Just Bent

“I need friends with boobs.” Hadley looked around the crowded bar to see that once again, she was the only female tag along with the group of men that she had been spending more and more time with over the past few weeks.

“You should bring around some friends with boobs.” Brayden encouraged.

“If I had some, I would!” Hadley exclaimed as the bartender handed her the drink that Luke had already picked up the tab for. Brayden wanted to ask why she didn’t have any girlfriends or other people she spent much time with, but his brother informed him that she was a very private person and that she was definitely still keeping a lot of their conversations on a superficial level.

There were few things that Luke truly knew about Hadley. She was twenty-two years old and from Pittsburgh. She ate Chipotle two to three times a week, she had an older brother and younger brother and she worked as a paralegal at a large firm in Philadelphia. He knew she didn’t love her job and he figured she was biding her time until something bigger came along.

He didn’t know why she moved to Philadelphia in the first place, and he didn’t know why she had such a hard time making friends. She was fun, smart, and beautiful.

“Hey Duke.” She smiled easily approaching him in the VIP section of the bar. Weaseling her way under his arm, she felt at home under the warm muscle of Luke’s arm. Spending time with the Schenns made her miss her own brothers.

“You okay?” He asked, looking down at her.

“I’m good, a little sleepy, a little drunk, but good.” She smiled, making him laugh. He ushered her down into a booth beside him and across from Claude and Sean – Hadley refused to call him Couts.

“Had, you wanna dance?” Brayden asked, nodding his head towards the dance floor that was fairly full of people for being a bar and not a club.

“No way.” She scrunched her nose, making Sean laugh. “I don’t mean that in offense to you, Bray, I just don’t dance.” She smiled softly.

“A girl that doesn’t dance?” Sean asked, giving her a weird look before taking a drink of his jack and coke.

“Grinding, popping, twerking – whatever, that is not dancing.” She insisted. “I like to slow dance.” She smiled wistfully. “What’s better than dancing in a way that you get to talk to the person, too?” She asked.

“I feel like the only places people slow dance are at prom and weddings.” Sean asserted.

“You are probably right about that.” Hadley sighed, taking another drink of her beer.

“A girl that doesn’t dance, but drinks beer.” Brayden laughed.

“If you’re not nice to me, I won’t let your brother buy you a cheeseburger at McDonald’s on the way home.” She insisted, making all of them laugh as she leaned further into Luke’s side. Luke was a snack-master and his brother never let him forget it with the awful but hilarious chubby bunny nickname. Hadley had seen the photos, she knew that Luke had always been a little on the heavier side until the past few years, but she thought it was adorable.

“Are you crashing at my place tonight?” Luke asked. Sometimes she would curl up on the chaise of his sectional couch rather than head back to her apartment after a night out. She claimed it was because she didn’t like being in an empty apartment. He believed her.

“Maybe. I do miss the couch.” She grinned, not seeing the way the red-headed captain watched their exchange. Did she really sleep on the couch?

“Mon ami, you cannot begin to tell me that you make this belle fille sleep on the couch when she stays over.” Max insisted, bringing handfuls of shots over to the table and setting them down. The young Frenchman never went anywhere with the group, but he always did have a tendency to appear.

“I like it!” Hadley defended. “Plus Duke gets handsy when he’s sleeping.” She patted his chest with a joke, making him roll his eyes. Brayden’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he looked over at his brother.

“It was one time and it was an accident!” Luke insisted, making everyone laugh.

“It’s called a guest room, Duke.” Sean teased, taking a long pull of his beer.

“It’s called a one-bedroom apartment, Couts.” Luke fought the urge to stick his tongue out.

“Whatever.” He sighed, shaking his head.

“How was work today, mon amour?” Max asked, making Hadey roll her eyes. She was pretty sure he had never spoken to her without a little added French ‘my love’.

“It was long.” Hadley laughed before clinking her shot glass with Max’s and tossing it back. “One of the attorneys still doesn’t understand that I’m not interested.” She pointed out. “I think he asks me to lunch every day.” She added.

“How old is he?” Brayden scrunched up his nose.

“I’m pretty sure he has a daughter my age.” She laughed, “and I’m pretty sure he takes off his ring every time he asks me to lunch.”

“Fuckin’ gross.” Luke laughed.

“I mean, if I was looking for a wrinkly sugar-daddy, I would be set.” Hadley laughed.

“I would gladly be your sugar-daddy, mon chaton.” Max supplied, making Brayden howl with laughter.

“Wrinkles and all.” He added, making Claude and Sean laugh as well.

“Hmm, that’s a tempting offer, but not quite what I’m in the market for.” She placed her hand on his forearm. “Talk to me again in ten years and we’ll make a deal.” She added.

“It’s a date.” He winked a blue eye at her.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go break the seal.” She scooted out of the booth. Luke was quite certain he was the only one at the table not following her denim-clad thighs with his eyes.

“So does that mean that Hads is on the market?” Brayden asked, glancing around the table to meet his brother’s eyes.

“Fuck if I know.” He shrugged.

“You are her best friend.” Sean insisted, taking another long pull of his beer.

“You are right about that. I guess we don’t talk about dating or relationships much.” He added. “Not that I’d want any of you fucks getting close to her anyway.” He made sure to trail his eyes to all four of them.

“Da heart wants wad-it wants, mon ami.” Max grinned.

- - -

Hadley had finished her work for the night, just about four hours after she usually left work at four in the afternoon. Catching the last train out of Exton, she finally made it back towards her neighborhood just before nine.

Finally entering her apartment, she kicked off her heels and slid out of her pencil skirt and blouse before drawing a bath in the less than stellar tub of her shower.

She dreamed of one day having a large, Victorian, claw-footed soaking tub, but that was the future – and this is what she had now.

Slipping into the hot water and fluffy white bubbles, she docked her phone onto her iHome and played a slow, soothing playlist, wishing she had a big glass of red wine in her hand.

She ignored the ringing of her phone for the first time, but at the second, she answered, letting the voice of her caller ring out through her bathroom across the sound system.

“Hello?” She asked, her eyes closed as she slid further down into the bubbles, twisting her feet in the silky suds.

“Hads, what are you doing tonight?” She recognized Brayden’s voice over the phone.

“I am taking a bath, eating some leftover Chinese and then wrapping myself up in blankets ala burrito and crawling into a dark hole.” She replied.

“Sounds like a ragin’ Friday night.” Brayden commented. “Come over, we’re bored.” He insisted.

“Who’s we?” She asked, still with no intention of ever leaving her tub.

“Me and G.” He supplied.

“You two literally do not make enough money to pay me to put on a bra and leave this apartment.” She sighed, closing her eyes. “It’s not happening.” There was silence for a few moments interrupted by a few whispers.

“Okay so, take your bath, we’ll bring over fresh Chinese, and G will find a redbox. Hope you like action movies!” He called before hanging up. Hadley

“Je-sus.” She sighed, closing her eyes again. She regretted the day that Luke had Brayden pick her up for lunch and thus gave away her address. Now it seemed they popped in and out whenever they pleased. Soaking for another ten minutes seemed pointless when she knew her family room was a bit of a mess. Stepping out of the tub, she dried off and dressed in a pair of grey yoga pants and a Pitt hooded sweatshirt. She didn’t want to put her hair up wet, so after straightening up her family room and counting the beers in her fridge, she blow-dried her hair.

“Honey, we’re home!” Brayden called from the front door just as she was running a clean washcloth over the counter tops. He wrapped her up in a hug, his arms nearly circling her twice with how close he pulled her to his body. “You smell good! G, smell her hair!” Brayden exclaimed as the older, quieter Flyer entered her apartment, having the forethought to actually take off his shoes before tromping into the kitchen. “So soft.” Brayden grinned, stroking her hair.

“I swear to God Duke dropped you on your head as a child.” Hadley insisted, shaking her head as Brayden turned to start pulling plates down from the cupboard. “Hi Claude.” She smiled, grinning a little wider upon seeing his toothless grin.

“Hi Hadley.” He returned, setting two large bags of Chinese on the counter. She gave him a helpless grin as Brayden started to dig into the bags, pulling out carton after carton of food.

“So Hads, why you so cranky?” Brayden asked, dumping a pint of fried rice onto the plate.

“I’m not cranky, I’m just tired. Work really sucked today and I ended up having to stay until eight with no extra break, so until now, all I’ve had to eat today is three cups of coffee, an apple and a Kind bar.” She explained.

“Yeah I get cranky when I don’t eat, too.” Brayden nodded, earning him a punch on the shoulder from Hadley as she snagged a crab Rangoon right from the bag, popping it into her mouth.

“Sweet baby Jesus.” She sighed, loading down her plate with all sorts of things. “Food is so good.” Claude laughed, an otherwise fairly quiet guy, as he grabbed a beer from the fridge and lead the mecca from the kitchen to the family room. Hadley had no reservations about hunkering down on the couch right between the two of them spreading a blanket across her lap and sticking her feet up on the ottoman.

“Comfy, there?” Brayden asked.

“Not too shabby.” She shook her head. She learned that the redbox movie hunt had been a bust, so they turned to Netflix, flipping on Ghostbusters II.

Thirty minutes in, Brayden got up from his post to grab more food and his action caused the whole group to shift a bit. Hadley rest her head on Claude’s shoulder as she nibbled on a cream cheese puff. Brayden returned with cartons instead of a new plate, but Claude shrugged his arm around her shoulder.

The mixture of his warmth and her tiredness made it hard for her to keep her eyes open. Before she knew it, she was being jostled around and shaken awake gently.

“Mmm, Bray?” She whispered quietly.

“Careful now, I am literally going to sweep you off your feet. Try not to fall in love with me.” He replied, making her giggle as she looped her arms around his neck.

“The dishes…” She mumbled as he held her tight to his body.

“I got it Hads.” Claude spoke. Brayden carried the brunette back to her room, setting her down on the bed.

“Uh oh, Brayden, I might be in love.” She joked as she pulled her covers up over her shoulders.

“Careful, don’t wanna make G jealous.” Brayden grinned. “I’ll lock up, later Hads.” He bid her goodbye before turning out of the bedroom. She barely heard them messing around in her kitchen before drifting off to sleep.