Chapter 2
Amber POV
I stepped into the bar, exchanging the chill of the evening air for the warmth of the lights and the chatter of customers having drinks. I shoved my hands into my coat pockets, squinting as I scanned through the tables to find my friends. The sting of betrayal, sharp as ever, lingered after the ordeal in Liam’s apartment this morning.
I had called Ginny, sobbing and telling her what happened, unable to even utter his name. I was hoping she’d bring sad movies, ice cream and comforting words. Instead, after a long, very necessary nap, I was awoken by my phone buzzing incessantly with a clear instruction: Come to Dutch Bar by 8 p.m., dress well.
Now here I was, making my way to the table where Ginny was waving at me, when I’d rather be buried under my blankets on bed. I got there to see her seated with Jane and Lilah, and they had drinks in front of them.
“We heard the good news from Ginny, so we came to celebrate,” Jane started, a bright smile on her lips as she raised her martini, her curls bobbing.
I stopped in my tracks. “I broke up with my fiancé, Ginny. That’s not good news,”
Ginny pulled my hand, dragging me to settle on a stool beside hers. “Exactly, it is good that you broke up. Liam was a walking red flag, and we tried telling you.”
“I mean, he only proposed after he found out you were saving for your future.. Who does that? ” Jane frowned, brows furrowed in disgust
“A total sleaze bag. You dodged a bullet Amby!” Lilah chimed in, sipping the drink in her hand.
Heat crept up my neck as the memory of that tiny ring in that tiny apartment made my stomach churn. I was truly blinded by love, and not in a good way.
“And the nerve,” Jane continued, huffing in indignation, “calling you boring after he cheated on you? I want to personally show him what boring looks like.”
The shared fury of my friends made the heartache I felt dull. But guilt also clawed at my chest.
“It’s okay, guys,” I said, my voice low. “I’m sorry for not listening to you all back then.” I lowered my eyes, my chest tightening. “However, I can’t stop thinking of where I went wrong. I loved Liam with my very being, and I did everything I could to match up to his demands… Why wasn’t I enough?”
As I muffled a sob with my hands, I felt them circle around me with a warm hug.
“Don’t cry over that loser again, he doesn’t deserve it,” Ginny said firmly once they pulled away, and I nodded, wiping the tears from my cheeks.
Lilah squeezed my shoulder. “You’re stunning. Anyone would kill to be with you. It’s his loss.”
“And lucky us, cos we have our friend back” Jane added, smirking at the bartender who served a tray of shots.
I looked at the mini cup hesitantly, my stomach churning with dread. Liam never liked me drinking, so I’d stopped entirely for him. Now I hardly know what my tolerance was.
“I don’t want to, guys,” I refused, pushing the tray away and eliciting frowns. “I haven’t done this in a while.”
“Which is the problem,” Lilah doubled down, sliding one toward me. “You’ve been living like a nun.”
“Now’s your chance to live it up again. Don’t hold yourself back.” Ginny’s voice echoed in my ears, a silent nudging.
I stared at it for a long moment, contemplating the consequences. Though I’d feel sick tomorrow morning, I couldn’t refuse anymore on seeing my friends’ eager eyes.
“Fine” I breathed, gripping the glass. “Let’s do this.”
My friends cheered around me, took a glass, did a countdown, and we all downed it in one gulp.
The liquor hit hard as it slid down my throat and I chased it with a lime slice. The sourness of the combination, electrifying. My body warmed, my chest loosened, the room softened and I smiled at the rush in my system.
Ginny leaned in, eyes gleaming as she threw her hand around my neck. “Let your night of freedom begin!”
******
Many shots later, my head pounded hard and the room spun around me so much that I held onto Ginny for support. My friends, however, were on a roll and full of energy, earning even side glances from the few customers remaining in the bar.
“We should probably start going now,” I muttered slowly, dragging Lilah off an empty table close by.
“Noooo,” she grumbled, pushing me off and flopping back on the stool. “We’re having your freedom party! The fun is yet to begin.”
“Yeahhh,” Ginny burped then giggled, Jane joining in the laugh.
I frowned, steadying myself. “What more can we do now that we’re drunk? Let’s crash at my place.”
Jane stood up with a glass, pushing it to my lips to take a gulp. “You haven’t made your revenge list yet.”
I wiped my lips, cringing from the bitterness that invaded my senses. “Revenge list?”
“Yes! We did it back in college, remember?” Ginny said, her eyes lit up with recognition. “Ten things to do to get back at your ex!”
“That was cute while we were twenty. I turn thirty in three weeks.” I deadpanned.
“Which is exactly why you need to do it, Amby! You spent your late twenties trapped, so now that you’re free… just live a little.” Jane lectured, pulling a napkin from a nearby table and asking for a pen from the bartender.
I let out a sigh, feeling even more dizzy as I watched what she wrote in bold: TEN WAYS AMBER WILL GET BACK AT LIAM.
Lilah raised a finger, looking profoundly serious. “I think, number one should be: get laid.”
I choked, eyes wide as Jane wrote the first item with a smirk:
Get laid.
Ginny nodded, clinking her glass with mine. “Cheers to that!”
“Wait,” I said, laughing nervously as I held Jane’s hand, “I’m not… this isn’t…”
She waved me off. “Hush, Amber, you need this. Did Liam even think of you for a second while he was screwing that girl? No he didn’t, even when he knew you were coming that morning. So do this for yourself.”
“Besides,” Lilah interjected, “I am offended he found you boring because I know he can’t handle you. So you need to prove him wrong.”
I stared at the words on the napkin, my heart thudding in my chest as a mix of emotions swirled within me. If he paid no heed to me, his fiancé, even after I caught him, why was I still being a prude?
“I bet Amber can even snag someone here tonight if she wants to,” Ginny mused, wiggling her brows at me. “After all, ever since she pulled off her coat, a few stares have flown in her direction.”
My eyes moved past them to scan the room, and true to her words, a few guys glanced away.
One man didn’t , he held my gaze and I couldn’t look away.
He was seated casually against the wall, dark hair messy, sharp jawline, and brooding eyes that saw only me. He looked like the opposite of every safe choice I had ever made, he looked like danger distilled. My pulse hit a weird rhythm, my legs turning to jelly at the intensity of his gaze and a warm feeling curled below my abdomen.
“Oh, he’s intense. I like him already.” Lilah leaned in with a smirking.
“Go on,” Jane nudged me hard. “Talk to him. Don’t chicken out.”
I swallowed hard. At first I would have refused, but now my thoughts were… why not?
I had nothing to lose anyway, so maybe a night with a man like him was exactly what I needed. I grabbed Ginny’s glass for courage, ignored their excited squeals, and walked toward him on unsteady feet and reckless impulse.
He didn’t look away once, his gaze growing more intense with each step I took to him. I stopped in front of his table, heart hammering like it wanted out of my ribs.
“Would you like a toast?”