Inconsquential Love ((Part Two))

Part 7

Okay so maybe I went a little overboard making myself look hot tonight to try to spite Dally a little for continuously rejecting me the past couple of days.

Am I in a black leather skirt with thigh-high boots and red lipstick? Yes. Am I wearing a choker tightly around my neck? Yes. Am I wearing, also, a push-up bra?....Okay, guilty, yes. I can't help it! I wanted him to see what he was missing. I wanted him to kind of, I don't know, regret being with Slyvia. I know that's crazy. I know I have no right. But inside me, I think I'm...jealous. I don't know.

I explained all this to Johnny when I came out of his room and he nearly spits out his drink looking at me. Not because he thought I was hot, he just thought it was funny. Typical little brother shit I guess.

I walk over to the counter now and I'm not surprised to see Two here with Soda. I give them a little head nod but try to focus on Dally. I could tell it looked like Soda perked up a little to see me but I couldn't handle them both tonight, I needed this one on one with Dal finally.

He sees me and comes over quickly. "Well? What can I get you?" He asks, shooting me a wide Cheshire cat-like grin.

"A screwdrivers fine, Dal," I reply calmly. I watch him make it and then he moves around from the bar and gestures to a small booth in the dimly lit corner. I follow, struggling off the barstool in my too-tight skirt but I feel his eyes on me and tell myself to sell it.

"You look great, you know." He says as I sit down. "Kinda wish you were ugly. Would make things easier."

I shoot him a death glare but my lips turn up into a smile. I'll take that compliment gladly. "So, how are things?" I ask, taking a sip of my drink and holding back the urge to swallow it down quickly. I needed the liquid courage tonight.

"I'm good! I'm real good. I mean, lifes, ya know..." He looks around at a loss for words. Welp, the first question and the conversation is clearly going well already. We sit there in silence for a beat before I clear my throat and avert his gaze.

"I'm glad to see you and the gang are still close." I look over at Two whose laughing hysterically at something and nearly falling off his barstool while Soda smiles next to him. I see him look towards us and look away quickly, not wanting to invite conversation.

"Hard to get away from those goons." Dally says, looking over now too and offering a small smile. "Look, I think the reason I was kind of avoiding talkin' to you was because I knew you were going to give me shit."

"You mean about being with Slyvia?" I say casually, taking another sip of my drink. He lets out a low sigh and nods, running his hand through his mane of dark unkempt hair.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know how you always felt about her. Know how she feels about you too." He says, shrugging. "You've never been friends, I get that -"

"Because she's continuously used you and fucked you over." I get out quickly. "If someone treated me like that you'd-"

"Kill 'em." Dally finishes for me. "Yeah, I get it, okay? I didn't think you were ever coming back, Vee. You get that right? You up and vanished on me, on all of us. I spent months with the idea that you were just being dramatic and making a scene - I didn't think you were serious. I tried to find -"

"I know." I finish for him. "I know, Dal. And I'm sorry. I didn't think...I thought me leaving was for the best." I take the straw out of my drink and toss it to the side, picking it up and shooting it down like a shot. I needed it. Placing the glass back down I looked down at it now, feeling the burn at the back of my throat. "Had I known it would somehow make you end up with Slyvia I wouldn't have left."

Dally gives me a pained look and opens his hands wide - agitated. "What do you want me to do with that information, Vera?"

"I don't know, I-"

"You can't go back in time and neither can I. What's the point of even saying shit like that? If I knew you were going to come back out of the blue maybe I wouldn't have been with her either. But I am. So what's the point?" He's riled up now and I don't know - I didn't mean to have this escalate already but things like this usually did with us. We both always somehow managed to irritate the other easier than most - maybe because we both just cared too much.

"Well, why are you with her? You can't possibly love her, can you?" I ask, hoping to god he wasn't that stupid.

"Maybe I do, Vee! So what if I do? Why the hell does your opinion of my life and my girl matter?!"

I shake my head quickly, not fully believing this. I know what Dally in love was like. I've felt it. He would never, never be disloyal to someone he loved. It just wasn't in him. "You don't do that to someone you love," I mutter under my breath, looking to the bar for another bartender to refill my drink.

"Don't do what?" He asks, even though he knows what I'm talking about.

"Cheat." I say simply. "If you loved her, and if she loved you, you wouldn't both be cheating."

Dally stands up quickly like he's going to blow. He opens his mouth but shuts it quickly again, looking around at where we were and refraining - but I'm not sure why, public places like this have never stopped him before. Finally, he just shakes his head and starts to walk off. "I knew I shouldn't have talked to you." He says as he shoots to a room behind the bar out of view, slamming the door as he went.

I'm a little shaken up and trying to collect myself when a beer is placed in front of me and I look up to see Two and Soda standing there, looking at me unphased by the commotion. "Thought you might need this." Two says as he slides into the booth Dally had left. "What's up, girl? Ol Dal got you all mad again? Guess some things never change." He says, grinning as he motions for Soda to sit next to him - but he slides in next to me instead and slings a protective arm over me.

"I take it he's still not passed the whole leaving thing, huh?" Soda asks. Why couldn't Dally take it like Soda had? He wasn't the only person I ran out on. Sure, maybe I was Dally's girl when I left but it wasn't like Soda was completely out of the picture back then either and he was somehow moving on and accepting things way better than Dally even tried to. I rest my head against his shoulder and take in a deep breath.

"I think he just feels guilty that I have to see his life be shit and call him out on it." I explain, picking up the beer and taking a swig of it before putting it back down again. What was the old expression? Liquor before beer you're in the clear?

"Hey, his life isn't that bad." Two says, eyeing the empty table behind us. There's a discarded bowl of chips and what looks like salsa and he leans over and takes it, putting it down in front of him and eating it delightfully. I wince at the unsanitary element there but also am glad to see Two is literally the same person despite being married and aiming to be a father. "I mean, this bars pretty sweet." He says, gesturing around and splattering salsa on the table. Soda playfully rolls his eyes as he takes a napkin and sweeps up Two's mess with him hardly noticing.

"I mean, I guess." I say, looking around. "But he's just the bartender, it's not like he built the place."

Two hollars now, open mouth showing chewed food bits and Soda throws the napkin at him. "You bet your ass he did! It's his bar!"

I lean forward in my seat quickly, feeling Soda's arm fall away. "I'm sorry - what?"

"It's Dally's bar." Two says now. "He owns it."