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TWELVE
Raya
“It would have beena real shame to let any of it go to waste,” Wrenley said as she finished the last of the drink Cole had sent over.
Mine remained untouched, so I offered her that as well, but she declined.
“I have to get going, and I don’t want to be hungover when I wake up in a few hours,” she said.
“I thought you were off tomorrow,” I replied.
“I am, but that doesn’t mean that I want to be hungover for it. When you work as much as I do, you tend to get the rest of your life done in the day you have off. You know?” Wrenley shook her head.
“I’m telling you, girl, you’ve got to think about cutting back your hours. It’s the only way you’re going to have a life,” I told her.
“Fair, but right now, it’s what I have to do with my time, and I don’t know if I could just walk away from it right now.” She sighed.
“You’re not walking away from anything. I’m telling you just like I tell the people I work with at the facility – you deserve to have the life you love. I know you love helping people in the ER and with your job and all, but I worry that you’re working yourself right into the ground when you’re not even thirty yet. I want you to have a life, too, you know,” I said.
“I know, I know, I just have to find the strength inside me to do it, I guess. I bet that sounds super dramatic, but still.”
“Well, I’ll do what I can to make your day easier. Why don’t you head out and I’ll pick up the tab?” I suggested. “I might stick around a while longer myself. I might catch an Uber home. It’s all good.”
“Are you going to drink that?” she asked as she gave a small nod to the drink that was still sitting on the edge of the table. I shook my head.
“I told him what I wanted to tell him, and I’m not going to go back on that. They’re still sitting over there, and I know he’s going to see whether the drinks are gone when the table is cleared. I’ll let him wonder which of the drinks he sent over was enjoyed and which one was tossed out.” I grinned.
“Oh, you are bad, very bad!” My friend giggled. “I love it.”
“Alright, message me to let me know you made it home safely, and I’ll see you soon, okay?” I asked as we embraced.
“Definitely,” she said giving me a tight squeeze in return. “Thanks for coming out tonight. See you soon.”
Once she was gone, I looked at the drink still on the table next to me. It was a shame to let it go to waste. Not because of the money Cole spent on it, but because of the product itself. I didn’t like waste. I did everything I could in my life to minimize the footprint I left on the planet, and tossing out anything for silly reasons seemed like a sin I couldn’t overlook.
I picked up the glass and took a sip, thinking about the conversation I’d had with Wrenley. I was grateful to have her in my life. It was nice to be able to get out before the weekend and talk to her for a while, get her perspective on some of the things I was dealing with in my business.
“Hey, you’re pretty,” a voice said behind me.
I turned and looked, seeing I was indeed the person this man was addressing. He wasn’t bad looking, but I wasn’t in the mood to be hit on tonight. I had a lot on my mind, and I didn’t need someone to come complicate things for me by asking me for things I wasn’t willing to give. And while I didn’t care enough about looks to turn someone down based on that alone, I didn’t pressure myself to stay and talk with anyone for the sake of being polite, either.
“Thank you,” I said. “I was just getting out of here, actually.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. Why not stay for one more?” he asked. “You don’t have anyone waiting for you to get home, do you?”
“Does it matter if I do or don’t?” I shot back. “I told you I’ve got to get going, and that’s all you need to know.”
“I think you’re just trying to brush me off, and I’m not sure I like that,” he said. “What’s your real hurry? Come on, you should sit and stay for a bit longer. It’ll be fun, I promise.”
“I’m sure you have plenty of other people who would be happy to sit and talk to you,” I said. “Now if you will excuse me, I’ve really got to get out of here. It’s getting late.”
“Hold up there, just sit a second!” the man said. To my horror, he grabbed my arm as he spoke, trying to make me sit back down. I wanted to scream just to prove a point, but instead, I yanked my arm away and glared at him.
“Don’t you ever put your hands on me again,” I hissed. “Or you’re going to find out real quick you’re messing with the wrong woman.”
“You’re being psycho,” he snapped, but I refused to budge.
I wanted to look over my shoulder to see if the bartender or bouncer was seeing any of this, but I dared not remove my eyes from him for even a second. I didn’t trust him, and he already put his hands on me once, who knew what he would do if he felt he could get away with something.
