looked the other way, trying to find relief for her nose. Anything would have smelled better than the air coming from his mouth. She blocked her nose with the back of her hand.
âSame here. Bye,â she said.
Lenard walked away. Alex breathed a sigh a relief. She couldnât have pretended that she wasnât affected by his breath much longer. She wiped her nose with her hand, trying to rid herself of the smell. It wasnât working.
Izzy returned to the table in the midst of Alex clawing at her nose. âWhatâs wrong with you?â Izzy asked.
âYour friend needs to wash his mouth out with bleach,â Alex said, still rubbing her nose.
âWho?â
âThis man who approached me.â
âWhat? Did he talk dirty to you or something?â
âNo. His breath smelled like boo boo!â Alex raised her voice over the music.
Izzy cracked up laughing and Alex followed suit.
âWhoo! Thatâs awful to hear,â Izzy said.
âItâs even worse to smell. I didnât know whether to offer him a mint or some toilet paper,â Alex said.
Izzy doubled over with laughter. In the distance, Alex heard the DJ playing the same song he had played earlierâthe one that got everyone hype, including Izzy.
Alex frowned again. âUm. Iâm ready to go. Youâre not ready to leave yet?â
Izzy chugged her drink. âNot quite. Why donât you get up and dance or talk to somebody cute?â
âIâm afraid Mr. Stanky Breath has ruined that for me.â
âGirl, everybody in here doesnât have breath like that.â
It didnât matter to Alex. Sheâd seen and experienced enough. Sheâd never been a club person and this experience hadnât converted her. The club was for people who only wanted to have a âgoodâtime or a good laugh. Nothing else. You didnât go there to find a mate. You went there to party it up. Alex was in a stage of her life where she had more serious thoughts than what type of alcoholic beverage she wanted. She had no patience for games. She enjoyed hanging out with her friend but Alex had to find a way to get out of there.
âI hope not but I could really get out of here soon. When will you be ready to go?â
Izzy sighed. âI donât know. Why donât you try to relax and meet someone new?â she whined.
âThereâs no one to meet here.â
âLook at all these men around here. Surely, thereâs someone worth talking to.â Izzy took a sip of her Apple Martini. âItâs New Yearâs. I didnât say you had to marry him. Talk to him.â
Perhaps this little trip to the club was premature. It had barely been 48 hours since she broke up with Phillip. She wasnât ready to get out there and actively look for someone else, particularly in this environment. This is what I get for trying to be a trooper.
âIzzy, I appreciate what youâre saying and I know youâre trying to help but this isnât for me right now.â
Izzy looked at her sympathetically. âYouâre right. This place is more for me than you. Iâll tell you what. Letâs have another drink and then, weâll leave. We can go get something to eat.â
Alex smiled. âOkay.â
About thirty minutes later, the two women left the club and went to a breakfast spot. Alex didnât walk into her house until 3:46 a.m. Even though the club was long behind her, she continued to wipe her nose, trying to rid herself of the stench from the stanky breath guy.
She trudged up the stairs and headed for the shower. As she ranthe lavender-scented shower gel and water over her medium brown skin, the toilet breath odor disappeared. The events of the last few days, however, rushed to her mind as quickly as the water beat down on her body. The more she thought, the more Phillip leaving seemed best for her. He was a jerk. Therefore, she had no chance at