Can't Remember to Forget You

Chapter Sixteen

Cassie

"I can't believe that just happened." I said into Owen's chest.

He had one hand on my lower back and the other was holding the back of my head to him. I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable now. I had stopped crying a while ago, but he was still holding me. I awkwardly stepped out of his grasp.

"Are you alright?" He asked sweetly.

Who knew Owen the butthole was capable of sounding sweet. "Yeah, I am good." I told him, building some strength back to my hoarse voice. "That guy just came up to me inside and started talking to me like he knew who I was." I explained to him. "He asked if we could go outside for a second to talk and I stupidly followed him out here. I'm sorry you had to get involved." I turned to walk back to the door then quickly turned back to him. "Oh, and thank you." I gave him a soft smile. "Thank you so much."

"Where are you going?" He questioned me when I turned back away.

I shrugged my shoulders and then opened the door. "I've got to get back to work."

Owen quickly walked over to where I was and slammed the door shut again. "You can't work here." He said firmly. "There is no way in hell."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "What do you mean I can't? I can work wherever I want."

"You're telling me you want to work at a strip club?" he asked me incredulously.

"Well, no. I needed a job, and this was the only place that would have me."

His expression changed quickly. "You know what? Now that we are talking about it, what the fuck were you thinking?" He actually started to sound angry. "How could you leave the hospital and then just take off and disappear? Your doctor was fucking worried. I sounded like such a prick when he called me to check in on you and I had no clue where you were. I have been looking for you all day!" He rubbed his chin exasperatedly.

"You've been looking for me? Why?" I asked. I don't know why he'd bother. I would have thought by the time they called him I would be on my way back home and he wouldn't care anyway. The look on his face told me that I had been wrong.

"Of course I looked for you." He said loudly. "I wasn't going to just let you run off and get murdered or some shit. Don't you remember how you ended up in the hospital in the first place? Did you want that to happen again? It was so stupid for you to do that. You should have just called me Cassie."

"Oh I should have just called the guy who I DON'T know and that just broke up with me?" I laughed a little at that. "Yeah, you're right. What was I thinking? Total stupid move." I yanked the door back open. "Obviously it wasn't too stupid of me, I am doing just fine on my own."

He slammed the door back shut. I looked to him with my eyes wide. "Seriously Owen, what the heck do you want?"

"You're doing just fine?" He laughed. "You are working in a strip club Cassie. Be serious. Where are you even staying? There is no way you've found a place yet."

"I'm just tending the bar here Owen, not that it is any of your business what I do." I was pretty sure I saw relief run across his face when I said that. "I worked something out with the owner and he lets me sleep here for a percentage of what I make on tips."

"Are you sleeping with him?" He accused me.

My jaw just hung open. I slapped his hand away from the door and pulled it open yet again. I stepped inside. "If that is the kind of person you think I am, then I don't know why what I do concerns you so much." I said then walked away. He called for me but I didn't turn back. I can't even start to think about why he would think I would sleep with someone just for a place to stay.

I hurried back behind the bar and gave Trix a long hug. "You alright doll face?" She asked me.

I love Trix. She is such a special person. One of the things I have learned so far here is that you can't just judge people on the spot. I used to think girls that work in places like this were trashy and beneath me. Really though, everyone here has their own story, just like me. Trix is the closest thing I've had to a friend in the city so far. She was tall, rail thin, and had platinum blonde hair that ran down to her butt. She was at least 35, but the wrinkles on her face made me think maybe even older than that. She had taken me under her wing here and I love her so much for it.

I squeezed her a little tighter then let go. "I'm fine. Just want to get back to work." I told her leaning across the bar to pick up some empty glasses.

"Well, do you want to tell me what the asshole is doing here?"

I followed her gaze to the lounge area on the opposite side of the club. Owen was sitting at a table with a bunch of other guys and it seemed like they were talking with each other. It was obvious that he knew them the way they were cutting up. Every few seconds though, just like he was set on a timer, Owen would cut his eyes up and this way to look at me.

I just kept busy filling drinks and pretending not to notice him. "I don't know why he is still here. He's such a jerk Trix, honestly I don't know why I would have dated him."

"Honey, you have to admit that he is stupid handsome."

"Maybe just the stupid part." I joked feeling his eyes on me again.

Trix grabbed my arm to stop me from moving around so much. "Look doll, he may be an ass, but when he came in looking for you I haven't ever seen a man seem so concerned for someone else. At least not in here." She added.

"Whatever." I said then went back to working.

Maybe I do need to cut him some slack. He did just save me from that creep outside. Also, he did seem really happy to have found me. I'm still unsure how he did it though. I hadn't told anyone what my plans were so how he tracked me all the way out here is a mystery.

As closing time got close Carl came around and checked with everyone. "You gals doing good over here?" He asked us.

"All good, Carl." I told him while I dug out my tips from the night. It had been slow and after I handed over his half I only had $100 left.

Carl smiled and patted me on the back. "Good work this week." He told me as he walked away to check with the rest of the girls.

I scanned the club. Lilac was up on the stage doing the last dance of the night, and there were only 3 patrons left. One of them being Owen.

I finished wiping off the bar and then headed over to him.

He was sitting alone and playing on his phone. He wasn't paying the least bit of attention to the girl walking around topless, or the dancer on stage.

"Owen, we are closing, you need to leave." I said firmly to him crossing my arms across my chest.

He looked up from his phone and gave me a cocky grin. "That's fine, I am just waiting on you to be ready to go."