Free How to Fall in Love by Bella Jewel

chuckle. “I know how that feels.”
    “You’re lucky you have a girl. I would kill for girls. My boys are too much like their father.”
    I laugh and we all start chatting about everyday things. I tell them about my job, and Imogen and my mom. Pippa tells us how things have been going with her, and we all spend the next few hours laughing and talking. Rainer has our drinks re-filled every time they get low and four Cosmos in and I’m lightheaded. It’s stuffy in here now the bar is filling up, and I need to take a breath. I need to pee, too.
    “I’m going to use the bathroom outside,” I yell in Jaylah’s ear as I slip out of the booth.
    I am not lining up inside, I’ll never get there. Pippa told me there’s a bathroom outside, because Rainer showed her when she was here one night. Thank God.
    “Do you want me to come?”
    I wave a hand. “I’m okay.”
    I push through the crowd, stumbling a little. Occasionally I stop and wiggle my ass to a song I like, and it takes longer than necessary to get out of the bar, but I make it eventually. As soon as the fresh air hits my face, the alcohol moves quicker in my system and my legs feel wobbly.
    “You doin’ okay there?”
    I spin around and trip at the sound of a masculine voice. A hand lashes out and catches me, and I look up to see Rainer staring down into my face.
    “Rainer,” I say, laughing. “Sorry.”
    “You shouldn’t be out here alone, Belle. It’s dangerous.”
    I steady myself and he lets me go. I see he’s got a cigarette in his other hand.
    “You smoke?”
    He looks down at his hand then shrugs. “When I’m stressed.”
    “Why are you stressed?” I ask, leaning on the wall to steady myself.
    He leans back too. “I love a girl that doesn’t love me, and I can’t seem to do anything but fuck relationships up, even if I try and move on. Shit just isn’t going right. I am fucking a heap of shit up.”
    Oh.
    Poor Rainer.
    “I understand that,” I admit.
    “Couldn’t see you fucking anything up, sweetheart.”
    I smile at him. “Then you don’t know me. I’m very good at fucking things up.”
    He chuckles. “I’ll take your word for it.”
    “I better pee and then get back inside or they’ll freak out that I’m dead or something.”
    Rainer nods. “Yeah, I better get back to it.”
    He waves a hand and I scurry off to the toilet, while he waits. When I’m out, we enter the bar again. Just as I step through the doors to the bar, I stumble a little. Rainer catches me. “Whoa there, slow down.”
    He keeps his arm around my waist as he leads me further in, no doubt scared that I’ll trip and land on my face. We enter the crowd of people, but I skid to an abrupt halt when I see the last person I would have thought would come into a bar like this. It’s Max. He’s standing with two men, eyes burning into me. I shift uncomfortably, but I can feel his rage.
    “What’s wrong?” Rainer asks.
    I can’t answer; I just stare at Max whose eyes flick down to my short dress. His eyes go hard and his jaw tightens as he starts striding towards me. Shit. Rainer pulls me closer into his side, clearly seeing the massive man charging towards us.
    “What the fuck are you doin’ here, Blue Belle?”
    I flinch at his words—when he calls me that, it hits me right in the heart.
    “I’m here dancing and having a good time with my friends, Max. Not that it’s any of your business.”
    “None of my business.” He laughs so bitterly I flinch. “No, nothing you fucking do is my business, is it? That little girl with you, is she my fucking business?”
    I flinch. “Don’t.”
    “Don’t?” he roars. “Don’t be fucking furious that you’ve kept my fucking kid from me? Don’t be furious that you can’t even give me five fucking minutes to speak to you? Don’t be furious that you’re a selfish fucking cunt?”
    Tears burst forth before I can stop them. I go to lunge forward, angry, so damned angry, but Rainer shoves me back.
    “Get