The screen saver on the television flickers off and we continue eating our ice cream. Just as I scoop a heaping spoonful, Reese steals my pint and takes it back to the kitchen. “Hey!” I protest around the melting minty cream.
He returns to the living room, plops down on the couch and grabs hold of my biceps. “I have an idea.” His warm, tawny-brown eyes sparkle as his lips kick up in a devilish smile.
“Don’t know what you have in mind, but I’m suddenly scared.”
The deep chortle I have come to love echoes from Reese’s chest. “No need to be scared, sunshine. You’ll like it.”
“Says you. Bad enough I have to deal with Micah’s annoying ass at work. I don’t need anyone else adding to the problem or baiting him.”
Reese gasps as he slaps a hand to his chest. “When have I ever made things worse?” He cocks a brow. When I don’t answer, he continues. “Exactly, I haven’t. Trust me, please.”
Do I want to put Micah in his place? Hell yes, I do. But I also don’t want to cringe every time I walk inside Roar. I love my actual job. Reese stirring the pot could cause future problems.
“Fine,” I say with heavy exaggeration. “What do you have in mind?”
For the next thirty minutes, Reese spills his plan. During the first minutes, I wince. A lot. My forehead sore and tense from pinching. A slight headache forms beneath my brows. And my eyes beg to close for the night. Like a good friend, though, I sit and listen to every word.
“Sound like a plan?”
Actually, his plan does sound fun. Reese was never on the receiving end of Micah’s bullshit, but he heard all the gossip. In high school, rumors and artifice pass faster than STDs. Although none of the shit was said about him, it impacted him as if it was his name and “slut” written on the walls. Ironic how the tide shifts.
“Yeah.” I lean over and hug him hard. “Thanks for always being here for me. You’re the best friend a girl could have.”
We rise from the couch and head for our respective rooms. “Don’t go getting all soft on me now. Need you in tough-bitch mode tomorrow night.”
I salute him. “Yes, sir.” His laugh is the last thing I hear before he shoves me in my room and shuts the door. “Good night,” I yell into the darkness.
“Go to sleep, sunshine,” he says before his door clicks shut.
* * *
The energy inside Roar buzzes more than usual. But the buzz is nothing compared to the adrenaline in my veins. Not sure if it’s the crowd or the fact Reese will be here soon.
The spring break crowds fizzled out over the last two weeks. Now we get a slight lull until late May. The lighter traffic is a nice reprieve. Just means I have to work harder for the extra tips.
For the most part, Micah has distanced himself from me tonight. But it won’t last long. When nine o’clock hits, the crowd always triples. Should really talk to Ani about getting an additional bartender for Friday and Saturday, even if just for a few hours.
Beer flows freely from the taps. Colorful fruity drinks get adorned with pierced cherries and citrus on plastic swords. And cash tips fill the jars behind the bar.
Just as I deliver a drink, I spy Reese at the end of the bar. I thank the man who tips me and move down the line to Reese.
I lift the flap at the end of the bar and step out to hug Reese. His arms wrap around me like the summer sun and I sigh, relieved he’s here. Since the summer between seventh and eighth grade, Reese has always been my person. The one I could go to with anything and everything. We don’t hide the truth from each other. And our shared truths are full spectrum. Nothing left out.
“Glad you made it,” I mutter against his chest.
“I’d never let—”
“Peyton,” Micah barks and I stiffen. I keep my eyes on Reese and steady my urge to scream. “You planning to work tonight? Or make out with the customers?”
Several sets of eyes home in on me and my face heats. Fucking asshole.
“You go,” Reese says. “The night is still young.” A sinister smile stretches his lips and tips up the corners of his eyes.
I spin around, step behind the bar, and bark back at Micah. “What? You the only one allowed to get handsy with customers?” I hold my hands up in surrender and push out my lips. “Sorry, Micky. Didn’t know the rules were lopsided.”
“Just get to fucking work,” he bites out, then storms to the opposite end of the bar.
Over the next hour, I make and pour countless drinks. A rainbow of colors flash and dance over exposed skin and gyrating bodies. Bass vibrates my bones and treble sings in my bloodstream. I get in my groove, dancing behind the bar as I fill orders. Every fifteen minutes, I chat and fake flirt with Reese. It reminds me of when we turned twenty-one and we would use each other to fend off undesirable hookups.
When a club favorite song comes on, half of the Roar crowd loses it and heads for the dance floor. With the bar quieter a minute, I hang out at the end with Reese.
“You bored yet?” I tease.
He throws his head back and laughs harder than necessary. All part of the game. “Nah, sunshine. Been scoping out the eye candy. Eye fucking a few.”
I shake my head and chuckle. “And how will this” —I gesture between the two of us— “work if you leave with someone else?”
Reese leans across the bar and curls a finger at me. I lift up on the bar and meet him in the middle, our lips a breath apart.
Reese and I, we will never be anything other than best friends. We tried more once and it felt wrong. So, we went back to how we have always been. Besties.
But that is not to say we won’t kiss on the lips for extenuating circumstances. Circumstances such as this. A kiss between us is just that—a kiss. Nothing sexual, just two sets of lips pressing together. Like acting, and only when necessary.
“He can’t keep his eyes off you,” he says, only loud enough for me to hear. “And if I want to hook up tonight, I’ll just tell whoever that I’m here to help make some dipshit jealous for my friend. Don’t worry about me.”
Reese closes the space between us and kisses me. He and I both know it is all for show. And I think we put on one hell of a show.
Question is, does Micah fall for the facade? If so, does it piss him off? That’s the question I need answered.