Like Gravity(11)

“I know, but I wanted to. I’m Tim, by the way.” He held his hand out for me to shake. He was good-looking – definitely cute enough to distract me from my life for a few hours. Maybe I’d let him take me home when the bar closed.

“Brooklyn,” I responded, placing my hand in his.

“Like the city?”

“No, they actually named the city after me,” I joked, rolling my eyes.

“Wait,” he said, clearly confused. “Are you serious? Is it, like, a family name or something?”

“Thanks for the drink, Tim,” I said, removing my hand from his grasp and trying desperately to keep a straight face.

The giggles finally burst out as I walked away from the bar, Lexi in tow. She broke away from her Tyler-induced fangirl adoration long enough to look down at me.

“What’s so funny? And why aren’t you back there flirting with that bartender? He was cute and you totally could’ve milked him for free drinks all night.”

“He was dumb as a doorpost, Lex.”

“Your standards are way too high,” she complained.

“Lexi, he thought I was serious when I told him a well-known historical borough of New York City is named after me, not vice versa.”

“Okay, so maybe he’s not the brightest bulb in the box, but it’s not like you’re looking for a relationship anyway,” she reminded me, fully aware of my dating policies.

“True, but I like them to have at least above a fourth grade vocabulary and reading level if I’m going to have to spend any amount of time with them.”

“That’s probably a good benchmark,” Lexi noted, giggling.

By this time we’d made our way back to the dance floor, a good distance from the stage but still close enough for Lexi to shamelessly ogle Tyler. The set was lively and upbeat, a mix of well-known cover songs and some unknown stuff that I assumed were their originals. Soon, our alcohol had kicked in and we were dancing wildly with the rest of the crowd, mouthing the words along with Finn as he crooned into the mic.

“Craaaaash into me,” he sang.

“Craaaaash into me,” the crowd echoed.

I looked up from dancing for the first time, taking in the sight of the stage, and immediately felt Finn’s weighty stare on me. My eyes locked with his across the sea of people and the breath caught in my throat.

He was attractive, and he knew it. Worse, there was a heartless edge to him that told me he used his face as a weapon, bending the world to his will one sorority girl at a time. It almost hurt to look at him, like staring directly at a solar eclipse – something I knew I shouldn't watch, that could potentially damage me in the long run, but was so beautiful that I couldn't quite tear my eyes away. In that moment, it seemed like he was singing only to me; everyone else faded away as I became enthralled by his eyes, the lyrics, the deep rasp of his voice.

Damn it, he was good. No wonder the sorostitutes didn’t stand a chance.

“Brooklyn! Hello! Come back to earth, girl,” Lexi laughed, pulling me out of my reverie.

“Sorry,” I said, forcing a smile, “I must be drunker than I thought.”

“Well, that just means it’s time for another round!” Lexi exclaimed, heading off in the direction of the bar before I could protest.

The song ended just as we reached the bar. Over the appreciative roar of the crowd I faintly heard Finn announce that the band was taking a quick break. Tim immediately noticed our return and walked toward us, smiling and ignoring the other girls who were trying to place drink orders.

“Back again?” he said, grinning as if I’d come solely to visit him, rather than get a refill. Ah yes, Tim, my decision to return was based on an uncontrollable need to see you again. The plethora of alcohol bottles lining the shelves behind you had absolutely nothing to do with it.

“We need another round,” I said, playing along and plastering on a smile. “Two shots of tequila please, with salt and limes if you’ve got ‘em.”

“Coming right up, babe.”

Babe? Really? There were few things I hated more than pet names. I mentally gagged before turning to look at Lexi.

“How does my hair look? Is it too frizzy?” she whispered quickly.

“It’s perfect, as always,” I said, briefly scanning her red bob. “Why do you ask?”

“Because Tyler is walking right toward us. Don’t look, idiot!” She scolded, smacking my upper arm when I peered over her shoulder to spot the approaching drummer.

“Jeeze, calm down, Lex,” I said, rubbing my arm. “You didn’t have to hit me so hard!”

Lexi ignored me, suddenly throwing her head back and laughing hysterically in an attempt to grab Tyler’s attention. Her loud, albeit false, laughter succeeded in drawing his eyes, and he immediately beelined toward us.

“Lexi, you made it,” he smiled, evidently happy to see her.

“Oh, yeah, I mean, Brooklyn wanted to go out so I said I’d come,” she shrugged, happily throwing me under the bus in her attempts to appear nonchalant. Tyler’s gaze shifted over to me.

“You’re Brooklyn, I assume?” Tyler asked.

“Guilty,” I said. “And you are?”

As if Lexi hasn't gushed about you ad-nauseam for the past five hours.

“Tyler,” he said. “I’m in the band. Drums.”