Come As You Are Ch. 16

"But that asshole deserved it." Danny ran his tongue over his upper jaw. "What the hell am I going to tell Coach?"

"Tell him you bit into a piece of taffy and pulled your tooth out," Tyler suggested. "It got stuck and you ended up swallowing it by accident."

"Yeah...yeah, that's a good idea. I'll make an appointment with the team dentist first thing Tuesday." After chugging the rest of his beer, Danny slammed the empty pint glass on the table. "Alright, I'm gonna hit the bathroom. Snag me another Coors draft. And get one for yourself, Tyler. For once we're not driving. And if you two want refills," he added, gesturing to Amy and Rosemary, "knock yourself out. I'm still buying."

"How drunk are you planning on getting?" asked Tyler.

"Enough so I go jogging in the morning with a massive fucking hangover. That way I'll be nice and miserable all day and ready to clean West's clock tomorrow night."

"Metaphorical clock, right?"

"Let me rephrase. Ready to clean out West's wallet tomorrow night." With that Danny stumbled past Tyler, his hand on his friend's shoulder for temporary stability, as he made his way towards the bathrooms located at the back of Pike's bar and grill. Along the way, his former classmates, as well as various locals, offered their well-wishes and salutations. Danny gave them a gentle wave or polite brush-off, never once wavering on his focused goal of relieving himself.

"Seriously, Tyler," Amy asked with a disdainful sneer, "why are you defending Garrett?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow at his former classmate. "I'm not defending Garrett," he responded. "I'm protecting Danny. There's a major difference."

Amy dismissively waved her hand. "You should have just let Danny kick Garrett's and Gio's asses and be done with it."

"I'm not seeing my best friend arrested for assault." Tyler took another swig of Coors. "I specifically told Danny to avoid Garrett like the plague tonight, and we were this close to a clean getaway." He held up his thumb and index finger, bringing them together for emphasis. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"That Danny deserved to know the truth about Garrett sleeping with Brenda."

"That was ten years ago!" Tyler's voice resonated briefly throughout the noisy bar, causing a few patrons to turn in his direction. "A decade, Amy," Tyler said quietly but firmly. "I never heard Garrett's name from Danny's lips for almost a decade. Back then he was nothing more than a scarecrow who couldn't keep his mouth shut and hid behind his best friends. He was long in Danny's rearview mirror. Then you had to kick the hornets' nest."

"You're damn right I had to." Amy pointed in the general direction of the high school. "The thought of those four bitches and that scrawny loser snickering about Brenda cheating on Danny makes me sick. The whole time we were in school together those four were thick as thieves, thinking they were better than everyone else. They deserved to get embarrassed tonight. All of them. And don't forget prom night, Tyler. Sadie hit me and Garrett shoved me to the floor. Its karmic payback served cold."

"Yeah, prom night. When Danny cheated on Anne Jackson with you, remember?"

"Danny and Anne weren't dating. That wasn't cheating. It was a bit of harmless fun."

"Harmless. Right. Which is why you embarrassed Sadie by ripping her prom dress and got bounced to the floor when you tried to shove your way past Garrett to get at her." Tyler shook his head. "Ten years, Amy. We can't put the genie back in the bottle after tonight, but for your own sake, try to move on come Monday."

"I can't do that," Amy said while getting up from her chair. "Danny's always been right about one thing. People like Sadie Bedford and Garrett West, they don't deserve their happy ending. And you need to stop playing peacekeeper. Some people just need their ass kicked." With that Amy, drink in hand, turned and wandered into the crowd for parts unknown, leaving Tyler sighing behind her, head bowed, shoulders drooped.

"Garrett never got over Danny."

Tyler raised his head to look at Rosemary, who was slowly spinning the half-drunk Long Island Iced Tea in her hands. "We watched the fireworks together on the roof of Colette's store last weekend. I heard him tell Colette he never wanted to come back to Emerald Pines. If... if I had to guess, Garrett's spent the past ten years expecting Danny to come lurching out of the dark like the Boogeyman."

"I caught that when I saw him at Colette's store, but that's on him," Tyler said in return. "Even if Danny's the villain in Garrett's story that sure as hell doesn't make him the hero."

"Everyone's the hero in their own story," Rosemary said before smoothly sipping the remainder of her drink.

"Well, the story better end tomorrow night one way or another. People need to move on."

A bitter laugh was Rosemary's reply. "I'm trying, Tyler, believe me. This town, though. It's too damn tempting to put down roots. Four generations of McBrennan's in this town, first running a saloon and then a restaurant. It's not hard not to feel trapped."

"My family worked the mines and were some of the first employees at Sapphire Drop. I get where you're coming from."

"But you like being here," Rosemary smiled sadly. "And you're still friends with Danny after all this time. No offense, but he was a real dick in high school."

Just then Tyler felt something buzz in his pocket. He pulled out his smartphone and looked at the text message he had just received. "Yeah," he groused, "no surprise there. Danny's walking Amy home."

"'Walking.'" Rosemary's singular word came complete with air quotes.

"Drinks are still on him though. Just asks that I snag his credit card after last call."

"Well then," Rosemary said as the bartender approached with their drinks, "I'm not one to look inebriated generosity in the mouth! How's about a toast?" She hoisted her Long Island Iced Tea into the air. "To the loser and the dick. May tomorrow night settle their accounts once and for all."

"Shit, I'll drink to that," Tyler said, clinking his pint glass against her highball.

The pair became more and more inebriated as 2 AM approached. Tyler's metabolism worked overtime to keep him upright, while across the table the twin images of Rosemary barely overlapped one another. "Danny's changed," Tyler insisted before taking a deep swig of his beer. "He really has. He's still got an ego but it's focused on the court. He came back here tonight ready to apologize and move on... and then there was Garrett. That guy pushes my friend's buttons without even trying. Danny was ready to ignore him until... fuck, until Amy."

He sighed. "This is her fault, not Garrett's. She had to bring up old drama."

"Amy will never let it end. It's all one big social game to her and she can't stand it when a single piece is out of place." Rosemary idly turned the empty highball between her hands. "That's why she loves gossip and rumor. It lets her pull the strings. And if there isn't a string, she'll weave one up on her own. You realize tonight wasn't about Danny and Garrett. It was about Sadie. Amy still sees her as white trash that should be dancing at a strip club in Copperton instead of being a local celebrity."

"I'm just focused on Danny," Tyler countered. "Those two can fight each other all they want."

"But that's the thing," Rosemary said, kinda-sorta snapping her fingers for emphasis. "Sadie doesn't fight Amy. She ignores her. Which pisses Amy off more than anything. If Sadie fought back, that would fit perfectly into Amy's little web. Just like Garrett. His finally fighting back is all Danny ever wanted. Am I wrong?"

"I don't know. Maybe." A deep frown creased Tyler's face. "Maybe I don't know my best friend anymore. Hell, maybe he isn't my best friend anymore. But he is my friend, and I'll be there tomorrow night supporting him. What about you? You going to show up?"

"Gotta work." Rosemary finished the last of her drink. "I'll be closing the restaurant. Like I always will... do. Like I always do." Rosemary's sigh carried with it the scent of rum and Triple Sec. She looked at Tyler with eyes momentarily clear and focused before suddenly sliding to one side. Even intoxicated, his reflexes were keen enough to catch her before she fell off her chair. "Rosemary?" he inquired as he tried to sit her up straight. "You OK?"

Her head hung loose on her shoulders. Tyler's only option was to prop her against the table. She put her head down on her arms and, as he watched, closed her eyes. "Coffee," he heard her say. "Black coffee. It'll wake me up enough to get me home. I'll be good by last call. Put it on Danny's tab. Just tell them it's for me. They'll know what to do."

Tyler shook her shoulder reassuringly. "No problem. I'll make sure you get home safe."

"Thank you." With Tyler turning to flag down a server, he failed to hear Rosemary quietly mumble, "You're one of the few good things about this town."

X X X X X

Danny nodded approvingly as he looked around the studio apartment. "Cozy place."

"It's the old break room from when the downstairs was a tool-and-die maker," Amy said while taking his coat. "I paid a contractor to update the bathroom, turn the kitchenette into an actual kitchen, and add that door at the bottom of the stairs. One month's rent covers my shop and my apartment."

"Damn. That's pretty fucking clever."

"It gets better. With the money I saved I've got enough to put a down payment on the next run of A-frames they're building over on Mitchell's Glen. Would you like something to drink?" Amy's question was accompanied by the rattling of bottles as she stood in front of the fridge. "I have wine, gin, beer..."

"I'll stick with beer."

"Guess I'm sticking with liquor then." While Danny got comfortable on the couch Amy prepared their drinks. As she popped the cap from a bottle of locally brewed Lock & Key ale, Amy saw Danny typing away on his smartphone. "Everything OK?"

"My dogsitter's checking in." Danny turned his screen towards Amy as she sat down beside him. The phone displayed a picture of an attractive blonde woman cuddling a brown-and-white dog. The dog's mouth was dropped open with their tongue hanging out, while the blonde matched the dog's expression with a silly, exaggerated one of her own.

"Awwwwww, that's a cute puppy. What's... his name? Her name?"

"Her name's Magick," Danny said while taking his beer from Amy. "She's two years old next month. Hyperactive as all get out and always happy to see me. The blonde's Briana. She's on the Gulls' dance team and watches Magick for me now and then. And yeah," he explained as Amy raised an eyebrow, "we're friends with benefits, but that's all."

Amy took a sip of her gin and tonic before settling back against the couch. "No girlfriend? No one's managed to land one of the world's greatest basketball players?"

He shook his head. "The game's been my entire life since elementary school and it's going to be until the day I retire. I don't have the time to dedicate to a relationship. Anyone I tried to date would end up neglected. And the women who say that a lack of attention wouldn't bother them are just looking for a sugar daddy. That's a game I won't play."

"Don't you get lonely?"

"That's why I got Magick. Rather, that's why one of my teammates suggested I adopt her after her original owner fell through, so I'd have someone to come home to. On the days where I practice at home, I'll do bounce passes off the garage wall. If I miss the rebound she'll go shooting off after the ball and nudge it back towards me," he laughed. "It's fucking adorable."

"And you also have Briana if you get lonely?"

"Among others," he casually admitted. "Girls who understand that I'm not looking for anything serious right now. The last thing I want is to have a kid who I'm not going to be around to raise, or to put myself in a compromising position with someone I don't know."

Amy's hand found its way onto his thigh. "So what I'm hearing is, you and I need to get to know each other again."

Danny's answer was a sly smirk and a knowing glance at her hand. "What about you?" he asked once Amy pulled away. "You always talked about taking off for New York or Miami."

"That was 18-year old Amy. 22-year old Amy, business degree in one hand and imminent student loans in the other, realized she'd get eaten alive in the fashion industry. Tons of girls like me go to Los Angeles or New York every year, and barely a handful make it. The rest come home tail tucked between their legs, or never leave home in the first place like Sadie. I decided I'd rather be a big fish in a small pond than a guppy somewhere else."

"Why Emerald Pines?" Danny motioned to the rear window. "You'd get more high-end business in Aspen."

Amy held up three fingers while she took a sip of her drink. "One, it's a lot cheaper to live here. Two, there's a certain... mystique not being in Aspen. 'Oh, where did you find that dress,'" she said in a pitched mockery of a posh accent. "'This little boutique outside of town, dahling. Very low-key, VERY discreet.' People will shell out to buy a dress from a place they think no one else knows about. Three, with everything the Ellis' are pouring into Sapphire Drop this place sees more and more tourists every year. And the best way to make money is to be on the ground floor when something takes off."

Danny saluted her with his bottle of beer. "What's your endgame, then? Opening up another shop in Aspen or Snowmass once you've established your rep?"

"Two words. Mayor Yates." Amy couldn't help the delicious feeling of pride she felt from seeing the shocked look on Danny's face. "As I said, big fish, small pond, but that pond is getting bigger. I want a say in which way the water flows. What about you, Danny? What's your endgame?"

His response was also to raise three fingers. "At least three rings. The great franchises all have at least three. Boston, Oakland, LA, Louisville. I want to add Salt Lake to that list. They call Yankee Stadium 'The House Babe Ruth Built.' When all is said and done, they're going to call Wasatch Arena 'The House That Eastman Built.'"

The statement was said with a bold confidence Amy had rarely experienced. It was enough to make her down the rest of her drink before raising onto her knees. "The way you said that," she purred, "I want to watch a basketball game now."

Danny's eyes eagerly roamed Amy's body. He quickly finished his beer and set it on the coffee table next to her empty glass. "I'll text you the next time we play."

"That means you'll need my new number." She slipped across the couch. Her hands pressed against his broad shoulders, pinning Danny against the armrest. "I'll give it to you tomorrow morning," she told him before leaning down to kiss him.

He tasted of Coors and rum. Still, the sensation of Danny's lips against hers instantly tapped into a decade's worth of nostalgia. A sudden heat flashed over her cheeks. Danny's strong arms slipped around her, pulling her down. Despite Amy being on top, he was the one in charge. His tongue dominated hers while she clutched at his godlike body.

She felt his fingers against the small of her back, causing her to hum with approval. "Still your spot," she heard Danny say. After unzipping the back of her formal dress he dragged his fingers down the length of her spine. Without a layer of fabric between them, Amy moaned with approval when Danny dug his fingers into her skin, adding a slight twist that caused her entire body to shake.

His cock was beginning to press against her thigh as Amy stood up from the couch. She reached behind her to finish unzipping her dress while Danny began unbuttoning his dress shirt. After a few moments, their clothes were scattered on the apartment floor. Danny sat on the couch completely nude while Amy wore only a pair of black stockings. She offered Danny a sly look right before he slipped his hand between her legs.

"Fuck," she proclaimed sharply as he immediately found her clit while sliding his tongue across her breast. Amy felt herself growing wet from Danny's double-team on her body. She had to grip his shoulder with one hand to remain upright as he began moving his finger in a familiar circular motion. Her hips shifted of their own accord, matching Danny's movements. The pleasure Amy began to feel was seasoned with the memories of their illicit rendezvouses during their senior year, adding a deliciously naughty spice to their impromptu encounter.

Quicker than she expected Amy found herself approaching the edge. It took all of her willpower to reach down and pull Danny's hand away from her. "What?" he asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Not at all," she panted while running a reassuring hand through his sandy blonde hair. "I just believe that turnabout is fair play." With that, she sank to her knees before him. Danny leaned back and stretched his arms along the back of the couch, watching with anticipation as Amy quickly tied her brown hair in a loose ponytail. With a coy smile, she dipped her head and wrapped her tongue around the tip of his erect penis.

Amy hated going down on a guy. Very few men had any idea of proper hygiene, and even though Danny was groomed and well-maintained there was still a faint odor that reminded Amy of day-old gym socks. Still, she swallowed her pride before swallowing his thick cock. She was rewarded with the sound of Danny groaning. Right now she needed him on her side and there was no better way to wrap a guy around your finger than a good old-fashioned sloppy blow job.

One hand reached up to rest against his chest while the other gripped his shaft. Her fingers slid along its iron length, followed by her lips and tongue. She did her best to ensure every bit of his cock was touched. At one point Amy even took a deep breath and proceeded to tongue Danny's balls, an act he seemingly approved of by the way his hand twisted her ponytail.

Once she felt Danny's chest begin to rise and fall rapidly, Amy took as much of his cock in her mouth as she could before slowly drawing her lips back along its length. Her tongue slid along its underside, causing Danny to groan from the exquisite torture. She gave him one final, firm suck, dragging her lips from the tip of his penis with a satisfying pop, before getting to her feet.

Amy walked towards her bed in the corner of the apartment. She could feel Danny's eyes following her. Her response, aside from a sly grin that he couldn't see, was to casually undo her loose ponytail, allowing her dark brown hair to once again fall to her shoulders. "Would you mind getting the lights?" she asked while bending over in front of her nightstand, arching her back and tilting her hips to give Danny a better view while she grabbed a condom.

A flick of a switch later, darkness fell across the studio apartment. The pale orange glow of the lamps lining Pine Street shined through the wooden blinds covering the front windows, splashing against Danny's sculpted body as he approached Amy. His cock glistened from her earlier efforts. The sight of Danny's erect penis threatened to make her shiver with expectation, but pride quickly overrode her base urges. Holding the foil packet between two fingers, Amy shot her lover a saucy look as he came to stand in front of her.

Danny took the foil packet from her hand. He studied it for a moment before tossing it onto the bed. She took a step back, aiming to sit on the edge of her mattress, only for Danny to suddenly grab her by the shoulders. Before Amy could process what was happening he had spun her around roughly and crossed his arms over her torso, pinning her within his tight embrace.

Danny began running his hand along her cheek. When she tried to turn to kiss him, he squeezed her with his other arm, keeping her trapped. He dragged his finger across her chin just below her lips. "Did you think I forgot your little games?" he whispered into her ear. "I've always been able to read you like a book."