tell him.
"I didn't mean it like that, and you know it. Just letting you know." He muttered it, irritated.
"Well next time keep your opinions to your goddamn self. I know when I'm flat."
"What the hell's your problem?"
"None of your fucking business, Jeff."
His eyes narrowed and his mouth turned down. The confused hurt on his face was palpable. I felt bad, knowing he'd done nothing to deserve my irritation.
"Jesus, Anna. Take a pill. Goddamn." He stuffed his phone back in his pocket and went back out into the bustle and noise of the bar.
Great , I thought. Now I've pissed him off.
The last thing I wanted to do was apologize, but I didn't want Jeff mad at me. He wouldn't say anything, just give me hard, sad glances and keep it to himself. It was worse than being yelled at.
I followed him out and cornered him behind the mixer. "Jeff, I'm sorry." My hand was on his arm; I hadn't meant to touch him, but now I couldn't move my hand away. "I'm being bitchy, and it's not your fault."
He shrugged, not looking at me directly, but over my shoulder. "No big. We all have bad days."
"Yeah, well, this may end up being more than a bad day, just fair warning." I didn't want to end up talking about it. "So, if I'm a bitch to you, don't take it personally."
Jeff eyed me, then, a long, searching look. He had his suspicions what was bothering me I think. He was too spare with his words and emotions to ask though.
"We can talk about it after. I'll buy."
I shrugged, uncomfortable. I did want to talk about it, actually, but I wasn't sure Jeff was the right person.
"Maybe. We'll see. It's just one of those things, you know?"
Jeff lifted an eyebrow at my vague statement. "Well, the offer stands."
We made it through the night, and I managed to keep my irritability to a minimum. I only snapped at Jeff few times.
When the customers were mostly gone and it was time to pack the equipment, Jeff waved me away.
"Go home, Anna. I got it."
Home. Jaime would be out still, over at her boyfriend's house, most likely. Silent, empty, lonely home.
I shook my head. "I'm fine. I'll help."
He rolled his eyes but let me carry the mixer to his SUV. When we finished loading, we bellied up to the bar and Darren, the owner and manager, slid us a pair of beers. We'd been DJing at Green's Tavern for years, and Darren let us stay after hours to drink until he had to leave.
We drank the first beer in companionable silence. Jeff spoke up halfway through the second.
"So. Problems with the boyfriend already, huh?" He spoke without looking at me, a Jeff-quirk.
"He wasn't my boyfriend." I so didn't want to get into the messy details. "Just a guy. But yeah. The problem is, he's gone."
Jeff took his time to formulate a response. "And you didn't want him to leave."
He was trying hard to hide the jealousy in his eyes, but he couldn't quite manage it. At least, not from me.
"It's complicated. It wasn't anything. Just one night. But then he had to leave, and he won't be back. Sucks."
Jeff spoke in short sentences, sometimes leaving out words. I had a tendency to start sounding like Jeff after a while.
"Sorry to hear it. He was good for you?"
Jeff was being careful. He knew I knew about his feelings for me, and he also knew I wasn't interested. What he didn't know was my mind and body seemed to be changing their minds.
"Yeah. He was great for me. Treated me like I was beautiful."
"That's 'cause you are." The words seemed to slip past his lips as if he'd tried to hold them back. "Shit." This last was mumbled into the mouth of his beer bottle.
I twisted on my stool to look at him. Our knees were almost touching, but not quite. I could feel the space between our knees as if static electricity was sparking between us.
"I am?" I tried not to make it sound flirty, but didn't succeed.
Jeff drained his beer and popped the top of the third. Darren had left a few on the bar for us while he counted the register. His actions were short and jerky, the bottle clinking
"I didn't mean it like that, and you know it. Just letting you know." He muttered it, irritated.
"Well next time keep your opinions to your goddamn self. I know when I'm flat."
"What the hell's your problem?"
"None of your fucking business, Jeff."
His eyes narrowed and his mouth turned down. The confused hurt on his face was palpable. I felt bad, knowing he'd done nothing to deserve my irritation.
"Jesus, Anna. Take a pill. Goddamn." He stuffed his phone back in his pocket and went back out into the bustle and noise of the bar.
Great , I thought. Now I've pissed him off.
The last thing I wanted to do was apologize, but I didn't want Jeff mad at me. He wouldn't say anything, just give me hard, sad glances and keep it to himself. It was worse than being yelled at.
I followed him out and cornered him behind the mixer. "Jeff, I'm sorry." My hand was on his arm; I hadn't meant to touch him, but now I couldn't move my hand away. "I'm being bitchy, and it's not your fault."
He shrugged, not looking at me directly, but over my shoulder. "No big. We all have bad days."
"Yeah, well, this may end up being more than a bad day, just fair warning." I didn't want to end up talking about it. "So, if I'm a bitch to you, don't take it personally."
Jeff eyed me, then, a long, searching look. He had his suspicions what was bothering me I think. He was too spare with his words and emotions to ask though.
"We can talk about it after. I'll buy."
I shrugged, uncomfortable. I did want to talk about it, actually, but I wasn't sure Jeff was the right person.
"Maybe. We'll see. It's just one of those things, you know?"
Jeff lifted an eyebrow at my vague statement. "Well, the offer stands."
We made it through the night, and I managed to keep my irritability to a minimum. I only snapped at Jeff few times.
When the customers were mostly gone and it was time to pack the equipment, Jeff waved me away.
"Go home, Anna. I got it."
Home. Jaime would be out still, over at her boyfriend's house, most likely. Silent, empty, lonely home.
I shook my head. "I'm fine. I'll help."
He rolled his eyes but let me carry the mixer to his SUV. When we finished loading, we bellied up to the bar and Darren, the owner and manager, slid us a pair of beers. We'd been DJing at Green's Tavern for years, and Darren let us stay after hours to drink until he had to leave.
We drank the first beer in companionable silence. Jeff spoke up halfway through the second.
"So. Problems with the boyfriend already, huh?" He spoke without looking at me, a Jeff-quirk.
"He wasn't my boyfriend." I so didn't want to get into the messy details. "Just a guy. But yeah. The problem is, he's gone."
Jeff took his time to formulate a response. "And you didn't want him to leave."
He was trying hard to hide the jealousy in his eyes, but he couldn't quite manage it. At least, not from me.
"It's complicated. It wasn't anything. Just one night. But then he had to leave, and he won't be back. Sucks."
Jeff spoke in short sentences, sometimes leaving out words. I had a tendency to start sounding like Jeff after a while.
"Sorry to hear it. He was good for you?"
Jeff was being careful. He knew I knew about his feelings for me, and he also knew I wasn't interested. What he didn't know was my mind and body seemed to be changing their minds.
"Yeah. He was great for me. Treated me like I was beautiful."
"That's 'cause you are." The words seemed to slip past his lips as if he'd tried to hold them back. "Shit." This last was mumbled into the mouth of his beer bottle.
I twisted on my stool to look at him. Our knees were almost touching, but not quite. I could feel the space between our knees as if static electricity was sparking between us.
"I am?" I tried not to make it sound flirty, but didn't succeed.
Jeff drained his beer and popped the top of the third. Darren had left a few on the bar for us while he counted the register. His actions were short and jerky, the bottle clinking
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