The Love Handles Club (Love in the City Short) (2 page)

Kelly
had arrived at my fraternity house on Saturday morning before the big football game. I’d brought her up to my room where several of my frat brothers were enjoying some pre-tailgate partying.

The drinks had been
strong and one of the guys was wasted and forgot Kelly was coming down to visit me. I’d warned everyone to keep a lid on my skirt chasing. I sure as hell didn’t want her finding out what a dick I was or where else my dick had been, for that matter.

However
, my drunken friend had spilled my secrets as soon as Kelly’d walked into the room, shouting that I’d found another hot girl for this week’s football game. I’d tried shutting him up, keeping him from saying more, but he hadn’t stopped. Each word had been like a punch in my gut and likely a dagger to Kelly’s heart.

Her beautiful eyes
had filled with tears as she searched my face for an answer. I couldn’t say a word to confirm or deny what she’d heard. She knew the truth because she knew my heart and it’d told her that I was a lying cheat. There’d been no defense for what I’d done.  

After a few
seconds, everyone around us had gone back to partying acting like nothing earth shattering had happened right in front of them. They continued drinking and talking about the game later. But Kelly and I had stood a few feet inside the room facing each other. Neither one of us moved a muscle or said a word. We’d looked into each other’s eyes for a long, long time. Then she’d whispered the last words I thought I’d ever hear from her...

“Goodbye, Bradley.”
I remember them like it was yesterday.

She
’d turned away from me, tucked her overnight bag into her side, and walked out of the room. I had no idea where she was going or what I should’ve done. My legs felt frozen to the floor beneath me. So I did nothing. I let her go. Biggest damn regret of my life.

I still can’t figure out why I didn’t chase after her. Maybe I felt she deserved better than me and it was probably true. Who knows what goes on ins
ide a stupid nineteen year old’s brain?

When I finally came to my senses a few hours later and tried to find her, I was too late. Tina, her best friend from high school who also was at UT, told me that Kelly
had gone back to Baylor brokenhearted.

No matter how hard I
’d tried to reach out to her, she refused to see me again. I’d lost her for good.

Funny what stood out in my mind after all tho
se years. I’d given her a little kiss before we entered through the front doors of the frat house. It’d ended up being our last one. 

Tina, my lifelong best friend, found out that I was back in Dallas. I wanted to lay low for a while, but our mothers belonged to the same bridge group and saw each other every week. So my mother shared my arrival with Tina’s mother, Bitsy, because she worried I was isolating myself from the world and
, truthfully, she was right.  I’d avoided everyone since I’d left Joe and Atlanta behind. I needed some time to process the failure of my marriage, but I felt ready to get back to my life here once again. Even if I had no idea what that might be.

So when Tina called a few days ago to invite me to the weekly Love Handles Club get-together, I decided it was time to get out of the house. She explained that the club was formed by the guys we
’d hung out with in high school. They planned weekly nights out together at local watering holes in North Dallas.

It sounded like they wanted to keep the fun of their youth alive. And from what I remember
ed, they knew how to have a good time. Hanging out with them had positively been the most fun time of my life.  I missed them. And being honest with myself, I really missed one particular Love Handles’ guy the most. Bradley. I’d be a millionaire many times over now if I had a dime for every time I’d thought about him over the last fourteen years. He was the reason my stomach had butterflies. My nerves had almost made me cancel, but in the end I knew I had to see him. At least one more time.

So now, I fou
nd myself sitting outside The Londoner in my car on a Thursday night. The others wouldn’t be coming until around seven, which was in about thirty minutes.  I wanted to get there early and be the first to arrive. I hated the thought of a grand entrance and would rather be in place waiting for everyone as they arrived.

Exiting the car, I walked to the entrance and pulled the heavy wooden doors open. The place had the feel of a genuine London pub. The walls and ceilings were decorated with UK sport
s paraphernalia. The smell of fish and chips even hung in the air. Truly authentic.

The pool tables were in the back of the pub and I saw a few tables to the left of where they were situated. They seemed like the perfect place for a large group to sit. I just needed to make a
pit stop before I claimed them because I wanted to stay seated as long as I could tonight. Delay all the shocked faces for as long as possible. I still couldn’t believe that I was braving seeing everyone especially since Tina said Bradley was going to be here too.

First things first though. I’
d worry about seeing him later. I scanned the pub’s walls and found the illuminated sign for the restrooms and headed toward them. Avoiding the mirror when I walked in, I quickly did my business and washed by hands. As I let the water rinse the soap away, I looked into the mirror checking to make sure my hair and makeup were okay.

I
definitely looked different from the last time they’d seen me at the ten-year reunion a few years ago. I had to beg Joe to let me go and he’d relented as long as he was able to be there too. I agreed to his terms, but I think he knew how disappointed I was that he demanded on attending with me. He didn’t want me being alone in a room with Bradley. I think he knew that seeing Bradley again was the main reason I wanted to go. And he was right.

Once we were at the reunion and my eyes
had found Bradley, Joe made me leave. I think it was the beginning of the end for me. It just took about five years too long for me to come to my senses.

There was so much unfinishe
d business between Bradley and me. I’ve always regretted how I’d completely shunned him after I found out he was lying to me and likely sleeping around with other girls. He called, wrote and begged relentlessly to see me after I’d left him. But I’d been a heartbroken mess. Joe, my now soon-to-be ex-husband, had taken advantage of my weakened state.

Joe
had known exactly what he’d been doing when I’d arrived back at Baylor crying and inconsolable after fleeing from Bradley. He’d pounced on my vulnerability and I’d had no clue. I’d thought he was the greatest guy in the world. He’d listened to every detail between sobs. Helped me forget all the pain and appeared to be someone who would never do the kind of things Bradley had done to me.

What a silly young woman I’d been
. The true reason behind Joe’s compassion hadn’t shown itself until after we were married. I’d been too caught up in the persona that he’d put together for me. My knight in shining armor.

He’d known
my weaknesses and had played me well. He’d wanted someone to control or reside over really. Being my husband wasn’t what he’d wanted. He’d wanted to be king, a ruler over detail of my life.

T
hankfully, I was in Dallas now, far away from Joe and his controlling ways. When I’d left him a few weeks ago with only the clothes on my back and what little I could fit into a suitcase, I’d decided to never look back and question what I was doing. It was for the best. My future was no longer in Atlanta by Joe’s side.

“Excuse me
, ma’am.” A voice pulled me out of my memories and I looked up to see a young woman standing next to the table. “Will there be other people joining you tonight?”

“I think there will be around ten of us maybe even twelve. I thought this long table would work.”

“It’s the largest one we have in the restaurant.” Her smile was big and bright. “Would you care for anything to drink or eat until the rest of your party arrives?”

Good question. What could I drink tonight? I needed something that would look like a mixed drink. Keep the appearance that I was indulging with the rest of the gang.

“I’ll take a seltzer water with a lime. And I’ll continue to have those the rest of the evening if that’s okay?”

“No problem.” She looked at me curiously. “Can I get you anything to eat?”

“No thanks. I’ll just wait until everyone is here.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back with you
r drink.”

I had a cover now and it would come in handy. I didn’t want to stick out for not drinking. I could blend in with the rest of them for a little while at least. Sticking out would come soon enough. Literally.

My server sat my seltzer drink down in front of me and I sipped through the stirring straw. It was refreshing and cool. I’d been so thirsty lately. I’d forgotten how dry it was in Dallas this time of year.

There was some movement toward the front of the pub. I turned my
head to see what was going on, and my body froze instantly when I saw the handsome and older version of my high school sweetheart standing by the front door.

Seeing him tonight was more intense than I thought it woul
d be. No one, which really meant Joe, was standing by me gauging my reaction, so I completely reacted. The heat I felt when he scanned the restaurant and our eyes met, nearly made me slide from my chair and walk across the floor to him. But I needed to stay seated, planted in my spot. The magnetic pull I felt so many years ago when I was anywhere near him still extended between us today. Well, at least it did for me.

Dave was standing next to him with a funny little smile on his face as he looked from me to Bradley. He appeared pretty pleased with what he saw and I was too. I watched Bradley’s shocked face break into a grin then he lowered and shook his head.

Hopefully, that was a good sign, but my nerves were totally frayed as I watched them start to walk my way. It seemed that my heart rate increased with each step they took. My stomach was tied up in knots. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this close to having a panic attack.

Once a lanky
, tall young man, Bradley had filled out very nicely. Indeed. His shirt stretched tight across his broad shoulders and abs. I didn’t understand how the two men got away with calling themselves Love Handles as neither of them had an ounce of flab that I could see. They looked toned and fit. Especially Bradley...

Their walk across the pub seemed to take forever. Finally
, they were standing right in front of me. I was sitting at the end, next to the head of the table. Dave came around and gave me a big hug. I hugged him back but stayed attached to the seat of my chair. If he was expecting me to stand up, he didn’t show it. Instead, he quickly took the head spot next to me. One hurdle down, next up was Bradley.

The logical chair for him to take was the one opposite me. But would he? That would mean we’d have to make a lot o
f eye contact tonight. Who knew? Maybe even our feet or legs would touch on occasion under the table?

Bradley didn’t disappoint. He pulled out the chair right across from me and folded his tall frame down onto it. I sipped at my drink again. It definitely was hotter in her
e now with him across from me, staring at me with those deep, blue eyes, the color of bluebonnets. And those long lashes. God, I’d loved looking into his eyes as we’d made love.

I had to stop myself. This train of thought signaled danger,
so I began to silently chant,
I can do this, I can do this
. But I was a goner when he started to speak to me. All my resolve melted away.

“Hi, Kelly.” Hearing him say my name brought back so many old feelings. Good ones.

“Hi, Bradley.” I had said his name so many times in my mind. It was hard to believe that I was saying it to him in person.

The second I saw Kelly after entering the bar, my whole body stilled. I had the feeling of being transported back in time. She didn’t look much different than when she was nineteen and I ached to get closer to her. But Dave was doing the meet and greet as we arrived and we hadn’t moved past the entrance. The drawback of knowing everyone at this place.

Finally
, we started heading her way. Her face shone with the sweetest smile as we approached. I caught her eyes glancing over my body and chuckled. Sweet little Kelly was checking me out. I’d put on a lot of muscle over the years and was no longer the lanky young boy she had once known. Hopefully, she liked what she saw.

When we arrived at Kelly’s table, my heart was pounding hard against my chest. I wasn’t sure what to do. Speak first? Shake her hand? Concerned and a bit panicked, I breathed a sigh of relief when Dave moved toward her first and wrapped his big arms around her little frame. I remained where I was standing, just past arms
’ length. I didn’t want to freak her out by hugging her too. Though the thought of having her in my arms sounded pretty damn tempting. She stayed in her chair, which was a good thing. Otherwise, it made the fact that we didn’t hug even more obvious. This way we avoided awkward.