Page 3 of Playing for Keeps

Nearly collapsing, I steadied myself with both hands on the wall. Stared down at the angry red dick still standing tall, begging, weeping, for a taste of the girl. I cleaned myself up. Tucked myself back in. Then scrubbed my hands and then my face, before drawing my eyes to the mirror.

You’ll never be enough.

She’ll find someone else.

Better to end it now than wait and get hurt.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I dragged a wet hand down my face. Then, summoning up the tiny hint of courage that took two decades to build up, I fixed my hair, dried my hands and face, and rushed back to the dance floor, desperate to find my girl.

“There you are.” A hand snagged my arm, twisting me from my path back to the floor, nearly throwing me onto my ass. Vivian curled her arm around mine, the only thing keeping me from falling.

The only thing keeping me from Jen.

I tugged, trying to get away. “Viv—”

“For God’s sake, Vin, just stop.”

Her biting words stopped me in my place, kept me from pulling away and rushing back to the dance floor like I wanted to. A hint of my subconscious thoughts tickled the back of my head.

Even your twin doesn’t like you. How pathetic can you get?

Vivian’s face dropped, hurt lacing the blue eyes that matched mine. “I’m sorry,” she said, just a whisper. “I didn’t mean—”

I pushed away my own hurt for her. I’d do anything for my sister.

“It’s okay, Viv.” I squeezed her fingers still wrapped around my arm, but didn’t move as she tugged at me once more. “Where are you going?”

“I’m trying to find Frankie.”

“She’s here?”

My sister rolled her eyes at me, tugging me toward the bar.

The exact opposite direction I wanted to go.

Humoring her, I let her drag me along, the whole time my eyes were searching the crowd.

“There she is!” Vivian pulled my arm, forcing me to face forward, to pause my search. My cousin, Frankie, sat perched on a barstool, fingers tapping the smooth, dark wood. “Frankie, where’s your friend?”

Frankie gave my sister a glare, ignoring her as she stretched her arms out my way.

“How’s it going, cuz?” I asked as I pulled her into a hug.

“Good, you?” she asked, pulling back.

“Never better, never better.” The moment she turned to address my sister, I swung my attention back to the dance floor.

The crowd was dwindling, the band done with their set and packing up. Through the bodies still bouncing to the club mix of music, I hunted for the girl of my dreams, praying she hadn’t left.

A wave of milk chocolate hair swept through the middle of the crowd, causing my heart to leap in my chest. She was there, bouncing to the music as she spun to take her seat, that same man sitting at the table I’d found her at earlier.

I didn’t wait. Didn’t tell my sister where I was going. Didn’t wait to order my drink. I was halfway to her before any of that even crossed my mind. Plopping in the chair next to her, I let out the breath it felt like I’d been holding since I left her side.

“There you are, love. I’ve been looking for you.”

That radiant smile made a comeback, the sight of it like oxygen to my aching lungs. She leaned into me, and I couldn’t help but move closer to the girl. “I wondered where you ran off to.”

“I needed a drink,” I told her, batting my hair out of my eyes before offering her a little white lie. “You wore me out.”