Restored

I pull up at the garage and park. I turn to talk to her and just as I open my mouth she’s got the door open and is bolting up to her apartment.

“Shit.” I grab the door handle and I’m about to go after her when I see blue lights in my rearview mirror. I curse again as the cop gets out and comes up behind me.

“Good evening,” the officer says next to my window. I don’t recognize him and his uniform is from the next county over. “We got an assault reported down at Shakers tonight with the suspect leaving in this exact vehicle.” There’s a long pause as we stare at one another and he tilts his head to the side like Chunky did earlier tonight. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about it, would you?”

Tonight was not supposed to go like this. None of this is turning out like I wanted it to. I should have been nicer to her at the cookout and long before that too. But being an asshole is kinda my thing, so this is probably deserved. I sigh as the cop calls in my plate and I worry about Gemma and if she’s okay.

I should feel better knowing I got her out of that bar, but I just feel pissed that I’m not with her right now. And I have a feeling this is about to be a long night.

Chapter Five

Gemma

When I open my eyes I see a giant glass of water and two pills sitting next to it. I down them both before falling right back to sleep. I have no idea how they got there, but I’m oh so thankful for them. It’s much later when I wake up again and there’s a banging on my door.

“Rise and shine!” Roxy shouts before the door flies open. I’m surprised she knocked at all.

I sit up, feeling so much better than I did the first time, but I don’t even know what time it is.

“It’s four in the afternoon.” Roxy answers my unspoken question. My eyes go wide. I’m happy I didn’t have anything to do this weekend. She shuts my door behind her and brings in a bag of food.

“Oh God,” I groan as flashes of the night before come back to me.

“I can’t believe you went and got drunk for the first time without me.” Roxy drops the bag of food down on my small dining room table and narrows her eyes at me, trying to look pissed.

“I’m never—”

She cuts me off. “Oh yeah, you’re doing that again. Maybe not tonight or even this month, but we’re doing it.”

I get out of bed, not wanting to fight with her about going out for drinks. I don’t ever want to think about drinking again. If she felt what I did the first time I woke up, she’d understand.

“I have to pee,” is my only response as I walk past her to my small bathroom.

“This is why you take a friend with you when you go out. They make sure you don’t drink too much.”

I think over her words as I do my business, not so sure if I believe her. I think we would get ourselves into more trouble together, but who knows. Mitch would likely shadow us and keep us out of trouble. My heart gives that stupid pang of longing. Not for Mitch but for someone to take care of me like that.

I come out of the bathroom a moment later. “I danced on the bar,” I mutter as another thought from the night before comes flooding back.

“I can see that.” Roxy opens the bag and pulls out a burger, placing it in front of me.

I guess I’m not so shy, but I just never thought about dancing on a bar before. Then someone whispered in my ear that I should, and up I went. I’m sure the shots helped.

My eyes widen for a second. “I was in a dress!” Could people see up it?

Roxy laughs and shakes her head before eating a fry. I look down to see I’m now only in an oversized shirt. One I got when Bronx opened his garage and they were handing them out. I don’t remember going from the dress to this, but I see my dress and wedges in a pile on the floor.

“Then I fell off the bar.”

Roxy snorts. “Now that’s something I’d do.” She’s like a baby deer when she wears heels. I could wear them all day every day and not miss a beat.

“Bronx caught me,” I remember in the moment, not shocked that he was there. “I think he came looking for me.” Or he was hanging out at the bar and ran into me? I don’t know why but I don’t see Bronx as a man who hangs around bars. But what do I know? And how well do I really know him anymore?