Sitting at the bar by myself brought back some tough times. The last time I did this, my whole life went downhill. It was when Jacob passed away. Those were the hardest days of my life. Even though he's not here anymore, I'm still proud of the fact that I was and always will be his mother.
I looked around and there was still no sight of Jane or Angela. What could be taking them so long? It's been over an hour since I first got here.
I felt my phone's vibrations against the bar top as a text came through. Sure enough, it was Jane. It read:
B there in 15. Save us a table.
As I read the message, I hopped off of the barstool and sat down at a booth. I replied:
Will do.
I placed my purse next to me on the booth and took out my tablet. I decided to go on Facebook and Twitter as I waited for them. Those Rizzolis are prone to being late.
Checking in at the Dirty Robber, I tagged Jane and Angela in my Facebook status. When I heard the loud slamming of a car door, I knew it had to be Jane. Man, that woman doesn't know how to shut a car door. I swear, one day she's going to shatter the window.
As they walked towards the door, I saw Jane stop to talk to Bret. They didn't talk long- their conversation lasted about thirty seconds before he opened the door and watched them walk past him. He looked into the window at where I was sitting and smiled. This wasn't just a regular smile; he actually gave me a big smile, showing his pearly white teeth.
Jane walked up to the table and took my attention away from him. "Well, someone developed a little crush..." she whispered as she slid into the booth next to her mother. I smirked at her and replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Honey, I can see it in your eyes how much you like him," Angela joined. She stood up from the table and continued, "I have to use the restroom. Be right back."
When Angela disappeared into the bathroom, I looked at Jane. "He's nice to look at," I replied as I looked out the window, trying to find him.
"Well he likes you too," Jane observed.
"How do you know?" I asked her.
"As I was walking in, he asked me if you were seeing anyone."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he lit up when I said you were as single as a pringle."
I laughed, "Of course you said that."
"Yeah so don't be surprised if you're stopped on the way out. I'm going to check on Ma," she said as she got up and vanished into the bathroom.
Just then, a strange, intoxicated man walked up to our table. He looked as if someone dropped an anvil on his head. He was scruffy from head to toe and looked like he lived on the streets. Standing in front of us, he asked me, "Wanna drink?"
I looked at him and politely declined, "No thank you."
He sat down next to me, "Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm sure."
"Come on, honey. Don't be fussy," he insisted as he leaned towards me and kissed my cheek. I felt disgusted as I tried to back away from him, but the wall blocked me. As I closed my eyes, I felt pressure release from the booth. I looked up as I heard, "The lady said no!"
There, I saw Bret holding the strange man's collar. The man fought back, trying to get out of Bret's grip, but he wasn't strong enough. He hooked Bret right on the side of his skull immediately as he released his grip.
"What the hell?" Jane yelled as she came out of the bathroom with Angela, only to see the two men fighting.
Bret put the man in a head lock and tried to calm him down. "Ok! You win, please let me go!" the intoxicated man hollered.
"Will you leave this bar?" Bret asked.
"Hell yeah, I'm not staying here!"
Deciding to release his grip, Bret turned to me and whispered, "I'm sorry you had to see me like this."
Before I could answer, the man that was supposed to be leaving the bar turned around and punched Bret in the corner of his forehead. The man left when he saw Bret fall to the floor. I immediately got out of my seat and bent down, checking to make sure he was okay.
"Are you alright, sir?" Angela asked him.
I slowly helped him get back on his feet as he replied, "Ow, yeah I'm fine."
"Oh my God, your forehead," Jane pointed out.
When I looked at him, he had a small gash in the corner of his swollen forehead. I knew he needed stitches, so I decided to do them myself. "Let me help you," I said to him, sitting him down on the booth.
I turned to Jane and whispered, "I have to help him. I'm sorry."
She smirked as she replied, "No you're not."
Helping him up out of his seat, I walked Bret outside and to my car. On the ride home, he kept touching his wound. "You shouldn't mess with it. It could lead to infection," I told him.
"Sorry, it was just a reflex," he hesitantly spoke.
"You still shouldn't play with it."
"I've been through worse than this," he told me with slight anger in his tone.
We finally pulled up into my driveway as I helped him inside my house. He sat down on the bar stool of the island as I got my supplies. When I returned, I warned him that I do not have any anesthetics. I began the process.
He groaned, letting the pain out as I sewed the gash together. He closed his eyes at the pain he was experiencing, trying hard not to let me see. When I was finished stitching him up, I put the supplies down on the island and held his head in between my hands.
Gently, I rubbed my thumb against the side of his wound. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Thank you for not taking me to the hospital- they're not exactly in my favor."
I smiled at him, "Oh, and why not? There would be a lot of nurses that would have their eye on you."
"Ha, yeah. But not any one of them would look like you," he replied.
His reply was extremely impressive. Our eyes were locked on each other after his response. He smiled at me which gave me that little butterfly feeling you get when you're twelve and your crush asks to borrow a pencil.
Thinking about it for a few seconds, I pulled his head towards mine before our lips intertwined. There was a feeling of electricity as we molded our lips together. I could feel the sparks run through my body as I climbed up and straddled his waist.
He pulled his lips away from mine and asked me in a whisper, "Are you sure about this?"
I nodded, "Yes, I'm sure."
After hearing this, he began to kiss my neck. I'm a huge "neck person". Once you kiss my neck, I'm basically putty in your hands. He left little pecks along my ear and down to my chest. I stopped him when I untucked my blouse from my pants and lifted it above my head, throwing it on the floor beside us.
"Maura, are you positive that you want to do this now?" he asked me again.
"Uh huh- yes, positive," I replied as I grabbed the sides of his head, kissing him. There was something about the feeling I got when our lips made contact that I adored.
I grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and began to lift it. When I lifted his shirt above his navel, he stopped me and pushed it back down. "Wha- what's the matter?" I asked him.
Breathing heavily, he answered, "I just...I don't want...I don't want to do it like this."
"Like what?" I asked, feeling as if I couldn't catch my breath.
"I would like to take you out first."
"Oh," I smiled as I continued, "...out where?"
"How about dinner, tomorrow night at eight, on me?" he offered.
"Sounds lovely. Where are we going?"
"It'll be a surprise," he said as he leaned forward and kissed me.
I kissed him in return before speaking, "I can't wait."