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He was tapping at his phone, not paying attention to me. He called Preston over before I could finish answering. “Pres! I need a Redheaded Slut.”
“Of course, you do, Austin!” Preston shouted from the other end of the bar. Luckily, it was a quiet night, and we were the only ones at the bar. A few tables were occupied by couples having dinner. “You, too, Dalton?”
“Sure, why not.” I thought I’d dodged a bullet, but Austin picked up our conversation.
“So, oceanic research in New Jersey?” He made it sound like a ridiculous notion even though I’d done extensive research. The government was doing really interesting work in conjunction with Tidewater University around climate change in our region, both on and offshore.
The university had an outpost that was in a nearby coastal town. I could work and earn my master’s from Tidewater at the same time. It was exactly what I was interested in and exactly what I had been studying for, both in college and during my trips abroad.
“I hear what you’re saying, Aus. It’s not the most exotic location, but the research is really interesting and …
Austin put his hand up. “I know you hear what I’m saying, Dalt. Everything I’m saying.”
“It’s not about him, Austin. How can it be? He won’t even talk to me,” I whispered as Preston placed two cranberry-colored drinks in front of us.
“Only one more, you two. Martin will never forgive me if you spend Thanksgiving Day hovering over the toilet bowl.”
“Ooh!” Austin flashed his phone at Preston. “One more, you say. I would like a No Fucks Given next, please and thank you. And one for the Gorton’s Fisherman over here as well.” Preston rolled his eyes at us. “Please,” Austin sing-songed, batting his eyelashes.
“Last. Call,” Preston said, rolling his eyes even harder and walking to the other end of the bar.
“Thanks, Pres,” I called after him.
I smacked Austin in the arm.
“Stop flirting with him. It’s weird.”
“No it’s not, Dalt. I get that it would be weird for you. But Preston is a gay man in a small town. It’s actually surprising that we haven’t hooked up yet.”
“Jesus, Aus. Can you leave it in your pants for one minute?”
“It’s been in my pants for a lot longer than that, what with how crazy this semester’s been. Did I tell you I have papers and exams right up until the very last day before winter break? It’s never-ending.”
“You may have mentioned it. But Aus, we’ve finally both reached drinking age, and my best friend’s dad owns a bar. Please don’t make the Three B’s awkward for me. We can go to a club inland if you feel the need to ... flirt.”
“Flirt.” Austin laughed. “You sweet summer child,” he teased me, cupping my cheek for a beat.
I held up my glass. “Free drinks, Austin, are more important than one-night stands. Preston is off-limits!”
“Fine. You’re just lucky I don’t have any kids to buy gifts for, because it’s been pretty awkward around Turner for the last, I don’t know … forever.”
I leaned on Austin’s shoulder. “I know, Aus. What am I going to do? If I go to Tidewater, we’ll be living in the same town, and …”
Austin sat up, catching me off guard. I righted myself to find him glaring at me, finally punctuating the point he’d been dancing around.
“You can’t make your future about him, Dalton! That’s not why you’re thinking about Tidewater, is it? I know you had an amazing time with him last winter. But are you forgetting how it ended, dude? You guys haven’t spoken in, like, months, right? Like not even once even though you’re co-best men or whatever for MBM day.”
I couldn’t help but laugh despite having my misery shoved in my face. We’d taken to calling Brett’s wedding “Mallory’s Big Mistake Day” so often that we’d shorthanded it with initials.
Austin remained serious. “You need to make choices for your life based on you and what you want. Not based on some hookup that happened a year ago.”
I sipped the bittersweet drink in front of me and made a face. “Yuk, Jäger? Not my favorite. I think I’ll stick with Sex on the Beach.” I sighed, and Austin glared like he was my mother, catching me in a schoolboy’s lie.
“The thing is, it was amazing, Aus. The most amazing few weeks of my life. Until it wasn’t. And then he just ghosted me. For a whole year! And I know he’s busy. And I know he thinks …”
“What, Dalton? What do you think he thinks?”
“Do you remember when he and Brett graduated, and they went to New Orleans?”
