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“She’s throwing a welcome-home party for me.” I grimace. “All the folks of Blue Beech can’t wait to see me and ask three thousand questions.” I get up with a huff and rub my brow to ward off the impending headache. “Most of them ask why I’m still single, just as you did.”
He holds his hands up. “Hey, babe, I’m not telling you to get hitched to some frat boy just to please people.”
My phone beeps again, my mother asking if I’ve picked out what I’m wearing. I hold up the phone to show him the text. “See! She already wants to know what I’m wearing!”
“What will you be wearing?” he asks suggestively with a smirk.
“Clothes.” I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth. “Maybe a dress with no panties.” I grin when his eyes widen and his jaw flexes. “You’ll probs see me later when I come to drink the party away.” I wiggle my fingers in a wave. “Bug you later, bestie.”
* * *
“I swear to motherfucking God,I’d better not see your ass onDateline,” Ellie says. “I refuse to do an interview, talking about the girl you were before becoming obsessed with that man behind the bar.”
I press my hand to my chest and fake offense. “What are you talking about?” I bump my shoulder against hers. “You’d better never go onDatelineand tell my secrets.”
“Never. I’m referring to my friend being annoying onmybirthday because she’s daydreaming about the bartender dicking up her vagina.” She shoots me a grin of amusement.
“Orthis friend is staring at the bar, debating on what her next drink will be.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve had this discussion. I’ve lost count of the number of times she’s told me to ask Maliki out. I question if she’s started smoking crack. Maliki would turn me down, and I’d never step foot into the pub again.
That can’t happen, and not to mention, a relationship would never work with us. We’re too different. So, I’ll admire him from afar like he’s a handbag in a store I can’t afford.
She tugs her hair into a tight ponytail. “Honey, you spend more time here than your own homeandwith your boyfriend. Do your parents know this?”
“Nope. They think I’m working crazy hours,which is truewith my new job.”
“Does Devin know about your favorite pastime and why you keep pushing him away?”
“Hey, I don’t push him away,” I lie.
She snorts. “Dude has brought up marriage to you like ninety thousand times, and you brush him off. If that’s not pushing someone away, I don’t know what is.”
“We’re too young to get married.” I chug my drink. “Areyouready to get married?”
“That’s a bighell no.”
Tamara, our waitress, returns to our table with another round of drinks. “Maliki asked me to drop these off.”
She throws me a wary look identical to the ones the other bar employees give me. The waitresses and Maliki’s sister, Liz, aren’t my biggest fans.
I signal to them. “Oh no, we didn’t order these.”
Ellie shoves my shoulder, giving me a dirty look. “Of course we did.” She side-eyes me when Tamara shrugs and walks away. “What is wrong with you? You never turn down free drinks. Living with your parents again fucks with your head.” A quick smile spreads across her lips as if something hits her. “I mean, we know you’ll only take free drinks from the bartender though because you’re in love with him.”
I roll my eyes, a pain forming in my throat. “You’ve lost your mind.”
* * *
4 Months Later
“Any plans later?”Maliki asks.
“Nope,” I answer. “Unless you count hanging out here.”
Instead of replying, Maliki focuses his attention on something behind me. When his eyes narrow, I shift in my chair to find what’s suddenly pissed him off.
I wince.
