thank u, next by ariana grande
a/n: this song has no correlation to the chapter, don't worry lol.......just a bop!!!!!
also.......do people still read this???? jk
Two nights left.
It was dragging, but two nights left at the dumpy little strip club, and I couldn't have been any happier. Spending every evening with Justin was so close I could taste it; normalcy was on the tip of my tongue.
As close as it was in the grand scheme of things, the minutes dragged on during my shifts. I felt like I had been working for three hours but when I looked at the clock, it had only been seventeen minutes in reality.
Even though she didn't deserve it, I busted my ass for Brandy. I waited tables like it was nobody's business. I filled in for Marla when her daughter was sick on the stage, while waiting tables simultaneously. I even bartended here and there. Brandy most definitely didn't deserve my hard work after the way she had been treating me over the previous weeks, but I knew she couldn't say one bad thing about me when I left.
"I'm going to run outside for a cigarette quick," I nudged Nick's arm when it seemed we had finally hit a lull. It was a Friday, and it was fucking busy. A bachelor party and two birthday parties one after the other. Our hands were full.
Before I was able to grab my coat and leave, Nick grabbed my wrist. "Hold up! I thought you quit?"
"I didn't quit. I cut back."
"You haven't had a smoke in almost a month, Ken."
"You don't know shit," I scrunched my nose, knowing very well that he was right. With Justin around, I didn't want to smoke anymore. It wasn't me, and it was also a horrible habit. Cutting cold turkey came easily, but for some reason, the stress of the busy night was getting to me. I wanted nothing more than to light one up and relax for a few minutes.
He shook his head. "Don't do it. Besides, your buddy is here. You may want to stay inside with me under close watch."
"Buddy?" I asked, tipping my head to the side. I noticed him looking in the direction of the booths, and my eyes followed. I quickly saw he was referring to the creep that followed me outside on break a few weeks prior. He wasn't looking at me, but I knew he was looking for me. "Shit," I muttered.
"Ever get the guy's name?" he dried off a few glasses before slinging the towel over his muscled shoulder.
I twisted my lips to the side. "No. But I definitely don't want a cigarette anymore."
"Maybe I should have him hang around if it keeps those nasty cancer sticks out of your mouth," he snarled. I knew he meant no harm; it was just the way we spoke to each other. "Besides, you should be using that pretty little thing on your boyfriend. You won't be able to do that if your teeth are rotting out of your goddamn head—"
"Jesus, Nick!" I held my hands up defensively, laughing as I moved back behind the bar. "Holy shit, I get it. You know sometimes, I think you want Justin's dick more than I do."
He raised an eyebrow. "You think? Kennedy, I've openly admitted to you that I'd take him off your hands in a heartbeat. You're just too head over heels for the guy to let him go."
"Guilty," I shrugged.
Your heart-eyes are showing again, Kennedy. Settle down.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I smiled when I saw that Justin was the sender.
J: I'm not sure how I can handle two more nights of this. I miss you way too much.
Me: Your ears must've been ringing. Nick and I were just talking about you.
J: Is that so? I'm not interested in what he had to say about me, but more of what you had to say about me.
Me: I think you have an idea.
J: Try to leave early tonight.
Me: I'll do my best. You know Brandy has me on a tight leash lately, so I'm pretty sure she won't let me.
J: We'll see.
I locked my phone and tucked it away in my apron when I heard Brandy's voice nearby. Before I put in my resignation, she didn't care about me being on my phone. Since I quit, though, it was apparently the end of the world.
Nick and I continued to work together to get drinks out as quickly as possible. We were a great team, and he was someone I was going to miss dearly. I often told him to try to move away from the strip club scene and into something a little more buttoned up, but he said he was made for the club energy.
The guy I had a run in with a few weeks prior lurked around the club for a while. He definitely knew I was working, but as long as I was inside, I didn't care. He could look at me all he wanted. After all, it was the last he was going to see of me. I wasn't going to make him aware of my departure from the club, so he wasn't going to have a clue that I was done and he couldn't creep me out any longer.
"Two Heineken's and a Molson," I happily served three men at a booth. They had been in before; I had seen them. "Anything else I can do for you?"
"No thanks," the tan one smiled.
"Great, I'll check back in on you later. Enjoy."
I turned on my heels and began to head in the direction of the bar when I noticed my little follower writing something down at his table across the way. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, but continued over to the bar so he wouldn't notice me staring.
"I think my little friend is writing me a love note," I told Nick when I made it back.
He looked over in his direction, then laughed. "Dear Kennedy, I never knew what love was until I saw you shake your tits in my face," he mocked, holding his hand over his heart. "A real, modern love story."
"Idiot," I muttered, hitting his arm. "Seriously, what do you think he's doing?"
He shrugged. "Don't know. I can check?"
"Yeah," I said slowly, placing a hand on my hip as I watched the admirer. "Check for me."
Again, he shrugged and headed in the direction of the man who couldn't have been any older than thirty.
As Nick attempted to uncover some potentially interesting information, I proceeded to clean up our workspace at the bar. I put some bottles back in their place, cleaned some glasses, and wiped down the messy counter. I even waited on a few people before he finally came back.
"So?" I asked, leaning against the bar.
"Nothing. He covered it so I couldn't see. Whatever it is, it's probably bad news if he's hiding it from me. He doesn't even know me."
"Or does he?" I rolled my eyes, readjusting some of the menus on the bar.
He scoffed. "Kennedy, it's probably no big deal. Plus, your last day is tomorrow. He probably won't even be in tomorrow."
"We'll see. I just hope he stays away from me," I commented.
"Kennedy! Phone call!" Brandy's voice rattled through me, pulling me from my conversation with Nick.
I raised an eyebrow. I didn't know who would have been calling me at 10 o'clock while I was at work. The only people who knew about my job at the club were Nate, Justin, and everyone who worked there. I suppose grouping Justin's ex girlfriend into the mix was appropriate, but I was doubtful she was calling for me.
"Hello?" I asked once I took the phone from Brandy.
"Act concerned," a voice prompted on the other end of the line.
I tipped my head. "Huh?"
"It's me, babe," the voice continued. Justin's voice. "Act concerned."
"What's going on?" I asked. Whatever his plan was, I at least sounded concerned to anyone who was listening.
"I'm outside. I miss you too much to wait two more hours, so tell Brandy your mom is sick and we have to go to the hospital," he explained.
Although it was the oldest trick in the book, I gave Justin props for going through with such a devious one. Also, it was sweet of him to want to see me so suddenly.
I put my hand over my mouth to look upset about the caller's words. I wasn't sure if Brandy was watching, but if she was, I sure as hell was putting on a show.
"Oh my god," I murmured. "I'll be right out."
"Good girl," he giggled. "I'm right out front."
I hung up the phone and spun around to face Brandy, who was most definitely watching my end of the conversation unfold. "Brandy, I have to go right now. My mom is in the hospital back home."
She sighed. "Fine."
"Fine?" I hurriedly untied my apron, revealing the stupid black booty shorts she insisted we wore as servers.
She waved her hand, looking at her computer. "Go. Out."
"Oh, thank you. I'll see you—"
"No, you won't. You're done. I don't want you here tomorrow," she went on without looking at me.
I crossed my arms over my stomach, which was flipping over and over. I was angry. "You're firing me? What did I do?"
"You just decided to throw my offer out the window and quit! You've been half-assing everything since you resigned. And to top it all off, you don't even care! Quite frankly, I don't want to look at you anymore. You're a waste of my time," she was staring at me with daggers. Angry icy blue daggers.
I stepped forward. "Waste of your time? Just because I want to make something of myself? Because I don't want to take my clothes off for money anymore? Jesus, Brandy. I really thought you'd understand of all people."
"You're not going to get very far. You've got an associate's degree from a community college, and you live in the city. You're not going anywhere," she taunted.
Oh, how badly I wanted to tell her about my enrollment in NYU in the fall. I wanted to rub it in her face, but I withheld. I knew better.
"Whatever, Brandy. Good luck finding someone who will bend over backwards for you in this shit hole like I did," I threw my apron down on her desk, then stormed out of her office.
I headed down the hall to the dressing room where I swooped up all of my belongings: my outfits, my shoes, my makeup— all of it. I bought those things with my own money, and I'd be damned if I let her make a profit off of my things.
Hurriedly, I shoved my belongings in my purse and stomped out of the room and past the bar. I could tell Nick was about to question what happened in the previous two minutes, but I stopped him.
"I'll text you," I walked off, too angry to say a word. From there, I whipped the door open for the last time and slammed it shut.
As inappropriate and unprofessional as my departure was, I knew it had to be done. Okay, maybe it didn't have to be done, but if anyone deserved it, it was Brandy. When she didn't get her way, people suffered. I suffered. If it meant she couldn't be a reference of mine, so be it. Nate would be more than glad to fake a supervisor role for me. Justin would, too.
I swung open the car door once I got to Justin and huffed in frustration once I sat down. I didn't say anything since I was trying to process exactly how the extreme downfall happened.
"Hi," he began slowly. I could feel him watching me, unsure why I appeared as if I wanted to kill someone with my bare hands.
I buckled my seatbelt, then looked down at my lap. "Hi."
"Everything okay?" he asked.
My teeth latched on my bottom lip, and I contemplated telling him right in that moment or waiting until we got home. There wasn't much time to decide, because the words were spilling from my mouth without warning before I could stop them.
"Brandy fired me," I grumbled quietly, too ashamed to say it too loud.
Who gets fired from a strip club, anyways?
"What?" he asked, turning in his seat. He seemed way more concerned than before, and it was with every good reason. "How can she do that?"
I shrugged, finally turning so that I was facing the beautiful boy that instantly calmed me down. "I asked her if I could leave, and she told me not to come back."
"Oh, Kennedy," he put his hand on my cheek. "I'm so sorry, this is my fault. I shouldn't have tried to get you out of work early."
I shook my head. "No, it's not your fault. A part of me feels like she was planning on doing that whether I asked or not."
He was quiet for a moment. He studied me. I knew he felt guilty; he felt like if he hadn't convinced me to leave early, it wouldn't have happened. First of all, he didn't have to convince me to leave early at all. I was on board the moment he mentioned it. Secondly, I didn't need her as a reference. It wasn't like I wanted people to know I was a pole dancer for a couple of years. Not exactly the most appealing job history.
Leaning in, he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead before turning back to face the front. We drove off, more silence enveloping us.
I wasn't upset with him, if anyone was wondering. Truthfully, I was fuming due to Brandy's unprofessionalism. She let her own ego get in the way of work, and I was hopeful one day she'd realize how terrible of a boss she was.
One can only hope.
Once we got home, I set my purse down on the ground by the couch before covering my face with my hands and letting out the sigh of all sighs. I still left my hands there, attempting to calm myself down from the fit of rage I was experiencing moments ago.
"Kennedy," Justin's voice called from closely behind me. It was more of a purr— an exceptional attempt to relax me. His hands on my hips followed next, his fingers slowly trailing over the skin between my shirt and shorts. "I want you to take a couple of deep breaths for me, okay?"
I followed his directions, breathing in and out deeply in order to bring myself to a state of relaxation (or at least something close to it). There was no point in holding onto my frustration. Brandy wasn't there anymore. I didn't have to go back to the club. And Justin was there to make things better.
"Let's go take a bath, okay? We can calm down together, and we can talk about whatever you want." He kissed my head. "Deal?"
I couldn't stop the soft smile on my lips even if I wanted to. His generosity and kindness towards me was something I could never brush off. He always tried so very hard to make me happy, and I was so grateful for that.
Moments later, Justin was calling me into the bathroom to let me know it was ready. As I undressed in the quickly candlelit bathroom, Justin fetched a bottle of wine from the kitchen. It reminded me of a time when we were teenagers and did the same thing. Perhaps it was the new tradition.
Soon enough, I was sitting between Justin's legs with my back pressed tightly against his torso. My head fell back against his chest, his familiar heartbeat anchoring my emotions. It was the beautiful sound that always brought me back.
"I just realized something," he murmured softly into my ear.
"Hm?" I hummed, my eyes closing. I blamed the late night and the half bottle of wine I drank by myself.
"You don't have to work tomorrow. That means I actually get to see you. I get to see you so much more now, and I can't wait," he squeezed me in his arms momentarily.
I bit down on my lip. "I know," I exhaled. "We can finally be together for real, you know? We haven't had that in so long."
"I mean, we have been together for real," he teased.
"You know what I mean," I giggled.
He dipped his head, his nose pressing into my hair softly. He inhaled, taking in my scent as he so often did. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else for real."
"Me neither," I hummed, kissing his jawline gently.
The bath didn't last very long. I was so exhausted from my very short day at work and from my outburst with Brandy that I could barely keep my eyes open. Justin joked, saying he didn't want me to drown in the bathtub without him knowing, so we decided it was time for bed once it was after midnight.
After sliding into one of Justin's sweatshirts, I buried myself into our bed underneath the covers and waited for Justin to come join me. It was only a matter of time before he did, and when he did, he pulled me on top of him so I was comfortably laying over his body.
He stared back at me with tired eyes, a gentle smirk on his lips. "I'm so lucky to have you."
"I think it's the other way around," I pressed my nose against his, laughing quietly as if we were going to get caught.
"Not even close," his hands followed the outline of my thighs to my hips to my waist, going up and down beneath my sweatshirt. "I have the most beautiful, intelligent, determined girl laying on top of me right now. How much more lucky could I be?"
"You could be me and have you underneath you," I shrugged.
"How about," he began slowly before flipping us over so that I was the one under him. "I have you underneath me."
I pressed my lips together. "I like that, too."
"You do?" he brushed his nose against mine.
There it was. That feeling again.
All I could do was bite my lip and nod. Even though I was tired, I was never too tired for Justin. I could have been awoken out of a coma if it meant I could have him.
Instead of saying anything else, he threaded his fingers through my hair and kissed me deeply. I immediately felt like I was floating.
It was long and deep and sensual and loving and everything else all at the same time. My heart raced once his tongue touched my lips and soon my own tongue once I allowed him entrance. I writhed beneath him as his hands were quick to touch me. Feel me. Claim me as his own.
They couldn't move fast enough. His fingers were pulling at my clothes, begging to give us the closeness he so suddenly craved. And once he got the skin on skin contact he desired, a moan fled from his lips that shook me to the core.
"Baby," I groaned once his fingers teased my breasts. The hardness against my leg only made me cry out again, needing him more than ever. "Justin," I breathed.
He kissed me hard after moving away from my newly tender neck as my hips rolled against him to show him what I truly wanted.
Instead of teasing me as he normally would have (or so I thought), he licked his four fingers before sliding them down between my legs to make sure I was wet enough for him. I gasped at the sensitivity.
He smiled when he saw just what he could do to me. He had me moving my hips in desperation and my hands wildly grabbing for anything to give me steadiness, and yet he hadn't even put himself inside of me yet.
One of his hands moved to the side of me on the mattress, while the other guided his member as he slowly teased me by rubbing the head over my center.
"Justin, please," I begged, my voice so soft and breathless.
"Tell me you love me," he demanded.
I swallowed hard, unable to handle his games any longer. "I do, Justin. I love you so much. I love you more than I've ever loved anybody else."
Slowly, he guided himself inside of me at my words, causing my eyes to roll back momentarily. "Good girl," he panted, his strokes steady and gradual.
My mouth parted slightly, gasping for air with each thrust. The faster he went, the more my mouth hung open as I struggled not to come already.
We fucked.
We fucked for a while before I finally couldn't take it anymore, and my body shook beneath him as my orgasm coursed through me. He had my legs up on his shoulders as he quickly moved while circling his thumbs around my nipples, and it surely was the breaking point. I saw stars and rainbows and bright white as I came, and I knew I'd only ever have that with Justin.
Sweating. Panting. Gasping for air. The two of us collapsed into each other and held on for dear life as if one of us was going to disappear if we let go.
"I love you so much," I exhaled, kissing him hard.
He rolled on top of me, one of his hands holding my face in front of him as we kissed so tenderly. His other hand, however, seemed to be searching for something on or in his nightstand. I was sure it wasn't a condom, as it was a little too late for that.
"I love you too," he mumbled into my lips as he tried to pull away, but I was greedy and kissed him several more times before letting him go. I opened my eyes into his, the purest form of love all I could read. "You're my best friend, you know that? I don't care about having anyone else in my life. Just you. You have to be in it."
"I am in it, silly," I giggled, taking my fingers through his slightly dampened hair.
He shook his head. "No, I mean for real," he nearly whispered, then looked down for a moment before bringing something up in front of my face. Not just something, though.
A ring.
a/n: told u i wasn't dead lol here i am
ps - this may seem like it's gonna be rainbows and unicorns after this but.........t...ttt......