Where We Belong (A Touch of Fate #1)(50)

"Okay. I'm totally lost." Setting my beer on the bar, I face Avery, my arms crossed in front of me. Her eyes wander from my face, across my chest, and down to where the fabric is stretched tight around my arms, and I can't help but smile. Women."Either the first bartender spiked your beer with something, or you've just totally gone insane." Her eyes snap to mine and she has the nerve to look at me like I'm the one that's crazy. "Okay, let me spell this out for you." She crosses her legs and sets her beer on the bar. Turning toward me, she raises her hands as she starts to tick off what I did wrong. "All I've heard you talk about for the past week is Harley—Harley this and Harley that—and then you're telling me that she tried to kiss you but you didn't let her...which I still think was a huge mistake on your part. Anyway," she waves her hands in the air as though she got off track, "so now you come here and start flirting with the first hot little number you see. I'm not going to lie, Ty, I'm really disappointed. I expected more out of you."

Okay, now I'm mad. "First of all...I know Blaire. We met last time I was here. Second, it's none of your damn business who I flirt with, and it certainly isn't your place to step in and pretend that we’re 'together' so that she would stop flirting."

"You're right," she snaps. "It's not my place, but I probably just saved your ass from f*cking that," she points to the end of the bar, "up."

I turn around to see what she's pointing at and my eyes instantly find Harley, who is looking straight at me. I can't help but smile at the sight of her—that's just how she makes me feel—and goddamn it's good to see her beautiful face. Wait...she’s not smiling back, and are those—

"Wait! Where are you going?" Avery asks, grabbing my arm when I start to walk away.

I look down at her hand on my arm and then back at her. No one is going to keep me from going to Harley. "That's Harley, and she looks like she's about to cry so if you'll please let go of my arm..." I'm trying to keep my cool with Avery, but I'm still sort of confused about everything that just happened and now she's trying to stop me from—

"Because of you!" Her voice and eyes harden, but she lets go of my arm. "She's probably crying because of you." She rolls her eyes and takes a drink of her beer. "Good God, men are stupid," she mumbles around the bottle.

"Me? How in the hell did I make her cry? I didn't even know she was here until you pointed her out. Wait a minute, how did you know that was Harley?" I ask. "You told me you guys have never met."

"We haven't. But I recognize her from the hospital. She was sitting there watching us, and then when you started flirting with Blaire, her eyes got really sad. I just put two and two together. Plus, I'm a woman...I know these things."

She was...she saw...I whip back around, intent on finding Harley, but she isn't there. My eyes scan the room, but there are too many people.

"I wasn't flirting with Blaire. I was just being nice and—" Avery cocks her eyebrow, giving me a classic you're-full-of-shit look. "What? I wasn't flirting. She might've been, but I wasn't," I defend, poking myself in the chest.

Avery nods in understanding. "You're right, but a couple more seconds and you would have. And…" She drags the word out, preventing me from butting in. "Harley doesn't know that! All Harley knows is that last night she tried to kiss you and you rejected—"

"I didn't reject her!"

"Yes, you did," she says, matter-of-fact. "She tried to kiss you, you rejected her, and now she finds you here at the bar, which is totally my fault," she mumbles the last part absently before continuing. "She was probably excited to see you until she saw Blaire practically shoving her very large, very fake rack in your face."

Fuck. I screwed up—again. I've got to find her.

"That's why I played the doting girlfriend," she says, making another attempt to flutter her eyelashes at me. "I was trying to stop the trainwreck before it happened. So I'm sorry if I upset you, but I saw Harley watching you and I felt like I needed to stop Blaire...and you, before it went any further."

"It wasn't going to go any further. I told you, I don't like Blaire like that." Jesus Christ! What is the big f*cking deal? So a girl was flirting with me and I didn't stop her, who cares?

"And I'm really glad to hear that. But if you don't like her like that, then what was up with the whole leaning-on-the-bar, flirty voice act?"

"What do you expect me to do, Avery? Harley. Has. A. Boyfriend," I yell, instantly feeling bad for raising my voice at her. I know this isn't her fault, but I'm pissed that she's making me feel like I did something wrong. I didn't sleep with Blaire, for f*ck’s sake...I didn't even touch her.

"You're wrong," she says calmly. Tipping her head back, she finishes her beer, sets it on the bar, and slides off the stool.

"Where the hell are you going?"

Avery glares at me and I snap my mouth shut. No need to piss off another woman. She starts to walk away and then turns around briefly. "I'm going to try and fix your mess."

Great. This is just great.





"ENOUGH! ENOUGH, ENOUGH, ENOUGH!" Quinn weasels her way between Levi and me, grabbing onto my hand. "I love you both and you're both hot as hell, and it's sexy watching you dance, but I need my girl back." Quinn starts yanking me off the dance floor and I turn to look at Levi, but he already has another girl wrapped in his arms. I smile warmly…he needs that. He winks once and then spins the lucky girl in the opposite direction.