CHAPTER 21
Alicia
At the bar, I considered which booth to sit in. Our usual table was just past the bar, up against the side wall, but the idea of sitting there made my skin crawl. That was where he’d told me he was leaving all those years ago. I didn’t want to relive that moment.
So instead, I chose a small table in the back. Only two chairs sat around it and there was no one in the vicinity. The closest patron sat at the end of the bar, a good twenty feet away.
I pulled out a chair and sat down, wiping the sweat off my palms. I was even more nervous than I’d been the night before.
Kellan’s felt different than Ricci’s. At Ricci’s, we were just two old friends catching up. Sure, there had been chemistry and tension, but nothing I couldn’t easily ignore. At Kellan’s, though? I knew I wouldn’t be able to deny my connection with Zane, especially not after what had happened the night before. The pub held too many implications. Too many reminders of our time together.
When Zane walked in, he spotted me immediately. The way he moved was enough to make my face flush. As he smiled, I couldn’t look away from his lips. I had to shake myself to stop remembering the way those lips had felt against my skin.
I gulped.
It was going to be an interesting night.
“You made it,” he said as he sat down across from me.
“Of course, I did. What? You didn’t think I would show?”
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure. I was worried you might regret last night.”
I shook my head. “I probably should, but I don’t.”
“I’ll get us some drinks,” he offered. “The usual?”
“Sure.”
He came back to the table less than two minutes later with our drinks in hand. He set mine down in front of me and I immediately picked it up to take a sip, needing something to help relax me. The alcohol burned slightly as it slid down my throat and landed in my stomach.
I took another gulp. Then another.
Zane laughed. “Thirsty?”
“Nervous,” I admitted.
“All of this is still so new, yet…”
“Really familiar?”
“Exactly.”
I nodded. “I know. I keep thinking I have to speed off to class in the morning.”
“And I keep thinking I have to run off to PT before we even make it to bed. Feels like a million years ago, doesn’t it?”
“Sometimes. Other times, I think it all just happened. Like I never even left Savage.”
“Sometimes, I wish I hadn’t.” Zane’s face fell slightly.
I knew something serious had crossed his mind, but I also knew he didn’t want to talk about it. I smiled and leaned against the table. His eyes flickered down to my chest for a fraction of a second and I grinned wider. “What are you thinking about?” I asked playfully.
“Well, I was thinking about something, but now I have no idea what it was. All I can think about is how amazing you look right now.”
“I do, don’t I?” I said, tucking my hair behind my ears.
“You have no idea.” His voice was rough and his eyes bored holes in mine. I had forgotten just how much we could say to each other without speaking.