"What's up?" I asked him.
"Where are you right now?"
"Headed home. Why?"
"Busy tonight?"
"Nope. You got something in mind?" I asked, grateful to hear from him. Company didn't sound too bad to me right now, especially after being blown off by Ron again.
"Drinks," he said, “just the two of us.” Sounded good; I could do with something stiff…several of them. I told him I'd be there.
"Awesome," he said. "Maybe we could even get you a date. I was serious about what I said last time we talked."
"Thanks," I said, not wasting my time telling him that I didn't want a girl who wasn't the 5'6, blonde Psych major who was ignoring me.
"Are you okay, man?" he asked.
"It's all good. Why?"
"Last time we talked, you sounded like you've got a lot on your mind. Playing ball, your ex," he said. We weren't exes, it was just complicated right now. There wasn't a name for what we were at the moment, but exes definitely wasn’t it.
"Bump in the road. No big deal. I'll see you tonight," I said. He hung up a little reluctantly. He was a good friend. We could talk about it, but I didn't know how to say it in a way that made sense to him. Women weren't people to be kept around, in his mind. He had them on rotation, changing them over as often as possible and never keeping one around long enough to get to know who she was.
He could do whatever he wanted with his life, I wasn't judging. I just couldn't say I saw eye-to-eye with him on that. He wasn't really wrong when he said there were other fish in the sea, I knew there were. But I wanted Ron. I didn't care about having anyone else.
Since we weren't getting together till later, I figured I'd go to the gym. I had been lifting since I was fifteen for football, but I had lost some mass since being deployed. I had always played at 230 lbs, but was down to 208 lbs. That extra muscle paid off. I wasn't saying no to blowing off some steam, either.
Don wasn't sitting up at the bar when I scanned it to find him later that night. It was a divey spot in town that a lot of students and young professionals liked for the affordable booze. I checked the booths. When I spotted Don, he was waving me over. Next to him with her hand draped over his arm was a smiling brunette.
I almost didn't want to walk up, but I couldn't just not go now that he had seen me. This was how he was, and I let him do his thing. I just wasn't looking forward to trying to talk around another person, especially one who wasn't going to be interested in what I wanted to say and was just going to distract Don, anyway. I walked over, slowly.
"About time you showed up," he said.
"Doesn't look like you even need me," I said. The girl giggled. She was cute, a lot of makeup and big tits bursting out of her top.
"Gina kept me company while I waited for your slow ass," he said. Gina smiled and said hi to me.
"You're the football player," she said. It might have just been me, but she sounded a little impressed.
"I used to be," I said, sliding into the booth across from them.
"Don said you're going pro," she reported. There was an empty martini glass on the table in front of her. I was hoping she wasn't thirsty, and that Don wouldn't offer her another one.
"That's the plan," I said vaguely.
"My friend Kayleigh loves football," she said. Football players. Her friend Kayleigh loved football players, I thought.
"How about your next round's on me," Don said to her. I watched him pull out two twenties and handed them to her. Wow, I thought. I had to give it to him, right or wrong, he too
k his womanizing seriously. He wasn't leaving here alone, that was for damn sure. She took the money, giggling. He leaned in to kiss her, long and deep – the kind of kiss that made you want to look away.
She slid out of the booth, saying she'd see him later. I watched her walk away and join two other girls at the bar. They all looked over, smiling, probably glad they were covered for their next round of fruity cocktails. I didn't know which one was Kayleigh and wasn't that interested in finding out.
"Cosmetology school. Used to do cheer," he said.
"Huh?"
"Gina," he clarified. "Just broke up with her boyfriend. Her friends brought her out thinking she needed a good time."