More to Life ✔

Chapter 41 - Samet - Reggae Bar

That evening, Maria's foot shook the wobbly barstool as her mind replayed Kelsey and Adrian's words. While she had forwarded his message to Kathy with a note saying she planned to tell him no tomorrow, his promises still haunted her. Emma set a wide plastic bucket filled with pop and liquor in the middle of the table and nudged one of the many colourful straws Maria's way.

"Are you plotting something sinister?" Emma asked.

After exhaling, Maria took a long drink of the immense fruity cocktail. "I'm pissed my ex can ruin my weekend after everything. It's like he senses I'm okay and needs to destroy it. I hate that it's bringing me down."

Emma squeezed Maria's shoulder. "Let him fade into the background, and this bucket will work its magic. Then you'll take over the dance floor again."

Maria smiled. This bar had a relaxed, Reggae atmosphere where everyone adopted lazy beach speed. Her eyes darted to Shawn and Mitch, who sat with two gorgeous European women. While Maria itched to run the situation by Mitch, to hear him agree Adrian was an ass and moving on was the right decision, it wasn't fair to him. He was here to hookup not to be her security blanket.

A shudder passed through her body as she imagined his fingers and lips brushing against her sensitive skin. The sensation soon turned into heat.

"How do you—" But she looked away from him and stopped herself.

Emma grinned, flashing her white teeth. "How do I what?"

"Never mind."

Emma raised and lowered her eyebrows. "How do I have one-night stands?"

"I wasn't going to ask that."

"Do you have another reason to stare at Mitch? The guy is all kinds of sexy, but we work together. It screams messy."

Emma's polite way of saying Maria didn't have a chance. Maria's cheeks flushed, and she drank more.

"That's what Shawn wants me to say." Emma winked. "And if Shawn's worried, then Mitch has been talking about you."

"Forget I mentioned it."

"We'll make this easier on you. Let's find a guy?" Emma dragged out the word and raised an eyebrow. Maria nodded. "Someone you'll never meet again, so there's no pressure to turn it into a relationship. See who catches your eye."

Dark walls closed in the bar, making it feel smaller than yesterday's venue. Guys in baggy hemp t-shirts whispered to the bartenders. After searching for a man who might enjoy pork, beef or lamb, she shook her head. She wouldn't date them, she would...

Maria ran her finger over her polished thumbnail. "Why am I looking for this guy? Are we going to..."

"Let's aim for flirting, a free drink, and a kiss or two."

Maria chewed on her bottom lip. "I'm kissing a stranger I'll never meet again?"

"Yeah, assuming you want to. If you get a bad vibe, then bail."

"But if I kiss them, why wouldn't I see them again?"

Emma twirled the straws in the drink. "To replace the memories of your ex with new ones without getting attached. Jumping from one relationship to the next screams clingy and dependent."

Maria sighed. "I can't replace a long-term boyfriend with an empty bar hookup."

"It doesn't have to be meaningless. Haven't you had a great night with people you knew for a short while?"

Maria shook her head.

"Think of friends you've lost touch with; they might not be in your life anymore, but they impacted you. A week or two at a summer camp or the semester you were desk buddies in science class or someone who stuck around when things got shitty." Emma drank generously from their bucket. "Not every friendship lasts forever, nor will every romance. It doesn't mean you won't remember them. Don't pressure yourself. Act on an impulse tonight and see what happens."