How to choose the one

Oh no she didnt

I try to hold it together whilst watching the absolute shit show unfold in front of me, I think I may be having my very first panic attack.
My sweet, kind, beautiful friend Jax is dating the female equivalent of well, an asshole and I just don't even know how to act.
I'm much too sober for this so my first act needs to be to skull a few shots to dull my senses, because I realise he is going to want to introduce us at some point and that is going to be as much fun as having my wisdom teeth out when I was sixteen.

Painful and annoying. Funny, because those are two words I would use to describe Ren. Those and a few other expletives that immediately spring to mind.

Damn it. Why. Why does she have to be one of those girls. We all know them. The ones who pretend to be all cool with their man being friends with girls until
they aren't. And then bam. Guy has to choose. And I have had this very situation way too many times to know that when it comes down to it, not many will choose the friend over the vagina. It's just how it is on the scope of importance for guys.

I have lost many a mate to the call of the vagina over the years. It's like a siren. Once they are hooked, once they hear it calling; they are doomed. And so is your friendship.

Well, at least until they come out the other side.

I snap out of my mind tumble in time to see the bartender looking my way with a perplexed expression. He follows my line of sight and notices me watching the scene before me. Pouring out a tray of tequila shots, he slides it down the bar and then comes to stand in front of me, sliding the tray over to me and handing me a shot.

"Let me take a stab in the dark here." He says, tipping his shot glass to mine and then throwing it back in unison with me.

"That's your mate over there and you didn't know he was with Ren? Am I correct?" He says, sucking on a wedge of lemon and handing me one too. I stuck the lemon into my mouth and wince at the bitterness. It's somewhat ironic as that's exactly how my emotional state is at this present moment.

Bitter with a side of bitch.

"You got it." I say with a nod, reaching for another shot.

He just laughs in response, slapping his hand on the bar before reaching for another shot.

"Damn! I'm good. Well, you better kiss your friend goodbye because there is no way in hell Ren is letting him stay friends with you." He says, waving his finger up and down in front of me in some sort of explanation of his point.

"What does that mean?" I ask, mimicking his gesture and pouring myself a glass of ice water from the jug at the bar. I need to not be a complete drunk mess when this showdown occurs. Liquid courage is one thing. Drunk and over confident is another.

"It means, you are gorgeous and she is jealous and your friendship is done." He says matter of factly and then slides the remaining drinks on the tray towards me before giving me a forlorn look and heading off to serve another patron.

I tip back another shot and then drag my phone out of my purse and send Candice a quick SOS text. Hopefully she isn't too deep into whatever it is she is up to, or he isn't too deep into her, and will come and help me slay the dragon.

I sit watching Jax and Ren for a few minutes and try to let this all sink in. I have so many thoughts running through my almost- drunk mind, a few I don't quite understand. He was so excited for me to meet her tonight and I hate to disappoint him. But it's more than that. The thought occurs to me that I'm maybe feeling a bit too much about this and I have no idea why. Maybe it's the doomed after glow of my crap almost relationship with Bayne. Or maybe it's the thought of losing my blooming friendship with Jax.