Sam acknowledged with a nod.
“I can see why you’re so smitten,” Dallis murmured, quiet enough for only Sam to hear.
Sam glanced at her and cracked a small smile. “Don’t let me embarrass myself, okay?”
Dallis nodded. “We got you.”
When Alex rounded the corner, all the air left Sam’s lungs. She was dressed much more casually this time, in skinny black jeans, a white T-shirt, and a blue button-up that was left open, giving Sam a glimpse of her collarbone. Her hair was down and messy, and her blue eyes sparkled as she approached Sam. “Hey,” she said, somewhat breathless. She glanced from Sam to Dallis, forehead scrunched slightly in confusion.
“Hey.” Sam couldn’t help the smile that broke out across her face. She continued staring at Alex until she felt Dallis nudge her in the side, breaking the spell. “Alex, this is…” Her mind blanked for a hot second. “Dallis. This is Dallis. She’s, um, Jordan’s colleague from the university.” Sam realized how dumb and formal she sounded, but couldn’t stop herself.
Alex’s brow furrowed at the description, but still she extended a hand, the casualness of the gesture undercut by a slight tremor in her fingers. “Nice to meet you.” Her voice was higher than Sam remembered. Maybe she just hadn’t ever heard her direct it at someone new before.
Dallis took Alex’s hand and held onto it a beat longer than necessary, a wolfish grin on her face. “So, you’re the famous Alexandra, then?” Sam could have sworn that she was laying on the Irish accent a bit thicker than usual.
“That’s me.” Alex’s voice was steady, but her attention shifted between Dallis and Sam, as if she was trying to puzzle something out.
“I’ve heard so much about you,” Dallis gushed. “And wow, Sam wasn’t kidding. You’re even more gorgeous in person.” She released Alex’s hand and flashed Sam a look that was both mischievous and approving. No subtlety at all.
Alex laughed, her shoulders relaxing. “Well, thank you,” Alex murmured. And was that a blush on her cheeks? Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I’ll take all the ego boosts I can get tonight.”
“Somehow, I don’t think that’ll be a problem, love,” Dallis finished, letting her eyes roam.
Sam took in their banter with a pang. She didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed. But she noticed that Alex hadn’t really looked away from her. She only seemed to give Dallis the minimum attention needed for polite conversation. Sam felt Dallis drifting away to give them some space. On her way by, Dallis stopped her with a light hand on her shoulder. “She smells delicious,” she whispered. “And I told Jordan that white T-shirts were hot.” She looked smug.
Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She turned to find Alex watching her, her smile soft and her face open and hopeful. Sam racked her brain for words, but Alex had always been distracting up close. So she let herself stare, fighting the urge to reach out and brush a strand of Alex’s hair behind her ear. “You made it,” she finally managed.
Alex smiled. “I did.” She ducked her chin, looking suddenly shy. “I think I set an unofficial speed record getting Sophie to bed. I did the CliffsNotes version of the last chapter.”
Sam choked on a laugh, and her brain finally rebooted. “Well, I doubt she noticed.” She was surprised by how quickly her nerves turned into banter. It was almost like old times, except with an extra layer of electricity between them.
They watched each other for a second before Sam realized that Alex’s hands were empty. “Did you want a drink? What can I get you?”
Alex smiled gratefully and gestured to Sam’s empty. “I don’t think I’m in the mood for beer tonight.” She thought for a moment. “How about a rum and Coke, extra cherries?”
Sam nodded and made her way over to the bar, stopping to say hello to a few other familiar faces she recognized. Waiting to put in her order, she felt someone push up beside her. She vaguely recalled seeing Emily Hunter follow Alex into the bar. Now Emily motioned for the bartender and leaned against the counter, pinning Sam with a penetrating gaze. She was silent for so long that Sam felt herself blush under the scrutiny.
“You know she’s still in love with you, right?” Emily gesturedover her shoulder toward their group in the back room. Sam looked back and saw Alex talking to Dallis again. Dallis was gesturing wildly with her hands while Alex smiled at her politely.
Sam stood silently, unsure of what to say. She felt her face heat.
Emily’s eyes held Sam’s for a long minute until, finally, she pointed at her. “Just be careful, Sam.” With that, she grabbed her drink and turned on her heel, leaving a gaping Sam at the bar.
After Emily’s warning, Sam’s plans for the evening began to falter. She had come to Easton’s with a relatively simple agenda—have a few drinks, hang out with old friends, and see if the subtext between her and Alex was going to become more overt. But Emily had managed to rattle her confidence, leaving her suddenly feeling raw and exposed.
So, Sam retreated. She made her way over to the dartboards and hung out with the guys, tossing darts and sipping beers. She won a round with a double bull’s-eye, then promptly lost the next three because she couldn’t stop her eyes from drifting to the bar, where Alex perched on a stool, laughing with Emily as she fished cherries out of her drink.
Sam tried to tell herself that it was fine. That keeping her distance was what she had resolved to do all along, that whatever weird current was crackling between them should stay buried under a layer of plausible deniability. But the longer she watched Alex, the more she realized how futile those efforts were becoming.
If Alex noticed what Sam was doing, she didn’t say. Instead, Sam watched her drift from group to group. Every time she crossed the floor, she would brush by Sam—sometimes with a casual touch to the shoulder, sometimes with a simple “hey” and a secret smile. Each small interaction left Sam hypersensitive, skin prickling with anticipation for the next one. The brief moments when their eyes met from across the bar were even worse. Alex always met her gaze, direct and unblinking, the kind of stare that felt a little like a dare.
Sam tried to keep her wits about her. She threw darts, she sipped her beer, she nodded along to stories she didn’t hear becausethe only thing she was listening for was the bright sound of Alex’s laugh. She told herself that she was the one keeping her distance, but slowly, bit by bit, she felt herself losing control. After an hour of this near-silent orbit around each other, Alex stumbled slightly into Sam’s shoulder, spilling her drink onto the wrist that Sam reflexively reached out to steady her.
“Sorry,” she whispered. But instead of pulling away, she steadied herself with a hand on Sam’s hip. Their faces hovered inches apart, so close Sam could feel the brush of Alex’s breath on her cheek. For several seconds, Alex’s focus dropped to Sam’s mouth. Then she jerked back as if burned, cheeks flaming crimson. Without another word, she extricated herself and retreated to the far end of the bar, frantically tapping something out on her phone. Sam watched as Alex drained her drink in a few gulps, then slid off the stool and weaved her way to the back exit.
Finally, her brain seemed to process what had happened, pushing her into action. She jumped to her feet, the chair clattering behind her. “Alex, wait!” she called. “Wait!”
But Alex either didn’t hear her or was pretending not to. She had already made her way to the back door and slipped through it without a backward glance. Sam elbowed her way across the crowded room, barely registering the press of bodies and sidelong looks. Cursing under her breath, she shouldered open the back door and stumbled out into the night.
