Following Me by Linde, K.A. (best books to read in your 20s .txt) 📗

“Hey, man!” Garrett saidcheerfully.  He stood and shook Brennan’s hand.  “Good to see you.”

“You, too,” Brennan replied.

He never had as much enthusiasmas Garrett, but then again, Devon didn’t think many people did.

“Take my seat,” Garrett offered. “I’m heading to the bar.  You want anything?”

“Just a beer,” Brennan said.

Garrett nodded and loped offtoward the bar.  Brennan took his vacant seat between Hadley and Devon.  As hesat down, Devon noticed something was off about him.  She wasn’t sure what itwas, but his movements weren’t as graceful and his eyes were a bit glazedover.  Was he drunk already?

When Brennan turned to look ather, she glanced down at her nails, acting as if she hadn’t been staring athim.  She had been caught doing that one too many times this week.  He justseemed like a puzzle she wanted to put together.

“When do you leave?” Brennanasked directly, still looking at her.

Devon shrugged, glancing up. “Soonish,” she said noncommittally.

“Are you going to stop by Jenn’sbefore you head out?”

She tilted her head to assesshim.  Was he asking her to stop by?  She never knew with him. Sometimes, she thought he had liked her presence hanging around the restaurantand bothering him.  Other times, he had treated her more like a bug he wastrying to swat away.  His changing moods kept her wondering about him.

“Probably,” she answered.

He nodded and then looked away.

What the hell was that about?she wondered.  She really wanted to ask him, but prying into his personalbusiness wasn’t a good idea because it was usually reciprocated.

Devon finished her second drinkand placed it on the table in front of them.  She glanced over at the bar,which was now overly crowded.  She decided she didn’t want to go over there towait in line.

“We should have had this party atJenn’s,” Devon said, leaning into Brennan when she spoke.

He turned back to face her, andshe found they were much closer together than they had been.

“You think?” he asked, cocking aneyebrow.

She glanced down at his lips andthen back up before she scooted a little farther away.  He smelled good.

“I, uh…well, at least then Iwouldn’t have to wait in line,” she said, gesturing to the bar.

“But then, I’d be working,” hereminded her.  “And I kind of like being here.”

Devon swallowed and wondered ifhe meant he liked being here with her.  No, that was ridiculous. Although, she liked being here with him right now, but she would never saythat.

“Someone has to be workingtonight since you’re not there, right?” Devon asked, trying to stay on topic.

He was just a lot closer than sheshould have been comfortable with, but somehow it didn’t bother her.

“Yeah, Kami is covering the bar,but she’s not that great,” Brennan said, looking down into her eyes andsmiling.

The air suddenly felt very warm,and her cheeks flushed.

“I’m sure she’s fine.”

“Anyway, if this was Jenn’s, Iwould feel obligated to make your drinks.  Then, I would get stuck behind thebar.  So, really, it’s better this way,” he said, leveling her with his steadygaze.

“It is better this way,” sheagreed, not able to hold it back.  “Otherwise, you would be too busy.”

As soon as the words left hermouth, her face colored further, and Brennan smirked.  She wondered what he wasthinking.  Did he think she was being presumptuous?  After all, shedidn’t know if he had a girlfriend, and he didn’t know about Reid.  But hermind, slightly addled by alcohol, had jumped right through the barriers.

Instead of trying to cover up herembarrassment or decipher him again, she stood quickly.  “I’m just, uh…going togo to the restroom,” she told Brennan.

A smile crossed his lips as hestared up at her.  “Alright.”

“If anyone asks, that’s whereI’ll be,” she said as she backed away.

“Alright,” he repeated, his smilewidening.

Devon darted for the restroom,her face flaming.  How was she such a mess?  Had she really said that? Honestly, what was wrong with her?

She couldn’t remember the lasttime she’d had a conversation with someone who made her feel like that much ofan idiot.  Normally, because Reid would always be at her side, she was neverput in those kinds of situations.  What would Reid think now if he could seeher rushing off to the restroom with her face redder than a tomato?  Shedidn’t even want to think about it.

Unsurprisingly, there was a lineat the women’s restroom.  Devon stood just outside of the door, waiting forpeople to file out.  After a few women exited, she edged inside and stared atthe large window before her eyes.  The entire outside wall was glass with quiteliterally the best view of Chicago she had seen.  It was way better thanwhere they were sitting by the bar.  Why would this view be hidden in thewomen’s restroom?

Devon walked up to the glass asshe waited for the stalls to empty out.  Her mind was all over the place,running between her dream, the shower, Brennan’s smile, and the sloshy feelingin her brain, and then back around and around again.

Soon, the restroom was quiet, andDevon entered a stall, hoping the room stayed silent.  She did her business andthumbed through her phone.  She had been glued to it even more so than normalbecause she couldn’t check in with anyone.  She had deactivated her Facebookand Twitter accounts, and she had chosen to permanently ignore the incomingemails.  Reid had sent another one, asking about her trip, but she would putoff a reply as long as possible.  She could feign Internet complications orsomething.

It was a strange feeling to becompletely alone in a world of activity.  No technological linkages wererooting her to the ground.  Thinking about that made her feel even worse, soshe stuffed her phone back into her purse, preparing to leave.

Devon heard the restroom doorswing open.  She slid her shoulder purse over her head as she listened to thegirls on the other side of the wall.

“You want to?” one girl asked.

Devon scrunched her brows.  Shewasn’t typically an eavesdropper, but they weren’t being secretive.

“Yeah, I only do it every once ina while,” a second girl responded.

That sounded even stranger. Devon swung open her stall door and walked over to the sink to wash her hands. The two girls were huddled in the corner with a