The Class Gets Confused
A/N—I kind of struggled with this one, so I'm sorry if it's a little boring. We're getting there. I promise.
Chapter Five:
"That guy is definitely checking you out", Ethan pointed out as a nice looking guy nodded at Kyle from the other side of the bar.
Kyle raised his eyes in recognition. "He's pretty hot. Not as hot as Aaron. Have I mentioned I miss him?" he sighed.
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Yes. During the movie. And in the car on the way to the movie. And now after the movie, so that makes three times, yes."
"Sorry", Kyle apologized. "I just wish he wasn't out of town so much. I feel like I spend more time with you than with him. No offense", he quickly added.
Ethan nodded. "None taken."
After all, it was kind of true. It was to the point that the Kyle and Ethan hung out so much time that a lot of people were starting to think they were together. As in together together.
Ethan didn't really mind, as much as Kat liked to tease him about it. He had never been one of those overly macho guys and people could think what they wanted. Like tonight. It was Saturday, traditional date night and here he was out with Kyle.
"But what about you?" Kyle prodded, focusing the attention back on his friend. "We're in a bar. There are lots of single attractive women. When are you going to get back out there?"
Ethan sized up the eligible women in the bar. Maybe Kyle was right. It was time. "Right now", he said rising from his chair. "Ethan Haas rejoins the dating world right now!" he emphatically announced. Maybe a little too emphatically considering that people were now staring.
"That's the spirit." Kyle agreed as Ethan headed off in the direction of a nearby table. He waited a beat. "And they think I'm the gay one?" Kyle chuckled under his breath.
Ethan had approached a pretty brunette sitting alone at a table and tapped her on the shoulder. "Can I buy you a drink?"
The woman looked around and then back at Ethan, sizing him up. "Sure. Malibu Bay Breeze."
Ethan smiled. This wasn't so hard, was it? He could definitely do this. "I'm Ethan. You are?"
"Lisa. It's nice to meet you", she said coyly. "Want to sit?"
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Kat had taken Lina's advice. Sort of. No way in hell was she calling Ethan. She would not break first and as far as she was concerned, he owed her an apology.
But she did decide to call someone and get out a bit. So here she was, out with Duncan.
It wasn't like that. Their naked encounter, as she liked to refer to it, really was a one time thing but that didn't mean they couldn't hang out on occasion. They had exchanged numbers at the engagement dinner and since neither was doing anything that night they decided to hit up the bar and have a few rounds.
Except Kat now wished she had picked a different bar. She and Ethan had randomly come across this place one night after she had dragged him unwillingly to a photography exhibit nearby. It was a trade off as she had to buy his drinks for the rest of the night and then had to listen to him perform bad karaoke until three in the morning.
She didn't want to think about him. Yet another thing Lina was right about. God, it was frustrating how she did that. The Benjamin stuff was getting easier, but what was driving her out of her mind was not being able to call Ethan. If anything, it was getting worse by the day. Something would happen with work or she'd watch something on television and her first reaction would be to pick up the phone and start dialing. Then she'd remember what that jackass said to her and that was that.
Though she'd never admit this to anyone, it was starting to scare her just how much it bothered her. It was starting to scare her just how much she felt like she needed him. It was starting to scare her just how much a part of her life he obviously was, that cutting him out had this big an effect on everything. It was starting to scare her that maybe, just maybe, this was more than a normal best friend thing.
Ugh. Then again, when had she ever been normal? When had they ever been normal? There hadn't been a normal thing about their relationship since the day they met.
Duncan snapped a finger in front of her face. "Earth to Kat. What do you want?" He was standing at the bar, where the bartender was waiting for her to order.
"Oh, um, pint of Yuengling's cool", she said quickly scanning the beers on tap.
"Make that two", Duncan told the bartender before fishing a twenty out of his pocket and handing it over.
"Thanks", Kat said as Duncan handed her a full pint glass. "I got next."
Duncan raised his glass. "To the future…and junk", he said clinking Kat's glass before taking a long drink of his beer.
"The future", she agreed halfheartedly as she drank from her own glass. "Awesome."
He put down his glass and stared at her. "Not doing so good?"
Kat waved it off. "I'm fine."
"Thinking about that skinny famous violinist guy?" Duncan guessed.
She shook her head no.
"Ah, Ethan", he said knowingly. "You and Haas still going at it?"
Ignoring the question, she put him on the spot instead. "Dude, what about you? You and Nicole, the love of your life, still on the outs?" She figured that should get him off her back.
"What do you know about me and Nicole?" Duncan asked looking suspicious. "What did Rich tell you? That guy really is so not good with secrets. I'm going to kill him!"
"Relax. It wasn't Red. I figured it out myself. What you told me that night. The house. The fact that Nicole looked like she wanted to punch my lights out every time I talked to you at dinner last week", she laughed. "That was kinda the clincher."
"Yeah, sorry about that. But I've moved on", Duncan announced proudly. "She's determined to stay with Yonk and I'm free and clear to meet tons of babes. No strings attached." He pointed across the bar at a blonde who was flaunting her obviously surgically enhanced assets in his direction. "Just like that." He glanced at Kat and back at the blonde. "Do you mind?"
"Nah, go ahead", she insisted. "Go get laid. Knock yourself out." Kat didn't really believe Duncan was over Nicole by a long shot, but if he wanted to try and prove it by sleeping with every bimbo in the city, that was his call. Unlike a certain someone, who was she to judge?
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About fifteen minutes later, Ethan rejoined Kyle at their table. "Struck out buddy?" he asked.
Ethan sat looking glum. "Just the opposite. But she was so desperate--and clingy", he complained. "Kind of dumb too. If I wanted dumb I would have stayed with Palmer. At least she was gorgeous."
Kyle shook his head appraisingly. "Hmm. Anything else wrong with her?"
"Lisa? Her laugh was annoying too. Who would want to listen to that all the time?" he insisted. "She sounded like Janice on Friends."
"Right, but did you notice anything else strange about the woman?" obviously amused by his friend's lack of objectivity about the situation.
Ethan looked perplexed as he sat back down. "No. Like what?"
"Like her appearance? There are like thirty odd women in this bar and look at the one you chose to hit on."
Ethan looked at Lisa, who was now flirting with another guy, and then looked back to Kyle. "I don't get it."
"Let's see. Brown hair. Kind of shaggy. Bangs. Pale skin. Big blue eyes. Pouty mouth. "
Ethan looked blankly at Kyle.
"Still nothing? " Kyle rolled his eyes. " Let me try this again. Skinny, tight pants, fitted leather jacket, boots. Ring a bell? Anything?"
At Ethan's still blank look, Kyle figured he'd have to spell it out. "Of all the women here, you went to hit on the one who looks like she could pass for Kat's twin."
Ethan raised his eyebrow, while this sank in. "But Kat does have a twin", he said simply.
Kyle glared at him. "You know what I mean Haas. Why didn't you go hit on those red heads in the corner over there? I'll tell you why. Because you are hung up on Kat. You want Kat. So just call her and apologize already and tell her the truth."
"Why should I have to apologize?" Ethan said stubbornly.
"Oh, God. I'm one of your closest friends, right?" Kyle asked.
"Of course", Ethan agreed.
"Then it's my duty to tell you when you are being an idiot." He paused. "You're being an idiot", he said matter of factly as he pushed his glasses back up on his nose.
Ethan shot Kyle a wounded look. "How can you take her side?"
Leaning back in his chair, Kyle folded his arms behind his head. "Because I'm not five? Look, you got mad at her for sleeping with Duncan. So what? Like you've never had one night stands before. She was hurt. It happens. It's not like she knew how you felt or knew you were waiting for her. It's not like she was trying to screw you over. Don't you think you at least owe her the truth as to why you're really mad at her?"
Ethan casually thought this over. "You might have a valid point. But you know how it is when we're around each other. Tempers flare and we both wind up saying stupid crap we don't mean."
"So be the bigger person", Kyle advised as he noticed something across the room and smiled. "And look at that, fate is in your corner too."
"What?" Confusion once again overtook Ethan's boyish features, but it soon cleared up when he heard a familiar voice.
"Listen buddy. You have two seconds to get your hands off my ass unless you want to have to start breathing out of yours!" a disgruntled Kat sneered, fist raised at what appeared to be a rather drunk overzealous suitor, who was now quickly running in the other direction.
"Ah", Kyle sighed. "There she is now. Little Miss Sunshine. Spreading joy and cheer everywhere she goes."