Play It Again by Ashley Stoyanoff Read Free Book Online

on, droopy lip, pouts. “That
sounds just as boring as making a list. Jimmy only had one beer so
he can drive us, and Vance is watching the house. He’ll catch her
if she shows up again.”
    This is true.
    There’s really no point in both of us
watching, right? And we’ve already made progress. We ruled out men
… We made a list …
    “Come on, Pipes,” Kim whines. “It’s Friday
night. Live a little.”
    “Okay, let’s go out,” I say, deciding that I
might as well let go for the night and have some fun.
    Kim and I make a crash stop in my bedroom,
tearing through my closet, throwing clothes around, searching for
something to wear. We pull shirts off hangers, holding them up,
before tossing them aside.
    It takes about fifteen minutes, but Kim
finally settles on a little black dress, while I pull on a slinky
green sleeveless top that dips low with a cowl neck at the front,
and a pair of black skinny jeans.
    Letting my hair out of its braid, I run my
fingers through the waves, fluffing it out. I swipe on some
lip-gloss and blush, before slipping on a pair of sling back,
peep-toed sandals, and then, Jimmy, Kim, and I hop into my truck
and head to the pub.
    It’s a twenty-minute drive to the pub and
Jimmy yammers on about the new girl, Sera, the entire way. By the
time we get there, I know she’s twenty-one, blonde, blue eyed, has
a dog named Killer and a cat named Puss. She works at a photo hut
and they met when he went in to buy film for his camera.
    The parking lot is packed when we pull in,
and I swear we find the last parking spot.
    There’s a small group of men standing at the
entrance, smoking and laughing with the bouncer. He eyes us for a
moment as we approach before recognition settles in and he lifts
his chin, letting us in without any hassle.
    The bar is just as packed as the parking lot
with people chatting and laughing, the atmosphere and crowd,
relaxed, easy, with low music thrumming through the air.
    It’s always like this here. It’s one of the
things I love about this place.
    Jimmy goes straight for the bar, squeezing
through the crowd, and stands at the end, waiting for the bartender
to notice him, and Kim and I start the hunt for a table.
    “Oh, look,” Kim says, pointing to a table
near the bar. “It’s Vance and Wes.”
    I turn, seeing Vance staring at us, his
expression blank. He makes a show of running his eyes over me, his
attention causing a tingle to shoot down my spine. I’m not sure if
it’s from excitement or apprehension, until he meets my eyes,
smiles, and then lifts a hand waving us over, and I realize it’s
both.
    I’m excited he’s here.
    I’m nervous to see him again.
    It hits me then, Friday night, Constant Pub …
Vance comes here almost every Friday night.
    I turn to Kim, narrowing my eyes at her. “You
knew he’d be here tonight, didn’t you?”
    “No,” she says right away, except she’s also
nodding yes.
    “I thought this was supposed to be a girl’s
night,” I say.
    Kim lets out a sharp laugh. “Jimmy ruined
that, not me.”
    I bite my bottom lip, and my emotions must be
easy to see because Kim giggles.
    “Nervous is good,” she fake whispers, over
the music. “If you’re not nervous about seeing him, then you’re
just not that into him.” Then, before I can respond, she grabs my
hand, tugging me toward the table. “Come on.”
    I follow her, although I really don’t have
much of a choice. Her grip on my arm is bruising tight. She’s not
taking any chances that I’ll chicken out and find another
table.
    Vance watches me intently as we make our way
over, and even slightly intoxicated, the attention flusters me.
Wearing his standard uniform of faded jeans, a dark tee, and a
baseball cap, he looks good.
    Really good.
    “Hey guys,” Kim says brightly as we reach the
table. She moves in behind Vance, wrapping her arms around his
neck, and plants a kiss on his cheek, and then moves on to Wes,
repeating the routine, before taking a