Second Chance For Us

“Ok girls, I’m getting the first round. What are we having?” I was in the mood to let loose and have a good time. After 4 years of constant studying we were done. I took my last exam this afternoon and I felt good about it. So here I am on Bourbon St. with my girls, Winnie and Lulu , having some celebratory drinks. We where having a pretty good time until about the third drink in, That's when they started on the subject about my needing to get laid. Why did it always come to that? So yeah I hadn’t been with anyone in the last two years, so what? I had tried dating but it never works out. I'm pretty picky when it comes to the men I date. I want what I want and that's that! I've never been one to date around. I only ever been in one real relationship in my life and that ended horribly. “She’d be in a lot better mood.” Lulu said smirking. “ Hey! My mood was fine until a second ago before y’all started in on me again.” I said, my Alabama accent taking over because of the alcohol in my system. "Y'all always do this to me. I'm sorry I'm not into sleeping around like you Lulu or I'm not in a long term relationship like you Winnie, but I'm doing fine.” I knew they would not be upset with me about what I said, we're best friends. My girls looked at me with a knowing look. I couldn’t fool them. The only reason I was getting so defensive was because I knew they were telling the truth. In all honesty I've missed having someone around, someone I could just cuddle with at the end of the day with. I had stopped worrying about men a long time ago, after what had happened with Dean and me, I didn't know if I could let someone get that close again. I had tried with Joe but that didn't last long. It hadn't been all bad with Joe. He just wanted something I couldn't give. How could I give him my heart when it already belongs to someone else? The night I met Dean I fell almost instantly. He had been my everything. Not a day went by that we didn't see each other. Then Randy happened. He took everything from me, my life, my dignity, my parents and then Dean. That night was the worst night of my life. I could still feel the pain that night had caused even now. Just thinking about it caused my chest to get tight and my breath to leave my lungs. I shook my head, I had to stop this train of thought now before I had a panic attack. I was here to have fun with my friends and that was what I was going to do. Randy had taken enough away from me. I wouldn't allow him to have this too. “Well now that classes are over you have no excuse for not getting out there Soph!" Lulu exclaimed with a little wiggle of her thick eyebrows. “Look around girl, there are a lot of hot guys here tonight and you haven’t even smiled at one, not one. Hell I have a boyfriend and I've smiled and waved at three." Winnie said. Winnie didn't understand, I had never told her about what happened. Lulu knew, only because we had been friends since we where both little, and she had been there that night. We hadn't meet Winnie until we started at Tulane. At some point I had to let go of the feelings I still have for Dean. I can't keep living like this, it's not healthy. What happened happened and there is nothing I can do about that. Making up my mind that I wouldn't let old memories ruin my night. Winnie reaches out and grabs my arm pulling me out of the passed and back into the present. "There's a guy looking at you from the bar, you should really go talk to him." She said. “What are you talking about? Nobody is staring at me, an even if they were, why should I go talk to someone I don’t know?” I ask her. “Umm, for one, there is! If you would just look over at the end of the bar he's sitting right there. The one in the blue. And two," She held up two of her fingers trying to make her point. "Because it’s fun and he is hot! Like soak my panties hot! Like I want to take him home and do bad, naughty things to him hot, but I can’t because I don’t think Jake would like that too much.” “Win, Jake would kill you both." Lulu laughed as she turned around in her seat to see the guy Winnie was talking about. I could tell as soon as she seen him only she didn't smile like I would have thought. her face went pale and she turned back around to face us and shook her head. "He's not her type." was all she said. Wanting to know what had spooked her I turned to look at the guy at the bar. I knew as soon as I seen him why Lu had reacted the way she did. The man sitting at the bar beard a striking resemblance to Randy. I looked to Lu she had a worried look on her face. "No I'm good. Like she said he's not really my type." I said fighting down the bile that was rising in my throat. "Lets just have a girls night ok." I say to them plastering on a fake smile. "Okay!" They said in unison, finally dropping the subject. One hour and a few drinks later, we where on the dance floor. Dirty dancing with each other to Lil Wayne's Lollipop. I love to dance and I'm not bad at it either. I was grinding my ass into Lulu when I had a strange feeling that someone was staring at me. After everything that I had been though I've learned than when you have that feeling you should listen to it. Still dancing, I turned in a circle working my hips as I did so. From where we were I couldn't see much, just the other people on the dance floor with us. I was starting to think I was just paranoid when I saw him. He was wearing a pair of wrangler blue jeans that I bet hugged a perfect ass and a white t-shirt that was pulled tight over his broad chest and muscular arms. With his baseball cap pulled so low I couldn't make out what color his eyes where. The way he stood with his arms crossed over his chest and the way he held himself standing there up against the wall with his right leg bent, foot braced on the wall like he could and would kick off it at any moment and be ready for anything, he looked like he could handle himself. This guy could get mistaken for one of the other security guys for the club. Somehow I could tell he wasn't. Something about the way he held himself was familiar, but unlike with the other guy, I couldn't figure out who this guy reminded me of. Winnie touched my shoulder making me jump. I hadn't even realized I had stopped dancing. Turning to her I raised my eyebrow as if to ask WHAT'S UP. The look on her face was one of concern. I could tell she wanted to ask me what was wrong but the music was so loud that I wouldn't be able to hear her, so she pull Lulu and me towards the bathroom so we could talk. Winnie turns to Lulu when the door to the bathroom closes. "See if there is anyone in the stalls please Lulu." She turns towards me. "Are you ok? You looked like you where daydreaming." "What do you mean?" I look at her confused. "What I mean is we were dancing and having a good time then all of a sudden you just stop and started staring off into space." "I wasn't staring off into space Win. I was looking at something. Is that a crime?" I was starting to get aggravated at the way she always thinks she needs to act like my mom. "No. It's not, but when you stop dancing with us and start looking at something as hard as you were. It's my job as your bff to make sure you are ok." I could see the concern on her face. I looked to Lulu, she was wearing the same look of concern. "Guys I'm ok. I just got distracted for a few. I'm good now. Come on lets go get another drink." I said as I turn around and started walking towards the door. Looking back over my shoulder I saw them both share a look then follow me out of the bathroom. Making my way to the bar I chance a look back towards the wall where the mystery man was. Damn, he was gone. I had really wanted to see what his eyes looked like. Wait, where did that thought come from? We ordered our drinks and decided to just sit at the bar. As we sat laughing and talking, all thoughts of the man by the wall left my mind. Lulu looked down at her phone and was shocked when she saw what time it was. "Hey guys, I'm goin to have to call it a night." she said disappointment in her voice. "What time is it?" I ask. "1:24am!" "s**t! It doesn't feel like we've been here that long." Winnie said shock all over her face. "Your right, we need to go. We have a lot of packing we have to do in the morning." I said finishing my drink in one swallow. Winnie's eyes looked from me to something over my shoulder and a smile spread across her face. "You're not leaving already are you? I haven't even bought you lady's a drink yet." said a voice coming from behind me. I turn in my stool and came face to face with the man that had reminded me of Randy. My heart pounding in my chest I tried to stay calm. Mr. Creepy was standing way to close to me for comfort. I leaned back in my set trying put as much space between us as posable before I spoke to him. "Yes. We have to get home, it's late." I said plastering a fake smile on my face trying to seem friendly, it's not his fault he gives me the creeps. Smiling at me he places his hand on my thigh and says, "No I can't let you leave until I get to know you better." Rubbing his hand up and down, he leans closer to me as he talks. NOPE I was wrong, it's completely his fault. Slapping his hand off of my leg I try to get up to leave but he had other plans. Mr. Creepy grabs my stool and spins it so that my body is facing him then steps into my bubble putting both of his hands back on my thighs this time. By this point I'm seething mad, so much so I don't even think of what I'm doing I just do. Grabbing him between his legs, I find exactly what I'm looking for, his junk, and I squeeze. His face turns white then red as he starts to scream. "YOU b***h! f*****g LET GO OF ME!" I squeeze harder and give my wrist a slight turn making him yell out louder. "f**k!!!" "Now I'm going to need you to step back out of my space. I don't want or need you to buy me a drink nor do I want or need you to be this close to me. When I let go you are going to apologize then walk away from me. Are you getting the picture? Also if by chance you ever see any one of us again you are going to turn in the other direction. Do you understand me you useless piece of s**t?" I say with a smile on my face, not letting go until he starts to nod his head really fast. "Now beat it before I rip that pathetic thing you call a d**k off and beat you with it." He damn near runs the other direction cursing me the whole way. I turn back to look at my girls, Winnie was looking at me like what I did was both a shock to her and impressive. Lu on the other hand looked as if she had seen a ghost, she wasn't looking at me at all. shaking her head she looks back at me and smiled. We all busted out laughing. Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention, a man in a baseball cap white shirt and blue jeans, walking out the doors of the club. I get up, telling the girls I am ready to go. A few minutes later as we are walking out of the club I was wondering if he saw what had just happened with me and Mr. Creepy? Winnie had called for an Uber for herself seeing as she lives on campus, where Lulu and I are renting a small house only five blocks from the club we were just at. She asked us if we wanted a ride. And even though a ride sounded great right now, our house was the opposite way from campus. When we declined her offer she hugs us then gets in the silver Toyota Camry and waves as she's being drove away. We walk in silence for a few minutes when Lulu started talking. "Hey Soph, did you happen to see that guy at the bar, the one that was leaning up against the wall over by the pool tables?" I came to an abrupt stop at her question. "Why do you ask?" Praying that she hadn't decided that she wanted to try to find out who he was so she could spend some time with him. He is mine! Wait what? When did I start thing that he was mine? "Did you? Did you see him?" She starts fidgeting with her fingers, something she only does when she gets nervous. Taking in a deep breath I answer her. "Yeah, I saw him. He was just standing by the wall then I saw him again as he walked out of the doors not long before we left. Why?" "Did he remind you of anyone?" She was studying my face as she asked me the question. I was kind of thrown by her question. Did she recognize him? Again I ask her why. She didn't answer she just kept looking at me. God this girl was stubborn. Knowing if I don't answer her she would never drop it, I gave her the best answer I could manage. "He looked familiar but I couldn't place were I know him from. Why? Do you know him? Did we have classes with him or something?" This was going to bug me until I can figure it out. Hoping she could shed some light on this mystery but not holding my breath I started walking again. "Look Sophie, I know this sounds crazy but... that guy... looked... he looked a lot... a lot like..." "Just spit it out Lu." I said as I kept walking. "Like Dean." she said in a whisper so low I almost didn't catch it. That stopped me in my tracks. "What?" was all I could say. "I know. I couldn't believe it either but I swear, he looked just like him." "How can you be sure? You really couldn't see his face because of the ball cap he was wearing." My heart was pounding fast and hard in my chest. "I wasn't sure about it until you where dealing with that fucker right before we left. When you grabbed that guys d**k because he got into your space I seen him start over there like he was going to handle it but then when he saw that you had it all well in hand he stopped and just watched what was happening. After that he pulled his cap off and ran his fingers though his hair. That's when I seen his face. And Sophie when I tell you he looked just like Dean, I mean like they could have been twins." Lulu wasn't looking at me while she spoke, she was looking at the ground. "I feel crazy even asking this but are you sure Dean didn't have a brother that looks just like him?" "NO! The only sibling he had was his baby bother. Hell, he would only 14 or 15 now, there is no way it could have been him." As I was answering Lulu's question I felt it again. That felling as if someone was watching me. I looked around seeing nothing that could explain my unease. "Look it couldn't be him. He's dead. Randy killed him. We both saw his body. Come on lets get home I have a feeling that is creeping me out." Lulu agreed and we started walking. It took us less than 8 minutes to get home. After we get inside and lock the door we say our goodnights. Lulu's room was on the first floor while mine was on the second. I go inside my room and shut the door. Changing into my PJ's then washing the make-up off my face. Knowing that there would be know way that I would be getting any sleep tonight, I walk out on to the small balcony that was connected to my room. This was the whole reason I wanted this house. It was a place that I could come to think.