Record Breaker

(I'm making Cheyenne much smoother around guys than she ever could be.)

Would it technically be breaking the rules if she "hung out" with another guy and flirted? A guy who would open doors for her and tell her how beautiful she looked?

There was one other option, and before Cheyenne broke down and called a guy, she decided to check it out. She went across the hall and knocked on Kayla's door.

"Come in," Kayla called from the other side.

When Cheyenne went in, Kayla said hi to her from her bathroom. The door was open and Cheyenne could see Kayla's reflection in the mirror as she took off her makeup with a dish towel.

"Can i use your phone?" Cheyenne grabbed Kayla's phone book from the first drawer of the night stand. She flipped through the phone book and some of the names she'd forgotten were even in there. When she reached Zac she stopped and tried to remember the last time she'd talked to him. He was a friend of Eric's and worked as a bartender at the Galaxy on weekends. Surely he remembered her, since she was at the club every Saturday since November.

She called his number and waited.

"Yeah?"

"Hey! Zac! It's Chey."

"Cheyenne? Hey?" Pots and pans banged in the background. A deep male voice barked out an order. "Shut off the bacon." Cheyenne forgot, he had a day job, too.

"You busy tonight?" She asked.

"I'm working right now, but i get off at four. Why?"

"Oh," Cheyenne sat down on the bed and propped her foot up on the edge of the night stand. "I'm just bored and looking for someone to hang out with. You know, since Eric..." Her voice trailed off.

"Meet me here around four? I'll call Jeff and we'll all do something."

"No," she said too quickly. "No. Jeff. Just you and me. We can go to a movie or something."

"Seriously?"

She could almost hear his eyebrows rise.

"Yes, seriously."

"Oh." He sounded surprised.

"So what do you say? You up to it?" she asked.

"Totally. I'll meet you here."

"Sure. I'll see you at nine."

Hanging up the phone, she smiled another pleased smile. Zac was a cool guy. She'd always thought he was the cutest one of Eric's friends. Maybe they'd have fun tonight.

♥♥♥

Closet lights blazing, Cheyenne flipped through her clothes. She had a few special outfits for nights like tonight, i.e., Boy Nights. There were her tight, black jeans that hugged her thighs and butt in the perfect way and looked awesome with her white leather jacket.

Deciding on that outfit, she pulled the items from the closet and got dressed. The weather had been mild today and she didn't think it was supposed to rain. She took her new, glittery, black heels from their box and slipped them over her feet.

"Kayla, I'm going out!" she called from the hallway.

"Really? Where?" Kayla called from her bedroom. She was probably in bed by now and writing in her journal.

"The movies."

♥♥♥

"Hey, Chey," Zac said, running a hand through his blonde hair. Zac was a good looking guy. He had a model's face: strong jawline, prominent nose bridge, and deep green eyes. Cheyenne had always been attracted to him. He was an old-fashioned type of guy who believed in opening doors for a lady and treating them special. He was a hard worker but never complained.

Gorsh, the small restaurant where he worked, was packed. Conversation hung in the air, mixing with the crisp sound of fifties jazz playing from the jukebox.

Zac wove his arm around Cheyenne's shoulders and gave her a friendly hug. He smelled like french fries and cologne. Suddenly, her stomach was growling.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked.

Shrugging, she ran the options through her head. "Well, I'm kind of hungry."

"You want to sit? We can get something to eat."

"Really? I figured you'd want to leave as soon as possible, since you work here."

He waved the argument away. "I love this place. Besides, the food would be free." He led her to a booth. "Sit. Can i get you anything to drink?"

"Coke?"

"Coming right up."

She slipped out of her jacket and tucked her hands in her lap. The resturant had an inviting temperature, but her hands were still cold. She rubbed them together and heat spread through her fingers.

Zac came back with two cokes and a menu. "Here you go."

"What about you?"

"I don't need a menu. I have it memorized." He smiled, ripping the wrapper off his straw.

Flipping the menu open, she scanned the food. Burgers, Fench fires, spaghetti. She'd never eaten at Gorsh. "What do you recommend?"

"The chicken wrap. Melted cheese, lettuce, bacon. It's amazing."

"Then i'll have that. With fries."

"I'll go put our order in the kitchen."

As he wove through the tables toward the swinging door, Cheyenne watched him. His faded jeans had large holes in the knees and several strings hung from them. His shoulders looked broad in his black Van Halen t-shirt.

She started thinking about him in boyfriend terms. Would he respect her? Would he try to push her into having sex? He didn't seem like that kind of guy and all the relationships in his past-there were only two if Cheyenne remembered right-had been serious, long-term relationships.

It felt good to be out with a guy, even if it was just a friendly dinner. There was something about being with him that was satisfying.

Zac came out of the kitchen and she smiled at him again. His mouth quirked into a grin, too, but it abruptly slipped away when he looked toward the front door. Cheyenne followed his gaze.

Eric.

Damn.

Eric walked over to Zac and they did that stupid guy handshake of theirs. Eric said something about a gig and Zac shook his head.

Cheyenne heard Eric say, "Why? You got something better to do?"

And Zac said, "Yeah," and he gave an awkward nod toward Cheyenne in the booth along the wall.

Cheyenne wished she could disappear into the booth. Suddenly, hanging out with Zac didn't seem so innocent. Eric didn't rule her life and she wasn't going to do anything with Zac, but one of Kayla's rules ran through Cheyenne's head.

Do not date an Ex's friend.

Cheyenne was so busted.

Eric looked over and anger, then maybe jealousy, flashed across his face. His jaw clenched. "Are you serious, man?" Cheyenne heard that clearly because Eric raised his voice an octave and a few people turned to look at him.

The memory of their relationship flashed in her mind. Deja Vu. He was freaking out in a public setting because of his temper and more importatnly, because of her.

Double damn.

Cheyenne grabbed her jacket and slid out of the booth, the red vinyl making that obnoxious smudging noise beneath her. She stalked up to Eric. "We were just having dinner," she explained. Not that she owed him that much. She didn't owe him anything actually.

"Yeah, but with my friend?" he challenged.

"Shh." she scowled. "You don't have to tell the whole restaurant our business."

"What, that you're a serial dater?"

Zac stepped up. "We were just having dinner, like she said. We're allowed to be friends, aren't we?"

Eric shook his head, jaw tensing more. "Whatever." He swiveled on his feet and left.

A breath of relief whizzed past Cheyenne's try lips. Tonight had not gone as planned. Whatever happened to just having fun? Guys were so complicated.

"I'm gonna go." She put her coat on. "Thanks for what was supposed to be a fun night, Zac."

"We can still hang out tonight," he said, sounding hurt that she'd leave so soon.

"I know, but i just don't feel like it now."

She should have figured this was a mistake as soon as she considered going out with a new guy.

On tiptoes, she planted a kiss on Zac's warm cheek. "Call me sometime," she said and left.