"God fucking dammit," I mutter to myself, as I press the green button on the screen of my phone with my elbow, and put Seth on speaker. "What the fuck do you want?"
"Niall! Long time no see!" He shouts, voice completely opposite of mine. Something great must have happened to him, then. "You going clubbing with us tonight? Well, it's just me actually, because-"
"I told you fifty times today, and I'm gonna say it again," I cut him off, and lean down to my phone while washing my hands, "No."
"Come on," He drags the word out, sounding like a toddler that wants ice cream. Then again, he is just one giant child. "You haven't used your ID once since you came here!"
As I remember what I've gotten as a present when I pledged his fraternity – a fake ID that says I'm 21 – a smile appears on my face for the first time in hours. "And I don't plan to, either," I say through a small sigh, "I'm meeting Leanne when my shift's over."
"You know, I can just throw you out of the frat house if I want to," He warns me, and I can't help but chuckle at that. He wouldn't do it, I know he wouldn't. "Seriously, mate, all you do all day is think about Leanne and cut meat."
"Did you just say mate?" I ignore his teasing, even though it's 100% accurate. I do cut meat in a supermarket as a part-time job, and I do spend most of my time thinking about Leanne while I do it. Mostly so I wouldn't think about anyone else.
"Yes, see, that is how much time I spend with you. It's embarrassing." Seth's bluntness never fails to amaze me. "I'm becoming British."
"But I'm not British," I frown as I finally pick my phone up and turn the speaker off, placing it against my ear.
"Same thing." Well that is definitely not the same thing. "So, clubbing, yay or nay?"
"You just asked thirty seconds ago," I say loudly so he would hear me over the sound of the meat cutter; good thing I got a ten minute break from work. "And my answer is the same from thirty seconds ago. No."
"You're no fun," He almost whines, "Look, if you wanna see Leanne, you can just bring her with us. She doesn't even need a fake ID, that's one of the up sides of dating her anyway."
I nod in agreement, although I know he can't see me; even though I've never used her to buy me alcohol or anything – since I'm trying to live like an American and all – it's quite convenient that she's 21. I used to find dating older girls a little uncomfortable, and now I've got two of them in my head. Things were so much simpler in Ireland.
Come to think of it, every friend of mine and everyone I'm close to here, is over 21 – Seth being 22 – and then you have me. And that's depressing.
"Nope, still no." I sit on one of the chairs in the stockroom, "You're gonna get me to drink alcohol and I'm gonna kill you for it in the morning. I know it's gonna happen."
"Just ask her," He groans, ignoring, well, pretty much everything I'd told him. "For some reason no one wants to go out tonight, and I don't want to go clubbing alone."
"What do you mean no one wants to go out?" I laugh, "It's Friday."
"Yeah, but it's, and I quote, cold and rainy out, and we wanna watch the game."
"Damn, I wanted to watch the game," I mutter, even though I've no idea what game he's talking about – just to get on his nerves. "Wait, why are you even forcing me to go with you? Aren't you friends with like, everyone from every frat house in Chicago?"
"Yeah, but you're the easiest to force into something." I can literally hear the smug smile growing on his face as he speaks. "You'd make a terrible girl, like, you wouldn't be even capable of defending yourself if-"
"You know what?" I cut him off, before he said something that would make me have a serious case of déjà vu. "How about I just call Leanne, and... and ask her to go clubbing with us?" I sigh into the phone, already rubbing my face when I think of how the night is going to turn out if she says yes.
"That's more like it," Seth says, his tone a lot cheerier than just a minute ago. "When does your shift end?"
"At ten."
"Great, so, I'll bring your ID when I come to pick you up."
"But I already have my ID with me," I frown at the wall.
"No, I mean, the ID you need." Ah, well, that explains it.
"Alright. Just don't go through my stuff," I say loudly before he can hang up.
"Of course I won't." I already know my privacy is going to be invaded while I cut salami. "Okay, see you in... an hour. And make sure she says yes!"
Like I know how to do that. "Sure I will," I smile and press the red button on my screen before he can say anything else.
For a while I just sit and tap my foot against the floor, staring at the wall as I think of what to say. Obviously I'm gonna call her, but this wasn't what I had in mind when I wanted to ask her out again. I was hoping we'd go somewhere with less people, the cinema maybe, or any other Angel-free place. Guess not. The only good thing about this is that the place is going to be Angel-free.
"Horan?" I wince as I hear my last name, and look to the door, just in time to see one of the guys I work with at the door frame. "You gonna work, or..?"
"Yeah, I'll be right there." I unlock my phone and instead of calling her, I decide to text Leanne. It saves my time so what the hell.
To: Leanne
hey, change of plans. does clubbing sound okay? if not thats great
My message probably doesn't make any sense, but I don't really have the time to think about it. My meat awaits me. If I just stayed in Ireland, it would have been booze. What the hell is wrong with this country.
Instead of thinking what I could have been doing if I stayed home, I get up and stretch out, before walking out. The part of the large room where I work is almost too loud, given all the meat cutters that are turned on at the same time. There are a lot people standing by the freezers too; it's funny how everyone remembers they need something an hour before the store closes.
After taking a few orders, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket – but unfortunately I can't see what it is, until a few minutes later after I wash my hands so I can actually touch stuff without ruining anything. Though I'm a little confused when I click on the text I've gotten.
From: Leanne
Sorry, I really can't tonight. X
Before I got too 'frozen', I quickly tapped the reply button and started typing.
To: Leanne
what why not?
From: Leanne
I just don't feel like going out
I hum at her last reply, and after a few uneasy seconds I shrug at it; after all, I did use a fake headache to get out of a date with her once. I could let this slide.
To: Leanne
ok, another time then?
But after fifteen minutes, I still didn't get a reply. Maybe she actually has a reason not to go out; an actual headache, or something. Maybe she really needs to stay at home tonight.
Oh, who am I kidding?
I quickly walk into the stockroom, wiping my hands against my apron as I take my phone out again. "Seth?" I say after the beeping stops a minute later.
"Yeah, does this mean she said yes?" I can hear his excitement all the way from the frat house, and decide not to let him down.
"No, but we're still going out."
*******
"There's a girl staring at you," I heard Seth's voice next to me a couple minutes later, when he sat next to me again after he got himself another beer. "Behind you. The table next to the door."
I slowly turn around, hoping this isn't one of Seth's jokes – because I know he won't let me hear the last of it if he tricks me – but sure enough, there's a few people sitting in a circle around a table, and the only girl there is looking my way. She doesn't even look away when I look back at her.
Seth is trying not to laugh when I turn back around, and bring my can of Red Bull – which is the only 'grown up' drink I can legally have in this bar – to my lips, just as slowly. "I'll pass," I say in the calmest tone I can muster, and that's when he just cannot hold his laughter in.
"I get you're not into brunettes?" Oh, if only you knew. "Still, you should give her a go. As in, give her a go."
"Shut up, Novak."
"I mean," He continues, not even reacting to his last name, "Since you and Leanne broke up-"
"We didn't break up," I cut him off, and turn my head to frown at him – and see him with another one of his blank expressions. "We're not even together, she just-"
"- you could use some fun," He finished his sentence, not paying attention to a word of what I was saying. He looked at the girl behind us, "And it seems like this could be your lucky night."
"I'm telling you, Leanne and I-"
"I know, I know, you think you'll live happily ever after." He took another gulp of his beer, "That's not how girls from Chicago work. Not the ones I know, anyway."
"Are you even – ugh," I cut myself off, and shake my head as I look away from him – afraid I might punch him if I keep looking at his face. "Whatever, bloody preposterous American cretin."
"Hey, you been taking Semantics lessons?" Seth asked, in a rather cheery tone. "'Cause last time I checked, you thought ostentation is a term in fashion."
Stupid English major. "If you just want to-" But my last thought interrupts me at speaking, and I slowly turn back to face Seth. "Hey, um, have you got... you know, like do you have-"
"A condom, just say it," He shakes his head at me. "And how many times've I told you not to even ask that question? Don't you see what I do every-"
"Just let me speak, you ostentatious whore," I cut him off again, and glance over my shoulder. "I wanted to ask if you have a class with, um, this-this guy with-"
"Guy?" Seth raised his brows at me. "Wow, I didn't think you had a guy on your mind. But, you know, I'm a pacifist, so, whatever you like is fine."
I groan quietly and turn around in my barstool, deciding to drop the subject. What I really wanted to ask him, is if he has a guy with curly hair and an angry expression in one of his classes. Guess I'll never find that out.
"You know what," I began as I turned around in my seat, "I'll go get myself another one of these." I squash my empty can of Red Bull, and decide to ignore Seth's comment on my apparent homosexuality as I walk down the bar, to where the bartender is.
"Hey, could I- oh sorry, I didn't-" I interrupt myself twice; the first time, when I accidentally elbow a girl that's sitting in front of me, and second, when she glances at me and I realize who she is. "Leanne?"
But she doesn't move – she's actually frozen in her seat. "Leanne, I know it's you."
Even over the semi-loud music in the bar and people from all around me talking, I hear her sigh, as she slowly turns around to face me and, yeah, it's definitely Leanne.
"What are you doing here?" I ask. After she declined to go, well, here with Seth and I, I had a weird feeling that she was avoiding to give me a reason; now I see she was just avoiding me.
"Um..." She mumbles, and for a second turns around to face the guy next to her. "Could you excuse me for a second?"
After he nods, she hops off the stool and grips my wrist, obviously to take me somewhere not as crowded. "Uh, well..." She begins after a minute, while I just stand in front of her, staring at her, waiting for her to say something. I'm not angry; I'm not feeling anything. Almost as if I'm okay for caching her like that.
"There isn't really, like... a way to subtly put this, um..." She fidgets her hands, looking at me with an almost frightened expression. "I'm, uh-"
"Are you on a date?" I ask, my voice so casual I surprise myself.
"I wouldn't... call it, you know, a date."
"It's okay," I respond quickly, and once again I'm surprised that I actually feel like it's okay. "You could have just... you know, telling me would've been nice."
"I didn't want you to lead me on," Leanne says, rather loudly as I begin to walk backwards, heading toward Seth. Though I have a feeling Seth might have to wait.
"Excuse me?" I raise my brows, feeling angry just the slightest, but for a completely different reason.
"I didn't... that girl," She continues, the look on her face stern. "From the restaurant."
"What about her?" I raise my voice at her.
"Answer me honestly, do you have something with her?"
"No!"
"But do you want to have something with her?"
Why, why did she just happen to be a Psychology student? This is just leaving me without words. "What?"
"Do you want to be with her?" She takes a step forward, "Do you want to, I don't know, go out with her, kiss her, fuck her, whatever the hell. Do you?"
I think there are two reasons that I keep staring at her, and just staring at her. I want to give her an answer, but I don't want to lie to her. But then again, I'm just realizing the correct answer to her question myself.
"Exactly," Leanne breaks the silence after a short minute, running her hand through her hair. "Look, I'm sorry that I did this- like I told you, this isn't even a date. I just met the guy twenty minutes ago. But her, this- you've known this girl."
She shakes her head at me, "And-and I just, I don't, I don't want to be your second choice. I know that I'm physically nowhere near her, and I know how this would end after a while. And I don't want that kind of an ending. So, I think it's best if, like... you returned to your side of the bar, and I returned to mine."
It takes me a while to take all of that in, as well as to nod her way. "Okay," I repeat from before. "I'll see you around school, then."
I can hear her saying something, but I just look at my unopened can of Red Bull, and begin turning around. I don't know how to exactly feel about this; it's not like we were together, nor that I had time to get attached to Leanne in any kind of way.
But it was the fact that I lost her over... her. Someone I'm never going to have; mostly because she never tells me anything, and I have a bad feeling that I couldn't be in a relationship like that. So many secrets. Too many secrets.
I also have a bad feeling that, as long as I keep seeing and bumping into her, every potential relationship of mine will end like this – the way it ended with Leanne. And that fucking sucks.
"Seth?" I say absentmindedly, as I lean on my stool next to him. I can see Seth looking at me from the corner of my eye, but I don't bother looking back at him.
"You alright?" He asks, in a rather amused tone. "You look like you've seen-"
"Take me somewhere else."
"What?"
"Take me somewhere else."
I finally look up at him after he doesn't say anything for a long few seconds, and the frown on his face almost makes me laugh. "What the hell are you- are you asking me to take you to another bar?"
"Not a bar," I say flatly, "I mean, doesn't have to be a bar. Take me anywhere."
The hopeful look in his eyes almost made him look like he'd gotten that ice cream he wanted. "Are you serious? Does this- does this mean we can use your ID?"
"Sure." I know which ID he means, and, frankly, I don't really care. "Just get me out of this place."
*******
"No, just leave it there!" I hear Seth's voice, probably arguing with the bodyguard. "This is a surprise!"
"I have to see his face," The guy, with an impossibly intimidating voice says, and with a frustrated sigh, Seth takes the 'blindfold' off my eyes. Prep guys and their scarves, absurd.
"There," He says, "Blond, pale, Irish, and most of all, twenty-one. Thank you."
A minute later we're finally inside the bar, or club, or wherever the hell Seth brought me – he'd thought of a place before we even left the bar we were previously at, and insisted I'd wear his dumb scarf over my eyes while he drove us here. Better be worth it.
"My eyes were actually sweating," I tell him over the loud music, as we're walking through a hallway toward one of the two doors and – and yeah, this is definitely a club. "So this better be worth it," I voice my thoughts from before.
"Oh, it'll definitely be worth it," He almost laughs, and I'm actually nervous when we reach the door. "Ready?" He asks, his eyes a bit shiny. What the fuck, I feel like I'm about to have a surgery.
"Um, yeah?" I give he the smallest of smiles, but that one also fades when he opens the door.
"Oh my fucking God," I mutter to myself, looking around with my eyes wide, and lips parted.
"Yes, how are you liking the eye candy tonight?" A strip club. I should have known.
Although, I slowly close my eyes and throw my head back, a small groan leaving my lips when I look at the girls on the poles. And yeah, another thing I should have known, is that Angel would be one of them. Well, there's my answer to what she does on weekends.
"What, are you disappointed?" Seth frowns at me, as if he's really concerned about that.
Stupid fucker.
*******
Sorry for the cliffhanger? Idk
Dedicated to @ellisxx because this is the first time most of my story is going to be in a guy's POV, and what you said in your comment is appreciated a lot :D please vote and comment! x