Sage stepped into her heels and looked into the mirror she
hung by the door. It seemed so grown up to have a table and mirror by the door
to check her lipstick before she left her apartment, just like she’d seen her
mom do so many times when she was young.
She turned and surveyed the apartment. It was small but had
character. The wood floors were nicked and chipped, but a few large rugs took
care of that. The light grey sofa and chair she had bought fit perfectly and
the yellow accent pillows she chose made the room seem cheerful. She smiled to
herself. Good job, Sage she gave herself a little mental pat on the back.
She looked at the fireplace, which was her favorite part of
the apartment. Others she had looked at had more modern amenities or in-unit laundry,
but this was the only one with a fireplace; an actual working fireplace. She
was sold as soon as she saw it. She smiled again. This is mine, she thought and
she picked up her bag and clicked down two flights of stairs to her parking
spot.
The bar was crowded and loud, but she spotted Amy
immediately waving like a madwoman at Sage.
“I see you, I see you,” she said laughing and climbing onto
a barstool at a corner table where her brightly clad pal sat.
“Wow, that’s a pretty top,” said Sage. It was bright coral
and looked great against Amy’s caramel-colored skin.
“Thanks,” said Amy. “I see you’re wearing your trademark
black and grey.”
Sage looked down at her black jeans and grey sweater. They
were just tight enough and accentuated her curves. She shrugged. “Yeah, guess I
do wear a lot of black.”
“And grey,” said Amy taking a sip of a bright red cocktail.
“You should let me dress you,” she said.
Maybe, said Sage looking at the drink menu and hoping to
change the subject. Amy veered toward the bright and occasionally garish, while
Sage preferred subdued tones and knew she likely would not like whatever Amy
chose for her. “What’s that you’re drinking?”
“It’s called a Nip Slip,” said Amy taking another sip.
“A what now?”
“A Nip Slip. You know like the celebs whose top just
conveniently-slash-accidentally falls off and we get a boob-show.”
Sage laughed. “Seriously? I think I’ll have vodka tonic.”
“Wow, I would never have guessed,” said Amy rolling her
eyes. “So, guess who I saw the other night?”
“Hmm?” Asked Sage sipping her trademark cocktail. What could
she say? She knew what she liked and stuck with it.
“Jarrod,” said Amy, her eyes twinkling.
Sage felt a pang at the name. Jarrod. They had had a
relationship two years ago until he left to attend medical school across
country. They had kept in touch for a while, but it fizzled as they both led
their own lives.
She tried to look disinterested, but she Amy knew her too
well. Still, she wanted to play it cool. “Jarrod? I haven’t thought of him in
awhile.”
“Liar,” Amy laughed. She leaned back and shrugged. “But if
you don’t care, that’s cool. We’ll talk about something else.”
Sage rolled her eyes. “You’re a menace. Fine, what happened?”
The music rolled off the walls, and Sage tried to force
herself to relax. She’d been tense when she walked into the club, and hearing
Jarrod’s name made her teeth clench. Amy leaned in close. “I know you want to
hear that he looks terrible, but he looks good. He said he’d moved back to the
area, and he asked about you.”
“Of course he asked about me. I’m the only thing you two had
in common,” Sage said. “It’s doesn’t mean anything.”
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
“What did you tell him? For the love of God, don’t tell me
that you told him I was single.” Sage looked at her friend desperately, and she
knew the answer before Amy even spoke.
“I told him you were single,” Amy said with a shrug.
“Damn it!”
“What? He told me that he was single. What was the harm?
Besides, you are single. You can drool over Ben all you like, but unless you
make a move, you’re still single.”
Ben. He was the reason Sage was out drinking to begin with.
Ben was devastatingly handsome, and when they first started talking, he’d been
charming and sweet. But the closer they got, the more Ben pulled away. There
was just something about him, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The
sexual tension between them was explosive, but Amy was right. They hadn’t
actually gone on a date yet. Or even been alone together.
“There you guys are!” Sage turned to see her friend Suze
pushing her way through the crowd. Amy looked her up and down with a frown.
Suze was dressed in black pants and a blue button up top. She’d completed the
look with a pair of black sensible shoes and, as always, she had her hair
pulled back in a pony-tail. “Why in the world did you pick this place?” she
asked as she flopped down in the chair.
“Because this place is cool. Why do you look like you just
got off work?” Amy demanded.
“Probably because I just got off work. Why?”
Amy groaned, and Sage tried to stifle a laugh. Where Amy was
bold and daring, Suze was sensible and reasonable. They were the angel and
devil on her shoulders, and she knew without a doubt that she would not have survived
without the both of them.
“Who works until nine o’clock on a Friday? And who doesn’t
take the time to change before heading the most popular club in the city? For
fuck’s sake, why do I even bother?” Amy said exasperated.
Suze shrugged. “Beats me. So what were you guys talking
about?”
“Nothing,” Sage muttered. She really didn’t want to continue
the conversation.
Amy shot her a deadly look. “You’re an adult. Face your
problems like an adult. I ran into Jarrod. You remember Jarrod? The first man
to every actually make Sage orgasm in bed? The man she proclaimed her love too?
The man who broke her heart when he moved away even though she’d complained for
months that their relationship had gotten boring?”
Sage’s eyes widened as she held up her hand. “Okay. Geez.
Way to beat a dead horse.”
“Anyways, Jarrod is single, and he asked about our Sage
here. And that led into a conversation about Ben.”
A waitress interrupted them, and Suze ordered her usual gin
and tonic. She returned her attention to Amy. “Right. Ben. Ridiculously sexy
and strangely moody.”
“So, the question is whether Suze should ignore ridiculously
sexy Ben and meet with tried and true Jarrod, or whether she should focus on
new and exciting horizons.”
“What?” Sage nearly spit out her drink. “No, that is not the
question at all. How did a conversation about you seeing Jarrod turn into me
dating Jarrod? And just because I’ve had a few fantasies and interesting
conversations with Ben doesn’t mean that I have feelings for him.”
“For once, I have to agree with Amy. Sage, you have avoided
your feelings for quite some time now. I don’t know whether you’re scared of
getting hurt or scared of rejection, but either way, you can’t spend your whole
life alone. Now, maybe Jarrod was just making conversation, but it sounds like
he’s interested in at least seeing you again. Most exes don’t do that unless
they want to see if something is there that can be rekindled. And your
conversations with Ben are anything but platonic, but only you would know if
you’re interesting in pursuing something physical or something emotional with
him. But the point is what you face to face your feelings.”
Sage shot Suze an angry glare. She hated when Suze went all
psychologist on them, but she wasn’t wrong. Sage had avoided intimate
relationships with men for a while now. Hearing that Jarrod was in town did
force her to reexamine her feelings for Ben. What did she want from him? And what was he hiding from her?
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