Rachel barged into the apartment, "where is she?" She cried out.
Dani's acting was almost awe inspiring as she hysterically called Rachel and explained how she came to surprise us and found me passed out on the ground. She told Rachel how she ran to get help from Andrew and he was trying to wake me but it wasn't working.
Rachel raced to where I was laying on the floor. Andrew sat next to me, pretending to try and wake me. It took more restraint not to react to Andrew's touch, than it did not to smile. Once I heard Rachel sit down next to me, her voice frantic as she tried to wake me as well, I sat up.
"Hey Rachel, what took you so long?" I said casually and sat back on my hands.
"What?" She searched Andrew's face for any kind of understanding. He couldn't hold his laughter anymore and Dani and I followed suit.
"You mean you were pretending?" Rachel loudly exclaimed.
"Maybe next time don't ditch your best friend next time!" I teased.
Rachel laughed, "oh that's low Casey!" She turned to Andrew, "and you, I expected better from you."
Andrew put his hands up in defense, "hey, you were the one bragging to Jenny about ditching her."
"Aw, I should of known you'd side with her" she yielded.
"Sorry Rachel, I couldn't pass on the opportunity for a good prank" Dani added.
Rachel stood up and pulled Dani in for a hug, "girl it's gonna be great having you back!" I looked over at Andrew who was already looking at me. He smiled and stood up, then reached out his hand.
I didn't take it. The act seemed almost too personal and I wasn't ready for that. I pushed myself off the ground and Andrew dropped his hand.
"You got her pretty good" he forced a smile, clearly disappointed.
"Yeah, I don't think she will be ditching me ever again" I added.
Andrew sighed, "well I'm gonna head home and let you guys catch up. Thanks for tonight Casey. I had fun!"
"Me too" I replied, looking past him to avoid his gaze.
"Bye ladies!" he called out to Rachel and Dani who were still catching up. He gave Jack a quick fist bump and left.
"I'm gonna let you ladies do your thing, I'm going to bed" Jack explained before giving a kiss to Rachel and went to their room. Once he closed the door, Rachel whipped around to me. "Okay spill!"
"Spill what?" I was confused.
"Don't play dumb with me Miller, what was Andrew doing here?" she challenged, pointing her finger into my chest.
"He brought me dinner because my best friend ditched me" I teased.
"Wait, so are you and Andrew, like a thing?" Dani wondered.
"What? No!" I said too quickly.
Rachel rolled her eyes.
"So if you guys aren't dating, would you care if I try?" Dani raised her brow.
"Wait, you and Andrew?" Rachel was riveted.
"Yeah!" Dani responded like we should have known. "Andrew is dreamy, and I know he's one of the good ones."
"Hmm" Rachel seemed to contemplate that.
"So, Casey would you mind?" Dani asked.
"No, I don't mind at all" I answered, trying to make myself believe that I wasn't lying.
"Really?" Rachel looked at me, "you wouldn't mind?"
I laughed dryly, "why would I mind? I have no intentions of dating anytime soon" that last part was at least honest.
"Well okay, cool! So you think he'll go for me?" Dani lowered her voice.
"I don't know, Rachel tried for a long time. Then she had to settle for Jack" I teased.
"I did not settle" Rachel defended herself.
"I'm kidding, you and Jack were made for each other" I assured.
"Damn right!" Rachel added. "So you're really gonna go for it, huh?" she looked at Dani.
"Well yeah, I mean Andrew's the kind of guy you settle down with and I'm done dating these boys who can't commit."
"I don't miss those days" Rachel joked, referring to her many years of not willing to commit.
I rolled my eyes at her, "well I've had an exhausting day, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed!"
"Aww but I just got here" Dani pouted.
"Well some of us have to work in the morning" I said and hugged Dani one more time. "I'm happy you're back Dani!"
"Goodnight Casey!" both Dani and Rachel chorused.
I smiled as I went into my room. Today was a good day. My mom was right about letting people back into my life. I know I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in pain, and for once I can finally see the light at the end of that tunnel. I replayed the little moments throughout my day while I showered and got ready to go to sleep. Lola curled up with me on my bed and for the first time in a long time, I fell asleep quickly.
"Today's the day, you ready to finally move up in the corporate world?" Devon asked, as we walked off the elevator together.
I blushed, "that's if I get it. I heard a lot of good candidates applied" I informed him.
"Whatever, I'm sure that promotion's yours" he said confidently. "And after, we will go out a celebrate!"
I laughed, "sounds good!" We both sat down at our desks when our supervisor came up from behind.
"Good morning, Casey can I see you in my office?" she asked. Her expression was always serious, so I couldn't get a read on what to expect. She always showed to work dressed impeccably, her brown hair pulled back tight and her dark eyes almost looked black, adding to her menacing demeanor. She wasn't someone you wanted on your bad side at the office.
"Uh, I'll be right there Debbie" I said nervously.
"You got this!" Devon mouthed as I followed Debbie to her office.
"Take a seat Casey" she said without looking and sat down behind her desk. It took all the self control I had, not to bite my nails. Instead I writhed my hands together in my lap. Debbie sorted through papers on her desk for over a minute without saying a word. My heart was beating inside my chest and I was worried she could hear it with how quiet it was.
Finally she looked up at me, "well Casey congratulations, we'd like you to take over the Senior Analyst position."
The flood of relief overwhelmed me, and I was ecstatic. "Thank you Debbie, thank you so much!" I bubbled.
"We just need you to sign a few things and I can show you to your office" she handed me a small stack of documents.
Once I had signed everything that was required, I followed Debbie to my new office. It was right next to where my cubicle was, and I could see Devon smiling from the office facing window.
Debbie left me to get settled and I couldn't help but do a little happy dance.
"Nice moves!" Devon scared me. I blushed from embarrassment. "I told you you'd get it!" he cheered, and pulled me in for a hug. My body went rigid in surprise. Thankfully, he let go quickly, "so drinks tonight? We can celebrate?"
"Absolutely!" I exclaimed.
I spent the day moving all my things from my cubicle to my office. I set up my computer and began familiarizing myself with my new responsibilities.
"You ready to go?" Devon asked, leaning against the door frame.
"One sec, just gotta power down my computer."
I followed Devon to the brewery where Riley and Josh were already waiting. "Congratulations!" they both cheered when we walked in.
"Thank you!" I blushed.
"We already ordered drinks!" Josh pointed out. I grabbed a cup and slowly took a sip, still not a huge fan of beer.
"So, Casey how do you wanna celebrate your big promotion?" Riley asked excitedly.
"I kind of wanna do karaoke!" I smiled.
"It's not fun with you, you can actually sing" Josh pouted.
"But it's my night, and I say karaoke!" I insisted.
"Yes!" Riley cheered.
"Alright but no more duets with Josh" Devon added.
"I'll go first" Riley offered, "I've been practicing."
"That's awesome! Go for it!" I encouraged.
Riley stood up and adjusted her skirt before heading to the stage. She smiled nervously as the song she chose started. Riley had all the stage presence, with her long legs and wild red hair, but she couldn't carry a tune. It didn't matter though. I admired her confidence when she was up there. She didn't care what people thought, she just had fun, which was evident in her big, goofy grin.
The crowd cheered for her and she took a bow. "Alright, who's next?" she asked as she sat back down.
"My turn!" I jumped up. I had way too much energy to wait. I wanted to take all that excitement and sing. I knew I wanted to sing "Firework" by Katy Perry. It's words and melody conveyed everything I was feeling today. Only a few months ago I felt like I was living my life on autopilot. And now here I am, actually living my life.
The song began, and as I sang the words I felt empowered. I jumped up and down with the chorus, the energy I had was pouring out of me. My smile was from ear to ear as I looked out and saw the other people singing, dancing and laughing.
Riley, Devon and Josh were all up front now cheering me on. I don't know why I spent so many years afraid to perform. There was nothing that felt more amazing than this right now, even if it was just at a crowded brewery.
As I finished the song I looked out around the room. My heart stopped when I saw Andrew standing there leaning against the counter. His big brown eyes were wide as he smiled up at me. What was he doing here?
"Ahh Casey that was amazing!" Riley cheered.
"Did you see everyone jumping with you?" Devon exclaimed.
"Seriously you need to go on American Idol or something" Riley added.
"Thank you guys" I said while looking to see if Andrew was still there, but I couldn't see past Josh and Devon.
"Well I'm not following that" Josh teased as we headed back to our seats and another person took their turn to sing.
"Um, give me a minute I'll be right back" I said and walked over to where I saw Andrew standing. He was talking to the woman behind the counter. She was tall with brown hair and blue eyes. Actually, she almost reminded me of Leah.
Andrew turned around as I was approaching. My knees weakened when he smiled.
"You're here?" I asked.
"I am" his hands immediately went to his pockets.
"Why?" I asked, unable to form a proper sentence apparently. I thought I at least moved past my nervousness around Andrew.
He laughed dryly, "um well a friend of mine works here."
"Oh"
Andrew looked down at the ground and then looked back up at me, "you sounded amazing Casey."
"Um, thank you. I got the promotion" I attempted to explain, but my response sounded rushed.
"That's great! I'm happy for you!" he exclaimed.
"Uh yeah, it's— I'm yeah" I stammered.
"Here you go Andrew" the woman he was speaking to earlier, handed him a drink.
"I should uh, get back" I said and quickly turned around. I sat back down at my table and looked over at Andrew. His back was towards me as he was talking with the blue eyed girl again.
"Isn't that the bartender from Lucky's?" Josh asked.
"Yeah, yeah it is" I answered, my attention diverted towards Andrew.
"He's pretty hot!" Riley noted.
"Yeah, if you like all the dark rugged look" Devon remarked.
"Uh yeah, who doesn't?" Riley mocked Devon's obvious jealousy. I laughed at how oblivious Devon was to Riley. I have been trying to make him notice her more, but so far he just wasn't getting it.
"So Casey, is he single or what?" Riley asked while looking at Devon for a reaction.
Devon stared at me waiting for an answer.
"He is, actually" I responded slowly, not exactly enjoying the fact that I've been asked this twice now.
"Mmm, I'm gonna go talk to him" she decided. Riley stood and adjust her skirt, this time pulling it up rather than down, and made her way to the counter.
I leaned over to Devon, "you know I always thought you and Riley would make a good couple" I said quietly.
"Riley? And me? Why would you think that?" he asked incredulously.
I looked over to where Riley was making her move. Andrew kept his hands on his drink and his eyes up as she pushed herself onto him.
"Yeah, I mean she's gorgeous. Long legs, curves, and she's funny. That's like the trifecta right there" I explained, hoping it would click for Devon, that Riley was a catch, but more importantly she was available.
"I never thought about Riley that way" Josh chimed in as he started to check her out from across the room. That seemed to get Devon's attention.
"I'm uh, gonna go get a refill" he declared.
"Yeah, me too" Josh added.
I laughed at how well my plan finally worked. I forgot how competitive guys can be. I grabbed my purse, figuring it was time to go home, and snuck out to the parking lot.
"Your friend is pretty relentless" I heard Andrew call out as I neared my car. I turned to look at him walking towards me. "I was afraid she wasn't going to let me leave until those other two guys showed up" he continued as he got closer, his hand on the back of his neck, the other in his pocket.
"She's pretty great when she's sober" I tried to defend Riley.
"I'm sure" he said genuinely.
"Your friend is pretty, reminds me of Leah" I retorted.
"That's Leah's older sister Lana actually" he clarified.
"Oh, that's cool you two are friends" I hated how hopeful I sounded at the thought. I shouldn't be happy that Andrew isn't seeing anyone.
"Yeah uh, she hates Leah too so we sorta bonded"
"That's great" I shrugged in an attempt to prove his love life doesn't matter, and turned to unlock my car.
"Casey, are we good?" Andrew quickly asked.
"What?" I turned back to him.
"I mean, when you saw me tonight, you seemed upset" he explained and looked down, like he was afraid of my response.
"Uh yeah no everything's good" I assured with a nod.
"Okay, cause I thought maybe when you sent that girl over—"
"I didn't send her" I interjected.
"Oh good, she really isn't my type" he smiled. I tried to hide my own smile at the thought of Andrew's words and quickly turned back to my car, hoping he didn't notice.
"Well okay, I'll see you around" I said and climbed into my seat.
"Bye Casey" I heard him say before I shut my door.