“Oh, you know, since Kane is so talkative he obviously told me all his deepest darkest secrets,” she says, loaded with sarcasm, then adds, “Kidding. I saw him mooning over you and basically had to torture the truth out of him. You’d think I was trying to get nuclear codes out of him or something.” She chuckles, and my confusion grows. She seems carefree for someone who caught her new guy staring at his ex.
“I’m surprised he said more than five words to you at once, he’s not really much for talking,” I reply, wondering ifthis new drink was worth it. She mixes the perfect amount of vodka to Coke, which is even more impressive considering she isn’t even looking at the drink she’s making.
She looks effortlessly chic in her deep maroon jumpsuit and platform Converses, because of course, she has that cool-girl vibe without even trying. Her bracelets jingle against the counter as she works.
I look down at myself, wondering why it doesn’t feel so effortless for me, as she laughs like we’re sharing an inside joke. She stirs the drink lightly and pours it into a glass, adding the squeeze of lemon before sliding it my way.
“Oh yeah, I couldn’t get him to shut up,” she replies with a wink.
My hackles rise with how she talks about him, jealousy settling low in my stomach as I take a sip of the perfectly made drink. Damn, I really wanted it to suck so I could have a valid reason to hate her, but I chastise myself with how unfair that would be of me—it isn’t her fault.
“I remember telling my girlfriend that I was a little worried he couldn’t speak at first. When he offered to show me where a good place to eat was, part of me thought he was going to lure me to his van.” She chuckles as she leans onto the counter toward me. I startle in slight confusion.
My brow furrows, catching on to what she said at the beginning.Girlfriend?
She continues, “When we got to this little hole in the wall place, where different types of macaroni were the only thing to eat, he got quiet again. Naturally I filled the silence, and I think he wanted to crawl out of his skin.” She laughs, and I feel a chuckle bubble up as I picture Kane sitting there eating their buffalo mac—because he’s a creature of habit—playing with the end of his sleeve, like he does when he’s out of his element.
“I—uh…yeah, that sounds exactly like Kane. Did you say girlfriend?” I question, trying not to make it obvious that she’ll make or break me with her relationship status.
“Yes, Claire! She came to meet us at the bar afterward. We moved down here for Claire’s new job, so finding this gig was a godsend for me. I worked at a bar back home while doing freelance during the day and I hoped to find something like that again.” She busies herself with the few drink orders she’s gotten while we’ve been talking.
Relief floods through me as I sip my drink, now more than half gone without me even thinking about it. I should really slow it down as I can already feel the world spinning a bit. The one thing I’ve always been made fun of in the group is how much of a lightweight I am.
She must see something on my face, because the next second she’s putting down the shaker and staring directly at me. “Wait, don’t tell me you thought Kane and I were together?” she inquires, leaving the question open.
“Well…” I start, unsure what to say next. “I saw you guys here and just…well, kind of”—I take a breath, placing my now-empty glass on the countertop between us, playing with the straw and ice—“assumed, I guess. I mean, I told you Kane isn’t really a talker, even with some of our best friends. So, when I saw him with you, laughing, I guess my brain just jumped there.”
She seems to sense the unease coming off of me as she slides a new drink in front of me and takes away the old one. “Oh my god, no. He feels like a little brother already. And truly, penises do not impress me. I tried once, obviously, just to make sure, but when he whipped it out, I screamed a little and called my mom to pick me up. Kind of solidified to me that I am purely a woman-only type of gay.” She chuckles, as if she’s remembering this exact memory in her mind.
“That is…good news. That is, wow,” I ponder, feeling more drunk than I thought. I make a move for my wallet to pay for the drinks she gave me when she stops me.
“Oh no, don’t worry about it.” She waves my card away. “Kane said to put all your stuff under him. If I took money from you, I’d have to deal with even more of his brooding than usual.” She grabs the dirty glasses and turns to take them to the back, but before she leaves, she adds, “It was great to meet you, Avery. I really hope this isn’t the last time we see each other,” Lindsay says, a soft look of sincerity on her face.
I smile, then stand from the lowered black stool I’ve been sitting on, ruminating on why Kane would still cover my drinks. I stumble a little bit as I head back to Morgan and Grayson, clearly not missing me as they’re still talking to the same white-collar, clean-cut frat boys. Grayson is having some debate with one of them about our local baseball team and their newest pitcher. I never thought I had a type, but staring at these guys, I miss arms covered in ink and unruly hair that never seems to have one set style.
I slide back into my abandoned chair, noticing the world starts spinning a bit more. That doesn’t stop me from taking one of the shots the boys put in front of us, though. I shoot one back, and before I know it, three are gone and all thoughts of Kane finally go quiet in my head, the feeling of warmth flooding my veins.
CHAPTER TWELVE
kane
FOUR YEARS AGO, HIGH SCHOOL
Tripping Over Air – Aiden Bissett
Ipull up to the address Avery gave me and take a second to breathe, my hands still gripping the steering wheel. When it becomes clear my heart rate isn’t settling down anytime soon, I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans and turn to look at the wicker picnic basket in the back seat my mother foisted at me when I mentioned the date, full to the brim with snacks and sandwiches. I wasn’t sure what Avery likes, so I basically just grabbed one of everything—some sweet, some spicy—and I worry I may have gone overboard. The lady at the grocery looked from me to my items before shaking her head and scanning them all.
That’s when I realized I might be freaking out a bit. My mind is full of the curve of her smile when I reminded her our date was this weekend. I blacked out at the sight, and somehow, I ended up grabbing spray cheese for the strawberries and some black licorice instead of the red ones I’ve seen her munch on at lunches occasionally, not that I’ve been looking too hard.
Who am I kidding? My eyes are magnets finding her in any crowd so far, even a particularly fun time when she was bent over her desk and I had to avert my gaze before my dick got too excited.
I laugh to myself. My stomach feels like an explosion of butterflies went off, and my heart has been racing since I woke up this morning. This feeling is so unfamiliar that I googled the symptoms of a heart attack before I left, just to make sure.
Opting for the front door instead of texting Avery that I’m here, I take a deep breath, then haul myself out of my sleek black Audi. The car is so ostentatious, I wince a little at the thought of Avery seeing it. My dad got it for me the last time we moved, right before my sixteenth birthday. It was his way of keeping me quiet and compliant, and unfortunately, I needed a car. Which means I’m stuck playing nice until I can make my own money and free myself from his strings.
I push my fingers through my hair and smooth down my shirt as I walk up to the brown brick house. It’s bigger than it appears from the drive up, with trimmed landscape and freshly cut grass. Rust-colored leaves fall on the sidewalk with the autumn breeze blowing in.
I make my way up the long walkway and the stairs that lead to the red front door. It feels huge, looming over me as I take another breath and knock. I fiddle with the bouquet of light pink flowers in my hands, now feeling a little ridiculous for grabbing them when I was shopping for food. The peonies—at least that’s what the sign in the store said they were—instantly made me think of her. The beauty of them struck me in the same manner Avery’s has. My heart rate accelerates with the sound of footsteps coming closer on the other side. My ears start pounding,and the back of my neck feels hot as I wait for the door to open.
