The Show Goes On

And Then Donnie was 31

In the next month, things remained stable. Brandi's bruises had faded back to peach and her stitches had finally come off, leaving her face as it always was, with the exception of a thin slash across her cheek. That scar would never heal. Lenny hadn't tried to speak to her again. Brandi stopped checking her windows at night. Jordan and Brandi's usual tradition of going out for drinks and coffee continued and they would constantly hit New York's trendy restaurants and things felt back to normal. However, after the night Brandi spent at Jordan's house, nothing had moved forward and nothing had really changed. Sometimes she caught herself remembering the way he hugged her and wished that he would do it again. But Jordan was married. And she didn't want to push him into doing something only she wanted. Naomi was prettier, taller, thinner, more everything than Brandi was. How was she supposed to compete with her? A former Miller Lite girl. Jesus.

Jordan was happy that Lenny never tried to talk to Brandi after him and Donnie paid him a visit. But he didn't try to move things further with her. For one thing, after what Lenny did to her, he wasn't sure if she was ready. Or if she even wanted to. He didn't want to force himself on her or drive her away. But it was getting harder. He found himself looking at her from a few feet away, watching her put on lipstick. Pushing back her curls. Watching other guys at the office hit on her. Suddenly, everything was getting so complicated.
For Donnie's birthday in late November, Jordan rented out a huge Italian restaurant and invited everyone in the office for dinner.
"So you guys, who's gonna be the first one of us to get old?" Otter started to say at dinner. Everyone was pretty tipsy by then, since they'd been downing Italian wine and whiskey all night.
"Probably you. You're almost 40 aren't you?" Chester burped.
"Not true," he snapped. "At least I'm not as bald as Rugrat. Hey, Koskoff! Is it true you keep a treasure map under there?"
Rugrat's face went red and angry and he threw a plate at him. It shattered on the floor and shards of porcelain flew all over the floor. Everyone at the table burst out laughing.
"Jesus!" Donnie shouted. "Relax, Rugrat. For God's sake, you're gonna hurt someone, you dumbass."
Rugrat hated it when people asked about his toupee. Brandi sipped her drink. She was 24 now. Jordan was 33. They weren't the oldest ones there. Everyone was having a good time eating, looking forward to the inevitable after party that awaited at a nightclub two blocks away.
Brandi stacked her raviolis into a tower and drank her vodka-Sprite slowly. Jordan sat across from her watching quietly. She chewed on her straw and pushed around the ice in her cup. He was embarrassed by how much he liked to watch her do the simplest of tasks. She had full, white teeth and small cherry lips. Brandi looked up, bored and kicked Jordan lightly under the table. He looked up at her.
"Are you hungry?" She asked him.
"Not really, I guess. I plan on filling up with shots later tonight," he said.
"I'm not hungry either." She toppled the ravioli tower and they landed in the bed of sauce on her plate. Pushing it aside, she stood up.
"I'll be right back," Brandi said.

Was he watching her? She hoped he was. Brandi thought Jordan looked really good in his suit. She wanted to reach out and pull on his tie. She slowly paced the bathroom in her red heels. He had no idea how much she wanted to leave this place and go to the nightclub. It was too quiet for her.
And if she saw Jordan push his hair back one more time, it might just blow all of her fuses.

Finally, the group of suits waded across the chilled, crowded streets of Broadway to the nightclub. Brandi kept knocking into Jordan and making him laugh. When they finally got there, the first thing everyone did was pick their poison and get as drunk as possible. Tequila, vodka, juice, beer, whiskey, Cognac, gin, soda. The room buzzed with music and flashing lights and everyone was dancing.
"SHOTS!" Donnie screamed and the whole room collectively threw back their drinks.
Chester had taken his shirt off and started to grind himself inbetween two girls who looked like supermodels. Otter, Brian and Rugrat had taken to the bar and started to make up drinks with completely stupid names.
Quaaludes and cocaine were splayed out on every table and hookers squealed and danced around all the men. The women in the club danced and twirled and just about every man in the room looked at them with hungry eyes. Jordan and Naomi hadn't had sex for weeks since the last time they fought and he very nearly took hold of a red-headed woman who was offering herself to him. Then he looked at Brandi across the bar in her royal blue skirt and red high heels and something inside of him unclenched into a deep breath and he didn't want to anymore.
Hours later into the night, the entire club was still pulsating with music and dancing. Jordan was drinking himself into a haze near the bar with Donnie.
"So, Jordan," Donnie arched his eyebrows, sloshing the ice cubes in his cup.
"Uh-huh."
"How long have you had a thing for my cousin?" Donnie choked back a laugh.
Jordan spat out his illicit beverage and looked at him.
"Brandi? I don't have a thing for Brandi."
"Sure you do. I saw you looking at her. You've been looking at her the way I look at my mom's turkey on thanksgiving." Donnie laughed drunkenly.
"Retard. I don't," Jordan stifled his indignation in another sip of scotch.
"We all know you do, but what I really mean is, when are you going to ask her out, for real?"
Jordan looked at him. He had mastered a sort of poker face that he often used during meetings. Slightly squinted eyes and arched eyebrows, straight mouth.
"I can't do that," Jordan exhaled finally.
"Why not? I'm sure Brandi wants to get laid by someone other than a douchebag like Lenny."
"That's not the point, I don't want to just mess around with her and be done with it."
"You actually-" Donnie cut himself off and looked at Jordan pointedly. "You actually want to take her out."
"Yeah. But after what Lenny did, I don't know if she even wants to, if she's even ready."
"She's been ready. Go tell her. She's probably sick of waiting for you to do it," Donnie leaned back in his seat and loosened his tie.
"Donnie, she-"
"Look, I know my cousin. She looks at you different than she does other people, and that's already saying something. It's enough for you to go do something about it."
Jordan blinked. Donnie didn't ever talk like that, like he was trying to convey something important.
He decided he was going to try, even if Brandi shot him down.
He didn't want to miss this last chance.

{ 🌸Author's Note🌸 : Aaahh omg thank you all so much for reading @ everyone who's up to this point in the story, sorry it's taken me so long to update but I promise I'll get to it way more quickly from now on!!
Much love for all of u I appreciate all your support, I never thought I'd get this many reads or votes lol if u have any suggestions or ideas on anything plss comment or message me :')) will update soon!!
-me💖💖:)) }