“Yeah, you are. I would never put squirrels and unicorns in the same category. Those beasts are just plain magical with their bushy tails and cute little bucked teeth.”
“Okay, let’s get one more drink, Cal.” She pulled her hand away, my bad joke unacknowledged. “Then I need to go.”
“Why don’t you just finish the one you have? Then I’ll take you home.”
She looked down at the full glass in front of her and laughed, her face lighting up like she’d found a long-lost friend. She tipped the glass back and I watched her try to swallow her pain along with the liquor.
“You’re better off without him.”
“How would you know that?” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “You only heard part of the story.”
“Isn’t the reason obvious?”
She stared at what was left of her drink, confusion pinching her brow.
“You said he loved you—or at least, he told you he did—but not once did you mention anything about being in love with him. Past or present.”
“I didn’t?”
“No, you didn’t.” Thank fuck.
“Okay, sunshine man, you nailed it. But that’s only because I don’t believe in love. It’s made-up bullshit that keeps us all distracted. Believing in love is like living in the matrix. Except, no one gets tricked into swallowing the pill. Everyone happily jumps right in.”
“I’m pretty sure you have to take the pill to get out of the matrix, not into it. But love?” I caught her gaze and held it. “Love is real, Zadie. Love is so damn real.”
“You’ve been in love before?”
“No, but I’ve seen it.” I’d dreamed of it. Decided I’d die without it and then decided I wasn’t going to die. “The kind of love so real, it’s undeniable.”
“Guess that’s the problem, then. All anyone’s ever shown me is heartbreak and lies.” Her eyes glassed over, her voice catching.
I strangled the neck of the bottle in my grip.
“Take my parents for example,” she said through the catch in her voice. “They hated each other. Now, my mom has a new boyfriend every third day. And that kinda proves my point. Love can’t possibly be real. Not if it’s so easy to fall in and out of. Not when a man can tell you he loves you, fuck you, and then leave you the next day. Not when love is a lie.”
“All right, I think you’re done with that drink.” I reached for her glass.
“But it’s so good. “She cradled it to her chest before turning from me and downing what was left.
When she faced me again, her bottom lip pushed out to the side, not the front, and her eyebrows arched dramatically, one higher than the other. Perfectly undone in the sloppiest sort of way.
Even wrecked, even with her curls frizzed and her makeup smeared, she still had me by the throat. “Time to go.”
“Just one...” She squinted into the cup. “Last...” Tipped it up over her open mouth and, leaning back, captured a drop of liquid on her tongue.
A second later she fell off the stool.
I caught her before she hit the floor, my hands locking around her waist, her elbow driving into my ribs. It hurt, but she was in my arms, so it was a fair trade. “All right, tipsy. We’re going.”
“Mm-hmm.” She looked up at me through heavy lids, and every rational thought I had started packing its bags.
She should have been passed out by now. Instead, she shifted, her full breasts pressing against me. She snaked her arms around my neck and wove her fingers through my hair, her nails dragging across my scalp in a way that had my eyes rolling back in my skull.
Then she kissed me. And I was fucked.
Chapter Three
Caleb