Page 1 of Bad Habit
OLIVER
The Poolhouse is not my favorite place to go out and get a drink. It’s where I fight and let everything else fade out. But Mia decided days ago that this was where she wanted everyone to go and asked me to make sure the guys were here, including Rory. Getting him here was not a hardship, all we had to do was tell him that AJ was going to be here and he folded. He is now sitting twenty feet away from me trying to avoid all of the girls that recognize him and are trying to take their shot. They don’t stand a chance though. The way that Rory orbits around my best friend is sickening. Another girl comes up and I watch his whole body seize up while trying to keep his distance.
Why I feel the need to help the poor fucker, I’m not sure. I make my way over to the space next to him and take a seat, bringing my bourbon with me. If I am going to willingly spend time with our new golden boy then I need the sweet burn to keep my blood going. He is so focused, keeping his attention on the door. He’s always looking for AJ. He doesn’t even notice me slide into the seat next to him.
“She will be here.” I take a sip of my drink and let my eyes fall to the same spot that his are focusing on. He’s waiting for AJ to walk through and I’m dreading the girl she is going to walk in with. My dumbass brothers were a little further down on his other side with a group of girls, all laughing and being lively. Maxwell is always the magnet in every room.Eli is our steady pulse. And I’m always the shadow. Those are our roles and we fulfill them well.
Rory swivels to face me. “Why are you over here sitting next to me? Aren’t you normally in the corner sulking in your loner boy aura?”Fucker.I let the rest of the whiskey burn down my throat before re-adjusting my grip around the glass.
“I figured you didn’t want to be found talking to some random fan batting her eyelashes at you when AJ shows up.” Just the simple fact that he has fangirls batting their fake eyelashes at him is enough to make me regret coming over here. AJ has been lighter lately though. And if Rory is the driving force behind that, then I will help cultivate that connection. She deserves only the good things this world has to offer. And if he ends up hurting her, then I’ll make my brothers help me dig his grave. In the meantime, I made a promise to Mia that I would be encouraging to Rory and help him with Avery. That girl seems to live to make my life hell. No matter how much healthy distance I try to keep from her, she somehow seems to soak every part of my life with her brilliant laugh, smart mouth, and her heart that is so full I don’t even know how it fits in her chest.
“Thanks man.” With me helping block any unwanted attention, he relaxes. “Do you think she is going to give me a real chance?” I feel for him, really I do. He won’t look at me right now though. I can see his thoughts being flooded with the fear that AJ won’t give him the opportunity to show her how much he cares. I’ve known AJ for years though, and she already gives him more time than I thought she ever had the capability of doing. She doesn’t give people opportunities to get close to her. I had to fight like hell for my place in her life.
“I’ll never speak for her.” I scratch through the scruff on my jaw. I really need to shave. “She has never given someone her time like she does for you. It took me months just to get her to come down to the gym and workout with me.” I have to maintain the balance of not giving more of AJ away than she is comfortable with. “She just lives in this world whereshe thinks she has to stop herself from infecting others with the sharp edges of whatever is in her past.” I try to level the shake in my voice. “If she does decide to give you a chance, you’ll have to be patient with her. Don’t let her give up believing she is worth it.” Just thinking about AJ letting someone try to heal the parts of her she still hides from me and my brothers makes me emotional. She’s a part of us.
“I’ll take care of her.” I hear the genuine promise in his voice. This conversation is much different from the one we had outside Dad’s apartment a few months ago. I wanted to punch him then for even thinking he was remotely good enough for her.
I start to say something else when a flash of blonde catches in the doorway that we had both been watching before our annoying little heart to heart. Mia and AJ just entered the room and I know there is a strong possibility I will start a fight tonight.
“Fuck me.”I need a new drink.I lean my head back and squeeze my eyes closed. Maybe if I count to three, her outfit will be a hazmat suit instead of the torture device she thinks is that dress. No such luck. I open my eyes to find the girls searching around the room. That fucking dress though. It drapes over every inch of her body like the fabric was made to move when she moves. She turns to the side and I see that it has cutouts all up each side. With this new view of the dress, I feel every inch of my skin get itchy. She isn’t wearing a damn thing under that dress and it is obvious to everyone in this room.
She’s your best friend's new best friend. Avery needs Mia. Don’t fuck that up for her.
That mantra is something I keep repeating to myself when Mia is around. It only helps sometimes.
I’m too caught up in keeping Rory from fighting the bartender over him wanting to ask AJ to dance to notice the girls making their way to the dance floor. Rory is wound tight now that AJ is here. If he really wanted to go after Tyler there is no way I was going to be able to stophim. Luckily we are both busy watching the girls and making sure that no one touches them without their permission. If that happens, blood will be spilled. Mia and I jokingly fuck with each other but I will lose my mind if someone touches her without her permission.
Rory lasts two songs before he is writing something on a napkin and making Eli walk it across the crowd to where the girls are. Their heads snap to where we are standing and I see a wicked grin resting on Mia’s lips. Whatever Rory wrote on that napkin earned her approval. She’s been rooting for them to get together since day one. Eli cuts his way back through the crowd.
He stops in front us but he looks at me expectantly with raised eyebrows. “Mia wants a drink.” Of course she fucking does. He doesn’t even have to tell me what she wants. She knows I know her favorite drink. He turns to Rory and laughs. “AJ told me to tell you that if you had something to say then you can use your words.” That’s our girl. Rory slips away through the crowd towards the girls. I hope she never stops giving him a hard time. Watching her be so much more alive with the self preservation aspect is the best thing.
I slap the top of the counter to get Tyler’s attention and order a fucking cherry margarita, extra cherries. I watch the whole exchange between Rory and the girls. He spins Mia around and she giggles, I can almost hear her across the crammed space. He leans his mouth to her ear and she beams before looking back directly at me. Like she has known where I’ve been the whole time. I nod to the margarita sitting on the counter next to me.
She’s so intentional with the way she moves and makes her way over to me.
“You ordered me a drink?” She wraps her dainty hands around the stem of the glass and her perfectly polished nails shine under the dim lights. She keeps them long enough to leave a mark and that’s something I’ve thought about too many times to count.
“You wanted a drink.” I watch her lips rest on the rim of the glass as she takes a sip before she does a small shimmy which causes the dress to move. She turns around to look for something and gives me a moment to freely appreciate the dress more without her calling me out for it. It’s also backless, meaning I can smell the cherry body wash mixed with the sweat from where she’s been dancing. I have to swallow and dig my fingers into the wood of the bar counter to stop myself from reaching out to her.
She spins back around with her nose all scrunched up and irritation clearly visible. “I asked Eli for a drink. Where did he go?”
Without taking my eyes off of her, I nod my head to my right in the opposite direction of the dance floor where quieter sections are. My brothers took their little party over there about fifteen minutes ago.
“Extra cherries?” She’s fighting a smile at my doing something nice for her.
“You’ve been working hard out there. Figured you could use a snack.” Her pretty lips smirk and I’m flooded with the need to messy them up.No. Don’t be a weak bitch. She’s just a girl.
I watch her tip the glass back and finish the drink in one gulp. She takes a step closer to me and uses her hips to press the inside of my knee to move it to the side so she can step between my legs. She is fitted perfectly in the space. I’m actively fighting the impulse to squeeze my legs tighter around her. She leans down with eyes never leaving mine. She sticks her tongue out just enough to get the drop of cherry juice from the last cherry she just ate and then smiles as she reaches over my shoulder to put the empty glass behind me on the counter. She doesn’t lean back though. She keeps invading my space further. She uses the same hand and trails her finger over my shoulder and across my neck, hooking it in the chain that I always wear. I have to lean my head back to keep eye contact with her. This is the game we play. We push, hoping the other breaks. And when neither of us do, we play again another day. She pulls me closer with her finger still looped around my necklace. “Dance withme.” She isn’t asking, she’s daring. I smell the tequila on her breath mixed with the cherries and I have to steady my breathing. She can feel my resolve crumbling. I hesitate too long though. I give the slightest shake of my head and she takes two steps back. I have to grip my knees to have something to hold on to so I don’t pull her back to me. She lifts a shoulder and shifts her focus to the idiot that has been watching her since she first came over to me. She places her hand in his and he makes the decision I couldn’t. He follows her onto the dance floor.Fucking menace.
I keep my eyes on her for the next two hours. She has danced with more guys than I can keep up with. I nearly come undone when she starts making out with one of them. But she gave me the option for that to be me and I declined. Trying to be a good friend is exhausting. I also have no plans to leave while she is still here. AJ texted me as she and Rory went back to her place and asked if I would make sure Mia got home safe. I already planned on it.
Mia breaks away from her current dance partner and wobbles over next to me and looks around dramatically before pouting. “Where’s my drink?”
“You drank it.” I actually drank it half an hour ago. I push the ginger ale I ordered for her. She takes the glass and holds it above her head and squints at the bottom. “I put cherries in it. Just drink it.” She smiles at me like she knows a secret then drinks the drink. She loses her balance and nearly falls forward but I’m close enough to wrap an arm around her to steady her. “I think it’s time to take you home. Have you had enough fun tonight?” I wouldn’t make her leave if she isn’t ready but if she chooses to stay, she will have to drink more water and she hates water.
“You can take me home.” She nods her head before resting it on my arm. Mia seems to always be sweeter when she drinks. I grab her phone and small bag she’s kept around her wrist and support her through thebuilding and to the parking lot. She stops walking as soon as we hit the black top though.
“What?” I take a deep breath as she huffs and crosses her arms.
