Trading Heartbeats

Chapter 1:

"Why in the hell did you drag me here, again?" Olivia asked her best friend, Alexis, as she dragged her to the opening of Mac's, their regular bar and weekend spot. They were walking so fast she almost missed the sleek glossy black classic looking Chevy parked not too far from where they had parked.

"Because I'm not going to just let you sit around that apartment of yours all weekend moping" she responded as they walked through the threshold of the bar. They both immediately started looking for their other two friends, Max and Jamie, who had been a couple for what felt like forever. Alexis was the first to notice them in their normal corner booth, beers already in hand.

"I have a right to mope, you know." Olivia rolled her eyes raising an eyebrow.

"Yes...I'm aware and I'm plotting on where to bury Brian's body. But until then you need to be with us and get your mind off that asshole." Alexis nodded pointing to the booth for Olivia to sit down.

The group of friends got to talking and laughing and for the first time in days, Olivia really wasn't thinking about Brian and Whatsername, or at least not as much. She still couldn't get the image of waking into her now ex-boyfriends apartment to surprise him for date night to see him pounding some random blonde on the couch. She had felt like she was in the twilight zone. Shaking her head of the unpleasant memory she sipped her vodka and soda and enjoyed hearing what was going on in her friends' lives. Max had gotten a promotion and Jamie and Alexis were working on a marketing project for the company they worked at together. Around drink three Jamie dragged Max out to the dance floor and Alexis had found a pretty girl to dance with. Olivia got up and made her way to the restroom. After leaving the restroom she made her way to the bar to order another drink.

She sat down on the bar stool tapping her thumb to the beat of what she realized was a classic rock on the radio. She asked the bartender for another vodka soda looking to her right she saw a guy who seemed to be a few drinks past her. He nodded grinning stupidly at her.

"Hey girlie, whatcha drinking? Let me buy you a drink." His words slurring together as the smell of beer wafted into her face as the bartender set her drink in front of her.

"Oh, I'm all set. Thank you, though." She responded politely and pointed to the drink in front of her. The man shook his head and laughed.

"No, come on. Let me buy you a drink." He said grabbing her forearm.

"No, thank you." Olivia pulled back, freeing her arm and began walking away, leaving her drink behind. She scanned the crowd to see if she could see her friends but they were nowhere to be found. Feeling a slight panic creep up her spine she could feel the guy from the bar following her. Heading towards the outdoor patio to see if her friends had gone out for air she looked behind her to see how far the man was behind her. She felt herself slam into a hard, warm wall that was covered in a soft cotton plaid shirt that smelled like mahogany. She felt the sensation of arms wrapping around her. She looked up to discover the wall had eyes. Bright green eyes looking back at her with what she recognized as concern. 

"Whoa, sorry dude. I didn't realize she had a man. She was kind of a bitch anyway." the drunk man from the bar chuckled. 

"I suggest you don't talk about my girlfriend like that, dude." The wall responded coming out more as a threat. The wall shook its head and looked back down turning his attention back to her. "Are you alright?"

Oliva blinked quickly shaking her head. "Erm...yes, thank you. He wouldn't stop. I.." she mumbled losing her train of thought.

"Yeah, there's at least one douche bag in every bar and you found him." The wall grinned at her. Olivia looked down towards the billiard tables to see two other men looking at them intently.