurt me and humiliated me at that party, and that was why we’d split for a while? That I felt bad for him, and questioned whether I’d dramatized the entire situation so I’d given him another shot? Where would I even start? Even in my head, I sounded weak and insane. There were loads of red flags, but somehow he found little ways to cancel them out.

No, I wouldn’t tell them any of that, because they’d think I was completely insane for giving him a second chance and make me feel stupid about it.

“Nothing, it was just a little spat and we worked through it,” I insisted.

My cell vibrated in my hand, and I felt the air leave my lungs. Great, now Lauren was really going to confiscate my phone for the night. I cringed, wondering who was going to say something first.

“Is that him again?” Blaire hounded.

My heart kick-started in my chest as my eyes skimmed over the name and number. “No, it’s Cameron.”

“Cameron? The insanely hot guy from the restaurant that one night?” Lauren asked.

“That would be him,” I muttered, still staring at my phone. There was no way I was going to answer his call. No way. What could he possibly even want?

“Answer it,” Blaire insisted. “I dare you.”

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “You dare me? What is this, fourth grade?”

Blaire took another sip of her drink and smirked. Her eyes flashed with mischief. “Sometimes all we need in order to do something we know we want to, but are afraid to, is a little dare.”

I tilted my head to the side and bit the inside of my cheek. Just as I was gathering the courage to answer, it went to voicemail.

CAMERON

Paige didn’t know I could see her. She hadn’t even realized I was sitting in the bar or that I’d seen her hesitate to answer my call with that cute little grin. This all excited me. I hit end on my phone as soon as I heard her voicemail pick up, and hung my head back to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Eva moved to sit on the barstool beside me from where she’d been two down.

I took a sip of my Jack and Coke. “Oh, now you’re with me, huh? Is our little game over now that you’ve got the money in your pocket?”

“You know it.” She grinned. “So spill, what did you just do? Call her?”

I nodded. “Yep, and she didn’t answer.”

“You’ve had her number this entire time, and she still isn’t with you instead of Craig? You’re losing your touch.” She shook her head and sipped from her drink.

“No, I’m behaving,” I countered. “Paige isn’t the type you chase. She’s the kind you hang around and wait for to come to her senses. The friend-to-more type.”

Who was I kidding? I wasn’t waiting around for her to come to her senses. I just didn’t know how to go about moving on from the weird not-really-friends zone we were in. I’d never had this issue before. It was different.

“Riight.” Eva rolled her eyes and waved to the bartender for another one. “So, this is you waiting around? That’s something I never thought Cameron Green would do when it came to a girl.”

I shook my head. “I never said that’s what I was doing. I merely said that’s the type Paige is.”

Tapping on Paige’s name in my phone, I typed out a text.

Having too much fun to answer my call? By the way, it’s nice to see you smile. Can I join you over there?

Once I hit send, I took another long swig of my drink, and fixed my eyes on her from across the bar. This was going to be interesting; my night had just taken a turn for the better.

Eva turned around on her stool and glanced in Paige’s direction. “Did you just text her?”

“Yeah, it was sort of creepy, but I’m hoping to get another smile out of her.” I leaned back against my elbows, waiting for her to look around the place for me.

“She’s going to think you’re a stalker or some shit.”

“I think she’ll laugh.”

Eva leaned closer to me. “Wanna bet? Fifty bucks says she’s going to get panicked and glance around with a freaked-out expression.”

I held my hand out. “You’re on. Fifty bucks says she doesn’t and instead glances around with a smile, searching for me.”

“Deal,” she said as she shook my hand.

“Why aren’t you betting the entire hundred?” I asked, just as Paige jerked up to look around with a smile on her face.

“Because, if I lost—which looks like I did—at least I’d still be walking out of here tonight with more money than when I walked in.”

As soon as Paige’s eyes found me, I grinned at her and waved. Her face lit up and she laughed. Her head dipped down to her phone, and a tingle went through me as I anxiously waited for her response to my text.

Sure, but only if you bring Eva. It’s rude to leave your date sitting at the bar to go talk to some other girl. ~ Paige

I took the last swig of my drink and called the bartender over to order one more.

I’ll bring her along, but she’s not my date. She’ll be the first to tell you so.

I hit send and grinned. “Let’s head over.”

“Right behind you, Romeo.” She winked.

“Ladies, how’s it going tonight?” I pulled a chair from the table beside them and motioned for Eva to sit, before grabbing another for myself.

“Oh, it’s going better than the day was.” Lauren took another swig of her drink, and flashed me a tight-lipped smile.

“Ouch, that bad, huh?” Eva asked as she situated herself in her tiny skirt.

“Pretty much.” Lauren nodded. “Let’s just say it was the type of day you only want to end with your best friends and some drinks.”

“Hence the reason you’re all here.” Eva motioned to them all. “I have those days all the time. Does this scenario help?”

A cheesy grin plastered itself on Lauren’s face. “Oh yes.”

“I’ll have to remember that for next time, then.” Eva chuckled.

I leaned a little closer to Paige. “Is this why Craig isn’t here with you? Am I interrupting a girls’ night?”

Her cheeks tinted to a shade of pink that nearly matched the color of the shirt she wore. “That would be why he isn’t here, but you’re not interrupting, not really.”

“Not any more than what Craig already has tonight, that’s for sure,” Blaire grumbled under her breath, but it was loud enough for us all to hear.