Jenalyn: Daring to Defy (#1)[Complete]

Chapter 67: Jenalyn

Saturday, 2:33 P.M.

"I always thought you like- enjoyed being Dane's top goon dude!" I laugh, taking in Rob's origin story with a comidic overtone though the undertone of it all is pretty bleak. "You took your position in his life pretty seriously before being demoted to babysitter!"

Rob shakes his head, choking down the shot he'd just ordered from the shiny headed bartender whose been keeping our tab for the last 45 minutes.

"Nah man-" he chokes. "I was actually pretty opposed to it all in the beginning to be honest. But the dude pulled me from the grave... I owe him everything I got, ya know?"

Rob is pretty easy to crack once you get a few shots in him. I can see now why he chooses beers over hard liquor at home around Dane.

I down my shot of vodka, no problem- watching Rob's bewildered face as I plaster a smile on mine instead of a scrunched face upon finishing. I feel pretty loosey goosey already, and we're both only three shots in.

I wonder what else I can get out of him.. 

"Yeah, but-" I begin saying, purposely elongating and slightly slurring my words so I have being a bit unsober to blame if I push the boundries too far with him. "You gotta live your life for you too sometimes, Rob! You deprive yourself of everything you want to keep him happy! Like... do it! Go for it! Live your life for you sometimes too!"

I don't know if I expect him to catch on to what I'm saying, but he still nods his head as if he does. For a second, his eyes are serious. I can tell he put thought into my words. After a quick moment though, half a smile cracks across his lips and he responds.

"Is that what you do?" He asks, his brow raising in half curiosity, half attitude. "-when you're out there fucking other men after telling Dane you love him?"

It throws me off guard. I catch glimpse of something I can't fully recognize in his glare, only to lose sight of it as he downs his fourth shot with a quickness.

I'm not thrown off enough not to have a response ready though- the voice thats been in the back of my head bugging me all day wouldn't allow that.

I brush off his attempted attack with a nonchalant laugh. "Sometimes, yeah!" I shrug, to his surprise based off the look on his face. I quickly follow up. "You know Dane doesn't always make me happy- you're practically a fly on mine and Evelyn's shoulders.. whose to say I don't subconsciouly try to find happiness elsewhere?" 

Rob laughs too, only he laughs in the kind of amusement someone does if they'd just been told a ridiculously funny joke. I follow up quickly, ignoring the laugh. 

"I do love Dane." I say with a seriousness I didn't even know I had on the matter. "But you have to remember, Rob.. I didn't come into this expecting all these rules and stipulations- I didn't come into this expecting to be a fucking prostitute! No one ever said that's what I wanted.."

Rob shoots another look I can't quite gauge.  I wish I knew him better so I knew where this was going, but I still proceed anyway. "Look- I know I seem like 'I'm being bad' or whatever.." I say as I raise my shot glass to my lips. "But I'm just doing what I got to do to keep myself happy, okay? I don't just want somebody to love.. I want someone whose gonna love me back."