Bruce shook his head. “You save lives too, just in a different way.”
“That’s very kind of you to say,” I told him. “I applied to a position in Switzerland that would have me teaching math and English to Swiss kids.”
“I love Switzerland,” he said. “Jungfrau is terrific.”
“I don’t even know what that is,” I admitted.
“A beautiful mountain,” he said. “You’ll see when you get there.”
“Oh, I’m not going to get there,” I said, waving a hand through the air. “I applied on a whim, before Mitch got here. I don’t even think I want to go to Europe.”
“Mitch?”
“My best friend,” I said.
“I understand,” Bruce said. “My best friend lives in London now, and I miss her every day.”
As we ate, Bruce told me some stories about the most intense situations he’d been in, and I sat silently, in disbelief. Bruce’s life was clearly a different world from my own. Afterward, he asked me about my students and what it was like to be a teacher, but I felt almost silly talking about my daily hardships after hearing about his.
I was relieved when we finally stepped outside the restaurant into the cold. I let out a long breath.
“Now can I show you my favorite place in this area?”
Bruce nodded. “Absolutely.”
“It’s called Red’s Tavern. It’s not so far from here, actually.”
I felt a little strange inviting him to the bar, but I knew Mitch wasn’t working and that it would likely be a calm night there. Besides, I was supposed to be proving that I wasn’t obsessed with my best friend. Maybe showing up with a date would help prove that to other people, even if I didn’t believe it myself.
“Oh,” he said. “I’m not really the type to hang out in bars.”
“Trust me, I wasn’t either until I found Red’s. It’s worth a shot.”
Bruce smiled, nodding at me. In another ten minutes, we were walking through the doors at the Tavern. Red, Grace, and Sam were behind the bar, and the place was already packed.
“What is that?” Bruce said, staring at the Big Rock Cock.
“That is a sculpture,” I said. “Fine art.”
“It’s beautiful,” he said, taking a few steps closer. “The artist so clearly had a vision. It’s phallic, but not vulgar. I’d love to know the sculptor’s name.”
I was biting back laughter. “You’re funny, Bruce,” I said.
“What? Why?”
I shook my head. “I’ve just never seen someone analyze the Big Rock Cock as a piece of art before.”
As if on cue, a group of young men and women all gathered around the cock and took a selfie with it, sticking their tongues out.
“Ev!” Grace called out from behind the bar. “Who’s the hottie?”
I blushed as we walked over to the bar. “This is my date for tonight, Bruce. He’s new to the area. Go easy on him.”
“Well hello, Bruce,” Sam said. He reached across the bar to pick up an empty glass, but I knew he was doing it to show off his gym-bunny muscles. His tank top today said Red Hot.
“What’ll you have to drink?” Grace asked.
“Just give me the best whiskey you’ve got,” he said.
“Coming right up,” Grace responded. “Evan, your usual lager, or is this a tequila kind of night?”
“It definitely isn’t a tequila night,” I said. I couldn’t even imagine how bad it would be if I got sloshed and ended up telling Bruce about how much I was in love with Mitch.
“This place is cute,” Bruce said when we were standing at one of the tall tables by the jukebox, sipping our drinks.
“It’s a lot of fun,” I said.
A long moment of silence passed as both of us kept looking at each other, then looking out into the rest of the bar, watching as everyone else laughed and joked and bustled around.
I kept looking over at the spot between two of the pool tables where last week, Mitch and I had slept together. It felt like a whole different lifetime, now. I had felt so fucking good being close to Mitch like that, and my heart ached for it.
My heart ached for Mitch, period.
“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. “Can I be honest about something?”
There was that damn question again.
“Please,” Bruce said.
“I have been so awkward tonight,” I said, “and I really want to apologize for that.”
Bruce let out a long breath. “I was just about to apologize for the same thing.”
Both of us laughed. “I guess maybe we are both being awkward, then. Maybe it isn’t either of our faults.”
“I definitely thought I was the only one,” Bruce said. “God, I thought a fancy dinner would be perfect for a first date, but I guess I’m out of touch with Amberfield.”
“I have to admit something,” I said, taking a long swig of beer and leaning in toward Bruce. “I… may or may not be in love with somebody else. And it’s distracting as hell.”