The Unwanted Runaway

Girls Night

Anna’s POV

Mia and I arrived at the bustling Bar & Grill, eagerly anticipating our dinner plans with Brooke, her cousin Ellie, and Sarah. As we entered, the familiar sounds and smells of the place enveloped us. The low hum of friendly conversation mixed with the sizzle of food on the grill, and the scent of burgers and fries wafted through the air.

As we made our way to the counter to order, we spotted Carter behind the bar, helping his dad Duke with bartending duties. Mia playfully nudged my shoulder and whispered, "There's Carter, let's go say hi!" I shook my head and replied, "I'm good, let's go play some pool or a game of darts, Mia."

She grinned mischievously and teased, "Oh come on, Brooke told me you're a pool shark, Anna. I'd much rather be on your team than play against you." I couldn't help but smile and sheepishly admitted, "Guilty as charged."

But before we could make our way to the pool table, Mia spotted Brooke and Ellie sitting at a small round table closest to the stage, with only four chairs around it. As we took our seats across from them, Mia asked if I had met Ellie before. I nodded and said, "Yeah, actually we met the other day when she came by to pick up some essential oils from Brooke's greenhouse."

I then turned to Brooke and asked, "Should we wait for Sarah to arrive before we start eating?" Brooke assured me that Sarah would probably be running late, as usual, but we could always move or grab another chair for her when she arrived.

Just as we settled into our seats, Carter startled me by gently placing his hand on my shoulder and leaning down to whisper, "A little birdie told me that you like to sing." I looked at him in confusion and replied, "What are you talking about?"

He chuckled and explained, "Well, I thought we could fix up the karaoke machine or bring out the guitar over there, and you could serenade us all." I looked at Mia and Brooke, who were both grinning from ear to ear. Feeling a sudden surge of anxiety, I quickly declined, "No, no, no. I'm not comfortable singing in front of a crowd. I'm really a terrible singer. I don't know where you heard that from."

Carter simply shrugged and replied, "Oh, everyone's heard you sing, right Brooke?" I could feel my stress levels rising and blurted out, "What !!

Carter says it again “ Both Brooke and Jason have heard you singing while you worked." Carter persisted, "Come on, Anna, it'll be fun. How about a game of pool or darts then? I replied.

Brooke chimed in, "Are you sure, Anna? You sing really well, you need to give yourself credit you are talented ." I looked at her and shook my head, "No, I really don't like singing in front of people. I'm sorry."

Mia reassured me, "That's alright, Anna. We can stick to pool. Just no crazy bets, okay Sheriff?" she joked, winking at Carter. He laughed and replied, "Where's the fun in that? Come on now."

Mia gave Carter a playful nudge and said, "Why don't you take a seat and join us, Carter? I'm sure you can take a break for a little bit."

Carter replied, "Yeah, I'll take a break," as he grabbed a chair from an empty table and sat between Mia and me. He turned to me, took my hand in his, and made eye contact. "Anna, I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable earlier. Let's just have some fun tonight. Drinks are on me."

I shook my head in agreement without saying a word. Just then, Brooke spotted Sarah walking towards us from across the bar. "Hey guys, Sarah is finally here!" she exclaimed. Both Mia and Brooke motioned for Sarah to join us. But as Sarah reached the table, she looked down at me with a disgusted expression and said, "No one told me the help was gonna be here."

Mia shot Sarah a squinted look and replied, "That's not nice." Sarah let out a fake laugh and said, "Oh, I was just kidding." But I could still see the dirty look she gave me. "There are two big people at this table and there's absolutely no room for me," she added.

I, know that Sarah wasn't talking about Ellie, Brooke and Mia because they were all athletically fit. She was clearly talking about me and Carter, who was pretty much pure muscle at 6 foot 6.

I, on the other hand, was curvier. Feeling uncomfortable, I decided to get up from my chair and told Sarah, "Go ahead, take it. I'm gonna go play pool. Anybody wanna join me?"

Ellie, who had been quiet most of the night, spoke up and said, "Definitely. You can give me some pointers on beating my boyfriend Travis." She then looked at Carter and said, "You should go over there with Anna."

I couldn't help but feel like Mia and Brooke were trying to push me and Carter together. I could be wrong, but I was starting to get that feeling. As Ellie and I got ready to play pool, Carter said, "I'll go grab those drinks. What do you want, Anna?"

I told him that I wanted two shots of wild turkey and a gin and tonic. "Dang, girl. You're drinking hard tonight," Carter remarked. Ellie chuckled at his comment and said, "I'll have an Everclear."

Carter replied, "Coming right up!" as he left to get our drinks. When he came back, I did the wild turkey shots back to back. It burned as it went down my throat, but it also had a relaxing effect. Soon, Brooke joined us and said to Carter, "We'll loosen Anna up a bit and get her on stage. What do you think, Carter?"

Carter laughed and said, "Yeah, maybe. I'd really love to hear you sing, Anna. I know you don't want to bring it up, but I'd love to hear you."

After Brooks' comment about getting me on stage to sing and reminding me that she's heard me sing before, I decided to prove a point. As the music blasted from the jukebox, playing Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off," I purposely sang off-key to ensure that no one would bother me again.

To my dismay, all I managed to do was make everyone laugh. Sarah even chimed in, commenting on my lack of singing abilities and suggesting that I could use a good dose of reality. She said all of this to the group, without any concern for my feelings.

In that moment, I looked at Carter and declared that I would do it. I would go on stage, sing, and even play the guitar. Carter looked at me skeptically and asked if I was sure about this.

I was furious, but I had something to prove. I could sing, and I was determined to show it. Of course, the alcohol I had been drinking definitely helped boost my confidence. At least I wasn't slurring my words just yet.

As I stepped onto the stage, I eagerly grabbed the guitar and sat down on the stool. I carefully positioned the guitar on my lap and quickly tuned it, hoping that it was in perfect harmony. Looking out at the small crowd of bar patrons, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to focus and calm my nerves.

Carter, had unplugged the jukebox so that all eyes were on me. I positioned the microphone in front of me and said hello, but there was an echo and an awful screeching noise. Thankfully, Carter quickly fixed it and gave me the thumbs up.

As I opened my eyes, I saw my friends Mia, Brooke, and Ellie in the crowd, all smiling and giving me a nod of approval. However, Sarah, who always seemed to have a scowl on her face, best described as resting bish face “ was still not impressed. I couldn't help but think that her constant frown wasn't doing her any favors with Denton.

But I pushed those thoughts aside and looked at Carter one last time, giving him a grateful smile. He whispered to me, "You got this, Anna."

Feeling more confident, I greeted the crowd once again and announced that I would be singing an original song that I had written. With a deep breath, I began to play the guitar and let my hopeful voice fill the room.

I soon finished my song, the bar erupted in cheers and applause. Mia, Ellie, and Brooke rushed over to me, high-fiving me and gushing about my performance.

"Words can't describe how amazing you were up there, Ellie exclaimed.

Sarah came up to me and said, "Actually, that was really good." Then, without another word, she left the bar.

Carter looked at me in awe, saying, "What can't you do, Anna? You can play pool, you can sing, you can cook."

Mia chimed in, "Anna's definitely girlfriend material, right Carter?"

Carter was quiet for a moment before giving me a high-five and saying, "That was awesome." However, his smile didn't reach his eyes, which was odd.

He walked back to the bar and said, "I'll be right back, I'll get you a drink. After belting out a song like that, you must be thirsty."

I responded, "No, not really."

Carter insisted, "Well, I'll be right back with some more drinks anyway."

Ellie, Mia, and Brooke all looked at me with knowing smiles. Mia said, "You know you're gonna have to ask Carter out. Obviously, he likes you."

I replied, "Do you really think so? I just don't get that vibe from him, more like a friend or brotherly vibe."

Mia encouraged me, "Trust us, he's a good guy. You should give him a chance."

I looked at the girls and said, "I just don't know. Truthfully, I've only had one serious relationship and it ended badly."

Suddenly, Mia said, "Hey, I've got to go. Evan just texted me." But I swore I saw her put her phone in her purse, so how did she get a text without it even ringing?

I asked Mia, "Are you sure?"

Mia replied, "Definitely. Maybe Carter can give you a ride home." She gave me a mischievous, playful look and left.

Carter came back with the drinks and asked where Mia went. Brooke replied, "Evan texted Mia a few minutes ago saying he needs her help and asked if she could come home."

Carter handed out the drinks, making sure I had one extra. "More for me," he said with a laugh.

I laughed along with him and nonchalantly scooted my chair closer to him. I was nervous, not sure if I should be making a move on him. He could possibly reject me and that would hurt.

Brooke chimed in, "Hey, I've got to take Ellie home. Carter, would you mind taking Anna back to the ranch?"

Carter replied, "Sure, no problem."

I realized that the girls were definitely trying to set Carter and me up. Evan never called or texted Mia, and I had heard earlier that Travis and Ellie showed up at the ranch together. But now, Ellie left with Brooke and came to the bar.

As we were getting ready to leave, Carter asked me if I wanted to play one more game of pool. I declined and suggested a game of darts instead. We played and had a great time, laughing and talking about his family's antics. He told me about the shenanigans he and his sister, Carly, used to get into.

As the game ended, I was feeling a little more buzzed than earlier. I looked at Carter and saw the opportunity to make a move. I didn't know why, but I leaned in and kissed him. It was different, but in a good way. However, he pulled away and said, "Let's get you home, Anna."

I couldn't help but wonder if I had done something wrong. Maybe I misread his feelings or didn't do the kiss right. I felt like such a dork.

The ride back to the ranch was quiet. Carter pulled up to the main house, and I thanked him for the fun night. As I laid in bed, I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. Maybe I shouldn't have listened to the girls. Or maybe Carter did like me, and he just wasn't expecting me to make a move like that. I fell asleep, hoping that tomorrow would come quickly.