I hit the end button, pissed I didn't get the last word, and take another long swallow of my beer. Gazing at the table, I start to make plans for how I can see Renner next.
Cady's warning be damned.
My thoughts are disrupted by a figure sliding into the booth next to me. I look over and gaze impassively at Maeve Mullowney--OTE's bassist, vocalist, my very good friend and my former lover.
"What's the long face for, Cillian?" Her eyes are bright with alcohol and she slides in close so that her leg is flush with mine. I want to crawl in the opposite direction but there's a wall to my left and nowhere to go.
"Nothin'. I'm fine."
Maeve's hand snakes out and lies on top of my thigh. She squeezes and starts to move her hand higher. I take my hand and place it on hers, stopping her upward ascent. "Don't, Maeve. Just don't."
She gives me a pout and removes her hand. I start to breathe a sigh of relief but she just moves her hand from my thigh to lay it along my face. "Cillian... something's bothering you. Let me take your mind off whatever it is. You know I can."
I look into her blue eyes... eyes that I thought I'd be happy to stare at for an indefinite period of time, but that was nothing more than a pipe dream. I would never end up in Maeve's bed again, although she certainly didn't stop trying to make it happen.
Taking her hand off my face, I give it a friendly squeeze. "I'm sorry, Maeve. But it's a no. It will always be no. You would do us a both a world of good if you quit asking."
Maeve's eyes are hot with anger as she slides out of the booth. "You're wrong, Cillian. We're good together. You'll see it one day."
I don't respond to her because it would do no good. It seems like we've had this conversation a million times. Maeve and I became quick friends when I started OTE and there was no doubt that she was the best bassist for the job. About a year ago, we both got massively drunk one night and ended up in bed together. It wasn't awkward or anything the next morning and I have to credit that to the friendship and business relationship we had first. So, it just seemed natural that we would keep sleeping together, then that developed into a relationship of sorts. I mean, it was nice having someone by my side when we were on the road. It wasn't as lonely, and I didn't have to spend time trying to sort out my next fuck. And for a while, it was nice knowing that it would just be Maeve.
We had sizzling chemistry in the bed, and we have sizzling chemistry on the stage, but past that... there's not much more to Maeve and me. Eventually, I started to get bored and I knew that a long-term relationship with her wasn't possible. On top of that, Maeve parties really hard. I get it's part of the lifestyle, but she takes it to the extreme. I've seen the girl wake up after a night of slamming drinks, just to reach over and pull out a pint of vodka to take a swig. She insists it's better than coffee.
I went weeks trying to figure out how to let Maeve down, worried that this would affect our ability to play music together. Ultimately, the choice was taken out of my hands when I found Maeve in bed with someone else. She had gotten wasted after a performance one night, which was par for the course, and decided to bang one of the road crew.
When I found them, there was no huge blow up of a fight, and in fact, I was relieved. I just quietly told Maeve that it was time that we went back to doing what we did best... and that was just being band mates.
She agreed and for a while, it was business as usual. But lately, she's been coming on to me, usually after she's been drinking and Maeve drinks...a lot. It's starting to wear thin.
I resolve to sit down soon and have a serious talk with her, when we're both sober. If I don't nip this problem now, it could be disastrous for OTE down the road.
I pick up my Guinness and, in a few huge swallows, kill it off. Standing up from the booth, I decide it's time to get the hell out of here and get some sleep.
I wonder what Renner is doing right this minute--and if she's thinking about me.
CHAPTER 3
Renner
My apartment door flies open as Cady and Teagan stroll in. Frick and Frack, Mutt and Jeff, Siegfried and Roy... where one went, the other was usually not far behind. They'd probably marry Siamese twins just so they could always stay together.
"Don't you ever knock or is it common practice to just barge into people's homes here?"
Cady and Teagan give identical eye rolls and proceed to ransack my kitchen. While Teagan is rooting through the fridge for something to eat, Cady is pouring herself a glass of Coke.
"We're family," Cady says. "There's no knocking on family homes. That's just the way of it. Besides, you shouldn't have given me a key if it bothers you."
I give her a grin and take an apple from a basket on my counter, taking a big bite. I watch as Teagan pulls out a bowl of something from the fridge, lifts the cover for a sniff, and then grimaces. She puts it back and closes the door.
Reminder to myself to check out what that was and throw it away.
"So, what kind of trouble should we get into today?" Teagan asks. "It's been awhile since we've all three had a day free together."
That's true. Cady's currently working on her Master's in Education at Trinity College and Teagan is an architect at a huge firm here in Dublin. It is rare indeed for the three of us to be able to spend some quality time with each other because they're always working so hard.
Sometimes I feel so lame when I compare myself to Cady and Teagan. Both of them knew exactly what they wanted and went after it. Both are smart and successful. When I look at the train wreck that is my career, all I can do is hang my head in shame.
I graduated from a small college in upstate New York with a degree in Art History. Which basically meant I wouldn't have a single job prospect upon graduation. But that was okay by me--I really didn't want to do anything along those lines anyway. It just seemed like an interesting degree to get because I enjoyed art, I enjoyed history, and well... there you have it.
Had it not been for my parents' expectations that I go to college, I would have passed on it all together. By the time I graduated high school, I was just so tired of learning that I wanted a break. But I went, got my degree, and now it's gathering dust somewhere.
The job with Delta was a fluke. I had a classmate in college that got hired and she loved it, so I applied and made it in. It was a job I seriously enjoyed, but one I didn't think I would be doing my entire life. It was fun, paid decent money, but it wasn't very challenging to me.
And as that bitch fate would have it, it was indeed a short-lived job. I had been at Delta for less than a year before the shit hit the fan, and that career path was over.
"I say we go shopping, then lunch, and have a few bottles of wine," Cady says. She's sporting a new, shorter haircut, layered around her pixie face. It makes her blue eyes pop.
"Then let's come back here to your place after and disclose all of our dirty, sexy secrets," Teagan chimes in. "I had a hot date last weekend with one of my co-workers and he was hung like a race horse. I can't wait to tell you all about it."
Oh geez. The last thing I wanted to do was listen to Teagan recount her sexual escapades with Man O'War. Besides, that kind of talk would naturally lead to them probing into my love life, which is, for all intents and purposes, well... dead.
Cady dumps the rest of her Coke down my sink and picks up her purse. "That sounds like a good plan. Let's go. And I forgot to tell you
, Renner, Mam would like you to come to dinner tonight if you can."
"Sure," I tell her. "I'm always up for some of your mom's cooking."
***
Cady and I are walking to her parents' house, which is fairly close to my apartment. Well, if you accept that fifteen blocks is fairly close. Still...it's a nice evening for a walk, and I can always take a cab home later. Plus, we did in fact have a few bottles of wine at lunch, then another at my apartment. Teagan finally called a cab and headed home, declining Cady's invitation to come eat at her parents'.
Cady and I are pretty buzzed and I'm sure Uncle Keefe and Aunt Shannon will have their hands full with us tonight. It's a good thing they own a pub...makes them a bit more understanding when we get drunk. I'm hoping the walk will clear most of the alcohol out of my system though, as I'm not looking forward to working tomorrow with a hangover.
"So, Teagan sounds like she enjoying her 'racehorse'," Cady remarks.
I can't help myself--I start snickering uncontrollably as I loop my arm through Cady's. I was trying so hard at lunch not to look uncomfortable as Teagan regaled us with the four different sexual positions her racehorse put her in after their date. I shouldn't be surprised because Teagan has always been sexually free and uninhibited. She's a beautiful girl with strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. She looks like innocent, but I'm betting she wears leather and chains under her business suit. And probably has a whip stuck in her briefcase.
Thinking about it, I start giggling again. "Teagan is so cool. I wish I could be more like her."
Cady looks over at me. "You do? Why?"
I shrug my shoulders. "I guess I'd just like to be a little more free... or wild. I've always played by the rules, you know?"
"There's nothing wrong with playing by the rules, Ren. Besides, Teagan will probably catch a disease and her lady parts will fall off."
That has both of us in fits of laughter, although I'm quite sure Teagan practices safe sex. I mean, the word condom came out of her mouth no less than seven times at lunch today.
But as my chuckles die down, I can't help but murmur, "I played by the rules with Cormac and look where that got me."