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As she finished up and headed back to the door, I couldn’t resist commenting. “It’s always good to see you, but even better to see you leave.”
“Oh!” She looked back at me, wide-eyed.
I grinned at her and gave her an innocent shrug. I knew my comments were risky in this era, but it was very clear that I was joking around. I was sure someone would tell me if I ever crossed a line. The moment it seemed like there wasn’t enthusiastic consent, I would stop. But Chelsea always seemed shocked and flattered by my mild teasing.
When she came back in with the next barrel, she was quiet. I leaned my elbows on the counter, waiting for her to come up from below the bar. The day had been so quiet, and I was a total extrovert. I needed people to talk to.
“Doing anything exciting this weekend?” I asked.
“Um… not really. I’ll be hanging out with my friends.”
“Just chilling?”
“No.” She looked almost embarrassed. “We usually end up drinking a lot. Either we’ll hit the bars or have a house party.”
So I was right, she was a party girl. I could see her throwing her hands in the air and yelling “woo,” or whatever people did at those things. All I really knew about that lifestyle came from those cheesy, raunchy comedies that used to be popular a few years back.
“We like to play games,” she went on. “Flipcup and stuff like that.”
“What’s Flipcup?” I asked.
“Are you serious?” She looked genuinely stunned. “You can’t be that much older than me.”
“I’m twenty-six.”
“I’m twenty-two, but I’ve been playing Flipcup since I was, oh, seventeen.” She stared at me as if evaluating me. “I guess you’re not much of a drinker.”
“I like a glass of wine from time to time. I’m not much of a partier, though.”
I’d seen the effects of alcoholism in too many foster homes to drink any more than that. Not that anyone wanted to party with me, really. Throughout high school, I’d stuck to my small crew of gay and bisexual misfits. Trevor, Nia, and Kyle were still my closest friends today, even though life had taken us in different directions.
Knowing nobody in town here sucked. My coworkers were awesome, but we’d never gotten together outside of work. At first I enjoyed being alone, but it was getting to me. Things were better now than when I’d been unemployed. Back then, the days had dragged on so lifelessly, I’d almost been ready to turn around and go back. But still, I thought I’d make friends faster. I needed a community, the way I had at home.
Every night, I put a frozen dinner in the microwave. Tonight would be fettucine alfredo, just like I had every Monday night. It would be nice if I knew how to cook, but for now I’d stick with my weekly rotation of freezer meals. As long as my stomach was full, I really couldn’t complain.
I had a folding table I’d picked up from the curb, and my chairs were milk crates until I felt the urge to go buy a better one. I hadn’t been too worried about making the place nice, seeing as I wasn’t about to have anyone over.
“It’s fun.” Chelsea brought me back to the present, in the bookstore, where she was still talking about the drinking game. “All you have to do is drink a cup of beer, then flip it onto the table. At least, that’s the basic game. I made up a bunch of new rules that are more fun, so my friends usually play one of my variations. You should try sometime.”
She’d stopped moving a few minutes ago, I realized. She was lingering just to chat with me. It was a nice feeling.
“Maybe one day,” I said.
“How about you?” she asked, shifting on her feet. “Any big plans?”
“Working.” I shrugged. “My days off are Tuesday and Thursday.”
“Ah, you scheduled yourself just so you could see me.”
“I didn’t pick the schedule.” I smirked. “But it’s definitely a perk.”
She glanced at her watch, then grimaced. “Shoot, I gotta go. I guess I’ll see you on Monday, then.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Her lips made the prettiest little O, and she made her way to the door without saying goodbye. I just loved it when she got all flustered.
Doesn’t all that flirting ever get you in trouble?Trevor asked in the back of my mind.
