Not Expecting to Collide (COMPLETE) - ABP Fanfiction

Chapter 94 - Pool

Bam entered the lounge through the hotel lobby and ordered a whiskey neat from the bar. Then he proceeded to take his drink to the back of the room and laid his money on the edge of the pool table. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. He had been rather uptight lately and since October was the person closest to him, she managed to bear the brunt of it. He would have to apologize to her when she got there.

In the elevator on the way down, October changed her mind again, tore the elastic from the bottom of her braid and quickly brushed her fingers through her hair. When she arrived at the bar in the hotel lounge, Bam was nowhere in sight. Thinking perhaps he was just in the washroom, she sat at the bar and signaled for the bartender.

She felt bad about snapping at him while she was getting ready. She was frustrated with herself and her appearance, not his impatience. That being said, Bam had been more brooding lately. She didn't know if it was because of lack of sleep; having a newborn wasn't exactly conducive to a good night's rest, or stress from his new job. That didn't make sense. Bam liked his job and his co-workers and he was good at it. He had been promoted to crew foreman already. Then it dawned on October. Their return to Browntown was a mere weeks away. Bam was nervous about who exactly was going to show up once they got there. Perhaps the gifted blanket affected him a lot more than he had let on. She would make a point of talking to him about it but not until after they enjoyed their evening together.

When the bartender set a glass of red wine on a napkin in front of her, she reached for her purse to pay. The man who was sitting three stools down waved off the bartender and flashed her a smile. "I've got it." He said quietly.

October raised an eyebrow at him and held a bill out for the bartender to take. She lowered her gaze at the stranger and smiled politely. "Thank you but I insist on paying for my own drinks." The bartender thanked her for the tip and left them.

"I'm Paul." The stranger said and moved one stool closer to where she sat. October watched him carefully over the rim of her wineglass as she took a sip.

"I'm meeting my husband." She replied coolly after setting her glass back on the bar. Paul's mouth turned up into a sardonic grin and then he full out laughed. October raised both her eyebrows this time. "Is that amusing to you?"

Paul carded a hand through his short, dark hair and shook his head while still chuckling to himself. "No."

"Okay." October replied slowly and turned her attention back to her drink.

"It's just that-" Paul started again, "My friend told me that if I wanted to get back into the game, I need to put myself out there." He raised his fingers and made air quotes when he said 'out there'. This time it was October who laughed, though she did try to hide it.

"Bad break up?" She asked.

Paul shook his head and let out a slow breath. "Bad divorce."

October tilted her head. "And you're ready to hop back into the dating pool and start meeting people." She said more as a statement rather than a question.

Paul shook his head. "Not really. More like my friends are throwing me in the deep end and I don't even remember how to swim. They are in the back room playing pool. They sent me out here to get the phone number of the first pretty lady who sat down."

"And I'm the first woman to sit here?" She looked around the lounge. There were a few other tables with people at them, some with only women, some with mixed company.

Paul circled his wrist so the ice clinked inside his glass. "Not the first, but the prettiest."

The low lights above the counter did not illuminate the blush that spread across October's cheeks. She held her hand out for him the shake. "I'm October." She slid off her bar stool and slid her wine down two seats to sit on the stool right next to Paul.

October donned a sympathetic look. "How long were you married for?"

Paul drained his glass and signaled the barkeep for another. "Eight years."

October took a long sweeping look around the room, trying to spot Bam. When she was unsuccessful in finding him, she turned around and took another drink of her wine. "Kids?"

"She told me she didn't want any." Paul accepted the new drink set in front of him. "She gave birth to twins fathered by her new stud last week."

"Ouch." October winced.

Paul grimaced. "Yeah." He agreed and took a long pull on his scotch. "How long have you been married?"

October smiled genuinely. "Going on five months."

"Good guy?"

"The best." she replied. Paul didn't miss how her expression softened at the description. It was obvious she was in love.

"Kids?" He asked with one word, just as she had.

"One, a girl, two months."

"Congratulations." Paul lifted his glass to clink with hers, then drained the contents down his throat.

"Thank you." The bartender came over to take away the empty glass and offer another. Paul shook his head and ordered a water.

"Giving up?" October asked.
"Yeah." Paul replied glumly.
She smiled sympathetically. "Don't go yet. Maybe the next woman who walks through that door will be you soul mate."
Paul smirked. "I doubt it," he placed his hand over hers in the counter top, "but thanks for giving me hope."

Bam held the table for three straight games until he accidently scratched off the break. Deciding that October had had long enough to get ready, he returned to the front room of the lounge. He took note of several tables filled with groups of people but didn't spot October waiting for him. There was a man in a suit at the bar chatting with a blonde woman about October's height. She was wearing a pink lace dress that caught his attention right away. He wondered if October remembered his penchant for lace when she and Robert went shopping. The blonde at the bar wore her hair down. It was longer than October's. At least he thought it was. He couldn't remember the last time he saw October's hair down. He couldn't remember the last time he had brushed it out before bed. Isabella had taken up so much of her time that he genuinely missed her - and not just her body. He promised himself that when she finally did come down from the hotel room, he would enjoy every minute of the evening with her.
A familiar laugh caused him to look up from his thoughts. He'd recognize that laugh anywhere. The blonde at the bar was his wife! A smile graced his lips as he took a moment to look at her. Her caramel hair has grown longer since Isabella had been born. It glistened in the dim light of the bar and he longed to fill his fists with it and have it brush across his naked chest. The delicate pink lace dress she was wearing - she hadn't forgotten - hugged every one of her gorgeous curves. Motherhood had changed her body in ways he hadn't realized and given her luscious soft curves that he couldn't wait to get his hands on. Then something happened that he didn't expect. The stranger she was talking to put his hand on her arm. The smile that had just been on his lips fell away only to be replaced with a glower. "Hey!" He shouted from across the bar. In a few long strides he was standing over them with a look of murder on his features. October's eyes flew up to greet him with a smile but that was soon wiped away when she saw his expression. "Get your hands off my wife!" He growled like a feral animal. Paul immediately lifted his hand away from October's forearm. His eyes were wide with shock and fear. "I didn't-" he began to say.
Bam wrapped his arm around October's waist and hauled her to her feet. He started walking quickly out of the lounge, half dragging October with him. "Stay away from her." He spat to Paul over his shoulder.