The Bodyguard

15

"You're kidding?!"

I shook my head and slammed the shot back. I hissed at the burn of the tequila in my throat.

"Nope!"

"What a douche!" Mia exclaimed, slamming her hand down on the tabletop. Lissa and Sydney both shook their head and looked disgusted.

"What did you say?" Lissa asked.

"Nothing. I didn't know what to say; he wasn't even going to say goodbye," I said as I flagged the bartender, wanting a few more shots.

"What a dick," Sydney and stirred her straw in her drink, "I can't believe he would do that. He seemed like such a good guy."

"Yeah, I thought that too," I said quietly, none of them being able to hear me over the sound of the bar. I was hurt and confused, not sure what had happened. Did I make everything up in my head? Or did something change?

"You've got to be fucking kidding," Mia said with a pinched face.

"What?" the three of us asked.

"Him," Mia said pointing across the bar.

I followed her finger and sighed, turning back to them.

"What are the chances we go to the same bar?" Lissa said with a sigh. I shrugged and took a sip of my cider, hoping to simply pretend that he wasn't there.

"Can I get a vodka soda?" Mia asked the server as he walked by, her mouth set as she glared at Dimitri and Ivan from across the room. Once the server came back Mia picked it up and headed towards them.

From here, it looked like Ivan was giving Dimitri shit. They both looked up when Mia stopped at their table. She said something before tossing the drink in Dimitri's face, setting the glass down on the table and turning on her heel.

My eyes bugged out of my head as I watched her come back, a smug look on her face.

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

"Because he deserved it," Mia said with a roll of her eyes. I cast a glance back at their table and to my surprise, Ivan was laughing, his arms clutched over his stomach as Dimitri got up and walked toward the bathrooms. When Ivan looked up, he met my eyes and gave a tight-lipped smile. I knew he wasn't thrilled about any of this either. He had sent me a few messages over the last week.

"You can be charged for that," I said and Mia looked at me with a frank look. She took her shot of tequila and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Say thank you," she said and I shook my head, looking back into my glass and taking a sip. I watched Dimitri go back to the table and grab his duster before heading to the door. I felt my anxiety rise in my chest over the whole thing. Lissa watched me for a moment and tilted her head ever so slightly.

"You okay?" she asked, placing her hand on mine. I nodded at her and faked a smile.

"I'm just going to step outside," I said and left the table, grabbing my coat off the back of my chair. It was a nice reprieve from the heat of the bar. I stepped out and went around the corner, pulling the pack of smokes out of my pocket and lighting one, taking a long drag before blowing out the smoke. I hadn't let any of my friends know that I had started smoking again, something I had started doing when I dated Mason. Well, other than Adrian because I've bummed a cigarette off him before.

I leaned back against the wall and sighed, tipping my head up and looking at the moon. The buzz from the alcohol was already thrumming through my veins and I was looking forward to the numbness. It was funny, considering I spent months feeling numb, but now, I wanted it. Even for just a few hours.