Every Other Memory by Kaylee Ryan
Chapter 1
Cadence
The beat of the music pounds through the speakers. It’s so loud I can feel the vibration in my chest. Then again, maybe that’s the alcohol or possibly the fact that I’m done. After four long, grueling years, I’ve graduated from college. Not only am I a college graduate, but I got my results back today. I passed my boards. I am officially an occupational therapist. It’s time for me to enter the world of adulting, and I’m ready. I am so ready. I’ve busted my ass for this.
“Drink!” my best friend, Shelby, screams over the music. I nod my agreement, link hands with her, and follow her through the throng of people on the dance floor. “This place is on fire tonight,” she says once we reach the bar.
“That it is,” I agree.
“Two waters.” She holds up two fingers when the bartender finally reaches us.
“I can’t believe I convinced you to come out with me,” she states, pulling me into a sweaty hug, making me laugh.
“You act like I never go out.” She gives me a look that says “you never go out,” and she’s right.
“You were the most dedicated student I know.”
I nod. She’s not wrong. I put everything into studying—no time for partying or skipping class. I needed to know that I was on the right track to a career where I would always be able to take care of myself financially. Luckily, my nose-to-the-grindstone determination in high school landed me scholarships. Add in my part-time job at the coffee shop, and I’m not only a college graduate, but I’m also debt-free. That’s almost unheard of—especially someone with my background. Hell, few in the foster care system make it to college. At least not the ones that I know. I, however, was determined. I am determined to make something of myself and my life.
“Now, if I could just convince you to find you a hottie to go home with, I’d call this night a success.” She wiggles her eyebrows, handing me a bottle of water.
“You know casual isn’t my thing.”
“You don’t have a thing,” she counters. “Besides, look around you, Cadence. You can have your pick. You’ve got the eye of every man in this room.”
“Uh, that would be you, my friend. Guilty by association.” Shelby is what most men, even most women, refer to as a blonde bombshell. She and I are the same height at five foot six, but my hair is dark to her light. Her eyes are an exotic brown, with gold hues, and her skin flawless. Whereas my eyes are a light blue, and my complexion fair.
“Don’t even,” she warns me. A slow smile crosses her face, and it’s one of mischief. I know it all too well. We’ve been roommates since our freshman year of college, and that look, that smile tells me she’s up to no good.
“Excuse me.” She places her manicured hand on the shoulder of the guy next to her. “I was hoping you could help me with something,” she coos. Yes, coos. The sound of her voice alone could have him eating out of the palm of her hand. “My friend here, she’s just gone through a bad breakup.” Lies. “He told her, well, let’s just say she’s feeling down about herself. What do you think? She’s beautiful, right?” she asks him.
His eyes rake over me from head to toe, stopping a little longer at my chest, making me regret the spaghetti strap form-fitting tank top I decided to wear tonight. I knew this place would be packed, and if Shelby and I agree on anything, it’s hitting the dance floor.
“She’s a fucking knockout,” the guy slurs.
“Thanks, sugar.” She winks at him, drops her hand, and focuses her attention on me. “Told you.”
“He’s drunk.”
“Drunk or sober, I’d take you home with me,” he chimes in, still listening to our conversation.
I give him a kind smile, grab Shelby’s arm, and pull her away from the bar, and to a small table that surprisingly is vacant next to the dance floor. “So, where’s Matt?”
“Who knows.” She rolls her eyes.
“Are you guys broken up again?” Shelby and Matt have a long history of on-again, off-again. It started our freshman year, and they’re still doing… whatever it is they do. One day they’re happy and moving forward. The next, they hate each other, and it’s over. I live with her, and I have a hard time keeping up.
Her shoulders slump, and the look in her eyes is defeated. “I don’t know, Cadence. I love him, but we’re toxic for one another. I want us to work, but I just don’t know if we’re able to get through all the bullshit and make it happen.”
“Maybe letting him go, I mean, really walking away for longer than a few days is what you guys need?”
“Maybe.” She shrugs. “I wish I had the answer. I know he’s struggling with football being over, and he’s not going on to the pros like a few of his friends on the team. That was never his plan, but it’s a huge part of his life that he’s going to miss.”
“Yeah, I get that. However, what about the last four years? He’s always put you second. That’s still going on now. There always seems to be something or some kind of excuse.”
“I know. Now that we’re graduated, I don’t know where we’re going.”
Reaching over the table, I place my hand over hers. “You two will figure it out. Just don’t hold out too long. I want to see you happy. Sometimes letting go is what it takes to make that happen.”
“Yeah,” she agrees when a shadow falls over our table.
Glancing up, Matt is standing there, hands shoved in his pockets, and a look more serious than I’ve ever seen from him on his face. “Hi.” His eyes are locked on Shelby. From the look of surprise on her face, she had no idea that he was going to be here.
“Hi.” The DJ slows things down a bit, and when he reaches his hand out to her, I know what he’s asking. From the way her eyes soften, she does too. Matt never dances with her. Never. She loves it, and it’s not something he ever takes part in.
“Will you dance with me?” he asks, his voice so soft I can barely hear him.
I watch as tears well in my best friend’s eyes and nods her agreement. She takes his hand and stands before turning to me. “Cad—” she starts, but I smile and shake my head.
“Go. I’ll be fine right here. This might be your moment,” I tell her. The smile she gives me lights up her face before she turns and allows the love of her life to lead her out on the dance floor. Regardless of how distant he’s always been, she loves him. Deep down I know he loves her too. I wish more than anything that they could get it figured out and be happy.
Not wanting to look like the loser sitting at a table all alone, I pull out my phone and begin to scroll through my emails. Shelby and I are moving to a new apartment, a bigger, better apartment, and we’re waiting for our move-in date. After scrolling as long as I can, I head back to the bar for a drink, this time of the alcoholic variety. I am celebrating after all.
Moving up to the bar, I raise my hand half a dozen times and still get ignored by the bartender. Shelby never has that problem.
“Allow me,” a deep husky voice says from behind me. Turning to look over my shoulder, I see a man with the most gorgeous hazel eyes I’ve ever seen. “What are you drinking?”
“Beer is fine, anything,” I tell him.
He nods before leaning in and placing one hand on the small of my back while raising the other to get the bartender's attention. His touch is like a jolt of electricity to my system, and even though my back is the only place he’s touching me, I feel him everywhere.
“Two beers,” he says, placing our order. “So, you come here often?” he asks with a smile as he slides onto the now vacant stool beside me.
“Does that line work for you?” I ask, not even trying to hide my smile.
“I’m not sure. This is my first time. How am I doing?”
“Meh.” I tilt the bottle of beer to my lips, trying not to smile.
“Okay. All right.” He chuckles. “I admit I need to step up my game. It would help if I spent less time working and more time doing… this.” His eyes roam around the bar.
“You’re not the only one,” I confess. “This is the first time I’ve been out in, well… I don’t really know how long. Too long, let’s just leave it at that.”
“Special occasion?”
“Kind of. I passed my state boards, so I am officially a licensed occupational therapist.” It’s the first time I’ve said those words aloud to anyone other than Shelby. I can’t believe college is over, and I did it. I graduated, and I made something of myself. For me, life is just beginning, and for the first time in a very long time, I’m excited for what’s to come next.
“That’s incredible.” He leans in and gives me a hug. His scent’s something woodsy, mixed with the alcohol on his breath. It’s intoxicating. “Congrats.”
The hug surprises me, but I find myself accepting his arms wrapped around me and hugging him back. “Thank you. It was a long four years, but I’m done and ready to start my new career.”
“So what’s next?” he asks.
“I have a job lined up. It’s local. I did my internship with them, so I already know most of the staff.”
He nods. “I know you said you don’t do this scene often, but what do you like to do for fun?”
“Well…” I can feel my face start to heat as embarrassment coats my cheeks. “I’m not much for spontaneity. If I wasn’t in class or studying, I was working or sleeping.”
“Ah, so this really is a celebration for you.”
“Pretty much. I know I’m probably the most boring human on the planet, but my life… it’s not been the easiest, and I was determined to make something of myself.” I have no idea why I just told him all of that, but it’s too late to take the words back now.
“Drink up,” he says, taking a long pull from his bottle of beer. “We have some celebrating to do.”
“Do we now?” I smile at him, and he winks. This isn’t me. I’m not the girl who flirts at the club. My life has been hyper focused on graduation and my career. Now that I have all of that, I’m left feeling… unsettled, which is not how I thought I would feel at this stage in my life. Although I’m not much of a flirter, the easy banter with this handsome stranger seems to come naturally.
No harm in enjoying his company, right?
“Hell, yes, we do. You can’t just sit at the bar all night. You need the full experience, and I’m going to give it to you. You and I are going out there.” He points to the dance floor.
“I don’t even know your name.” It’s my lame attempt at stalling. This man is too gorgeous and too damn tempting. My experience with men is limited at best. My first and only priority was to graduate from college. Now that I’ve done that, I’m not exactly sure what to do with myself.
Maybe this handsome stranger is a good place to start.
A slow, sexy grin pulls at his lips as he slides off his stool and steps in close to me. He’s so close I can see the flecks of green, gold, and brown in his eyes. Maybe even a small amount of blue. They are the most mesmerizing eyes I’ve ever seen. Add in his dark hair, the five o’clock shadow, and the obviously toned body under that tight black T-shirt, and he’s absolutely mouthwatering. “We’re working on your spontaneity here, gorgeous.” He smirks. “Come on. Time’s a-wasting.”
I don’t know what the night holds, but I’m suddenly eager to find out. I quickly finish my beer and hold the bottle out for him. He takes both of our now empty bottles and places them on the bar, lacing his fingers through mine and leading us through the throngs of people to the center of the dance floor. It’s a bold move, one that I’m not opposed to. He seems to have that effect on me.
We stop in the middle of the floor, and he moves to step in behind me. His hands grip my hips, and together we begin to move. I’m hesitant at first, which is odd because I love to dance, but this sexy stranger, he’s got me off-kilter. It’s not until Shelby and Matt appear in front of us, and she smiles, giving me a thumbs-up, that I start to loosen up.
“Feel the music. Feel me,” his deep voice whispers into my ear. My eyes dart to Shelby, and she’s swaying her hips against Matt as they stand in our same position. I mimic her movements. Closing my eyes, I let the beat of the music flow through my veins and just feel.
The beat.
His hands.
His hard chest.
Desire.
“That’s it, beautiful. Let go for me.” His voice is husky, and from the bulge in his pants, he’s just as affected by me as I am by him.
I lose track of time as our bodies grind together on the dance floor. We’re both sweaty, but we don’t let that stop us from our hands roaming over each other. I’ve never been this turned on in my entire life. I can’t believe I’m here with this Adonis of a man, and he’s into me. Me, Cadence Wade, has all of his attention, and it’s a heady feeling.
Across from me, Shelby motions for me to come closer. “We’re going to go. You going to come with us?” she asks.
I’m not ready to leave yet and to be honest, I’m tired of being the third wheel on nights like tonight. “No.” I turn to look over my shoulder to find smoldering hazel eyes. “I’m going to stay for a while.”
“I don’t want to leave you here on your own.”
“She’s not alone. She has me. I can promise you that I’ll get her home safely,” my sexy hazel-eyed stranger speaks up.
“No offense, but we don’t know you,” Shelby challenges him.
“I’m a man of my word.” There is something about the conviction in his voice that makes me believe him. He’s just one of those people that you can read, and I know that he’s not going to hurt me or force me into anything. My gut tells me that this is okay. I can’t explain it, and I’m not sure I’d want to if I could. There’s something to this being spontaneous. Then again, it’s all him. The man standing behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist, holding our sweaty bodies tethered to one another. He’s the spontaneity, and yeah, I’m not ready to give that up.
“I’ll call you when we leave,” I tell my best friend.
She surprises me when she pulls out her phone and snaps a picture of us, then points her phone at my companion. “I’ve got this as proof as to who she was with. Take care of her.”
“Without question,” he replies.
Shelby studies him for a few moments before nodding. “Call me,” she says, and I nod. I wait until they are out of sight before turning in his arms and locking my hands behind his neck. I don’t say anything as we stare into each other’s eyes. I allow myself to not think about what’s next. Instead, I live in the moment, the feel of his tight grip on my waist, and when his head lowers and his lips hover over mine, I, Cadence Wade, do something I’ve never done.
I initiate a kiss.
Without reservations, my lips press against his, committing the feel of them to memory.
