Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Wednesday Briefs: The Sheriff #14 (4.3)

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

Meanwhile back at Partners, while Dustin is in the arms of his new beau, how is Roy making out with his blind date? Find out in this week's The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they're up to! Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

The Sheriff #14 (4.3)

Roy’s night had gone from bad to worse.
It wasn’t like he was even slightly attached to Earlene. Hell, he didn’t even really know the woman, had just exchanged a few words with her online before he found himself agreeing to meet her at Partners. He still didn’t know what got into him to do that in the first place. So why was he being so irritable every time she left their table to dance with some other guy? He had no idea. He just knew the evening had started out on a bad foot, and hadn’t gotten any better.

Note to self: Stay off the damn Internet.

“Did you see that guy Dustin was with? He was a looker,” Marshall commented. He and Lee had just come back from the dance floor, where they’d been doing some line dancing. They’d invited Roy to go with them, but he wasn’t really inclined, so he sat at the table, drank his beer, and watched the two of them kick up their heels. Earlene was out there too, somewhere. She hadn’t even asked did he want to dance, just disappeared on him.

Frankly, he couldn’t care less.

Belatedly, he heard Marshall’s question. Thinking about Dustin only added to Roy’s growing irritation, but he had no idea why.

“Probably just a flavor of the week,” Roy commented. The words came out nastier than he intended, and he instantly regretted them.

“I think he’s trying,” Marshall said. “He seemed kinda excited, you know? Maybe this guy’s gonna be good for him.”

“I think he’s a good boy at heart,” Lee added. “Just has a little growing up to do.”

Personally, Roy thought Dustin had a lot of growing up to do, and Lee was too generous, but he kept that thought to himself.

He tried to be a gentleman and wait for his date, and occasionally she’d remember where he was sitting and swing by and say hello. Usually when she was in need of a fresh appletini. Being a gentleman, Roy obliged.  It was with a great sense of relief that Roy watched her exit the club with some guy, probably one of her many dance partners. The two seemed rather cozy, and she actually had the brass to wave at him on her way out.

He looked up to find Lee studying him in that way he had. He wasn’t surprised. Lee saw through Roy just about every time, why should this be any different?

“You ready to call it a night, Roy?” he asked. Marshall looked up from his beer, obviously caught by surprise, which made Roy feel even worse.

“I don’t want to rain on your parade,” Roy started to protest, but quit speaking at another look from Lee. “Okay, yeah, I think I would. If you don’t mind.”

“We have work tomorrow,” Lee said. “Wouldn’t hurt to get back, would it, Marshall?”

“Works for me,” Marshall said. He leaned in closer to Lee, and Roy didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking—it was written all over his face.

Roy shook his head, but he couldn’t keep from smiling. The two of them were just plum contagious, even when he was feeling his worst, like now. Seeing them together made everything else seem worthwhile. “Honeymooners,” he muttered, pretending to a grumpiness he wasn’t feeling quite as much.

Lee winked at him. “You know it,” he said. “And someday you’ll be right there alongside us.”
That’ll be the day.

Roy kept his comment to himself, as he drained his beer and stood, and the three men headed toward the door.

to be continued

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