Dare Me (Dare Me Series Book 1)

Dare Me (Part 31 - Alexis)

The restaurant we pick for my birthday dinner is on the nicer side but has a laid-back vibe. It's dark in here with yellow glowing lights placed around on the booths and above our head. The music is Italian, and the place smells delicious. We sit at a table in the middle with a few tables around us and small booths along the wall. There's a bar toward the front, and it's slowly filling up as the evening goes on. It's right next door to Red, but who's thinking about that? You are, my subconscious points. I roll my eyes. I'm wearing a black velvet pantsuit with yellow strapped heels. I feel pretty tonight, but I also feel off. The guy I'm partnered with is cute enough. He has a lip ring and thick hair. No tattoos, though. I never really thought much about tattoos before. Mark didn't have them. He was a pretty boy with perfect hair and preppy clothes. Colby has lots of tattoos. Colby's hair is also almost a reddish pink, and he's taller than this guy beside me.  His voice is raspier and deeper, whereas this guy sounds whiny. Colby, Colby, Colby. Geez, girl get a life. "I swear he did," Brennen says over to Claire as I take a sip of my drink, darting my eyes over to my date, Shawn. "It happened," he confirms. "There's no way someone would do that," Claire replies with an eye roll. "It burnt the shit out of his nose, but we sat there and watched him." Brennen brings his beer to his lips with a smirk. "Who in their right mind would snort a line of pepper?" Claire says, looking over at me. "A fucking idiot," I reply. "He sneezed for ten minutes straight." Brennen laughs. "You have some weird people working for you," Claire says. "I won't argue with that." "Hey," Shawn says, acting offended. "You're cool dude," Brennen says with a playful grin. "How much did you lose on that bet?" I ask. "Fifty bucks. But it was worth it." We all laugh, and Brennen orders us another round of drinks when our food is placed on the table. "So, you run a coffee and book shop?" Shawn asks me. I take a bite of my lasagna and hum, because damn, this is good. How have we never eaten here? I nod as I chew my food. "Yeah. Been there for a long time." The server walks back with our drinks, and I grab mine to help get my food down and because I'm getting drunk tonight. It's my birthday after all. "That's cool." "She's planning on buying it," Claire says. "Oh really? Where is it located?" "In Little Five Points. Not too far from Brennen's shop, actually." I set my drink back down. "Cool." This guy says cool a lot, which is whatever, but I wish he'd say something else. When my fork hits my plate, it makes a loud noise and everyone at the table looks at me. "Slip out of your hand?" Claire asks. I dart my eyes over to her before they go back to the bar. She narrows hers and turns to look. We make eye contact when she sees what I see. Colby has his hand over the small of some woman's back. She's wearing a dress that looks like her skin and her hair is in a short black bob. Gage takes a seat next to his own date. My stomach and heart switch places. "You all right?" Shawn asks. "You look pale." "I'm fine." I look down at my plate. I can't be upset about this. We aren't together. I've got a date as well. Still, this hurts. "I'll be right back. Just going to the restroom." I look at Claire as I slide my chair out and I hear her say, "I've actually gotta go, too. Brennen, grab another round." Her heels tap against the wooden floor behind me, and I avoid making eye contact at the bar with every ounce of willpower I own. It doesn't work, and without my say, my eyes look right at the four people down at the end. Shit. The girl is all over him. He sits with one foot on the bar of the stool. I see he's drinking liquor, and before he can spot me, I hurry to the bathroom. Once inside, air escapes my lungs in a rush and I press my back against the cool tile. Claire closes the door behind her. "Shit," I say, looking up at the ceiling. "This isn't a big deal," Claire says coolly. "You're on a date. He's on a date with a black headed slut." I blink my eyes to her. "What?" "A black headed slut?" I quirk a brow. "Well." She shrugs. I sigh and rub the sting in my chest as my eyes go to the floor. "You guys are just friends," Claire says. I shake my head. "I never knew how much I cared until I saw his hand on her." I rub my forehead. "I can't believe this." "Believe what?" I wave my hand in the air. "This." "By this, you mean that you're in love with Colby?" I swallow, unable to admit that's true. Is it true? How can I be in love with someone I hardly know? "How do you do this?" I ask her. "You know Brennen like the back of your hand. You're together all the time. How do you pretend you don't love him?" She lifts her shoulder. "It's not easy. Everything he does just about kills me. His eyes, his smile, his existence... the way he looks at me sometimes... I swear, he feels what I do, but that's the thing with him and me. We have too much history, too much at risk if we decided to take things farther. You don't. If you care about this guy, then fucking tell him. You have nothing to lose." "Then how come I feel like I do?" She gives me a sympathetic look just as someone knocks on the door. "Let's go. It's your birthday. We'll get drunk and you can make out with Shawn." I roll my eyes. "I definitely need to get drunk." She laughs. "I love you." "I wouldn't know what to do without you," I tell her. She unlocks the bathroom door, and I give the woman a small smile as we pass by her. I don't look over at the bar as we pass by, so I have no idea if they're still here, but when I hear "Harrison!" I start shaking with nerves. "Just act cool," Claire says lowly. We both turn and see a handsome Gage walking toward us. He left his date at the bar, and Colby looks my way. Our eyes connect, and he lifts his brow in surprise before he downs his drink. "Hey, Gage," I say, giving him my best smile. Wall is up, gate is closed and locked, toss the fucking key. When he hugs me, he smells like smoke mixed with cinnamon. "Good to see you," he says, pulling away. "Claire." He nods toward my best friend, who smiles. "You, too," I reply. "You guys on a double date?" I look back at Colby and the two girls. Gage does, too. "Um, something like that." And I can see it in his expression he's gauging my reaction to this. Yeah, Gage. It hurts, but none of you will know because I'm good at this. "We are, too," Claire says. "Well, Lexi's on a date. I'm here with Brennen. It's her birthday." My eyes dart to Colby again, who finally slides off the stool he seemed to be cemented to. So that got his attention. "Happy birthday," Gage says. "Let me buy you a drink." He goes to turn around, but I touch his arm to stop him. "Another time. I have one at the table. Thank you, though." Cool and easy slides his hands into the pockets of his black jeans when he makes it beside his brother. I try not to look at the ink on his arms when his muscles flex from the action, but like always my eyes betray me. He's mouthwatering, but I hate how he makes me feel. "Who's your date?" he asks. Seriously? That's what he says to me? "Shawn." I nod toward our table. "Yours?" "Doesn't matter," he replies. But it does. It really does. My heart is pounding so hard. I want to slap him, but instead, I dig my nails into the palm of my hand. "How long have you known this guy?" "Doesn't matter," I throw his words back at him. He narrows his eyes, and tension grows in layers as he darts them down my body. I tense up. I know he likes my smart mouth, but I'm not doing it to please him. "Um, we should get back," Claire says. "Yes. We should. Gage, always so good to see you." "You, too, Harrison. Enjoy your birthday." "It's your birthday?" Colby asks with a hint of surprise. "Yeah," I reply. "Enjoy your date." I don't look back at the guy I know is staring holes into me, and I'm hoping he can't see how I feel on the inside. "That went better than expected," Claire says as we near our table. I look over at her with a blank expression. She shrugs. "Drink your drink." I take my seat, and that's the first thing I do. We make small talk throughout the rest of our dinner, and I down two more drinks. I can see the bar clearly from here, and the more I drink the more I want to get up and go over there, but then they all four get up and Colby doesn't look back. Everything after that doesn't matter. My heart is grounded in my stomach, and I'm mad at myself for letting my guard down.