-Mabel-
I've never been a natural clean freak. It always takes an effort from me to keep my things organized. I've been sorting through the things inside my desk for the past half hour. This is about the third time I have done this since I got this desk two weeks ago. I finish up by putting paper clips and tacks into the organizer I recently bought. That is what I am doing when Chimney walks up and begins picking at the leaves on my new plant. I have the urge to swat him, but it dissipates when he speaks.
"Are you busy tonight? Buck and I are going to the karaoke bar after work if you want to join." He invites, finally giving my poor plant a break. He glances up and gives me a half-smile while waiting for my answer.
"Thanks, Chim, I'll think about it. Although, it sounds like quite the sausage fest." I say, smirking at the incredulous look that covers his face.
"Well, Don't tell Buck, But Maddie is going to be there. We're leaving as soon as Buck is done with his beauty routine." This causes a genuine laugh to fall from my lips.
"Okay, That was actually funny."
"I'm a funny guy!" He exclaims.
"Really, when?" I pause as he gasps sarcastically. "Sure, I'm in."
"Well, I regret inviting you now." He jests.
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When we finally get to the bar it looks different than I thought. It's more of a relaxed feel that I enjoy. I follow behind the pair of men as they make their way to a table near the bar. I take a seat next to Buck and Chim sits across from us. I talked the boys into taking me to the apartment so I could change, so I'm now wearing a black low-cut dress with small flowers dotting the fabric. Buck looks nice, as usual, dressed in a blue button-up and khaki pants.
"The world looks so different now that I'm single again," Buck states, scanning his eyes around the bar.
"Buck, you've been single for months," Chimney replies, almost exasperated.
"Yeah only circumstantially. I know Abby's been gone for a while, but in my head, we've been together this whole time. But now I'm out of her place-"
"And living on my couch." Chimney retorts while looking down at his phone.
"Which I-I really appreciate."
"Wait you moved out of Abby's place? Good for you, Buck." I interject, looking over at him.
"I'm happy to help, even though I initially thought you were just coming over to watch the game."
Buck continues to talk about how he's scared to get back into dating for fear of returning to what he calls 'Buck 1.0'. He claims he wants to be 'single Buck 2.0'
I space out when he starts talking about the blonde across the bar who is aggressively licking the salted rim of her glass while her eyes are locked on Buck's body.
"Say I go over there, right. I uh- make a joke, she smiles, we both laugh. Our- our shoulders touch, there's a moment. I lean in a little closer, she doesn't resist. One drink, two compliments later, we end up in bed together having totally meaningless sex." He explains, putting together a mental picture for Chimney.
"Yeah, that sounds awful," Chimney replies sarcastically.
"Just terrible, having women fall all over you like that." I join, feigning disgust. Well, half feigning. That ugly feeling of jealousy rearing its head once again.
"I just, I don't want to be that guy again," Buck says, still talking with his hands.
Just before the conversation can go any farther a waitress walks up to take our drink orders. Buck orders two IPA's for himself and Chimney.
"I'll have a glass of chardonnay." I chime in, grinning. This is the first time in a long time that I have been out like this on my own.
"Make that two glasses of chardonnay actually," Chimney corrects as his phone dings.
"Who's the second glass for?" Buck questions with a knitted brow.
"Maddie, she was parking."
"You invited my sister?"
Maddie approaches the table and sits down her purse while making small talk with Chim. Buck only looks over at me with an incredulous expression which makes me giggle. He smiles back in return.
"So, why did you decide to come out with us tonight?" Buck questions.
"Well, that is quite the story. Eddie and Shannon think they are being slick, sneaking around like teenagers. But the walls in that place are very thin and I think if I heard them going at it one more time I would lose my mind." I groan, running my hands through my hair.
Two glasses of wine later, Chimney and Maddie are singing a duet on stage as Buck downs the rest of his beer next to me. As he finishes, Buck walks up to the bar and the bartender hands him a glass of whisky. He explains that it is from a lady across the bar. I follow Buck's gaze to find none other than Taylor Kelly smiling at him seductively.
"Uh, excuse me for a minute, Mabel. I'm going to go say hi to Taylor." Buck says, not waiting for a reply or giving me a second glance as he walks away. I watch as he sits down next to her and they make a short conversation. My eyes trail back over to where the duo on stage is killing their karaoke song. Damn, Maddie can sing. I get lost in the lyrics for a moment before glancing back to see the seats previously occupied at the bar, empty. I start looking around the room and find them practically running into the bathroom, lips attached.
"Buck 2.0, huh," I mumble, standing to get a glass of something stronger than wine.
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"And the next thing I know, they're having sex in the bathroom." I sigh, rubbing my temples in a failing attempt to soothe my hangover.
"Yeah, that sounds like Buck," Eddie mumbles, wiping down the kitchen counter after breakfast. "Other than that, did you have fun, meet anyone?" He adds, scrubbing one spot hard.
"Nope, I sat at the table alone, then third wheeled with Chimney and Maddie until Buck came back smelling like sex with lipstick all over his face," I reply, trying to seem unbothered.
"Maybe you should try and meet someone. Usually, I don't recommend it, but a one-night stand could be just what you need."
"I've never done that before, Ed. I don't even know what that means really." I sigh.
I'm glad I have the day off. I spend it in bed nursing my headache and trying to wipe the images of last night out of my head. Well, the ones that the liquor didn't already wipe for me. I'm just waking up from a nap when I get a phone call.
I answer, greeting Buck as cheerfully as I can muster. He practically begs me to come with him to Chimney's house. Apparently, they are having takeout and Buck doesn't want to be a third wheel. I reluctantly agree because I enjoy Maddie's company. Eddie agrees to drop me off since Buck is already there. I thank him before he drives away and make my way up the stairs, following the directions in the text I received from Maddie. I hear her voice ring through the apartment as I approach the door. A poor delivery man is standing outside with a giant bag of food. I stand awkwardly behind him, waving when he turns to glance at me.
Maddie opens the door and hands the man money before grabbing the bags out of his hands.
"Wait, a news van? Don't other people use that. What if you got caught? She could get fired." Maddie lectures, gesturing me into the apartment and greeting me with a hug. As she pulls out of the hug she rolls her eyes in my direction.
"Your brother sure did." Chimney chimes in.
"I don't even want to know," I say, taking a seat across from Buck at the dining table.
"OH, He didn't tell you about the time he stole a firetruck from work so he could have sex in it." He continues.
Maddie lets out a sound of disgust and sticks her tongue out, causing me to breathe a laugh. Buck sarcastically thanks Chimney for sharing and he returns the sentiment with an "Anytime, roomie."
"Damn it. They didn't put it in there again!"
"Ta-da!" Chimney replies to Maddie's distress, pulling out a small bowl with a whisk in it.
"You made me hot mustard." She replies a hand pressed to her heart.
Buck stares at them with an unreadable expression. I however am just thinking about how perfect they seem for each other. Buck eventually asks about the large amount of food in front of them and they explain what they call 'buffridays' to him.
"That is genius!" I exclaim, hopping up from the chair and moving into the living room to sit on the carpet. I fold my legs under me and grab chopsticks as Chimney hands me a takeout container. Buck reluctantly follows behind and sits on the sofa chair adjacent to the couch.
"Uh, let's go back to you stealing a hook and ladder for a hookup." Maddie jokes.
"It's your fault. You know, you always told me to go after what I wanted. Be confident. Girls aren't scary." He replies.
"You were eleven, don't you have impulse control?"
"I'm not sure that's the problem." Chimney joins, holding a finger in the air to make his point.
"All I'm saying is she's beautiful, she's cool. And then she left me standing in a parking lot." He explains, using his hands to talk.
"Quite literally with your pants down I'm guessing," I mumble after swallowing my bite. Maddie snickers at my commentary.
"Yeah, I'm feeling this is a little more karmic. Chickens coming home to roost," He laughs before continuing "You've been Bucked. Buck 2.0 has found himself a Buckette 1.0. Dude, You're dating yourself.'
"We're not dating," Buck defends, glancing between the pair, "But you two are."
When Chimney and Maddie start to nervously stutter and laugh about how they're just friends, I know they're busted. Buck continues by laying out all of the things he's noticed between the two of them. I am trying to mind my business, suddenly finding the inside of my takeout container very intriguing. He only stops interrogating them when his phone vibrates on the table.
He stands from his seat, greeting the person on the phone while walking into the kitchen. As soon as he steps out Maddie and Chim share a look of relief and we eat in silence while listening to Buck shoot down a coffee date with whoever is on the other end. He hangs up and returns, exclaiming, "being Buck 2.0 sucks."
We continue to converse and joke until the food is gone and I am beyond stuffed. Buck agrees to take me home before it gets too late. Once in the car, I notice that he is in deep thought as he weaves through the traffic. After fifteen minutes we pull up to Eddies and he kills the engine.
"Hey, you mind giving me some advice Mae? I need your opinion on something and you have been right about everything so far." He asks, grabbing my hand to keep me from opening the door.
"Sure Buck. What's up?" I inquire, resting myself back in the seat.
"That call I got earlier, It was from a girl we saved during the earthquake. Her name's Ali. She wants me to get coffee and catch up with her. Is that a bad idea?" He asks, looking torn.
"If you didn't think it was a bad idea, would you be asking me?" I reply, trying to get him to decide on his own.
"I don't think it's very Buck 2.0 of me."
"The hero/victim complex is a very slippery slope, Buck."
"You're right. I knew it was a bad idea. Man, dating is so scary. It's like I'm a teenager again." He sighs, staring at me over the center console.
"You just got out of a serious relationship, Buck. Don't be too hard on yourself. Allow yourself some freedom to do the things you've been missing out on." I reply, returning his strong eye contact.
"You know, you're right. There is one thing I've been thinking about constantly for a while. I think It's about time I just say 'fuck it' and do it." He talks lowly, but with newfound confidence.
"That's the spirit! Go after what you-"
My sentence is interrupted by his lips messily crashing onto mine. The shock subsides after a moment and I move my lips against his. It's the complete opposite of what I thought he would be like. This kiss is soft and sweet. His hands grasp the sides of my face while mine find the hair at the nape of his neck. My stomach is turning into knots in the best way. It's like a wave crashing onto the shore and slowly returning out to the ocean, peaceful and right. I haven't felt butterflies in years, and it makes me feel alive again. After a moment his tongue swipes my bottom lip, begging for more. Just as I allow it, the porch light turns on outside of Eddie's. We pull away from each other and meet our eyes meet. Heavy breaths and my beating heart are all that I can hear.
"I'm so glad I had the nerve to do that." Buck pants, his thumb brushing my cheek.
"I- I don't even know what just happened," I say, suddenly panicked. My mind plagued with all of the ways that this could go terribly wrong.
I glance back across the street to see Eddie standing outside, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Uh oh," I laugh, "I better go. Dad saw us. Listen, Buck, can we talk about this tomorrow? Maybe we can grab lunch?" I smile, trying to reassure him (and myself) that there's nothing to regret.
"Sure, I'll call you." He replies, seeming defeated.
I quickly peck his cheek and smile at him before climbing out of the jeep.
"Hey, Mae!" He shouts out of the window. "I had fun with you these past few nights. A lot more fun than I've had in a long time."
"Me too, Evan. And you don't even know what that means to me, so thank you." I smile before crossing the street. I notice that Eddie has returned inside and I shyly wave as Buck drives away.
I subconsciously bring my shirt to my nose with my hand, taking in the smell of him. He always smells like ocean air and clean laundry with a bit of musk. My lips pull into a giant smile and I skip inside, not caring what Eddie has to say.
AUTHORS NOTE
WOOO, I'm pumped! My knuckles hurt from typing so long, but they finally kissed!!!!!! It may seem too soon, but don't think this is going to be an easy love story. I also think this is the longest chapter so far, so enjoy!
Question of the chapter
What is your favorite part of this chapter? Or the story so far?
Let me know in the comments!
Love you guys!