I clenched my jaw, staring into the dirty mirror at Frederick's Pub, and tried to push back the tears. f**k James. I f*****g hated him so f*****g much. Why couldn't he just listen? Just once. That's all I wanted.
Music bumped in through the walls, and I took a deep breath.
No, Nora, you're not going to cry. You're going to go out there and have a good time without him. You're going to get f****d tonight-the way you have been begging James to do for weeks now.
After applying another coat of bright red lipstick, I walked out of the bathroom. A wave of heat hit me as I scurried through the close bodies toward the bar. Lit with blue accent lights, almost every seat at the bar was taken.
James sat at one end, sipping on his whiskey, tie hanging loosely around his neck.
I grabbed a glass of
