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Liliana's P.O.V:

I was helping Liam cleaning up the bartender area for the night—by helping meant that I was cleaning by myself—when I noticed the other bouncer coming back. Aimee said they weren't together, but it was a load of bullshit. We all knew they were, and Milena and I had a side bet on who was going to tell either one of us the truth first.

The head bouncer was talking with Liam, walking, and stopping in front of me. Liam leaned against the bar, asking me something, but I took an earbud out. He only glared, letting out a frustrated growl, then I saw the head bouncer snickering next to him.

"I hate it when you listen to that shit," Liam glared, and I rolled an eye.

The head bouncer kept snickering, and I only looked at Liam as I asked, "What do you want, a cookie?"

"Watch your attitude, Lily Belle," Liam smirked, and I tossed the rag at him. The head bouncer was holding back a laugh as Liam asked me, "Will you help tomorrow with bartending?"

"Where's Mike?" I asked, and even wondered why he was missing tonight.

Liam shrugged, "I don't know. He just called and said he'd be gone tomorrow. If you don't want it, Kade will take it. Figured you'd want the extra money for your Arkansas trip coming up."

"Like you aren't trying to bum off it either," I glared.

"Not my fault Ian and your dad love me," Liam joked, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

Liam was my eldest brother, Ian's best friend. They'd been friends since they were five years old, and he was loved by my brothers like he was one of us. Dan even had Liam in the groomsmen party until he found out Illena was trying to get us to walk down the aisle together. I loved Liam, but he wasn't my type. I wasn't into the Dean Winchester look from Supernatural. My type was the head bouncer or my psycho ex-boyfriend, ironically enough, but I swore off dating when I was saved.

Love was a trap. It was nothing but sheer pain and torture.

"Earth to Lily," Liam whistled, and I looked at him with a glare. Liam gave a smirk, "You taking your medicine, kid? C'mon, I'll even throw in a paid day off if you come in tomorrow."

"Throw in a guarantee that I don't have to hear you singing 80's hairbands and you have a deal," I narrowed my eyes at Liam.

He only went back to glaring at me, then asked, "Are you covering for Mike or not, dammit?"

"Sure, but you have to tell that to your best friend," I shrugged, then put my earbud back in with a slight smirk.

I went back to listening to my music, which shuffled into a hard rock song by Disturbed. When I had turned around, I saw the head bouncer sitting at the bar on his phone. I grabbed a rag, wetting it with warm soapy water, then started to wipe down the bar top. I moved around him as I was cleaning since he was leaning on the bar top, then turned my music up to ear drum damaging levels as a K-Pop song started to play. I only cleaned the bar for a few more minutes then jumped to clean the bigger sections to help Milena out.

I found myself glancing at the head bouncer as he was going over some paper's now with Liam at the bar. Giving myself a mental image of my ex, I made myself stop staring. Love was a trap. I knew this and yet I always found myself wanting to stare at the head bouncer. I had to keep repeating to myself that love was and forever will be a trap to me. The mask of a gorgeous face was not going to trick me into a relationship again. No way was that going to happen...again. I would never be in love, ever!

It's not like I truly was with my ex, but my ex didn't need to know that. I had to say that I loved him just to live until the next night. It pained me a little to know that I was giving myself a lonely life in solitude, but the fear of another him coming into my life out wayed everything. My family was probably forever going to worry about my love life, but it wasn't theirs to live. It was mine and I've made up my mind. No more dating. No more twisted and tormenting torture that was called "love."

After cleaning up and my mini reality check, I grabbed my things from the locker. I darted out the back before anyone could catch me, then nearly bolted to my car. I unlocked the door, hopping in, and slammed the car door shut. I leaned against the seat, sighing heavily, and looked at the entrance to see the head bouncer with his friends and Aimee with Milena being dragged behind her. I started my car up as I took my ear buds out. I set my phone up to the aux cord, playing a Jackson Wang song, Blow, at full volume as I pulled out my parking spot.

I drove around to the front of the parking lot, stopping as Milena was flagging me down, then rolled my window down all the way as I stopped in front of the jeep and that death machine. I turned the song down a little bit, half listening to her babbling about going with the three guys out to have a bite to eat.

I only gave her a dull lazy look as I said, "We're just a cover for Aimee to eye fuck that bouncer."

"True, but we are going to get some food out of it," Milena beamed, and I narrowed my eyes at her.

I loved her optimism, but it was annoying to hear all the time. I merely sighed and looked passed her at the head bouncer as I said, "Not interested."

"You always say that, and I'm stuck with Aimee until she runs off to fuck him," Milena whined, then I looked up at her.

"You're not her keeper, Mel. I can always drive you home myself instead of you tagging along," I reminded her.

My playlist started to play Skillet, making me jump at the start of the song for Monster, then I tried to turn the song off. I fumbled my phone around, trying to keep my composure as Milena was telling me that it was okay. I managed to change the song, tossing my phone in the small cup holder a little harder than I needed to.

I looked up at Milena, forcing a fake smirk, then she asked with so much concern, "Are you alright? Did you leave your playlist on smart shuffle again?"

"I'm fine, Mel," I tried and failed miserably to keep my voice from cracking.

She shook her head, stomping to the front passenger side as Aimee was jogging right to us. I looked at Mel then looked at Aimee as Mel said, "Just tell me where the restaurant is."

"Are you coming, Lily?" Aimee looked way to excited at that thought.

I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, Mel shouted over me and said, "She's coming!"

I snapped my head to glare at Mel when Aimee squealed in joy and screeched, "Yay! Okay, back up, Lily and follow Jace and I. We're in the green jeep."

"Who would've guessed," I muttered, annoyed, and rolled my eyes as I put my car in reverse.

This was going to be fun! No, that didn't even sound convince me as I backed up. I followed the jeep and heard the death machine the head bouncer drove not far behind us. I wanted to turn around, to drive home, but I couldn't. Milena was in my passenger seat, playing Taylor Swift and anything happy-go lucky in my car—which was enough to tempt me with the thought of turning this car into a pretzel around the nearest pole.

Fuck me. This meal was going to take a lot out of me. Why did I have to have a friend like this?

Because I was a masochist, that's why.

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