Friends Don't

Prologue

I took another sip of my water, looking around the bar once more, uncomfortable.

"That's it," my head snapped up at the sound of Maya's voice. "I'm buying you a drink. The whole point of you coming here tonight was to loosen up, but your muscles look tighter than that bartender's ass!"

"That bartender," I quoted her, "is your boyfriend."

"Which is why I know he has a tight ass." Maya raised her eyebrows suggestively, getting up to get us drinks. I tried to offer her an amused smile, but I'm sure it came out more similar to a grimace. Maya worked at the dance studio with me, but she was 27. We had never hung out together outside of the studio, but she'd grown tired of me moping around all summer and decided to drag me to a bar. I was only 19, but the bouncer hadn't even carded us. He'd just hugged Maya and let us right in.

I wasn't sure why I'd agreed to come along- I wasn't a party girl. I'd never even had a sip of alcohol before. But anything seemed better than another night crying in bed.

"I'm back and I come bearing goodies!" Maya thrusted a weirdly shaped glass full of red liquid in front of me.

I watched her down half of her own drink before I hesitantly took a sip. I only slightly scrunched my nose in disgust. It's not too bad.

"Drink up." Maya commanded. "You're going to need a few more of those if you're going to forget all about that asshole."

I flinched slightly, regretting telling her about Steven. I took another sip, picked at my fingernails.

"Hey." Maya said, softer. "Sorry. I just want you to have a good time tonight. You always used to bounce around the studio like this happy little fairy, and I haven't seen you smile in weeks."

"I appreciate it." I told her. "I really do. I just don't know if it's going to happen."

"I'm getting us more cosmos." She said, heading back to the bar.

I looked around. It was a friday night in august, so the bar was pretty busy. I looked around at all of the people. Couples and friends and strangers. Kissing and dancing and laughing. People living their lives, moving forward, while I was stuck in purgatory.

I took another sip of my drink, a bigger one this time. The blood in my veins already felt hot. Whatever this was, it must be strong.

Maya suddenly smacked two more glasses onto our little table. "Jacob's break is right now so is it cool if we go fuck in the breakroom real quick? We won't be long I swear."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Um. . . sure. Yeah."

"You're the best." She said before leaving once more.

Okay, maybe I was starting to regret coming here. Now I could see why Maya and I never hung out outside of work. I finished off my first drink, grabbing one of the glasses Maya had brought to the table. I already felt strange.

I sipped on my second 'cosmo', as Maya had called it, wondering if Grams was asleep. I'd felt terrible for leaving, but Julia, my grandma's live-in nurse had encouraged me to go, saying I never did anything for myself. But I did. I was away at school most of the year. How could I not spend every available moment with Grams during school breaks? I didn't know how many summers we had left together.

"Excuse me." I was interrupted from my reverie by a deep voice.

Immediately the noise of the bar echoed away. There was a man standing in front of me. He had blonde hair half hidden under a red baseball cap that sat backwards on his head. He wore a simple grey tee shirt and jeans that showcased his incredible physique. He was stunning.