Freed From Desire

Part 7

Nora

This was my fourth outfit and I was still not happy with it. What did people wear to bars nowadays? Or was this place a club. I had googled it and it honestly seemed like some hybrid of both. So the outfit should be nice but nothing too fancy. Which really didn't give me much to work with.

I'd eventually settled for a white cropped top and high waisted brown trousers that were fairly tight and might I say flattering around my butt but then fell in a loose straight cut around the rest of my legs. At this point it had to do because my uber would be here in like two minutes. I grabbed my leather jacket, sticking my phone and cards into the pocket and left the house just as the car pulled to a stop.

No one else was going. Well.. besides the team. The whole staff was invited and I tried pestering Jonas, but he was adamant that he wanted to establish some professional boundaries and going out for drinks with the girls would intervene with that. Which also made me think that I shouldn't go. But then Beth, who I'd actually started to get along with really well, texted me separately to make sure I was coming.

And Leah had snapped me videos of the new puppy and also told me that I'd better make up for not pregaming with them. So here I was, one shot of tequila in for liquid courage, heading to the first party in I don't even know how long.

Well. I knew how long. Just a little under two years.

It's not like I'd become a recluse after Eva died but I'd definitely buried myself into work, gaining qualifications in double speed and working overtime every day. So tonight could serve as a prize for that. Besides, I hadn't really celebrated getting the job either.

I'd just stay for a few drinks and that's that.

__

"I'm cutting myself off," Beth shook her head and pushed her shot glass in front of me. "You can do it, I belief in you. Belief. No.. Believe," she slurred, laughing at her own mistake.

Vivianne looked at her with the cutest loving expression that made my heart ache. That was reason enough not to argue and down the two shots in front of me. I think I was on six and seven? Might have been seven and eight.

We had danced, drank and were now heading towards the freshly freed up pool table.

"Do we wanna do teams?" Katie offered, the competitiveness in her raising its head. Everyone else just kind of nodded and divided themselves into two groups quicker than I could even count if we were an even number.

"Nora, you're with us!" Leah exclaimed, clearly happy about it. If only she knew about my lack of pool skills, she wouldn't be that happy. Of course Katie was also on my team, along with Beth. 

Viv had been grabbed by the opposing team and I was already curious about the couple competing against each other. They also had Alessia, Jen and Lotte in their midst, the latter being the most sober one so maybe she'd be their saving grace.

There had been more of the team out with us all, but slowly people had started to scatter off. Kim left because she is an actually responsible person compared to this crazy lot. Caitlin and Lia left together as far as I could tell, which was pretty suspicious. Katie didn't seem to notice or maybe she just didn't care. A stark contrast from the woman with red eyes at the festival.

Being out with her tonight had been more relaxed than I thought it would. She did throw a couple of flirty comments my way and definitely let her eyes linger on my body for more than was appropriate. But no one besides me had noticed as far as I could tell. And I quite enjoyed the look in her eyes even if that realization made me feel confused and a little guilty.

There were also the small and seemingly random touches here and there. Just enough to spike my heart rate but nothing too obvious. That was until it was my turn to play.

The thing was.. I hadn't actually played pool. I tended to avoid doing things I sucked at in public which meant that I never got better at them. Or in this case, never learned to do it at all.

So when I picked up the long stick thing, I initially didn't even know how to hold it.

"You're all gonna really regret having me on your team right now," I laughed as I stepped up to the table, trying my best to mimic what everyone else had been doing.

"Wait how do you put the fingers?" I turned around to ask, but of course McCabe was already next to me to conveniently show me how it was done.

"Whoo, get it girl," Beth exclaimed and my cheeks flushed as the Irish woman moved behind me. Did Beth know? Or was it just a random comment? They are close and she was at the festival so maybe she knew? Although we'd kind of agreed not to tell anyone. Although had we actually said it out loud? Or was it like an assumption..

My thoughts were cut off very abruptly when Katie placed both arms around me from behind, guiding my hands into the correct positions. I swallowed hard and tried my best to focus on what she was saying. Something about angles. I was lost already.

Nervous about what this looked like, I looked up only to be met with Viv's amused expression. Shit. Amused and knowing expression.

It was just a game. She was just teaching me because she's competitive and wanted us to win. I tried to shake the worried thoughts out of my head as she pulled the stick thing back with both our hands on it and then guided it forward. It actually made impact with the white ball, which honestly was a big win in itself. And then the domino effect went off and three of the correct balls ended up falling into holes.

I honestly wouldn't have even known that they were the correct ones, had it not been for Beth's whooping sounds behind us. "And that's how it's done!" she exclaimed, pointing at Vivianne.

The tall woman just laughed and stepped up to the table since it was now her turn. "You're on."