Page 124 of Timelessly Ours

“Nicole, enough,” Sylvie calls tiredly from behind the bar. She’s used to brawls in her bar. No one calls it in—not usually. But she’s not exactly a fan of them either.

Two men pull me off him successfully somehow. The smaller of the two spills the contents of his pint glass on me. While the other seems very uncomfortable with having to touch me.

I pull on my soiled shirt. “Oh, come on.”

I’m dizzy suddenly. Which makes sense since I barely ate anything today other than blueberries and water. The scent repulses me more than usual.

I straighten my spine, feeling achy. Which is not unusual after a fight.

“Fuck,” I hiss, looking at my bloody knuckles.

Sylvie tosses me a wet rag. “Here. Now sit down before you mess up your pretty hair.”

I watch the two patrons take Kyle to a booth in the back since sitting on a stool is no longer manageable.

Shit. Could he press charges against me now?

“How long has he been a regular here?”

She shrugs. “Stopped in sometime last year. Will you calm down and sit? The guy is harmless, I have all my regulars checked out.”

I feel woozy. “So you knew he used to hang out with Frank?”

She spins and pulls out another glass, pushing it toward me, then hovering the tip of the vodka bottle over it. “How about that drink now?”

I’m in my car when I wake up. But in the passenger’s seat. It’s daylight and my eyes sting as I blink them open.

“The fuck is in my eye?”

“Sorry, that was me,” Sylvie says behind the steering wheel. “I tried to snap you to consciousness with some sink water. Not exactly the cleanest.”

“What happened?”

“Don’t worry, you didn’t hit the ground. Chuck was nearby and caught ya.”

Oh no. How much did I have?

“Usually takes you at least four glasses before you knock out. So I don’t know what that was about.”

“Sylvie. Where are we going?”

“I’m taking you home. I’m assuming it’s somewhere in the suburbs. So I’m heading north.”

“Thanks.”

A nap. I need a nap. That sounds so good right now.

I rattle off an address and curl up in the passenger’s seat.

Sometime later, Sylvie wakes me up. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. We’re here.”

I sit up groggily and look up at Coach’s big, beautiful house. The one he’s opened up to me because he trusted me.

“Hey, Nickles?”

I turn, wondering how my plan for closure backfired and now I’m back to where I always was with this woman.

Delirious and confused.