Why Did It Have To Be You?

Derek chokes on his own spit and starts coughing. “Excuse me?” He looks to me. “You did what?”

I look over to Brian. “Guess we aren’t going to play nice tonight?”

He just shrugs. “Just keeping it real dad.”

Derek raises his eyebrows at me. “Wait, you’re being serious?” He looks over to me again. “You really slept with your son’s girlfriend.”

I clench my teeth and grit out. “Ex-girlfriend.”

r /> Brian laughs. “We just broke up tonight!”

“Not in her eyes.” I feel the need to defend her even if they aren’t exactly talking bad about her. I don’t want Derek to think she cheated on Brian.

Derek looks at me like he needs more explanation. “She came to my room that night after she saw a video of you basically fucking your ex girlfriend on the dance floor. What was I supposed to do? Say no?”

“Yes!” They both shout in unison.

I slam my fist down on the bar. “I couldn't!”

I look over to Brian, and he doesn’t look angry. He actually almost looks smug like he got me to admit something I shouldn’t have. I need him to understand how I feel about Caroline if I have any shot of convincing her to be with me, so I run my hand down my face and mumble. “It’s her.”

They both just stare at me in confusion for a second, and then it’s as if realization dawns on them at the same time. Brian is the first to speak. “Caroline is pinball girl?”

I nod as I remember the first time I told Brian about Caroline.

We hadn’t seen each other in a while, and I needed to get my mind off the girl from last night. I told him to meet me at Charlie’s, and we had a couple of drinks. Of course, Derek dished all about how he caught me with some girl in the back room the night before. “Sorry not sorry. This was the girl of my dreams.”

Brian laughed. “The girl of your dreams huh? When do I get to meet my new step mom?”

I was even more mad the next day that I didn’t get her number. What if I never see her again? “As soon as I can figure out how to track her down. Derek over here won’t give me the info off her credit card. Says something about the right to privacy or some bullshit.”

Derek laughed. “You know even if I didn’t care about that, you’d come off as a total stalker if you somehow used the name on her credit card to track her down. Trust me. I’m doing you a favor.” I rolled my eyes at him. “I wasn’t going to tell her. Just figure out where she hangs out or something and hopefully bump into her.”

Brian and Derek both made fun of me for that. I’d never really had a serious relationship after Brian’s mom, and so it wasn’t like me to act that way. Brian just patted me on the back. “Sorry dad. Seems your dream girl wasn’t that interested in you.”

I come back to the present and Brian is smiling at me funny. “What?”

“What are you doing here?” He gestures around the bar. “You need to go after your dream girl.”

I shake my head. “She told me she needed tonight to think. Besides, I still don’t have any way to contact her. That woman loves running out on me without leaving her number.”

Brian laughs. “At least you have her name this time. You figure out where she likes to hang out so you can casually bump into her.” He mocks. I just glare back at him.

“Alright! Alright. Geez, you don’t have to give me the death glare. In fact, I might just be your savior tonight. I just so happen to maybe have a certain pinball girl’s number in my phone.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know. I don’t want to push her away. She would’ve give me her number if she wanted me to contact her.

Brian shrugs. “Well, I can text her then.”

I raise my eyebrow at him in question. He shrugs again. “What? We’re friends now.”

Of course Caroline has already forgiven Brian and is his friend now. I wouldn't expect anything less from her. God I miss her.

“So what happened between you guys anyway? She realize she doesn’t want your shriveled old man dick?”

Derek laughs, and I glare at them both. “I don't think there were any complaints in that department.”

Brian covers his ears with his hands. “Gross dad. Don’t want to know.”