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“Liz has been compromised. Shelikes you more than she likes me.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am always dead serious,” shesays with a faux grim face.
“Well, Joe definitely likes youmore than he does me. He may have threatened me with bodily harm ifI didn’t stop being an idiot.”
“Aww…” She turns away from me andtoward Joe, and offers him a fist bump behind the seated Liz’sback. “Joe, muh bro.” He raises an eyebrow, clearly having no ideawhat that’s all about, but fist-bumps her anyway.
“So what specific idiocy of yourswas Joe trying to prevent?” Roxie asks as she turns back toward me.She’s leaning back against the bar, while I’m hunched over it. Ourshoulders touch.
“Joe let me know what is obviousin hindsight, that you and I are already very close. That Iwould’ve never been someone to cast off.” I lean to the side,toward her. “And once he said it, I knew he was right, and I’veactually always known it. So whatever I did has to do with my ownshit, but I promise it had nothing to do with how I feel about you,or what I really really wanted to do that night.”
Roxie turns sideways, toward me,one elbow on the bar. I do the same, mirroring her. We’re facingeach other, only about six inches between us. A bar full ofhappy-hour-goers, and they all fade away.
“That dude, Polo Mountain, is atotal tool,” I whisper. “You are so far out of his league he needsa telescope to appreciate you.”
She scoffs. “Oh, yeah? Or aren’tyou maybe upset that he’s getting along with Mindy so well? Mayberegretting not taking your chance with her?”
“Not at all. She really wasn’t forme. Polo Mountain deserves Pastel Pixie.”
“Hmm.” Her forehead wrinkles. “Wecan do better than Polo Mountain. It doesn’t alliterate.”
“Khaki Kaiju?”
“Perfect! Khaki Kaiju meets PastelPixie!” She claps with delight, then places a finger on her lips inmock contemplation. “And what of you and me, their pitifulcastoffs?”
“You are not anyone’s castoff.Seriously, Rox. You’re the hottest woman in this place.”
“Dunno.” She shrugs. “Pastel Pixieis the universal type, in my experience.”
“Maybe for dimwits. Pastel Pixiehas nothing on Crimson Calamity.” I pinch the hem of her red shirt.This earns me a big grin.
I lean toward her and am almostwhispering in her ear. Her scent overwhelms me. “I’m so sorry,Roxie.”
“Yeah, I know. Me, too.” She looksme in the eye, then down at her wringing hands. “I can’t help it. I… tend to clam up. It wasn’t meant to punish you.”
“I’ve really missed you these pastfew weeks. The real you.”
“I hated how I was around you, tobe honest. I just … couldn’t relax. I miss…” She points to me andher, back and forth a couple of times. “I miss this.”
“Please don’t freeze me outagain.”
She nods.
“We good now?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“What are you two whisperingabout?” Joe asks, having clearly decided we’ve had enoughprivacy.
“About how you’ll buy us all thenext round,” Roxie says. Joe grins and raises a couple of fingers,trying to get the bartender’s attention.
Chapter Ten
Roxie
By the end of the evening, I getmy period. I blame stupid Chris for summoning it by calling meCrimson Calamity.
