William and Olivia sat quietly in a coffee shop as they both sipped their coffee.
"You want to start?" Olivia asked. William shook his head. "C'mon."
"How do I start?"
"What kind of nightmares have you been having?"
"Bad things."
"Well it's not called a nightmare because there are pink bunnies in it." She teased. He smiled. "Wow."
"What?"
"I haven't seen that smile…in years. Finally, you smile."
"Well, this whole situation isn't what I expected when I came back."
"I know. If it makes you feel better, it's not easy for any of us."
"Us? You mean your boyfriend also?"
"He has a name."
"Fine. Ben..."
"Well he is sort of in this mess also. We got a triangle thing going on if you haven't realized it."
William took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah? Who do you want in that triangle?"
Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't do this."
"I'm just asking. Is it him?"
"I love him William." She whispered. "He makes me happy. I can't just dump him because you came back. He's a good man."
"Can't he dump you?" William took her hand across the table.
Olivia pulled her hand away. "You know you're not like that. Neither one of us is."
He put his head down. "I know. I wish I was."
"Well if you were, I wouldn't have had a child with you."
William smiled. "He's one smart kid Liv."
She smiled. "I know. He shocks me every day."
"I think he looks like me too."
"Don't insult our child like that." She teased with a chuckle. William let out a laugh and nodded.
They heard laughing coming through the door as a couple of people came in. Olivia almost froze recognizing the laugh that she adored so much. It was Ben with his co-workers. She knew most of them, he was the producer for a news channel and this was his crew that covered breaking news. She hoped nobody spotted her. She knew Ben wasn't that observant which she loved about him because he was so different then her. He was just laid back.
"Well what are the odds! Detective!" One of younger camera men yelled out, obviously tipsy from their earlier celebrating. The whole crowd turned around hearing the younger man.
Ben turned around also and his huge, radiant smile slowly subdued seeing who was across from his girlfriend. He slowly got up and went over to their table. He pulled up a chair, turned it around and sat backwards on it. "Hi" He was also tipsy from celebrating on their big story.
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Olivia asked.
"Getting coffee. I was just going to ask you the same thing."
"William just had to talk to me about some stuff." Olivia answered with a smile. She could tell Ben wasn't fond of William because they were so opposite. This just looked weird with them out together at two in the morning, especially to a drunk Ben. Olivia knew when he was drunk because he was even more talkative than usual.
Ben smiled mockingly and looked at William. "I bet he did." He leaned closer to William. "Is my eye still swollen Marine?" William kept quiet as usual and just stared at him. "You're such a fun guy. I don't know why Olivia ever dumped you." Ben got up and pushed the chair back. "Wait…I do…you abandoned her and her kid."
William instantly stood up and towered over Ben. "I suggest you leave."
"Before you punch me again?" Ben took a step closer and looked up at William. "You're like a fucking tree. All show and no fucking brains." Ben let out a small laugh. "Go ahead, punch me jarhead."
Olivia got up and stood in between them. She knew Ben wasn't violent when he drank but he talked a lot which usually amused her. But with William's short temper, this seemed like a bad idea as the seconds went by. "Stop" She pleaded. "None of this macho bullshit."
Ben laughed and saluted William. "Semper Fi!
"Ben, stop it." Olivia grabbed his hand. "Go back to your friends."
"C'mon Olivia, we're just starting to get along."
William was starting to lose his patience. "Listen you little worm, I will crush the ever loving crap out of you if I get my hands on you again. You need to leave right now."
They heard a familiar voice behind them entering the café. "Whoa, whoa" Adam got in between William and Olivia. "What's the problem here?" Casey just raised an eyebrow at the beginning of the fight, which was weird for her to see Ben in because he was so laid back.
Olivia let out a sigh of relief seeing Adam knowing he usually calmed William down better then she was able to sometimes. "Simple, my drunk smartass boyfriend and my short tempered ex-boyfriend."
Adam thought for a second. "Yeah…that seems about right." He put his arm around William. "Come on you bundle of love. Let's get drinks." He pulled William out of the café and grabbed Casey's hand in the process. They left.
Olivia just stared at Ben. He stared back. "What?" He questioned.
"You know what" She answered and grabbed his hand. "I'm going home; you go back to your celebrating."
"Am I in trouble?"
"I don't know yet." She answered honestly. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye." She grabbed her car keys and jacket and left.
William had his head on the bar and was staring at his Tequila shot. "I don't drink."
"It will make you feel better." Adam told him and sipped on his beer.
"Don't encourage him to do that." Casey warned and took a sip of her rum and coke.
"He needs to loosen up. It's either this or weed. And I don't smoke cause it makes me smell bad, girls don't like guys who smell bad." Adam stated. Casey looked over at him. "Well you don't."
"He needs a lady friend."
Adam nodded and got up. "You said it sweet cheeks. Let's hit the strip clubs. Case, I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Why do I have to go?"
"Did you want to go to a strip club?"
"Maybe."
Adam's smile became wider. "You just become more and more perfect." He grabbed his jacket and put it around Casey. He grabbed William by the arm and pulled him up. Adam grabbed his best friend's shot of Tequila and downed it. "Let's go!"
Twenty minutes later, they were in a strip club. Adam had a huge smile on his face and kept whispering things to Casey that made her giggle.
William was just sitting there completely bummed. He leaned over to Adam. "How is this supposed to help?"
"C'mon man, mingle. Flirt. Go fool around."
"With a stripper? They have diseases."
"You can't catch anything if they're blowing you." Adam winked and spotted Casey glaring at him. "That's the word on the street."
"Sure it is." Casey nodded. "I'm going to the ladies room, I'll be back." She got off her chair and left.
Adam pulled William closer. "C'mon man, these girls are easy. Just use them to get over Olivia and then you can have a girlfriend of your own to make her jealous."
"This doesn't feel right man."
"That's because your dick is still in your pants. Feels nicer when it's in something else."
"You're disgusting."
"I'm honest." Adam stated. He turned around seeing a good looking waitress walking by. "Hey sweetie."
She stopped and turned around. "Can I get you guys anything?"
"Depends on what you're offering. Anything I might like?"
The waitress smiled at him because he was so charming. "The show is up there, not over here."
Adam smiled and nodded. "Have you met my friend William? He's the shy, mysterious type."
The waitress looked over at William and smiled. "Hi William, you as much of an asshole as your friend?"
William smirked. He was too shy for this. "No."
The waitress glanced at Adam and bit her lip. "Too bad." She walked away.
Adam shook his head at William. "Denied."
"Fuck you."
"Well she wants too." Adam let out a laugh.
William shook his head at him. "You don't deserve Casey."
"I know." He went back to his beer.
Casey came back from the bathroom and looked at the boys. "Did I miss anything?"
"Everything." Adam nodded. "William got blown, I watched, the stripper masturbated and a unicorn did her anally."
Casey slapped him across the stomach. Adam just let out a chuckle.
A stripper walked past them which instantly got William's attention. She had brunette hair and brown eyes and a very nice body.
"NO!" Adam ordered. "She looks like Olivia too much."
"But that's my type."
"Fuck you and your type, find a girl that doesn't remind you of Olivia you obsessed son of a bitch."
William let out a deep breath and went to the bathroom.
Casey shook her head at him. "Why are you so mean to him?"
"I'm not mean, I'm trying to teach him things, he can't just be obsessed with one girl."
"It's called love. He loves her."
"Love is useless."
"What?"
"There is no such thing as love Case, sorry."
"You honestly believe that?"
"Yeah."
She shook her head and crossed her arms on her chest.
After a couple minutes, Adam looked over at her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"I can tell."
"I don't want to talk about it here."
Adam got up and took her hand. He led her out of the club and to the outside parking. "What is it?"
"You don't believe in love."
"So?"
"So, I do."
"I'm not following."
"We want different things."
"Are you in love with me?"
"No."
"Well then what's the problem?"
"I could be one day, and if I am, you won't feel the same way."
"You don't know that."
"You said it."
Adam shook his head and sat down on the curb. He lowered his head. "I don't believe in love because I never experienced it."
She sat down next to him. "You must have. With a first girlfriend or even your parents. Everyone loves someone."
He shook his head. "You don't get it. I don't talk about family because I don't have family. I don't talk about ex's because any girlfriend I had was from foster care and once she got a family, she was too good for me."
"What about a high school sweetheart?"
He played with his shoe laces from his converse. "I never went to high school."
"What?"
"I dropped out freshman year so I could take on a job and have some money for myself. When I turned 18, I joined the marines so I can go to college, they paid better than any job I held, so I never started college."
"Oh."
"Yeah, you're dating a drop out."
"But you're so smart."
He shook his head. "Not really. That's how I met William, I joined young so William looked out for me in the marines, then he started teaching me things I missed in high school, like Shakespeare and Trigonometry and all that crap."
"I had no idea, I'm sorry." She took his hand. "I guess I understand now why you don't believe in love, you never had anyone love you unconditionally."
"Look, I'm not looking for a pity relationship ok?"
"Neither am I." She smiled. "Thank you for telling me all that."
"Sure."
They heard the doors to the club open and two big bouncers were pulling William out of the club. William was laughing.
"Don't come back here asshole!"
William laughed. "Oh c'mon guys don't be jealous."
They threw him to the ground and closed the door behind him. William sat up and buckled up his belt that was undone.
"What the hell happened?" Adam asked.
The door opened again and one of the bouncers threw out a stripper. "You're fired."
"Great, thanks." The stripper shook her head at the bouncer. She was blonde and had blue eyes. Far from looking like Olivia.
"William?" Casey asked. "What happened?"
The stripper grabbed her broken heel. "Nothing, they caught us fucking in the bathroom and they overreacted like the pussies they are."
Adam nodded. "I hate when that happens."
William burst into laughter and got off the ground. "Want to know something funny Adam?"
"What?" Adam smiled at his best friend.
"I don't feel any better. I think I feel worse with my dick in something else then my pants you stupid douche."
Adam's smile disappeared. "Are you drunk?"
"I wish." He started walking down the sidewalk.
"Where are you going Will?" Adam got off the curb.
"Home!"
"C'mon dude!" Adam quickly chased after him. "C'mon bro, you can't walk home."
"Watch me."
"Don't be mad at me cause you're angry at yourself."
William grabbed him by his shirt. "Stay away from me."
"You know I can't do that. Your step-dad will kill me if you go home angry like this.
William shoved him against a building. "Stay away from me Adam, I mean it. I don't want your sick ideas reflected on me. You made me do that girl because I followed your stupid advice."
"I said blow, I never said fuck." Adam corrected. William threw him to the ground and kept walking.
Casey went over to Adam and kneeled down by him. "Is he ok?"
"Yeah" He got up from the ground. "C'mon, I'll take you home."