Her Forever

Trinity’s POV

“I don’t know about this,” I gripped my handbag as we entered the bar.

Stacy continued to tell me I shouldn’t wear the cardigan I had as a cover-up for this dress. The dress was a second skin and hugged my curves. It was comfortable and beyond sexy; it made me feel like a woman. When I saw it on the clothing rack in New York, I just had to have it. Since then, it had been sitting in the bottom of my suitcase because I had no other place to wear it.

“You look fantastic in it; take it off.” Stacy began to pull on it for it to come off, but I pulled it back on quickly.

“No, I can’t,” I argued. “I like wearing the dress around the house; the people here give me the creeps.” It wasn’t a lie. This was the only bar in the entire town, and it was equipped with the most cliché of decorations. Road signs, hanging trophies from hunts, and even several pictures lined the wall with semi-famous people. Extremely conservative politicians decorated the nearby shelf. Several pool tables lined the far wall, and a small dance floor could barely hold 40 people. Nothing like the videos I had researched on what club life was about.

This was straight out of Hicksville.

I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up; what should I expect? We were in the middle of nowhere, with the population being the majority of fifty-year-olds. Which came to my following icky conclusion of them staring at us from the bar. Liquor already invaded their mind haze as they stared at Stacy and me. Stacy paid no mind and waved down her friends near the dance floor, holding booths and tables for us.

“Fine, keep it on for now, but you are taking it off later.” I winced as she grabbed her nails in my arm as we headed to the back. The place was already packed, and it was only 9pm. Hopefully, that meant I could go home early and get ready for the move tomorrow.

“Ladies, this is my friend, Trinity,” Stacy said in her sing-song voice. Several girls glanced at me but immediately went back to their drinks or dates.

“Pleasure to meet you! I’m Maryann!” I shook her hand as she guided me to sit down with her. “I heard you were leaving tomorrow; that is such a shame.” Maryann twirled her drink with a small straw as she took a tiny sip. “We could have been the best of friends; Stacy talks about you all the time.” There was a hint of jealousy in her voice as she stared Stacy down.

“Trinity just likes to travel,” Stacy waved over to the waitress who carried her notebook. Grabbing a few tequila shots and margaritas, I sat in silence as the girls talked. They had spent most of their lives together in the little town. All grew up in the same school that housed both elementary, middle, and high school. The graduating class was of just 60 people, and even that was a large class, or so Stacy says.

“I’m looking for my prince charming,” Maryann announced. A few eyes jutted towards her as she began to elaborate. “He was such a gentleman when I rang him up. He even left the change, which was a good twenty dollars; that has to mean something.” Her eyes glanced towards the door for the millionth time.

“Careful,” Elijah spoke up. “He might change his mind if he sees something better.” Stacy jabbed Elijah in the stomach as he reached his arm around Stacy. The group laughed, but Maryann scoffed.

“I doubt it; there was a… connection. I felt it. Just wait until you see him.” I rolled my eyes as I threw down another shot of tequila. Two shots and a glass of wine, that’s all I was going to take. Several of them scoffed when I asked for wine instead of beer. Excuse me for having more delicate taste than some off-brand, water-down s**t. I was raised in Italy; we know alcohol. I’ve drunk it since I was fifteen.

The doors opened several times the past hour; more men and women filtered in as they filled up the bar and tables. There had already been one fight at the pool table over a bet that was not paid.

Stacy and Elijah got up to dance a few slow songs together, but no one was dancing to the more vigorous-paced ones, which had me relieved. I was hoping to scoot by without having to dance.

“Excuse me?” I sat down my glass of wine with a harsh gulp of the sweet liquid. The side of the table I was sitting on had a large shadow cast on it from the lights above. Glancing upward, I see none other than Josiah.

“Fudge,” I muttered under my breath. Elijah stood up and scooted his chair away while several other men at the table did the same. Did they have some beef with Josiah too?

“Wrong side of the bar, man.” One of Stacy’s friends, Landon, cracked his knuckles. “I mean it, we ain’t playin’ tonight.” Landon and two others flanked his side as Josiah backed up, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

“Easy guys, just wanting to ask the lady to dance-“

“No,” I blurted out while narrowing my eyes. “And that is a no to everything else.” Crossing my arms, Josiah gave a devilish grin while he pulled up his jeans, bent down to see me eye to eye.

“I meant what I said, Trinity,” he whispered close so no one could hear. “Whether you like it or not,” I snarled at him as he stood back up. I’d fight this prick if I had to, but I didn’t need to get locked up in jail for the night, especially if they looked up my name. That would open up a whole entire new can of worms.

“You alright?” Landon took out his hand to pull me out of my chair. My hands were a bit shaky, blowing my cover of being relaxed and nonchalant about the ordeal. Landon had dark hair, and his skin was as equally; his brown eyes held a concerned look while his tattoo tribal bands inched up his forearm. His friends looked similar in appearance, potent, cold, and lethal. Their distinct features lead me to believe they were Native Americans.

“Yeah, maybe a water will do me some good, and I’ll head home-“

“No, not until we go with you,” Elijah butted in. Elijah was completely sober. He had only ordered a burger and fries while Stacy shot down three more shots. “Come on, Trinity! Let’s dance! Forget about mean and scary; he can’t touch you when we hang out with Wolves!”

Landon and his friends raised their brows as Landon pushed them over to their seats. “Wolves? Are they a gang or something?” I asked no one in particular.

“Yeah, exactly,” Elijah said. “Don’t worry, Josiah won’t do anything else. Just don’t go anywhere alone. Besides, I’m sure you’ve got a gun on you somewhere or use some fancy moves on them.” I wish I had brought my gun; my dress was too tight to bring in the smallest one I had. The only thing lethal were my car keys.

“Come on,” Stacy pulled me dramatically to the dance floor, half dancing, half stumbling. Our whole table had gotten up; everyone was tipsy, borderline drunk as they swayed to some Cardi B. Stacy was rapping out songs and cursing so much I swear she was a different person. The gyrating h*p thrusts were getting out of hand, she had already knocked me into three different people, and I had to apologize and swear to them I wasn’t the one drunk.

Laughing it off, I headed back to the bar. I was parched, to say the least; after an hour of dancing, my legs were burning like a mother, and I needed a break. Sitting in a car tomorrow for a good ten hours was going to be heaven not having to move them on the long drive.

Take a sip; Landon walks up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright? I know I asked before but, Elijah caught me up with what’s going on.” I nodded as I capped my water bottle.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Once I leave tomorrow, it will be all the better. Josiah will forget about me and move on to someone else.” I chuckled.

Landon held out his hand, “well, then would the lovely lady like to dance? I’m here to shock the others by asking the prettiest girl in the bar since I don’t normally do such a thing.” His teeth were perfectly white as he gave a small smile. Smiles didn’t look like this thing; he was just being friendly. The effort was nice, though.

I blushed, almost too much at his words nonetheless. It was just attention, the attention I didn’t need.

He had given me no reason not to trust him but then again, no reason to trust him. He did save me from Josiah, but we were on his turf, his side of the bar. About to place my hand on his, there was a cold chill that must have come through the doors. The night air was crisp and brought a chill to my skin. Before my hand landed on Landon’s warm one, he pulled away.

“Actually,” he prolonged his word. “I need to head to the restroom.” Landon strode off faster than the rabbit seeing the turtle at the finish line. I c****d my head as he walked off; he was headed in the opposite direction of the bathroom and to his group of buddies.

“What the hell?” I whispered until Stacy ran right into me.

“Trin-it-y! Look, it’s that guy that Maryann was talking about!” I rolled my eyes and slammed my arm on the bar, ready to see this “godlike” of a man she put it. I thought Landon looked pretty nice; I couldn’t believe someone else could be THAT good-looking. Yet again, I was wrong in my assumption because this guy was, in fact, godlike.

He sauntered in here like he owned the place. The small swag in his step would usually make a guy look cocky, dare say damn ridiculous but this, this was something else. He wasn’t trying to sway; he was just moving. Like his muscles were so large, his pants were tight around his legs and crotch, and don’t get me started on that white, rolled-up dress shirt he had on. The first three buttons were undone, and a prickle of chest hair was poking out. He was swaying because he was built like a tank. A highly sexy armored tank.

Since when did my vision become so clear?

Not missing a beat, Maryann slammed right into us, breaking me away from my drooling stare, and slapped our arms violently. A best friend/girl thing? That was my guess, and I didn’t like it.

“That’s him, Trinity! Isn’t he steamy?” My mouth dropped again when a carbon copy walked in right behind him. The same everything, even right down to the gelled back midnight hair to those electric blue eyes. He threw the keys up, and the other twin grabbed them mid-air to put them in his pocket.

“Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit,” Stacy slurred as she hung on me.

“Sweet Mary and Joseph,” I whispered under my breath. All the single ladies at the bar, I swear, opened their legs and immediately chanted, “fertilize my eggs.” The estrogen in here was stifling as both of these men ordered two whiskies. They had yet to glance over, but there was no doubt of all the female and maybe male eyes raking their bodies. They knew they were hot; they didn’t need any confirmation.

“I’m going for it,” Maryann patted my shoulder. I nodded my head silently. How embarrassing, does her v****a hold all the liquid courage of the entire bar? No other woman even dared to approach these men. They were that hot. Touching the sun may have been slightly cooler.

Maryann swayed her h**s as her finger walked down the bar. Stacy and I held onto each other not just for emotional support of the whole ordeal, just the fact that Stacy could not contain her alcohol.

Moments passed as we watched Maryann speak with these men, their disinterest in her was apparent; even one of them had the balls to say no and was loud enough for the bar to hear. The music continued to play, but Maryann sauntered back as she held a slight smirk.

“They’re gay,” she flipped her hair. “Such a shame too, the way their pants are so tight I bet they’re big.”

Stacy squealed as she playfully hit Maryann, who stalked back off to the dance floor.

“You think they are?” I nudged Stacy. Stacy took another shot, one she should not be taking.

“Are they what?” Ugh, seriously, girl, the first time I need help with men, and she gets wasted.

“You know, gay?” Stacy squinted to look down the long bar held with stinky old men and pre-pubescent boys who had fake IDs.

“Nope,” She popped the p as she took a swig of my water. My mind began to wander as I was openly eye-raping those men. They looked vaguely familiar yet different all at the same time.

“Why do you say that?” I pulled my bottle of water from her grasp.

“Because that one,” she pointed ever so obviously, “is coming straight towards.”