On His Knees by Tabatha Kiss
Chapter 56
Seth
Istare at the clock. Then, the entrance doors. Then, right back to the clock to make sure I read it correctly the first time. Three minutes until shift change.
Three minutes until I have a drink alone, drive myself home, and try to sleep off this shame.
It’s a slow night at the Botsford Plaza Chicago. Usually, I’d be fine with that. I welcome the chance not to smile at a bunch of rich people fake-smiling back at me. However, tonight’s sluggish feeling just makes the brick in my stomach feel heavier.
She’s not coming.
I don’t know that yet. Jenna Abrams isn’t the most punctual person in the world, after all. And that’s by design, too. She’s a girl who likes to make an entrance. It’s... something I’ve always liked about her, actually.
I’d just... be really nice if she made one. Right now.
I exhale hard. I stare at the clock. Then, the entrance doors. Then, right back to the clock.
“Good evening, Seth.”
Shift change.
I bob my head at Marley, the night clerk. “Hey, Marley.”
“Anything I should know?” he asks.
I shrug. “1309 made a maintenance call about twenty minutes ago.”
He scoffs. “Oh, what’s broken now?”
“Curtain rod. The boys downstairs are on it.”
“Lovely.”
“Other than that, we’re golden.”
Golden.Yes, they train us to say that.
Botsfords and gold. Name a more annoying duo.
“Just like your pretty eyes,” he teases as he slides onto his stool. “Have a good night, kid.”
I chuckle. “Thanks, Marley. You, too.”
I stare at the clock. Then, the entrance doors. Then, right back to that damned clock.
She’s not coming.
Not sure why I expected her to.
I fetch my cellphone from my locker in the back. No missed calls. No new messages.
Maybe it’s for the best. Getting into it with my little sister’s best friend was bound to cause drama. It’s probably good that it ended before it ever really began. Before we screwed up our lives even worse than we already have.
I clock off. I give the golden lobby another cursory glance, my eyes on the hunt for reddish-blondes.
A roar of laughter echoes from the back of the bar. There are a dozen young women sitting around in sashes. They raise cocktail glasses. Clink, clink. Giggle, giggle. A bachelorette party, by the looks of it.
You go, girls.
One of them is strawberry blonde, I notice. But she’s not my strawberry blonde.
I take an empty stool at the bar. Most of them are empty tonight, but I imagine some of our more stuck-up clientèle are drinking in their rooms because of the party in the back. I stare at them again, cracking a smile. Honestly, it looks like fun. Can’t fault ‘em.
Billy pokes his head out from the back room and spots me at the bar. “Hey, Seth,” he says. “Been waiting long?”
“No. Just sat down. You busy back there?”
“Inventory night.”
“Ah.” I nod with sympathy. “Sounds fun.”
“It’s a blast. What are we drinking tonight?”
I look at the party again. “What are they drinking tonight?”
He glances over, then smiles. “Bottomless cosmos.”
“I’ll take one of those.”
“One of those nights, huh?”
“Still think I can turn it around,” I muse. “Maybe.”
“All right.” Billy glances over my shoulder and bobs his head. “And for the lady?”
I don’t dare move. It could be anybody. It could even be Billy messing with me. It wouldn’t be beneath him to do that.
“I’ll just have what he’s having. Thank you.”
Jenna.
She slides onto the stool next to mine.
Billy nods. “Coming right up,” he says as he makes himself scarce.
I let myself look at her now. First, just to prove she’s really here. Second, to ogle the fuck out of her. Perfect hair lies flat and gently tossed over her right shoulder. Make-up pristine with pink lips and lined eyes. A dress of the little and black variety, elegantly showcasing a hint of what’s underneath.
She looks me in the eye and smiles.
My god, she actually came.
Which means...
I inhale to speak, to ask if she’s sure about this. About us.
“Ground rules,”she says over me.
“Okay,” I say, breathing out.
“One, I am not your mother. Do not expect me to suddenly start cleaning up after you or cooking you meals or doing your laundry just because we’re dating. Unless I explicitly offer, of course. I will do you the same courtesy.”
Dating.She used the D-word.
This is really happening.
I nod. “All right.”
“Two...” Her expression softens. “We give each other a clean slate. I don’t see this working if we can’t move past who we used to be. We don’t judge each other. We move forward. Always.”
Forward.That sounds perfect.
“I agree,” I say.
“And three.” Jenna takes a breath. “We have to be honest with each other. We say what we mean and we mean what we say.”
No games. No lies. Only truth.
Just a bright and honest future with a girl I never thought I’d fall for.
“Truth or dare, Jenna?”
She presses her lips together in thought. Everyone knows that Jenna always chooses dare, but I feel tonight might be different.
“Truth,” she says.
“You weren’t really going to sleep with that Brad guy, were you?” I ask.
“No.” She grins. “I just wanted to see you sweat.”
Goddamn.
She’s perfect.
I reach for her hand on the bar. She opens her palm, letting our fingers entwine as we gaze at each other for a few silent moments.
You know.
This might actually work out.
Billy approaches, choosing the perfect lull in the conversation to set our drinks down. He silently leaves again, but not before offering me an approving wink.
Jenna eyes the pink liquid in our martini glasses. “Is... is that a cosmo?” she asks.
I nod. “Yes, it is.”
“You ordered a cosmo?”
“Hey, look how much fun they’re having.”
I point at the bachelorette party across the bar as one woman tumbles off her chair to the floor, causing another wave of laughter amongst them.
“Yeah,” Jenna says with a laugh. “That looks like fun.”
“And I was having fun tonight whether or not you showed up, so...” I raise my glass. “Cheers.”
She clinks her glass with mine. “Cheers.”
We each take a sip, that delicious flavor tasting oh-so-sweet on the way down.
“So,” I say as I set my glass down, “speaking of that Brad guy...”
Jenna cringes. “Yeah...”
“How’d that work out?”
“Well...” She clears her throat. “He called me today and officially asked me out.”
“And?”
“And... I politely declined.”
Phew.
“Really?” I ask.
“Really.”
“He seemed like such a great catch, though,” I joke.
“Oh, you’d be surprised.” Her eyes grow wide with gossip. “I told him I had a great night, which I technically did, but I was not currently looking to start anything new at this time.”
“And how did he take that?”
“He asked if I was a lesbian and then he claimed he could change me.”
My jaw drops. “What?!”
“Needless to say, there will be no date — ever — and LBB Incorporated will not be offering him a permanent position at their company once his trial has expired.”
“Wow,” I say, shaking my head, yet secretly thrilled. “Some guys know how to burn a bridge.”
“Scorched earth.” She sighs. “Whatever. No one’s loss but his.”
I raise my glass. “I’ll drink to that.”
We each take another sip of our cosmos.
“Such a shame, though,” she says as she sets her glass down. “I would have rocked his world.”
“Before or after he crushed your internal organs beneath the weight of his powerful, sinewy bod?”
She snorts. “Are you sure you’re not interested? Because I know for a fact, he’s single.”
“Nah, he’s not my type.” I wave a hand. “A man like that focuses too much on himself. I’m way too needy for that shit.”
She cracks up. “Is that right?”
“I’d never get any attention!” I keep up the bit as she laughs even harder. “We’d have to plan dinners around his gym schedule — and you know it’d always be nothing but protein. It’s like, come on, dude, there are two whole other macros to enjoy.”
“Okay,” she pulls herself together, “you’ve put way too much thought into what it’s like to date a man for a straight dude.”
“Oh, like you’ve never thought about dating a woman before.”
“Almost came close once,” she says. “But what can I say? I like dick too much.”
I go quiet for… a little too long.
She scoffs. “You’re picturing me with a woman now, aren’t you?”
“Little bit.”
She playfully slaps my shoulder, knocking me out of it.
I blink twice. “Sorry,” I quip, “where were we?”
“We were just discussing all the dudes you’ve dated,” she says, grinning.
“Dated? No.”
I shake my head, leaving it at that.
Jenna’s brow piques. “Seth Llewellyn Newbury—”
“That’s not my middle name.”
“Have you experimented?”
“Everybodyexperiments.”
Her jaw drops. “Who?”
“Now, Jenna—”
She shakes my elbow. “Whoooo?”
I laugh. “Okay, listen—”
“Was it Drew?” she asks.
“No,”I say, shutting that down. “No, no, no.”
“Because I always kinda wondered…”
“No,” I say again. “Never with Drew.”
“Then who?”
“Jack.”
“Jack?”she repeats in surprise. “Delta Xi Jack?”
“Delta Xi Jack,” I confirm.
“You hooked up with Delta Xi Jack?”
“Just once,” I say. “Sophomore year. After a party. He was wasted. I was, too. He asked if he could go down on me and I was like, sure.”
“Aww! That’s so cute.” Jenna chuckles. “Hot, too.”
“It was pretty hot. Not gonna lie. But, overall, the experience just made me realize how much I really like women.”
“The awesome power of the brojob.” She pauses, then twitches as memories return. “Wait, I slept with Delta Xi Jack.”
“Honey, everyone’s slept with Delta Xi Jack.”
“I had a threesome with Delta Xi Jack.”
“Whoa, really?” I ask. “With Jack and who?”
She cringes with hesitation. “Bobby.”
“Bobby?”I frown. “Bobby from your front porch? That Bobby?”
“Rule number two,” she says quickly.
Rule number two.
We don’t judge each other.
I close my mouth with a nod. I let it go. I move forward.
“That Bobby?” I ask again, with a more neutral tone.
“Yeah, but…” She winces. “You know those scenes in porn where the two guys are obviously really into each other and the girl is just kind of… in the way?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Yeah.”
“Oof.That’s unfortunate.”
“The night had its moments, but…” She shrugs with a sigh as she runs a finger along the rim of her glass. “I think those days are behind me now.”
I cant my head. “Is Jenna Abrams finally hanging up her party dress for good?”
“Oh, I’m keeping the dress. But the rest?” She shakes her head. “I used to feast on drama like that. I couldn’t get enough. Now, I’m over it. I’m tired. There are so many other things I want to be. You know?”
I nod slowly. I know. Of course, I know. She put into words everything I’ve felt about myself over the last few months. I’m tired of being stuck in the same place. I ready to move on. To move forward, with or without my life as I know it.
“Well,” I clear my throat, “it’s a good thing you’re dating your best friend’s brother,” I joke. She laughs. “Because there’s no chance of any drama happening there.”
“God, don’t remind me.”
She peeks at me; her smile warm as ever. I pause, silently immersing myself in it for a moment more.
“So,” I say, “Ms. Abrams.”
“Yes, Mr. Newbury?”
“Where do we go from here?”
It’s a loaded question, admittedly. I could be asking about here, tonight, in the next ten minutes. Or I could be asking about there, tomorrow, the future and all the drama that will surely come whether we want it or not when people find out about this. About us.
“Well, it’s Friday night,” she answers.
I nod. “That it is.”
“My roommate has her boyfriend over,” she says, rolling her eyes. “They’re watching a movie they’ve seen a dozen times before, so they aren’t actually watching it — if you know what I mean.”
I try not to think about it. “Oh, I know.”
“I was hoping I could avoid going back there for the night,” she says, a hint large enough to block traffic.
“Well, that’s quite the coincidence,” I say.
“How so?”
“My roommate just happens to be staying at his girlfriend’s place tonight, so I have our apartment to myself until morning.”
Jenna feigns surprise. “Is that right?”
“How about we get out of here? Go back to my place.”
Laughter echoes from the back. Jenna tilts her head to look around me at the party once more, her sinister eyes hinting… so much more.
“Truth or dare, Seth?”
I grin. I’m starting to like these rules. “Truth.”
She licks her lips. “You purposefully locked me out and made me climb through my window, didn’t you?”
I breathe a laugh.
Busted.
Jenna sips her drink as she waits.
“Yes,” I answer, telling the truth. “I did.”
She slides her empty glass away and stands up off her stool.
Fuck.
My chest tightens. “Jenna, wait.”
I did not expect to fuck this up so quickly.
Jenna turns back with a smile. “What are you waiting for?” she asks, amused. “Let’s go have some fun.”
Yup.
I’m really starting to like these rules.