This chapter pretty much flew out of me. I've been thinking a lot about Happy and Emily's story and obviously, this is going to be a bit longer than originally planned.
…
Chapter Four.
She had asked if she could bring a friend.
"As long as it's not a male friend," Gemma had answered and she almost asked why not but she didn't dare.
Natalie had only been too excited to go. She had squealed when Emily had told her about the party for Happy, the man she had drooled over that night at the diner, and the others getting out of prison. "I can't believe you know convicts, Emily!" Natalie had laughed with glee, clapping her hands. She knew there was no way she would go by herself and Natalie seemed like she wanted to experience this whole biker world. Emily thought her friend was absolutely insane for even being interested in it.
"That's what you're wearing?" Natalie frowned.
She looked down at her clothes. "This is what I always wear," she shrugged. She wasn't going to wear leather and too-tight clothes just because of where they were going. This was what she wore and why would she care of wearing something different for a night just because of where they were going?
She wore her black and white Converse sneakers and a yellow dress that skimmed her mid-thighs and a grey light-weight hoodie. Natalie, on the other hand, wore black leather pants that she had bought just for the occasion and a red tank top that showed off too much cleavage and too much stomach. The spikes of her heels could probably take out someone's eye if she had to use them as a weapon.
Compared to Natalie and all of the other women there, she knew she was going to stick out like a sore thumb but she didn't really care. She had no plans on staying long. She still had no idea why she was even going there in the first place. She hadn't seen Happy for fourteen months but she was just the waitress to him. Everyone else there were actually people he knew and he would want to spend all of his time with them. She foresaw herself spending much of this evening by herself, always keeping herself close to the exit.
"Ready?" She asked, grabbing her car keys.
Natalie took one more look at her dress and sighed to herself. "If you're really going to go like that."
The comment was ignored as she scratched Kyle beneath his chin, the cat purring contently with the affection, and she bid him a good night and a promise that she wouldn't be gone long.
…
They arrived a little after ten and she could hear the music thumping from down the street where she had parked the car against the curb. Natalie was walking as quickly as she could without tripping in her heels but she walked at her normal pace behind her, seeing no reason as to why she should hurry. She would go, find Happy, give him her hello and then spend the rest of the night, waiting for Natalie.
In the lot, it was filled with cars and motorcycles and only a couple of people hanging around outside. As she approached, she saw Phil with another man with his hair buzzed into a strip down the middle of his head, an ornate tattoo on either side.
"Hi, Emily," Phil grinned the second he saw her. "This is Juice."
"Hi, Phil," she smiled easily at him and she wondered why this over-sized teddy bear was joining a biker gang. He didn't seem to fit but it really wasn't any of her business in the slightest. "This is my friend, Natalie," she then made introductions.
Juice looked to Natalie, flashing her a smile, and then looked back to her, recognition on his face. "Happy's inside," he said. "I can take you to him."
Did everyone know about her? But there wasn't even anything to know.
She felt herself shaking her head. "I think I'm just going to stay out there. Cigarette smoke makes me kind of nauseous," she then admitted and she could practically hear Natalie rolling her eyes from beside her. She heard the music and the loud voices of the crowd inside and now that she was there, she wished she hadn't come at all. This was the last place in the world she wanted to be.
Juice smiled a little. "I'll tell him you're here." He looked to Natalie. "You want to go inside?" He asked, pushing himself from the picnic table he was sitting on.
"God, yes," Natalie nodded eagerly and Juice laughed, taking her hand as if they had known one another longer than just a minute.
Natalie flashed her a smile and she gave her a small one in return before she disappeared inside and Phil gave her a smile, too, before following after them.
She breathed softly with relief now that she was alone. She felt a little bad for leaving Natalie on her own but Natalie had always been able to handle herself and if either of them actually belonged there, it was definitely Natalie.
She was the only one outside and she looked around. She saw a playground set built behind a small chain link fence and she looked over her shoulder to make sure she was still alone before she felt her feet carrying her there. She entered the area and lowered herself down onto one of the swings. She kept her feet planted on the ground and began pushing herself back and forth, the air cool against her bare legs. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if she could just spend the rest of her time out here.
She watched the door and when she saw him step out, his eyes looking and finding her after a moment, she felt her stomach flip as she slowly got to her feet. He was carrying two beer bottles in between the fingers of one hand as he approached and she remained standing where she was, not meeting him halfway.
Once he stood in front of her, she saw he looked the same – perhaps with a bit more muscle but she knew that made sense. He had just spent fourteen months in prison. What else was there to do besides work out?
He didn't say anything as he looked at her and she felt the familiar nervousness. It hadn't ebbed away in all of the months she hadn't seen him and writing the letters had been so easy because she hadn't actually been saying those things to him out loud, having to see his reactions when she said all of it. And she didn't even want to think about the dream she had of him. It had only happened once and there was no reason to dwell on it. Why dwell on something that meant absolutely nothing?
He then held out one of the bottles of beer. "Not vodka," he said, his voice still as rough as ever.
She heard herself laugh softly, taking the bottle, her fingers wrapping around the cold neck. "That was such a bad night," she looked up to him.
"Twenty one shots of cherry vodka would be a bad night for anyone," he shrugged and then took a guzzle from his own beer as he sat down in the second swing.
She hesitated for a moment before she lowered herself down back onto her swing. She took a small sip of the beer and looked down to her bare knees. Neither talked as they drank their beers and sat beside one another. She would glance at him occasionally but he was always looking straight ahead. She wondered why he was sitting out here when the music was pounding away from inside. Wouldn't he much rather be in there with his friends?
She pursed her lips together, wetting them. "Thank you for sending Phil after…" she trailed off, not sure what to call it that had happened.
He nodded. "Anyone been back since?" He asked, still not looking at her.
"No," she shook her head.
"Everyone knows I'm out now. Probably won't happen again," he said.
She nodded because she had absolutely no idea what else to do. "I'm not your old lady," she then informed him softly but making sure her voice was firm.
He smirked a little and took another guzzle of beer. "You're definitely not," he said.
"Thank God," she sighed softly.
…
She wasn't sure how long he sat out there with her on the swings but they didn't speak again and when they were both finished with their bottles of beer, he stood up, leaving both bottles on the ground for someone else to clean up. She felt her head feeling light just after one beer and she stood up, too.
"Happy," she said his name, not sure if he was going to go back inside for the rest of the night or if he was going to be coming back or if he was even leaving at all.
She looked up at him and he looked down at her and the spotlight shining over the playground set poured over them. She didn't know what she was doing but she blamed the beer completely. She knew by now how much of a lightweight she was.
She stood up on the tips of her toes and she kissed his rough cheek lightly. "Welcome home, Happy," she said softly, her eyes never leaving his as she settled herself back down on her feet.
Happy stared at her, his eyes black and unreadable. She hoped he didn't ask her why the hell she had just done that because she would have absolutely no explanation. It was definitely all the beer's fault.
"Like your hair long," he then told her.
She nodded slightly. "Me, too."
…
"You're drunk," he grunted to her.
She nodded, not disagreeing. She had had two more beers and her head was definitely spinning. And they both knew that she being drunk was the only reason this was happening. He sat on one of the swings and she stood in front of him, between his knees, her arms looped around his neck.
They kissed one another over and over and he kissed her so hard each time, brutal in a way, but her head was spinning and she couldn't feel anything other than his lips against hers and his hands rubbing her ass. She nipped at his bottom lip with her teeth lightly and he responded by pulling her closer even though she was already standing as close to him as she could.
She felt his hands leave her and then she sensed them dropping down to his lap, fingers beginning to work the zipper of his jeans and she suddenly felt very sober.
She pulled her lips back. "No," was all she said with a shake of her head. She pushed herself back a step. He was staring at her and then he smirked, the sight making her feel cold all over. She crossed her arms over her chest and she took another small step back as he stood up from the swing.
"But not that drunk, huh?" He said.
…
Natalie was so drunk, she was passed out and Juice had to carry her to her car parked down the street. As they walked away from the clubhouse, she leading and Juice following, she saw Happy sitting sideways on his bike, a woman in tight jeans and a piece of fabric that was supposed to be taken for a shirt standing between his legs as she had been doing at the swing just a little while ago and she had her tongue halfway down his throat from the look of things.
She quickly looked away before he saw her looking over to him. She saw Juice look at her from the corner of her eye but she ignored everything and kept on walking. She didn't want someone to confuse her as someone who cared; or even worse – as someone who was actually jealous.
Happy had been locked up for fourteen months and it wasn't as if he liked her. She was absolutely nothing to him just as he was nothing to her. She had written him letters and he made sure some other biker from some other gang didn't hurt her when he was gone. That was all. He could go get syphilis or some other STD from any of the other women at this party. There was no way she would ever have sex with Happy Lowman – no matter what she dreamed about – and it made perfect sense to her that he had gone off to find another woman who was more than willing.
After they got to her car and Juice laid Natalie out in the backseat, she closed the door and found Juice standing there, looking at her, almost looking embarrassed.
"Most of the guys, we can kind of be dicks when it comes to women," Juice admitted.
"Juice," she quickly jumped in and shook her head. "It doesn't matter to me. Really. Happy and me are absolutely nothing. I hardly even know him."
She really didn't want anyone to think she was hurt when she wasn't in the least. The woman Happy was making out with now, that was a woman much more on his level. She could tell.
But Juice was frowning at her and just looking confused.
…
Thank you very much for reading and please review!
