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“Come on, Cricket, it’s been ten years. Surely you’re not still pissed off, are you?” he asks, spinning around and following me.
I throw the first dart, ignoring his looming presence beside me. “Actually, yes, yes I am still mad.” I throw the second dart. “You stole my car!” I state as I throw the third one with a little too much force and miss the board completely.
Danny retrieves my three darts before I can, bringing them back to where I stand. “I paid you for your half,” he reminds me, cocking his head to the side as if it’s no big deal.
“Six months after you left!” I thunder, feeling that familiar rage brewing inside me. Instead of punching him in the face—which is taking all the strength I have not to do—I focus straight ahead and throw the darts.
I can feel his eyes on me as I throw and tuning him out is proving to be harder than I’d like.
“You look good,” he says as he retrieves the second round of darts.
“Fuck off.”
Danny sighs and hands me the darts. He watches in silence as I throw the darts a third time. All of my throws are complete shit, probably because I can’t even concentrate on the round board in front of me. It takes all my energy not to turn and “accidentally” toss a dart or two at his head. But then I think about prison and how horrible I’d look in those orange jumpsuits and decide he’s not worth the energy or time. Plus, I’m not that great of a cook and I’d probably get stuck with kitchen detail.
“What do you want?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder and wondering where in the hell Rueben is.
“Saw you over here alone and thought I’d stop by and say hello.”
“I’m not alone,” I argue, then wishing I would have kept my mouth shut.
“No?” he asks, glancing around as if calling me on my bluff when he doesn’t see anyone remotely close that could constitute as my date. A knowing grin spreads across his face—one that tells me he thinks I’m lying.
“No,” I insist. “He’s…in the restroom.”
“Right,” Danny snorts. “It’s okay to be here alone, Cricket. I mean, I’m here alone too.” He takes a step closer and those pesky hairs at the nape of my neck stand at attention again. “Maybe it’s fate that we’re both alone tonight.”
“Or maybe it’s because everyone who knows you knows what kind of an asshole you are and wants nothing to do with you.”
He seems to straighten up at that. “And maybe it’s because you’re cranky and unforgiving and refuse to let the past go.”
I practically growl at him. “Unforgiving? You’re kidding me, right?”
“I’ve forgiven you for taking my job,” he states, crossing his arms over his chest.
That makes me pause. “Excuse me? Taking your job?” What the hell is this guy talking about?
“You don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re the bubbly new co-host ofGood Morning, San Francisco?”
I roll my eyes. “That was four years ago, jerk. That position hadn’t been yours in six years. In fact, you quit before you even started, remember?”
He doesn’t seem to have an answer to that. It’s almost like he’s just trying to grate on my nerves, which pisses me off that I’m actually responding at all. It’s like I’m letting him win. “All I’m saying is maybe if you were as bubbly in person as you are on-air, you’d have a date this weekend,” he says with a shrug.
“Idohave a date!”
“Really? Where?” he asks, a growing smile on his fucking face as he glances around once more.
Suddenly, I feel a presence behind me. It’s familiar and, unlike Danny, a welcome one. Before I can even think about a consequence or a repercussion, I practically jump up and throw my arms around Rueben’s neck, saying, “He’s right here.”
Then I kiss him.
Hard.
Rueben’s arms wrap around me, drawing me against his body, and two things happen. My body ignites with desire, as if someone doused me with gasoline and lit a match, and the second is he deepens the kiss. His lips are firm, yet soft, as he plies my mouth open, his tongue delving inside and sliding against mine. It’s intoxicating and invigorating, and frankly, out of this fucking world. I have no idea how long we kiss, all I know is I’d be okay with it never ending. His lips are masterful, and frankly, I’ve never been kissed like this before. Ever.
A throat clears behind me, a not-so-subtle reminder that we’re not alone. Rueben pulls his lips from mine, our mixed breath both a gasp and a pant. My eyes struggle to focus as I gaze at him, maybe really seeing him for the first time. He glances over my shoulder and stiffens. That’s when I recall exactly what drove me into my friend’s arms, and more precisely, onto his lips. Rueben lets me slide down his chest until my feet hit the floor, though they’re a little wobbly and struggle to hold my weight.
“Rueben?” Danny says, his voice full of question and disbelief.
