Glass Hearts (7 page)

“No, he’ll be fine. He’s probably still sleeping.”

We walk to Loft 10, talking about all the things we want to do this summer. Dane has a long list of galleries he wants to visit around the city, and I want to start running again; he offers to join me in the mornings as long as he doesn’t work the night before. There is a calm that has settled over our relationship again and everything feels perfect. I feel more comfortable with myself than I have in a long time, but I still can’t shake the feeling that Dane is hiding something from me. For now, I push all the negative feelings away and try to stay in the moment, hoping it’s just my lingering insecurities.

When we walk into Loft 10, he places his hand on my lower back to guide me toward the bar. It’s really early for the night crowd, so the place is almost empty which I like. The less people, the less chance of drama.

Jay notices us as soon as we take our seats and heads in our direction. “Alex, I haven’t seen you in ages. How have you been, beautiful?”

“Hey, watch it, Jay. You can’t flirt with my girl while I’m sitting right next to her,” Dane teases, placing his arm over the back of my chair.

Jay laughs. “Can you disappear for awhile then?”

“Okay, guys. I’m sitting right here, and I’m thirsty. Can you please get me something to drink?” My feet are killing me, and the back of my shirt is drenched in sweat.

“What can I get you?” Jay asks.

“I’ll take a Bud Light and a glass of ice water please,” I reply, reaching to grab some cash from my purse.

“I got it,” Dane scowls. I know it makes him feel good to take care of me, but it’s having the opposite effect on me. He seems to pick up on my thoughts. “We’re on a date. I always pay for our dates.”

“Fine.” It’s not worth fighting him. I know he’ll win anyway.

“So, what have you two been up to?” Jay asks, throwing the bar towel over his shoulder. Jay’s a good looking guy, but when he flips the towel over his shoulder, it doesn’t have near the effect on me as when Dane does it.

“I’m trying to find a job. It’s a little harder than I thought it was going to be,” I sigh. I really don’t know what I was expecting. We’ve been to every clothing boutique within a ten-block radius of our apartment as well as three coffee shops and a small art gallery and not one of them is hiring.

Jay looks at Dane and then back at me. “We’re looking for help on the weekends. It’s a cocktail waitress position, but the tips are really good. You would probably make more on Friday and Saturday than you would working five days a week in a store.”

I’m a little shocked that Dane didn’t mention this to me at all today, or yesterday for that matter. I look in his direction to see him glaring at Jay. “Alex does not want to work in a bar,” he finally says, narrowing his eyes at Jay.

“Wait, when did I say I wouldn’t work in a bar?” I ask, raising an eyebrow in his direction. His jaw works back and forth as he continues to stare down Jay. I think it’s safe to say that Dane Wright does not want me working in a bar.

He focuses his attention on me. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he says in a low voice.

“Why not?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I just don’t,” he replies, taking a sip from his beer. I need a job, and since Dane can’t give me a good reason why I shouldn’t work here, I don’t see any reason to pass on it. I have no experience, but how hard can it be?

“Can I get an application, please?” I ask, ignoring the way Dane is now glaring at me. I can see him clearly out of the corner of my eye, but I’m the one person he can’t intimidate.

“Alex—”

“Stop. I need a job, and I like this place. I’m doing it,” I say, trying to keep my voice low.

“Dammit,” Dane mutters. His eyes are fixated on Jay again, but Jay seems unaffected. In fact, he’s smiling at Dane like he just beat him at a game.

I fill out the application and hand it over to Jay who tells me he will leave it on the manager’s desk. I can’t do anything, but cross my fingers and hope that everything works out. I have a little bit of cash left, but it won’t get me farther than another week or two.

We spend the next hour talking to Jay before the bar gradually starts to fill up. It’s been a long day, and Dane looks just as tired as I feel. “Should we go up to the apartment and go to bed?” I whisper in his ear. I pull back just enough for him to see the glimmer in my eyes…he can read me like a book.

He stands, grabbing my hand as he does. “Let’s go. I’m tired,” he winks. If he’s still mad about me applying for a job at Loft 10, he doesn’t show it as he practically pulls me from my seat.

Halfway up the stairway, he turns towards me and cradles my face in his hands. His eyes are dark and full of lust. It’s the look he gets when he’s not going to taste my lips, but devour them instead. My breathing quickens as I anticipate his next move. I close my eyes as his lips finally meet mine, sending warm tingles throughout my whole body. He doesn’t waste a second before coaxing my mouth open with the tip of his tongue. I can feel him everywhere: my skin, my heart, my mind; his kisses are like breaths for my soul.

When he pulls back and grabs my hand to lead me up the stairs, I’m wound tight. I need him. As he works to unlock the door, I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my cheek on his back. The door clicks open, but instead of moving inside, Dane freezes. My heart races as I think of all the possible reasons for his reaction. He tries to block me as I move to his side to see what’s going on, but I’m too fast.

I wish I’d stayed behind him.

I should have known this would happen. Nolan agreed to go to rehab tomorrow, but I should have guessed he would want one last party before he left. The second I open the door and see his bare ass and hear a female moaning under him, I know my night has just taken a turn for the worse. I move my eyes away to try to get the picture out of my head, and notice the line of coke sitting on my sofa table. Fuck.

I feel Alex shift behind my back and move to block her view, but I’m too late. I hear her gasp as she sees what I’ve been trying to shield her from. I quickly grab her arms and pull her attention towards me, feeling her body tremble in my hands. I’m so fucking pissed off, but I try to shake off some of my rage before addressing her. It doesn’t take a genius to see she’s two seconds away from completely breaking down. “Wait out here and I’ll take care of this, okay?” She nods, her eyebrows pinched together as I walk inside, closing the door behind me.

“Nolan, what the fuck man? Get this shit cleaned up now!” I yell, finally getting his attention.

He pushes into her a couple more times before finally turning his attention to me. “Calm down, asshole. I just needed something to help me relax. You get that don’t you?” He smiles at me while his dick is still buried deep in some girl. He’s toying with my guilt, but I’m not going to let him blame me for this one. If he blames everything on his past, he’ll never be able to move forward.

“I’m going to step outside. You have two fucking minutes to clean this place up and show your company out the door!” I don’t wait for him to reply as I slam the door behind me. He’s high which means anything that comes out of his mouth won’t serve any purpose other than to piss me off.

When I step out into the hallway, Alex is sitting up against the wall with her arms wrapped around her legs. She smiles weakly, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that she’s uncomfortable. This is exactly why I never brought friends home when I was growing up. It wasn’t Nolan then; it was my mom, which made it worse.

I slide down the wall to sit next to Alex. She rests her head on my shoulder and reaches for my hand, entwining our fingers. I need to take care of this for her. I need to fix this…she deserves better than this. “His guest is leaving,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

She sighs. “I’m not five. I’ll be fine. I’m not so sure about the couch, though.”

“Stop,” I cringe. We sit in silence, waiting for the door to open. I’m getting tired, and I’m still pissed as hell that he brought this into my house. I can’t blame him for using tonight, though. He would be sick as hell right now without it. I know that better than anyone.

The door opens, breaking the silence. Neither of us looks up. I’m sure things are awkward enough for the girl he brought to my apartment the way it is. If she is one of Nolan’s usual girls, she probably isn’t worth knowing anyway.

“Dane.”

I look up to see Bree. I’m stunned speechless. Out of all the people, he had to bring my ex-girlfriend back to my apartment to fuck, knowing that I could return with Alex at any moment.

Bree was the closest thing I had to love before I met Alex. We were both fucked up on drugs and our pasts. We didn’t have a real relationship based on love and emotion, but we did have an understanding. She understood my crazy life because hers wasn’t much different, but she didn’t challenge me, or make me want to be a better person. She accepted me for who I was when what I really needed was someone to push me to be better. We were a band-aid for the other’s loneliness.

I’m so pissed that I almost forget Alex is sitting right next to me until I feel her fingernails dig into my arm. I glance in her direction and see her wide eyes taking in Bree. Then I remember that Alex knows exactly who Bree is from the night she saw her in the club with me when I was working. My heart drops into my stomach.

She looks at me, and then quickly glances away again. It doesn’t take a genius to see she’s confused, and maybe even a little disgusted.

“What’s the matter, Dane? Can’t think of anything to say for once?” Bree says, letting the sarcasm drip from her voice. The sweat forms on my forehead as I look back up at her. She’s high; I can tell by the way her eyes are glazed over and the maniacal tone of her voice. She doesn’t care if she hurts me right now. In fact, that’s exactly what she wants to do.

“It’s time for you to go home. I’ll give you $20 for a cab. Do you need help getting downstairs?” I ask, standing up to grab my wallet from my back pocket. I don’t really care how much it costs to get her out of here…I just want her gone.

She steps forward and presses her hand to my chest. I try to step back, but the wall holds me in place. “He said it’s time to go, so go,” Alex says, standing up beside me. She grabs Bree’s hand and removes it from my chest before wrapping her arm around my waist. The Alex I met earlier this year would have left me standing here alone, thinking of every possible thing that could be going on between me and Bree, but that’s not how it is anymore.

Bree’s eyes dance between us as I watch a wicked grin form on her face. She locks her eyes on Alex. “How well do you really know him? Or should I say, how well do you think you know him?”

“Bree.” I move to grab her arm to help her out of the building, but she wiggles away from me, stepping closer to Alex.

“You don’t really know him, do you? He pretends to be so perfect for you, but you’ll never know what he’s feeling or who he really is. I do,” Bree says, narrowing her eyes in my direction. I look at Alex. Her chest is rising and falling rapidly, but she’s otherwise motionless. She won’t look at me, but she’s having trouble keeping her eyes on Bree too.

“You need to go. Now!” I yell.

“I wasn’t done talking to your new friend yet, Dane.” She stumbles back, hitting the wall on the other side of the hall. She quickly regains her composure and smiles at Alex. “He used to be my friend, you know. He was actually the best friend I ever had, and then he just left me. I hope he’s a better friend to you.”

I glance at Alex who’s shaking her head. “I think it’s time for you to go,” she finally says. Her eyes are glued to Bree; she still won’t look at me.

“What? You don’t want to hear the truth? Let me tell you a little something else.” She pauses and licks her lips. My head is pounding as I go over all the things that could come out of her mouth. Alex knows a lot about me, but she doesn’t know everything. Right now, I regret that I haven’t told her all my truths. “You’ve been with Dane for awhile, right? I think I saw you at the bar with him a few months ago. Anyway, Dane and I were at the same party a couple months ago and we almost, well, I’ll let him tell you. That’s if he even remembers. He was a little lost that night. Like old times. Right, Dane?”

Alex has gone completely pale as she moves away from me, bracing her weight against the wall. I wish we would have stayed at the bar all night. I wish my brother had a better head on his shoulders, but most of all I wish I had been man enough to tell Alex everything when she came back to me instead of letting it get to this. In a million years, I couldn’t have guessed she’d find out like this; she deserves more from me. If I could go back in time and fix this now, I would. I hate seeing Alex like this, especially knowing that I caused it.

I’m about to put Bree over my shoulder, and carry her out of here before she does any more damage when Nolan opens the door, saving me from myself. “What the fuck is going on out here?” he asks. It takes everything I have not to punch him. He had to have known this would happen.

“Get her the fuck out of here!” I yell. I reach in my pocket and pull out a twenty-dollar bill. “Help her outside and get her a cab.”