THRUST

Chapter Three

After three drinks I've learned a lot about Alice.

Not only are we on a first name basis now, but she also knows where I live, which in turn, led to the fact that she and Angela, live just a block away from Charlie's-my house, which is cool.

While she's been chatting. I've been drinking.

Not a care in the world.

This is the best idea I've had in weeks.

Two drinks later, I know all about Angela— Alice's girlfriend-slash-roommate of two years. They'd both experienced normal childhoods, had both grown up straight, but when they met each other, a friendship quickly turned to much more.

"I know, it doesn't make any sense. Straight one day, lesbian the next... but that's exactly what happened to me... she has something that changed me. And not only me. We both changed each other. She's really special, you know?"

I smile at her. She's wearing that vivid look of love on her face as she stocks the glass bottles into the ice. The look of happiness and content on her face lights up a lonely place, deep down, inside me. And you know... I do know what that feels like... it's just been a long, long time. Seeing that feeling spread from the inside out, in Alice makes me yearn to feel that way too.

A flash of Brigg's muscular back races through my mind.

"What about that guy Briggs?" I ask. "Looks to me like he's got it bad for you." I give her a playful smirk and wiggle my brows as I stir my drink. The alcohol is bubbling through me at this point and I feel alive. Almost like I belong here and like I've known Alice my whole life.

She doesn't waste a second and says with a laugh and matter of factly, "Briggs doesn't really like me," she stacks napkins into the holder. "He just wants the bragging rights of turning me back straight... besides, Jake would kill him— he knows I'm off limits in more than one capacity. He's just having fun."

"Who's Jake?" I play it off as I ask.

"Jake's my cousin," she pours mixed nuts into three plastic bowls and spaces them evenly across the bar. "This," she twirls her hand around surveying the area,"is pretty much his place." I just nod, like this is all news to me.

She continues, "All the boys around here are super territorial but Jake made it nearly impossible to date in high school. Angela was practically the best thing that ever happened to both of us." We both laugh until the faint rumble of motorcycles permeates through the walls and the low music.

I instantly feel a pang of tension, but I dismiss it.

"Speak of the devil," she says as she turns to grab a rag.

Sliding my chair back, I turn to her as I grab my bag. "I'll be right back, gonna run to the restroom."

The men that were huddled at the table are all quiet as I walk by. One is on his phone, speaking quietly but it's obvious that he's letting somebody have it. The other is writing on the corner of what looks to be a set of blueprints. The biggest one of them all, glances at me and slides the sleeve of his suit jacket up to peek at his watch before turning his eyes back to me with a look on his face that says you're wasting your life.

I look away, trying to make it to the tiny sign that indicates there's a restroom behind the door.

Jessica was spot on about the bathrooms.

They're pretty gross.

Toilet paper spills out of the basket onto the floor, the toilet seat is up and one of those cone shaped air fresheners sits atop the back of the toilet. It doesn't help... there's a stench in here that will take a lot more than freshener.