Tanner

I was just about to go up to the bar and talk to Jenna when she and Lindsey disappeared. I'm itching to be near her. We haven't spoken since we ran into one another in the hallway the other day when she was talking to Drew and Damien.

I don't know if I imagined it, but things between us felt less tense that day. It was almost like the awkwardness had melted away after the karaoke bar incident. She even opened up to me a little about what was bothering her in her personal life. When she comes back out here, I'm going to talk to her. About what, I have no idea. I just need to talk to her, to be around her.

A few of the guys stop mid-conversation and turn toward the hallway leading to the restrooms. We start to hear yelling coming from that direction. What the hell?

Rob and Drew move closer to the noise. As they do, we see Val running from the hallway, clutching her face. She's followed shortly by Jenna and Lindsey. Instead of going back to their place at the bar, they head toward the tables. Jenna finds her way to the open seat between Liam and me.

I'm about to ask her what happened when Liam leans in. "Did you do that to Val's face?"

Jenna laughs. "Nope. That was all your sister."

I suddenly remember what Jenna told me in the hallway about shit going down between Lindsey and Val and her having to fix it. Holy shit! Did Jenna just referee a catfight in the women's room? Fuck, that's badass.

While I'm busy marveling at Jenna, Lindsey makes her way to Chase. I can feel the tension in the air between them. Then, she throws her arms around him and starts sobbing, telling him something about how Val lied and she's so sorry for believing her. He holds her close and tells her it's all going to be okay. I hear one of them mention something about a rooftop. It's quite the spectacle, and the whole team is watching it unfold.

The next thing I know, Chase and Lindsey are trapped in a tight lip-lock, and everyone around me is gaping. When the hell did that happen?

I look around at everyone, and we all have the same expression- surprised as fuck. Well, all except one person. Jenna doesn't look the least bit shocked. In fact, she seems absolutely smug. She knew.

It all starts to make sense. Of course, she knew. That's why she had to fix this crap between Lindsey and Val. Val must have done something to come between them. That's why he's been playing like shit and acting like a sullen teenager lately. That must be why Liam has been playing like shit, too- because his best friend and his sister were having issues.

I look over at Liam. If he knew, though, why does he look so shocked? Unless-

Liam comes out of his daze suddenly. "Dude! What the fuck!"

Okay, so he didn't know. Damn, he looks pissed.

Chase and Lindsey look like they just got caught with both hands in the cookie jar. Everyone around them is holding their breath, waiting for Liam to knock Chase out. That doesn't happen, luckily. Instead, Chase and Lindsey start explaining to Liam how this whole situation came to be.

As they do that, I lean closer to Jenna. "So, this was your badass plan? Get Lindsey to beat up Val?"

Jenna snaps her head in my direction. "She didn't beat her up! She just slapped the shit out of her. And I didn't plan that at all." She smiles as she says the last bit, seemingly proud of what transpired in that restroom.

I'm not gonna lie; I'm pretty impressed by Lindsey. And Jenna was the one to set things into motion. "You are diabolical, woman."

Jenna suppresses a laugh at my compliment but smiles back at me. She looks like she wants to say something- like it's right there on the tip of her tongue. Before she has a chance to get it out, we're interrupted by Liam. I don't hear what he says. I'm too busy admiring the woman next to me.

I'm so lost in my own head as everything transpires around me that I don't even know how much time has passed when I snap back to reality. During my musings, Chase and Lindsey explained things to Liam, and Liam didn't kill Chase for dating his sister behind his back. They've now announced their status as a couple to everyone. That was quite the shock! No one had any idea that they were together this whole time, besides the two of them and Jenna. And apparently, Val, but she doesn't really count.

The rest of the guys finally started mingling with each other and some of the fans that had come into the bar. Liam is currently sitting at the bar, talking with the other patrons. I guess he needed some space from the lovebirds- not that I blame him; they just unleashed a ton of information on the poor guy.

I look over at the couple. They look happy. It's almost like they don't even realize they're here in the middle of a bar. They're off somewhere together in their own private world. It's kind of sweet. I wonder what that feels like.

Something to my right catches my attention. It's Jenna, resituating herself on her seat. She's watching Chase and Lindsey, too, with a strange look on her face. It's almost like she's happy and sad at the same time. What is she thinking about right now?

I decide the look she's wearing doesn't suit her. She should be smiling and laughing- celebrating. So, I decide to make it my mission to make her smile tonight. "Can I buy you a drink, Jenna?"

Jenna startles slightly, then smiles softly at me. "I'm just having water now, but thank you."

I wonder if something is bothering her. Did what happened with Chase and Lindsey make her want to sober up? "You aren't drinking anymore tonight?"

She meets my eyes, and I feel a magnetic pull, begging me to get closer to her as she speaks. "I usually only have one. Then, switch to water."

I can't stop the words that come out next. "Watching your girly figure or something?"

I didn't mean to joke. I wanted to ask why she wasn't in a drinking mood, but my stupid mouth got ahead of me and ruined the moment. Lucky for me, Jenna laughs. At least her sense of humor hasn't been stolen away. "Or something. It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you sometime."

Holy fuck! Did she just offer to tell me something personal about her sometime? Way to go, Tanner, making progress! "I look forward to it."

When the waitress stops by to ask if we need anything to drink, I order for both of us. "Two glasses of water, please."

Jenna shoots me a look. "Not drinking?"

I try not to smirk as I turn my attention back to her. "I can hydrate too, Jenna. Besides, I can't let you be the only one drinking water in here, now, can I?"

She laughs again and shakes her head. I think to myself how much I love hearing her laugh. She deserves to laugh more, and it really is a beautiful sound. A beautiful sound coming from a gorgeous woman. And I made that sound come out of her mouth.

I spend the rest of the night close to Jenna, talking and joking, making sure the only expression she wears is a smile.