Because of My Best Friend

5. Crazy Chicks

*AIDAN POV

Tell me why I agreed to come out with Tanner?  I knew… I just knew he would pick out the most obnoxious bar in town.  They seem to have an apt for playing nothing but 90’s and early 2000’s pop tunes, and Tanner is just having the time of his life.  Me?  I feel too old for this s**t.

“You’re not even giving this place a chance!!”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” I say, nursing my beer.  I wanted to be designated driver.  No sense in wasting more of my money for this unplanned weekend. 

He spreads his arms out wide.  “Look around us bro… swimming with hotties just waiting to call you daddy, or make you one!  Live a little, at least for me!”

I want to burst out laughing at his nonsense, but I see a couple of women out of the corner of my eye walking with purpose to our table.  Tanner turns his head as well and I think I hear him whimper.  Poor bastard.

Don’t get me wrong, they are a set of beautiful women.  The blonde bombshell looks just like Tanner’s type- short black dress with strappy heels, bright red lipstick that he would die to have all over his skin.  The brunette is just as equally hot if not more.  Curves in all the right places compacted by a dark red dress, the dip in the front showing off her cleavage in a very sexy manner.  Honestly, I would have never considered myself a boob man, but damn.  

The blonde is on my side while the brunette is on Tanner’s side, but just as they get to our table, they let go of each other’s arms and crisscross, going in the opposite direction, both saying too loudly, “BABE!!!”

I pause shell-shocked for a second as the brunette engulfs me in a too friendly hug, still holding onto her drink.  As her breasts press against my side, I struggle to not let out a groan.  Those are way too comfortable to be fake.  I’m sure these women are drunk off their minds.

She turns her head suddenly as I turn my face towards her, and I almost freak thinking she was about to kiss my neck, but instead, her warm breath tickles my ear.  “I’m so sorry, I really am, but we’re trying to shake off those assholes who won’t leave us alone.  Could you make this a little more convincing?”  she rushes out in a whisper.

I glance from my lashes to see some douchebags in matching getups eyeing at our table.  I put my arms around the chick and press my face closer to her neck.  She smells absolutely divine.  Her perfume has a subtle floral scent and is not wanting to make me choke.  It’s soft, just like the rest of her. “This is weird,” I whisper.

I can feel her giggle and damn if it doesn’t give me a visual of her boobs going up and down.  No Aidan!

“Are they gone?”

I look up and they are.  I slowly drop my arms as she stands up straight and takes a step back.  Having her this close shows all the delicate features of her face, and her smile…. Damn, she has a great smile.

Too quickly, her face takes on a serious panic look.  “Please don’t tell me you have a crazy stalker girlfriend who may or may not know karate?”

Before I can answer, Tanner’s laugh could be heard halfway through the bar.  “Not at all.  In fact, he’s completely single!”  I immediately shoot a look to him and the blonde is still close to him, his arm casually placed on her waist.

“You had him grab your ass, didn’t you?” the brunette accuses her friend.

Her friend grins wildly and pats Tanner on the shoulder.  “He honestly enjoyed it too much,” she says, playfully scolding.  Uh oh… Judging by Tanner’s face, he’s already enamored, which means I have to entertain her friend while he gussies up the girl.  Great.

“Thanks for that.  If y’all don’t have company, could we bother sitting with you for a few minutes… at least until the wonder twins are gone?”  The brunette is thumbing towards the bar, and sure enough, the guys are still glancing creepily towards us 

Tanner’s face lights up like a toddler.  “Yes!!” he says too quickly, then coughs to regain his ‘coolness’.  “I mean, of course you can.”

“Great!” the blonde says, dragging her friend down to the chair beside me.  “I’m Kelsey, and this is Justine.”

“I’m Aidan and this doof is Tanner.”

“Bro…. not cool.”  I shrug my shoulders as I bring my beer back up to my lips.  His slight glare is lost once he turns his attention back to the girls.  “What brings you fine ladies out tonight?”

The woman, Kelsey, throws her arms around Justine.  “This woman, my wonderful B-F-F, has brought me here on a week vacation as a present for my recent break up.”

While the girls laugh, Tanner looks from them to me.  “Well what a small world….”

“Don’t do it,” I warn, tilting my bottle towards the bastard.

“Aww come on,” Kelsey says, looking between us guys.

“We have no secrets.  We’ve already hugged very intimately,” Justine points out with a smirk on her face.

I let out a hard sigh, seeing how I have three Tanner’s at the same damn time. 

“Oh, we’re going to get along so great!”  Tanner actually claps his hands excitedly.  The guy really is a doof.  “Romeo here just got out a relationship as well.”

The girls look to me with sympathetic eyes, and it’s hard not to roll mine.  “Yes, I’m newly single.  Let’s tell the world, Tanner.  Let’s also tell these beautiful strangers that after five years of commitment, she cheated on me.”

“b***h,” Tanner and Kelsey mumble at the same time.  It was weird, I’m not gonna lie.

“That sucks,” Justine says awkwardly, taking a drink.  She probably felt the anger/sarcasm I had since she’s closest to me.  I start feeling like a jackass for unloading.  I almost start thinking about apologi-  “How did you find out?”  I pause mid drink.  Well damn, that’s kind of personal.  “Did you walk into her office and find her legs spread on the desk as her male secretary pounded her?”  What the---

“Or did you hire a private investigator because you read the signs and just had a feeling?” Kelsey adds.  This is just get---

“Or did you find them in your bed?  That would be f*****g low.  Are you okay?”

Kelsey reaches across to pat my arm.  “She found out she was a lesbian, didn’t she?”

I’m frozen… stunned, by their forwardness and Tanner bursts out laughing at my face.  The women look genuinely curious and it’s so different from any women I’ve been around.  I laugh out of awkwardness but honestly, it’s a breath of fresh air.  When Tanner gets his s**t together, he blurts out the truth.  “It was worse.  The b***h told him… through a text.”

Both swing a hand over their hearts like it was the most tragic thing they heard, and I involuntary cringe.  “Please don’t say bless your heart….”

“okay,” both say sadly in unison, holding in their laughs.  Ugh.

Everyone goes silent as well all pull a sip of our drinks, however, the s**t eating grins remain. 

“My boyfriend cheated on me too,” Kelsey says on a sigh.  

Tanner’s mouth forms a tight line and grabs her hand in a gentle manner.  “There’s a place in hell where all the cheaters go, don’t waste your time on trash.”  Justine and Kelsey both start busting out laughing, but Tanner was being dead serious, and looks slightly taken back.  

Justine actually snorts and oddly enough, I find it cute.  “Don’t worry about him.  Kels here turned his apartment into his own personal hell.”

“Oh, do tell!” Tanner says, leaning in closer. 

Kelsey laughs but puts her head in her hands.  “For the record, he deserved everything I did.”  Then she goes into the story about hiring a PI, shredding his clothes, milk in the plants.  After she said pee in the ice cube tray, I think my mouth dropped.  How in the hell is she not going to jail for this?  I didn’t want to hear another word.  Tanner looks like he’s actually taking mental notes.

Justine leans over while the other two engross in her story.  “Don’t worry.  I got to her just in time before she went ballistic like last time.”  Her body produces goosebumps over her arms after she said that, and I must say, I’m curious…… but not that f*****g curious.  She’s done worse?  That’s f*****g scary.

“I don’t think I want to know..”

She lets out a humorous laugh.  “You really don’t.”  She turns her head and smiles at her friend.  “Tanner seems to be a cool guy.  At least he’s putting her in a good mood.”

“Yea, he’s a good friend- known him since middle school.  Once you get past the over-the-top hand gestures, he’s actually fun.”

She nods her head, continuing to look at the two of them.  Her dark hair cascading over her shoulder, shining from the lights of the dancefloor.  I scan her face from her high cheek bones to her pouty lips. Her skin looks so soft…

“So where are you boys from?”  Kelsey’s voice snaps me back to reality, causing me to shake my head.  I literally just got out of a relationship.  Why am I thinking about this woman like this?

“We actually live about two hours from here.  Tanner wanted a three day weekend in the city…. So here we are.”

“And it was a great idea, if I do say so myself.”  Tanner puffs his chest as if he was a peacock showing all his dazzling feathers.  “At least we got to meet you lovely ladies.”  Kelsey blushes and Justine shakes her head smiling.

Then I hear it, the most god awful song from our preteen years.  Justine beats me in a loud groan.

“I love this song!!!”  Tanner and Kelsey scream out in unison.  They turn to each other surprised, and before I know it, Tanner grabs Kelsey’s hand and they both run and laugh to the dancefloor.  I awkwardly sit there, not knowing what to do.  It’s like I forgot how to f*****g socialize.