The Beats In Rift

Chapter Thirteen

Justin

I LIFT THE beer bottle to my lips, gulping it down like water.

"You need to chill with the drinking, we've only been here an hour and that's your fourth beer."

I look over at Max. "I'm nervous."

His throaty laugh makes me glare at him.

"Hey, less with the glaring. I'm doing you a favor. You sure she's even going to be here?"

I tip the beer bottle back to my lips, emptying the contents down my throat. I place the bottle on the table and hold my hand up to signal for Drew's new waitress to bring more drinks. Her flustered face fake smiles, with a nod in my direction. "She will be here, it's her Mom's wedding." I spin the coaster, needing to occupy my hands.

"From what you told me, she hated her Mom."

I look up at him. "It's still her Mom."

The barmaid makes it over to us, placing four bottles on the table. I look up at her to question the four and not two. "It saves me going back to the bar and you calling me straight back," she explains, annoyance evident in her tone. She turns on her heel and heads back to the bar.

I look over at Max. "Was it just me or was she being funny?"

Max laughs but then his smile falls from his lips. He lowers his bottle, taking in someone across the bar. I know it's Meadow; she elicits that reaction from men. "Damn," Max mutters.

I flick the coaster at his head; it rebounds off, hitting the bottles then the floor. I follow his gaze, and true enough, there she is in all her beautiful glory. I swallow, trying to clear the rush of saliva filling my mouth. She's wearing jean shorts, her long toned legs on display in wedged heel sandals with ribbons that travel up her calf. She's wearing a dark blue fitted t-shirt with Monsters in the Dark written across the chest. Her hair flows freely down her back.

"Justin. You going to be ok being around her, man. I don't know how you'll cope if she's still pissed" Max's voice snaps me from my thoughts.

"That's right, you don't know, but you know she's off limits so put your eyes back in your head and your dick back in your pants."

He raises his hands in mock surrender. "Chill. She's cute but I know she's off limits, not hurting for women here Just" He grins.

Truth is, I can't chill. It has been over a year since she walked out of my apartment and never came back. She was never on campus and it quickly became apparent that she had left for good.

I look back across the bar and find her unique violet eyes trained on me; there's so much in them, sorrow, guilt, love, memories. I return her look with the same intensity she's showing me. I lift my lips into a smile and her chest expand like she's releasing a breath. Her feet start to move in my direction and my heartbeat accelerates. Her flowery scent invades my space as she approaches.

"Hey," she murmurs.

"Hey, Meadow," Max says tilting his beer in her direction. Her eyes don't leave mine, even when she returns his greeting.

"You came," I say.

She looks around the bar and smiles. "I never thought I'd see the day. I just wanted to make sure it was true."

"Well, it is. So I guess were going to be family."

Her nose twitches and a tilt lifts her lips as she nods her head. "I don't think either of us has really ever had that." Pain tortures her still from the loneliness of never really having a real family and I still want to hold her take away her sorrow after all this time.