I stayed there longer than I expected to, with the two of us simply drinking, talking and laughing. Once the liquor kicked in, it wasn't hard for me to look at Thomas as a regular person. To be honest, he would've been had I never Googled him.
I knew dick about soccer but from what I gathered, Thomas was a goalie on loan– apparently, soccer teams could rent players and the reasons ranged from trying to improve said player to improving the team with said player. Thomas didn't know why he was loaned out but I had a feeling that it was why he had mentioned the whole having a choice thing. A major part of me didn't want him to be a bad player; I tried to reason with myself that if he was bad, he wouldn't be a part of a team period, right? Maybe Thomas couldn't get one of those big deals and acting was a way to make up for it. With his portfolio, he might not have been a millionaire but I was sure that he earned enough to live comfortably.
Maybe that's what he meant about if he had a choice.
I was awful at making friends but Thomas made it feel easy. We talked all the time about any and everything. I had no idea why he somewhat latched unto me but he did and I knew I shouldn't complain. Thomas was fun to be around and we had a bit in common. Plus– if I had to be honest with myself– it was cool to be around a celebrity.
It had been almost a month since we'd met and the two of us had some sort of routine. Soccer season was underway so I knew that Thomas would be in town for a while. So, if he had a home game, we would hang out a bit afterward with a few of his teammates. Away games, I didn't get to see him but we talked on the phone. Regardless, I always looked forward to his texts and calls, there was just something about them that made me smile big time.
It was one of Thomas's rare off days, where he didn't have practice or a game or even something to do with his acting. I waited patiently-but-not for him to call or text me because even though we were buddies, I still wasn't comfortable enough to text or call him first. That, by the way, drove him up the wall so I was slowly trying to break that habit.
But not today. I was leaving work when he finally texted me.
Could you meet me at the bar? I need a fucking drink...
Although there was a shit-ton of bars in the city, I knew which one he meant: our favorite one. I was a bit worried about the tone of the text; Thomas was pissed about something for him to have worded it the way that he did. Nevertheless, I skipped my usual bus ride and walked to the bar, texting him as I walked.
The scene was how it was supposed to be for after-work: a bit crowded with folks who needed something to wash their work troubles away. I had done it more times than I wanted to remember. Thomas wasn't hard to spot, he had to be one of the tallest men in the city, even sitting down. He was built more like a lineman rather than a goalie but not overly massive and bulky. Thomas almost always kept his hair short but when he missed a haircut, it would grow and curl into knots, like how someone with really short hair started their dreadlock growth. I loved the look but he always complained and called himself a lazy bastard for letting his hair grow "out of control like this".
With me having dreads for so long, I was probably biased about the hairstyle.
There was an empty seat next to him so I slid into it, no questions asked. He finished whatever was in his glass and pushed it towards the bartender. While he did indeed look highly pissed, I couldn't tell if he was actually drunk. Thomas simply looked at me. "You're a bit late."
"Oh, I didn't know I was on a time schedule." I tried to lighten his mood but it didn't seem to work as he scoffed and rolled his eyes, something I wasn't used to. "Okay, before you say something that'll make me leave, what's going on with you?" I asked.
Thomas sighed and looked at me fully. "Sorry Love. Didn't mean to take it out on you. I get a certain way when I get down and I overreact on normal things. I'm sure you weren't late at all." he apologized. I nodded and saw that the bartender came by but before I could open my mouth: "Two vodka freezes." Thomas ordered for the both of us.
"What's a vodka freeze?"
"Something you'll love. Trust me." he looked at me and I noticed that his smile didn't reach his eyes like they usually did.
I waited for the bartender to leave before I spoke. "Don't beat around the bush, Thomas. What happened?"
"I found out that my wife has been cheating on me," he said after a long pause. I could only gawk at him for a moment before I figured out what I wanted to say.
"I take it you have proof?"
"More than you can shake a stick at. I just... I had a gut feeling but I always tried to tell myself that I was just paranoid. I think that hurts the most, that I should've listened to that gut feeling because it was right." he nearly spat out. I put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it.
"That makes you human. To ignore a gut feeling and to try to go with your heart. We always want that happy ending."
"It makes you bloody blind." he clenched his fists. Before I could stop myself, I covered one of his fists with my hand. I felt the tenseness leave immediately and he patted my hand. "I wanted my best mate to be with me right now."
"Oh. Unfortunately, you got me for right now so–"
"You're my best mate, you silly bird!" Thomas let out a genuine laugh and I followed suit. Our drinks appeared in front of us and I studied mine for a moment before taking a sip.
"Oh, that is good."
"Told you," he smirked and sipped on his.
"I hate to ask but... what's your next move?" I was glad that he only sighed out at the question.
"I'm not sure. She said she's confused about who she really wants."
"That's not fair. It should be you, right? I mean, that's who she married. But, what would I know about stuff like that?" I shrugged.
"No, you're right. You're bloody right. I've been sitting here, trying to figure out what have I done to where she would have to even think about who she wants. Have I been away too much? Perhaps but she knew my schedule before we got married. Do I flirt publicly? Not really–"
"Not really?" I quirked a brow at him and he gave me a playful shove.
"I may have said a couple of questionable things, to where some people might interpret it as me being single," he tried to explain but I knew exactly what he was talking about. There were quite a few pictures Thomas had taken with females that I assumed worked with him during films or productions. The pictures themselves were harmless, it was the captions that made me believe that he was a womanizer.
"Do you really think it was enough to make her cheat?"
"No. I don't think," he trailed off and then suddenly went for his phone. He scrolled for a moment and then showed me his phone. "Be honest. If you were with me, how would you take that?" he asked. Was it bad that I already knew which picture he would show me? Thomas had three women hugged up on him, the picture itself was actually cute and funny, with the overexaggerated duck faces two of the women were donning. It was posted on his Twitter with the hashtag: lucky man.
"Well... I would be pissed but I tend to get jealous. It's not even the picture, it's what you hashtagged." I felt good that I told him the truth.
Thomas sighed a bit. "Yes, I admit, I'm a moron. At the time, I thought it was funny but then remembered that not everyone knows about our inside joke. All three of those ladies are gay. Well, I suppose lesbian would be the right word."
"You don't have to be all pc in front of me, I get it." I chuckled.
"But, would that be a reason for you to cheat on me? If you were my wife?" he asked and my cheeks oddly ached at the question.
"N-No. I'm also not her so there's no telling what she was thinking. Me personally, I would've only been pissed for a little while, at least until you told me the full story."
"You're a good one."
"You'd have to do more than just post a picture of you and some women for me to cheat! All joking aside, I wish I could tell you why it happened. There are a ton of reasons why people cheat."
"I know, Love. It just burns because I've never cheated on her." he sighed out and took a huge gulp of his freeze.
"Never?" I quirked a brow.
"Never. Perhaps thirty years ago, I would've. I'm way too bloody old to play games like that now."
I almost spat out my drink and then looked at him. "How long ago?"
"Oh, come off it! Are you going to tell me that I look good for my age? All of this bloody gray in my hair?"
"Thomas, you're fucking delusional. I don't see any gray in your hair!" I laughed.
"There's a reason why I like to be clean-shaven."
"Well, some women like the salt and pepper look." I shrugged but still couldn't get over the fact that he may have been older than I thought.
"I'll take your word on it. I'm fifty-five, by the way." of course, he waited until I was in mid-drink to tell me that, and this time around, I did spit my drink out! Thomas burst into laughter and immediately tried to clean up my mess.
"You are not fifty-five!" I managed after settling down halfway. Thomas gave me a smirk and then pulled his wallet out, removing what I figured would be his driver's license.
Before he handed it to me, I forgot that Thomas was British and therefore would definitely have a British driver's license. And to say that it was fucking weird and all over the place was an understatement. Everything was numbered and I felt like I needed a key guide to explain the damn thing. After a moment, I found that he was right: Thomas really was fifty-five, about to be fifty-six in a month! I could do nothing but stare at him as he took his ID away from me.
Thomas looked damn good for his age. He was in better shape than myself and since I was sitting close to him, I could see no wrinkles in his face, no rugged, worn-down features. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome, with charm to boot.
Why in the ever-loving fuck did his wife cheat on him...?
"Go on and say it." he interrupted my inner thoughts and I blushed once again.
"You age wonderfully. I want to look as good as you when I get in my fifties!" I blurted out. The smile he gave me was one I had never seen before; was Thomas blushing?
"You just don't know how good that makes me feel..."
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21+ Only!! Vodka Freeze Recipe
1 1/2 oz vodka
1 oz blue curacao
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
3-4 oz Sprite (or lemon-lime flavored soda)
1/2 cup ice
1 lemon twist or wedge for garnish