Still chuckling, he steals my cup and pours it into a taller glass, adding more sprite to offset the alcohol. “How about a cherry on top for you, princess?” He plucks a cherry out of the container, places it in the drink, and hands it back to me.
I take a sip, watching the cherry sink to the bottom, and it’s way more tasty and much less lethal. “Much better. Thank you.”
Sipping on my drink, I chat with Nick. There’s never a night that I want to leave the house, but I always have a fun time watching Nick work. He trulyshines at this job.
Not only is he quick, he is well trained. There is a flow and a gracefulness to his motions, and despite years of watching him work, I’ve never seen him spill a drink.
I think back to how miserable he was during his first year of teaching. He was constantly going in early, staying late, and working on the weekends. While he was passionate about the content and cared so much for the students, it was just too much. I’ll never be able to understand how people can expect someone to put in all of that work and then pay them a fraction of what they deserve. It was a hard choice for him, but I’m so proud that he decided to leave to do something where the paywas worth it. Although, I know he’d go back in a heartbeat if they treated him better.
He walks over when he notices my drink is close to empty and gives me another of the same vodka-sprite combination and a shot.
“I accidentally made an extra kamikaze shot. Oops!” His mischievous smile tells me that there was no accident. It is a blessing and a curse having a friend who has access to this much alcohol.
I take the shot quick, and it’s not as bad as I was expecting. There is still a burn from the liquor, but the flavor of lime covers my palate.
Although I sip this drink much slower, it’s not until I go to the bathroom that I realize that I’m a little tipsy. I’m not much of a drinker, but I don’t need an excuse to have a good time. It’s been a long week, and I don’t have to worry about driving home. So, who cares if I get a little more drunk?
Chapter 15
Patrick
Theairisfilledwith low conversations and some generic Coldplay song as we walk into the bar. While I appreciate the fact that my shoes aren’t sticking to the floor, that doesn’t help the fact that I don’t really want to be here.
Wes asked me to come out tonight, and I didn’t have a good excuse. So, here I am.
He convinced me that we could go earlier in the night so that we’re not home too late, but I know better than to trust Wes with something like this. If we’re being honest, I prefer drinking at home anyways. It’s cheaper and nice not to have to worry about driving, but Natalie and Tom have been raving about this place for months now.
Ever since they had a double date here, they can’t stop talking about the great service and chill vibes. I’m not fully convinced that they weren’t contracted out by the bar for how much they talk about this place, but, so far, it all seems to be true. However, what throws me off balance is seeing barista Nick behind the bar.
Barista Nick? Bartender Nick? Ellie’s Nick?
When we first walked in, I didn’t recognize him. There is a completely different energy and look that he has here, and itfits perfectly into the atmosphere. His movements are fluid and confident, and he is charming everyone who is sitting at the bar. I rarely ever see him make drinks at The Brew, but here it seems second nature. He seems so reserved at the coffee shop, but here he is cool and collected in a way I haven’t seen before.
I start to freak myself out when I realize our worlds are about to collide. Luckily, I am able to convince Wes to go to the back to claim us a dart board while I walk up to the bar to get us a couple beers. Watching him move towards the back of the bar reminds me that it is best that we keep the pointy-object throwing to the beginning of the night so that Wes doesn’t injure himself—or anyone else.
Although, Wes’ safety is the last thing on my mind because right now I’m more concerned with our secret getting out.
There have been plenty of times that I’ve seen Nick when getting my morning coffee, and he is always pleasant and chill. While he hasn’t exactly acknowledged me fake dating his friend when I’ve seen him at The Brew, he is still aware of what is going on. It leads me to wonder if this interaction will be different since Ellie isn’t around.
I wish that I asked her about their friendship because it never occurred to me that it could be something more than that until now. What if Nick is jealous? Overprotective? Pissed? Have they ever dated?Will he out our fake relationship to spite me?
If they have a friends with benefits thing going on then she technically wasn’t lying when she said she wasn’t dating anyone. Fuck, why am I overthinking this? I shouldn’t care,but the thought of Ellie and Nick being together makes me unbelievably upset.
Walking up to the bar, I try not to let my thoughts affect my composure. Nick gives me a welcoming smile when he recognizes me, and I ease up. I am not normally the type of person who lets stuff build up like this, so I need to take a breath and give him the benefit of the doubt. If Ellie and him were involved, she never would have agreed to our arrangement. I have to trust that. I have to trust her.
He moves around the bar, unaware of my internal back and forth, shaking up some sort of clear liquid before pouring it into two martini glasses. “Hey, fake boyfriend! Good to see ya.” He adds a slice of lemon to the already sugar rimmed glasses and hands them to the couple on my left.
My stomach drops, and I’m feeling grateful for my paranoid choice to send Wes away and appalled at my asinine assumptions. I predict that he only said that since I came up here by myself; although, there is no way to know if he would've said that if Wes was standing next to me. I try not to outwardly show my discomfort, but if it’s there, Nick is oblivious as he scoops ice into a new glass.
When he turns around, I realize that I must look as freaked out as I feel because he gives me his undivided attention.
Leaning in slightly, I lower my voice to make sure no one around us can hear. “Uh, I’m sorry to ask this since I know it’s already a weird situation, but I’m actually here with one of my coworkers. He thinks that Ellie and I are actually dating, so do you think you can do me a solid and not mention any of the “fake” stuff?”
Nick nods and pulls away from me, entering something on the screen in front of him. He moves his fingers across his lips like a zipper, turns the key, and throws it away. “Your secret is safe with me, my friend.”
I sigh out a thank you, which earns a chuckle from Nick. I don’t know why I was so scared that he wouldn’t go along with it because he has always seemed chill. The way that Ellie talks about him shows that they really care about each other.
“No prob. What are you drinking?”
