“Have you been there?” Sierra slides her arm through mine.
I could lie. I should lie. “I have.”
She stares at me for a moment and then she remembers. “Oh that’s right. I keep forgetting he was mystery man.”
Lucky for her to be able to forget. I sure haven’t.
“What was your favorite movie tonight?” I ask.
We pass Scrumptuals and head toward the coffee shop on the corner that I’ve only been to once since I usually buy my coffee with my bagel in the morning.
“Hands down Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I see why SJP nailed him down when they were young.”
I laugh.
“What about you?” she asks.
“You know me. The Breakfast Club.” I shrug.
“How could I forget? You love that opposites attract thing.”
I’m not sure that’s why I love The Breakfast Club, but I don’t argue because Sierra will argue to the death that she’s right.
“I mean you and Ethan were opposites. I’m telling you, you did a good thing by not continuing that relationship. It would have ended badly.”
I stop for a moment. This is our first time discussing Ethan since the night she told me to continue dating him but locked herself in her room.
“I’m not sure we were opposites.”
She huffs. “Come on, he’s so aggressive and you’re so passive. He would’ve walked all over you in the end. Eventually you probably would’ve been miserable.”
I open the door to the coffee house and Sierra walks in ahead of me. “I’m not sure I had enough time with him to see that, I guess.”
She pats my shoulder. “See? I saved you.”
I say nothing as my ire builds and we both order our coffees.
“I heard he’s going to Dylan’s birthday party next month. You okay with that?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes. “I can handle him, but are you going to be okay?”
“I see him every day at work. We have a lot of interaction there.” With my coffee in hand, I lead us out of the coffee shop.
“How is your little magazine doing?”
I stop outside on the sidewalk. A couple has to unlink their hands to get by me. Whatever, happy couple.
“Seriously?”
She turns at the intersection. “What?”
“You know what, Sierra, I can’t. I just can’t anymore. I think we shouldn’t talk about Ethan. You’re clearly jealous.” I walk past her and through the crosswalk.
“Jealous? Why would I be jealous?” She follows me.
I whip back around. “Because you want to know why he likes me. Because anytime you don’t get something you want, you get jealous and spiteful and mean. I liked Ethan. A lot. But here I am trying to be a good friend to you.”
Hurt flashes across her face and for the first time I can remember she looks vulnerable. But it’s gone in a flash, replaced by anger. She raises her hands in the air. “Don’t do me any favors.”
“Fine, I won’t.”
“Fine.”
I leave her on the corner and walk in the opposite direction of Ink Envy and everything I’ve grown to love since moving here.
Opening the door to the first bar I find, I slide onto a stool and order a shot of whiskey.
The bartender gives me a strange look but pulls out a shot glass and pours me a shot.
I take a second to study the bar and see that almost every surface seems to be covered in red velvet fabric—the bar stools, the bench seats, even the walls look like the wallpaper is red velvet with some type of paisley decoration printed into it.
“Why is everything red velvet?”
The man next to me clears his throat. “Because red velvet is sexy.”
I turn to the right and sure enough Ethan’s nursing a beer. “You.”
He eyes my shot. “Rough night?”
I slide off the stool and approach him, nudging my way between his thighs. “Yes. Let’s go back to your place. I’m done being a good girl.” I smack my lips on his, but he pulls back with both of his hands on my shoulders.
“Good girl?”
“Yes. I don’t have to do everything right. I can be bad.”
“I’m sure you can,” another man nearby says.
Ethan glares in his direction. “Fuck off.”
My forehead falls to his chest and I mumble. His finger lands under my chin and he urges me up. “Mind telling me what’s going on?”
I take a sip of his beer because let’s face it, I’m not a whiskey drinker. It sounded good and I get the appeal in the dark moment of a movie when the hero asks for one, but I’m already throwing up thinking about swallowing it. “Sierra and I fought.”
He nods.
“I have good news for you.” I run my finger down his chest. “She gave me permission to date you.”
He stops my finger and holds my hand to his chest. “There we go with the permission thing again.”
“You know what I mean. I got the green light.”
“In the heat of a fight?” he asks as I try to get my hand free.
“Does it really matter?”
He takes his beer from my hand and downs the rest of it, stands up and puts some money on the bar. “This is for hers too.”
“Great. Are we going back to your place?” I turn around and head for the door.
Outside, my eyes have to adjust to the streetlights after being in such a dark bar. I circle on my heels to head to Ethan’s apartment, but he takes my hand and turns me around the other way.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re getting this cleared up right now. I’ve allowed this to be in everyone else’s hands for long enough.” He tugs and I fight at first but eventually realize he’s stronger than me.
“This isn’t a good idea.”
“Sorry babe, I’m in charge now.”
I laugh. “Can we use that in the bedroom? Like now. You take me home. I’ll move in with you. Forget Sierra and her rules.”
“You know very well that would never work.”
“Yes, it would.”
He stops me and backs me up to a light post, caging me in with his body. “Not long term. Maybe tonight but not long term and I don’t plan on things between us being short term, Blanca Mancini.”
My heartbeat races and my stomach flips. “Okay.”
Five minutes later, we walk into Ink Envy.
“Fuck,” Seth says, his propped up foot falling from the table.
Dylan stops the tattoo he’s working on, takes his gloves off, and heads into the waiting area. “Sig, this is not a good idea.”
Ethan doesn’t move, instead his eyes are on Sierra who’s pretending she has no clue what’s going on. “Sierra, we need to talk.”
“Hi Ethan,” Rian says, but you can tell she’s uncomfortable with the confrontation.
“I’m not talking to either one of you. I told her to date you. So go off and be merry.” She waves her hand, dismissing us but never once looking us in the eye.
Ethan releases my hand and weaves his way through the coffee table and chairs. Rian practically climbs the chairs to get out of his way. “Now Sierra. I’m not taking no for an answer. You ignored my text earlier, but I’m not letting this go. You’ve fucked with my life long enough. It’s over. Let’s clear the air.”