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“I had to see you,” I slur through my drunken haze.
She rolls her eyes. “Give me a minute, I’m overdue for a break.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” I say, casually leaning on a pillar.
“Oh, for heaven's sake, sit down before you fall down.” She guides me to a table with her free hand. “Five minutes, max. I’ve just got to finish this order.”
I grin and lean back in my seat. She likes me, I know it.
It’s not long before she joins me, bringing two drinks with her.
I almost spit it out again when I taste it. “Eugh. What is that?”
She laughs. “It’s fruit juice. I think you’ve probably had enough alcohol.”
“Wow. You’re no fun, are you? Can’t a guy have a drink or two to celebrate his victory?”
“I’ve only got five minutes. It’s too busy tonight, what with your ‘super victory,’ for me to take any longer,” she tells me.
“What are you doing after work?”
“Going home to sleep. I’m exhausted,” she replies instantly.
Her answer annoys me. How am I going to get some time alone with her if she keeps knocking me back?
“What about tomorrow?” I ask. “Are you planning on being ‘exhausted’ tomorrow, too?”
“Being tired isn’t an excuse, you know. Some of us have to work!”
“Hey, I work!” I retort “I have to train all the time for my competitions. In fact, that’s what I’m doing tomorrow. I was wondering if you knew any good hiking trails around here you can show me?”
“Sorry,” she replies. “That was kinda rude. Of course, you must work really hard to be that fit. Okay, I’ll take you out on one of my favorites. Now, I’ve got to go, the boss is watching me.”
As I walk out of the bar, I’m feeling buoyed with anticipation. I doubt she knows any trails that would really challenge me, but it’s a good excuse to spend some time with her.
The next day is cold and windy. The gusts are blowing snow up in little eddies and sprinkling them across our path. My head feels like I’ve been hit with a sledgehammer after the amount of alcohol I consumed last night, and I’m glad of the easy hike.
“That was pretty cool, watching you climb yesterday,” she tells me. “I thought you were going to fall when you were going up the Ladder.”
“Oh, no, you’ve got to do stunts like that to play up to the camera,” I lie smoothly. “The audience loves a close call.”
“Oh, so you did that deliberately? It looked pretty convincing to me.”
I kick myself for exaggerating the truth. “Were you scared for me?” I ask, evading the question.
She laughs. “What, scared your big ego would take a beating?”
Her words bring me up short. I’m used to girls that hang off my every word and think I’m wonderful. I’m surprised that I prefer her witty response.
“Hey, I won, didn’t I? I think my ego is allowed to be big and shiny today.”
“Shiny? You get up and polish it every morning?”
“Without fail. I have to keep my adoring fans happy.”
“You’re such a jerk,” she says with a laugh. Normally, I would walk away at this point, but there’s something about the way she says it that I don’t take offense to.
I smile to myself. I can’t help but like Mira.
