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              “So where are we going?”

              “Let’s get back to Sunrise Highway and I can figure out something from there.” He looked back to make sure his mother didn’t have his brother or father following them. It was a bit extreme, but then again, so was his mother.

              They drove deeper into Sayville, pulling into a parking lot off of Main Street. More than half the lot was full, helping to conceal Julie’s car.

              “What the hell is this place,” Julie asked.

              “It’s one of the best restaurants around here. Butera’s serves a little bit of everything, but it’s mostly family style.”

              “Good, I’m starving.”

              Evan led the way to the door and held it open for the girls. They were greeted instantly and escorted towards an empty, glossy, cherry wood table.

              “So what happened back at the house,” Sara inquired.

              “I don’t know. I got home from checking out the apartment and my mother was freaking out wondering why you weren’t with me. Seemed to think I should know where you were at all times.”

              “That’s a bit controlling; don’t ya think,” Julie said.

              “Exactly. I’m not like that.” Evan grabbed Sara’s hands and looked deeply into her eyes. “I trust you.”

              “Why did she think you needed to know where I was?”

              “She basically told me you were out of my league.”

              “You got that right,” Julie snapped. Both Evan and Sara stared in her direction as Julie tried to hide behind her menu.

              “You know that’s not true.” Sara inched closer. “You know how I feel about you. You know that I love you.”

              “I know…” Evan’s voice trailed off. Part of him knew he was out of Sara’s league, but it didn’t matter. She was with him and wanted to be with him. He looked up and cracked a smile. “So, I signed the lease for the apartment today.”

              Sara’s eyes lit up. Her grip tightened around Evan’s hands in excitement. “How was it? Tell me all about the place.”

              “I could show you.” Evan opened the gallery on his phone and swiped his finger across the screen, showing Sara a slideshow of pictures displaying the empty apartment.

              “Evan, this place is gorgeous. I’m sure you’re going to love living there. I know I would.”

              “I’m sure I would love it…if you lived there with me.”

              Julie spit out her water, spraying Evan’s arm. “Sorry,” she mumbled as her eyes flashed to the image of a massive empty bedroom with a beige carpet.

              “Well, what do ya think?”

              ‘You-you’re asking me to move in with you?”

              “I hate that we spend so little time together. Having a place of my own will help, but living in two separate states makes it difficult.”

              “So you think moving in together is the answer?”

              “I just know I like spending time with you. I love waking up next to you and hate it when one of us has to leave. If we live together, we don’t have to worry about if and when we get to see each other again.”

              Sara closed her eyes as if she were contemplating her decision. Evan would’ve given anything to read her mind at that moment. Her grip loosened as her fingers slipped from his hands. He was convinced she had made her decision.

              “We both know this is insane. We haven’t been dating that long.” Evan opened his mouth to speak, but Sara continued. “Let me finish. I care about you more than I did any other boyfriend. It’ll be hard enough when you go on your book tour. I don’t know what I’d do if I lived here in New York with you being gone for a few months.”

              “Maybe we can…”

              Sara placed a finger on his lips, silencing Evan again. “Just let me get this last thought out before I make my decision.” She pulled her hand away and stared into Evan’s eyes. “You’re right; I love waking up in your arms, and I hate leaving you. Maybe after this tour is over, we won’t have to leave each other again.”

              “What are you saying?”

              “I’m saying; I’ll move in with you, but I’m keeping my apartment until you get back from the tour, just in case.”

              Evan quickly rose to his feet. His hands cupped the sides of Sara’s face. He leaned forward, planting a long passionate kiss on her lips. He could hear Julie making gagging noises next to them, but that just made it that much more fun. He felt Sara’s hand pat his chest.

              “Let’s save the rest of that for our apartment.”

              “I can’t wait.”

Chapter 20-Sara

              The heavy sky blue comforter was pulled tightly around Sara’s body, desperately trying to block out the sun. She knew it was morning. She could tell the time from which show was playing on the T.V. that was left on. It was the only way to block the randomly occurring thoughts from entering her mind as she slept. It had been almost two months since she moved out of her apartment and into the one she shared with Evan. Forced to endure the same routine, Sara’s alarm beeped loudly to shred any hope of going back to sleep. Her fist pounded the top of the alarm until it fell silent. Pulling the comforter back, her hand patted the empty spot next to her.

              Evan had been on tour for a month and a half of the two months Sara lived in the apartment. It wasn’t what she thought it would be. Moving from Jersey to New York wasn’t difficult. Living in a one-bedroom apartment had condensed most of her belongings, allowing her to pack it all into two cars. All of Evan’s clothes and possessions were brought over by movers, paid for by his publicist. Most of the boxes are still sitting in the second bedroom untouched. There were too many last minute details to go over before the tour, and then poof he was being dragged into a limo with a few bags for his flight out to North Carolina.

              There hasn’t been much for Sara to do. She didn’t want to go through Evan’s boxes. It would feel too much like an invasion of privacy. All of her bags and boxes were unpacked before Evan left. He Okayed her to do whatever she wanted to the apartment. Other than work or reading a book, there wasn’t much else to do. Julie still lived in New Jersey which made it more difficult to hang out with her best friend. They met once every other week to catch up and talked on the phone every day. Sara wished she could say the same for her and Evan.

              Since being on tour, Sara hardly spoke to him. She would get a few text messages every day, but there were hardly any phone calls. The ones she did get were twenty minutes at the most and consisted of Evan talking about his tour or how tired he was. Life had become boring and tiresome. She needed something exciting to do or to look forward to.

              Knowing it was Friday, Sara picked up the phone and texted Julie.

             
S
: Hey what are you up to tonight?

             
J
: Same thing I do every weekend.

             
S
: Care to make it double trouble?

             
J
: Why? What happened?

             
S
: I need to get out. NY sucks without Evan. I’m bored and lonely. I need a girl’s night out.

             
J
: Consider it done. You can crash at my place tonight.

             
J
: That’s if I don’t bring anyone home.

              Sara knew there was always the chance Julie would bring a guy home. She didn’t do it often, but it also wouldn’t be the first time.

             
S
: You better not make me sleep in the car.

             
J:
Hey, it’s not like I haven’t done it for you.

             
S
: You chose to do that. There was a perfectly good room available for you to spend the night in.

             
J
: And here you two having sex all night? No thanks.

              The friendly banter put a smile on Sara’s face. It was the first genuine smile in almost a month.

              The rest of the day seemed to drag on. Work hadn’t changed much. Sara thankfully left her previous job, ridding herself of the constant shouting matches she dealt with on a daily basis. Her new job was much quieter, but lacked the business to make the time pass. Her eyes found a clock, noting the hands only moved ten or fifteen minutes since the last time she checked it. The countdown was on. First the hours, then minutes, until there were only seconds left. Once five o’clock hit, Sara raced to pack up and head for the door.

              It took a few hours for her to pick out an outfit, rinse the stale stench of work off, get dressed, and drive out to Jersey.

             
S
: Hey I just pulled up

             
J
: In the shower. Door’s unlocked. Just come in.

              Sara entered the house and sat in the living room waiting for Julie. It was like a second home to her. Many nights ended with them coming back to Julie’s place, eating fast food and watching horrible comedy DVDs until they fell asleep. She expected nothing less than that tonight.

              When the door to the bedroom opened, Julie exited wearing a tight fitted black dress that fell mid-thigh. The leather peep toe booties complimented her long legs, displaying her baby pink colored toenails.

              Sara’s mouth hung open, feeling in awe of her friend. “Damn girl, are you trying to give every guy in the club a heart attack tonight?”

              “No, but I’m sure it’ll get their attention.” The girls laughed as Sara rose to her feet. “Don’t tell me you’re going out looking like that?”

              “What do you mean? I think I look damn good tonight.”

              “Yeah, if we’re going bar hoping. Tonight we’re going clubbing. You need to ditch the jeans and the old lady top.”

              Sara gripped her hips tightly, staring Julie down. “I love this shirt. What’s wrong with it?”

              Julie approached. Her fingers picked at the fabric on the arms and shoulders. “You’re too covered up.”

              “Yeah, because it’s cold outside.”

              “No one cares if you’re cold. Guys want to see hot girls that show off enough to tease them.”

              “But I’m not going to get hit on. I have a guy.”

              “That’s been away for a month and a half. He’s probably hitting the bars and clubs wherever he is tonight.” She paused, letting the words sink into Sara’s brain. “Where is Mr. Big Shot tonight anyway?”

              “Atlanta, I think.”

              Sara watched Julie shake her head. “You need to forget him tonight. You’re coming out with me. You’re going to look hot. And you’re going to have men practically on their knees, begging to get with you.”

              “But I don’t want any of them.”

              “Who cares? Do a little catch and release tonight.”

              “No way; I can’t do that.”

              “Why not?”

              “It’s mean, and I have a boyfriend.”

              Julie took Sara by the hand. “I don’t care. We’re going through my closet, and picking something out that’s hotter than this.”

              Sara was dragged to the bedroom against her will. Hands gripped and pulled the shirt over her head, casting it aside at the foot of the bed. When Julie reached for the button on Sara’s pants, Sara jumped back, swatting Julie’s hands away.

              “I can take them off myself.”

              “Suit yourself.” She opened the door to the closet and disappeared into a cavern of dresses, blouses, skirts and shoes. The light clicked on, displaying Julie’s shadow. Sara watched as it pushed several options aside. “Ah, I’ve got it.” With another click of the light, Julie emerged holding a hot black dress with a long slit up the side.

              “I can’t wear that.”

              “Tough, you’re trying it on.” She threw a black strapless bra at Sara and raised her eyebrow. “Stop your complaining and put it on.”

              Sara did as she was commanded. Her faded beige bra fell to the floor, replacing it with a black, lacy, strapless one. Julie handed her the dress which clung to her body.

              “You can’t be serious. I can’t wear this.” Sara paraded around the room, cupping her hands to her breasts. “My boobs are gonna pop out the moment I start dancing. And this...” She pointed to the slit going up her left leg. “I don’t want guys trying to look up my dress.”

              Julie threw a pair of black shorts to Sara. “Put those on and you won’t have a problem.” Sara shimmied the shorts up her legs, feeling the snugness around her waist as it cleared the bottom of the skirt. “Okay, get your shoes and let’s go. It’s time for Double Trouble to party!”

              Julie drove for over an hour, surprising Sara with another one of her unexpected road trips. “Where we going,” Sara shouted over the bass pumping music.

              “Atlantic City. I told you we weren’t going bar hoping tonight.”

              Atlantic City was where Julie went when she wanted to really let loose, and Sara knew it. It wasn’t going to be their typical night out. Excessive speeding, and Julie’s desire to go overboard meant she was pissed off about something.

              “Are you okay?”

              “Hell yeah! I got my best girl, we’re going to A.C. and we’re going to tear it up tonight.”

              “Okay, now I know something’s wrong. Out with it.”

              “Nothing’s wrong. I just wanna party, get drunk, and get laid.”

              Sara pulled her phone from her clutch. Knowing the kind of night she was in for, she checked her cell to see how much battery she had left. The screen lit up, displaying half the battery and a text message.

             
E
: Hey beautiful. How’s your day?

             
She contemplated telling Evan the truth. She wanted to be honest with him, but didn’t know how to explain why they were going to Atlantic City.

             
S
: Everything’s fine. Went to Jersey to hang out with Julie.

             
E
: That’s cool. Any plans?

             
S
: Probably going to hit a bar or two and come home.

              Sara waited three minutes, wondering if Evan saw through her lies or was angry she was going out to bars while he was away promoting his book.

             
S
: I miss you. When are you coming home?

             
E
: I’ll be back soon. I promise.

              Sara’s heart leapt from her chest. The idea that Evan would be home, and that she would be back in his arms meant the world to her. She could deal with a night at the club. It was obvious Julie needed to blow off some steam. She needed Sara to watch out for her, and that’s exactly what she planned on doing.

              They pulled up to MurMur, one of the more known places to party in Atlantic City. A crowd surrounded the bars and the dance floor, leaving little room for others to move around. Julie’s voice was drowned out by the music. Sara couldn’t understand a word that was said. She only recognized Julie’s thumb and pinky sticking out, dipping the thumb towards her lips, which was her symbol for you wanna drink. Sara nodded her head as she watched her friend disappear into the crowd of people.

              Julie returned moments later holding two beer bottles. “Come on; let’s dance.” She took Sara by the hand and led her to the dance floor.

              Men eyed them up, letting them enter the pit surrounded by hungry beasts. They sipped their beers while watching the girls dance. Sara tried to keep herself from drawing too much attention, but her outfit screamed “Look at me!” Julie’s dress had the same effect on the onlookers, only they were more focused on her wiggling her hips, bending down and letting her skirt raise just enough to wet their appetites.

              “Can you stop that,” Sara grunted after noticing more men inched closer, their eyes locked on them. She chugged the last of her beer. “I’m going to get another. You want one?”

              Julie raised her bottle and tilted her head towards it. This was her way of saying yes. Sara was used to Julie’s drunken code. It didn’t take long for one of the men to grab her ass as she tried to skate by the crowd of men. There were so many guys, she couldn’t tell who the culprit was. Her only choice was to grin and ignore the tasteless act.

              After getting the second round of drinks, Sara navigated the crowd back to the dance floor, catching Julie dancing with two men. One danced in front of her, holding her hips tightly as they swayed from side to side. The second man was behind her, grinding away to the beat of the music.

             
How the hell did this happen
she thought?
I was gone for ten friggin minutes. She can’t be that drunk already
. Sara marched down to the dance floor, shoving two men from the group she passed by earlier. Slipping through the crowd, Sara grabbed a hold of Julie’s wrist and pulled her away from the man sandwich.

              “Yo, what the hell, Sara?”

              “How’d you get this drunk already?”

              “I’m not drunk. I’m just having some fun.” She eyed up the beer and grabbed it from Sara. “Thanks, next round’s on me.” She took a long swig from it while grabbing Sara’s hand. “Come on; I wanna introduce to the guys I met.” Julie dragged her back to the two men she was dancing with. They smiled when they saw the object of their desire brought a friend to party. “Sara, this is Jimmy and Johnny.”