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I just need a few more finishing touches for the drink. I find two glasses and a strainer. I fill the glasses with a little sparkling water and then pour the boozy mixture through the sieve. The liquid is dark and somewhat thick, almost like jam. By the time our drinks are complete, they look perfectly fitting for the spooky occasion, but more importantly, completely tempting. I add a little garnish on top and then slide a drink toward Zooey. She abandons her other drink right away in favor of mine. Her eyes meet mine as she sips through the straw. I know even before the cocktail touches her tongue that she’s going to love it.
She seems a little shocked at how good it is. I take a sip of my own with a smile. Like I predicted, it’s sweet, but with a sharp tang. It feels good to give her something so pleasurable, especially since I can’t touch her or do the things I’m so desperate to try out.
“This...this is amazing,” she whispers. The women around her sigh happily, their jealousy clear in their wistful expressions. I lean across the bar toward her, smiling.
“I call it...The Troublemaker,” I say gently. And boy, is she a troublemaker. She’s got me head over heels in the space of twenty-four hours. Now, I know there’s no escaping this web she’s weaving me into.
The thing is, I don’t even mind.
Zooey
I didn’t think it was possible for a drink to turn me on, but sipping on my glass of The Troublemaker as Wes leads me to a quieter place has me shaking with desire. He made this specially for me after all. It’s almost like being the muse of an amazing painter. Except I’m a little drunk on this experience.
It seems impossible that he guessed my tastes so perfectly. Blackberries are my favorite fruit, and he was completely right about tequila being my drink. It’s devastatingly attractive to know that he understands me. Hell, people closest to me probably couldn’t or wouldn’t do something like that for me. Does this just prove that my feelings for him aren’t in my head? Are we linked in ways I never imagined we could be? Does he know me better than some of my closest friends?
My Dad really has thought of it all. He’s made some kind of crazily cozy seating area with little wooden huts. Each one has a door for privacy, and is decorated to suit the theme of Halloween. My heart is racing. The thought of sitting behind a closed door with Wes sends my heart into overdrive.
Wes finds one of the free huts and opens the door for me. I take a look around me. I can’t see either my Dad or Poppy, so it feels safe enough to get cozy with Wes right now. I clamber in, admiring the gothic decor inside. The bench I sit on is covered in black fur, and I immediately feel at home. Especially when Wes pulls the door closed behind us.
Now that we’re alone, the world outside seems to be muted. It’s so quiet in here that you could hear a pin drop. Wes raises his glass of The Troublemaker to me.
“To causing trouble,” he toasts. I’m so nervous that I can’t even reply, but I raise my glass as well and then drink. The alcohol is taking some of the edge off of my nerves, but it’s still scary being seated beside him. Sometimes when I look at him, I feel unsure of what I might do next. I’ve never felt less in control of my emotions. It’s exciting, it’s hot, it’s fun, but it’s also more terrifying than anything else I’ve ever experienced.
“So,” Wes says, glancing up at me. “Your father tells me you’re a theater student.”
I nod, clearing my throat. “Yes. Well, I will graduate soon, but yes. And I’ve just landed a lead role.”
“Sounds like you must be pretty good.”
My instincts tell me to bow my head and be shy, but I lift my chin up. I don’t want him to see how nervous I am. “I would say I’m pretty good.”
“What’s the play?”
“It’s ‘A study of love’...the lead character - who I’m playing - goes through a series of romantic relationships and begins to believe that she is broken from her experiences, because of how she reacts to each experience.”
“How do you mean?”
I wasn’t prepared for all of these questions. When I told my father about my lead role, he brushed it off and started talking about bringing me into the business. But Wes actually seems interested in hearing what I have to say on the subject. I try to hide the smile forming on my lips as I continue talking.
“Well...the first relationship is borderline abusive. The man she is with, Matthew, leads her on a crazy path to misery...she is lied to, cheated on, made to feel like she was the issue when she was nothing, but loving toward him. But when it’s over...she questions whether she even loved him in the first place. She wonders what hurts most - a broken heart, or the betrayal itself.”
