Free Gravity: A Novel by L.D. Cedergreen

through the front door. Our eyes met briefly before he turned away and approached the bar. I watched him as he sat down on an empty stool, drained a shot of something, and then sipped beer from a dark bottle.
    I felt a fluttering in my gut , and it took me a moment to realize that it was nerves. I was nervous. I wasn’t sure what Drew was feeling after the other day. Was it a fleeting moment, brought to life from old emotions, or was it something new that was transpiring here and now? And were either of us going to acknowledge it, or were we going to act as if it never happened?
    When the song ended, Logan and I made our way back to the bar. Logan spotted Drew and pulled me in his direction. “Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Logan slurred.
    “Hey , Logan. Wasn’t expecting you two to be here.” He lifted his chin toward us before taking a long pull from his beer bottle.
    His eyes were cold and sad, and I couldn’t help but feel that he wasn’t pleased to see us.
    “So how’s your husband, Gemma?” he asked, his words laced with thick, harsh sarcasm as he avoided looking me in the eye.
    So this was how he was going to play it ? I could tell that he was drunk, and I wondered at what point he had become such a mean drunk.
    “Logan, maybe we should go,” I said, not wanting to risk my fragile feelings against Drew’s wrath.
    Drew reached out and grabbed my arm. “No, don’t go. The fun is just beginning.”
    I wasn’t comfortable with his tone.
    He motioned for Scarlett, and she brought us three shots of tequila.
    I was hesitant to keep drinking, but what the hell.
    Drew raised his shot glass. “To the things that never seem to change, no matter how much time has passed.” He tilted his head back and swallowed the contents of his shot glass.
    I wasn’t sure exactly what he was implying , but I could feel my anger bubbling just below the surface. Logan and I both finished our tequila.
    “What the fuck is your problem, man?” Logan asked with his hands on his hips.
    “Easy, Logan. No need to get all riled up,” Drew said, holding his hand against Logan’s expanding chest. Drew turned to me then, his tone still heavy with sarcasm, “Sorry, Gem. That was a dick thing to say.” He took another drink of his beer, avoiding my eyes.
    Logan shook his head back and forth, recovering from his sudden frustration , and leaned over the bar to talk to Scarlett. By the smile on her face, I could only imagine what he was saying to her.
    I stood and watched the couples dancing in front of the stage, their hips and arms swaying in all directions while they shouted familiar lyrics in sync with the band.
    Drew continued to stare with brooding eyes toward nothing in particular behind the bar.
    When the music shifted to a slower melody, the band’s own rendition of “Angel Eyes,” I felt Drew spin around on his stool and grab my arm. I turned to look at him.
    “Dance with me?” he asked. Before I could respond, he was pulling me out onto the dance floor. He drew me in close until my body was flush against his chest, holding my hand in his while his other hand rested on my lower back.
    I rested my free hand on his shoulder and looked up into his eyes , trying to interpret his expression.
    He pulled me closer, his cheek nearly brushing mine. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into my ear.
    “For what?” I asked, my voice competing with the noise of the band.
    “For what I said, the way I acted. I walked in and saw you with Logan, and it brought back too many memories.” He pulled back and looked me in the eyes. “He knows you’re married, right?”
    “Of course. And he doesn’t feel that way about me anyway, Drew. He never did.”
    “That’s what you think. I love the guy to death, I do. But he sleeps with everything without a penis, married or not.”
    I couldn’t help but laugh at Drew’s portrayal of Logan. Drew wasn’t far from the mark, but that didn’t change the fact that I didn’t fall into the