Chapter 117- She's mine

The pub is dim and familiar, with the hum of quiet conversations and clinking glasses around me. It’s not my usual scene on a Monday, but right now, I need a place to disappear for a bit. The cold beer in my hand is barely enough to distract me from the painful thought that’s been eating at me since I pulled away from Celeste’s house. She didn’t just say no. She looked at me like I was something to avoid.

I take another long sip, feeling the cold bitterness slide down my throat. I’d half expected her to turn me down, but I thought there’d still be something there, some sign she still cared. Instead, she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but near me, like I was a problem she’d rather not deal with.

The bartender nods at me as he passes, and I give him a half-hearted nod back. Normally, I’d be in here with Travis or a couple of other guys from the crew, talking shop or running through the latest intel on Vince. But toni