Page 4 of A Night With You
A few times, I catch her glancing at me. And each time I let an asymmetric grin slip into place.
The bar is busy and loud. People drink and enjoy themselves without stopping, but no matter how many orders I fill, I can't stop watching her. Nobody in this entire bar is as captivating as this woman, and my heart beats fast just to be in the same room as her.
How did I manage to stay away all this time? The memories flash by, college, a start up company and then selling it before being convinced to come back home for family… life is a wild ride but I never expected it to bring me back to her.
It's toward the end of the night when she comes back to the bar, her eyes bright from a night of drinking. She's confident and beautiful and leans right in.
"I wanted to say goodbye before I left," she said.
"Just goodbye?"
She bites at her lip, giving me a little grin that drives me wild. "I don't know. They've redone the bar since I came last. You could..." Her voice goes low with suggestion. "Show me the back… I heard there’s a game room now or something?" One of her friends calls her name. "Just a second," she says back, her eyes hot on mine.
"It's this way." I play it cool on my way out from behind the bar. I know Steve is working on an expansion, but honestly I just wanted a job to keep me busy and to get back into the swing of things. I tell her, leading the way, "It’s different from how I remember it, but it's nice."
The narrow hall in the back pushes us close together, and Aubrey leans into it a little, her elbow brushing mine.
"Supply closet." I point at one of the doors. "And then back here is where the pool table will go I think, and a little more space for storage."
The space is barren, drywalled and the ceiling is all beams and HVAC systems. “It’s not much to look at but it will be nice I think.”
I flick the light switch but they don’t turn on. “Not quite ready yet,” I comment and then glance behind me, knowing full well the bar is waiting with the faded chatter just barely slipping through.
"Oh." Aubrey steps closer, her lips pursed, looking at the space. She makes a slow turn, her eyes traveling over everything, not moving away an inch. "You're right. It is nice."
"You're nice."
"You're not too bad yourself."
She tilts her face up, just a little, and I take that as a sign that I should kiss her. There's no holding back, now that we're alone in this shadowy back room, nobody watching.
My hands go to her face like we were never apart. Aubrey's eyes flutter closed, and then my mouth is on hers.
Bree's lips are just how I always thought they would be. Soft and sweet, tasting like the last cocktails I made. She dives right into the kiss, her hands going around my neck, and I back her carefully against the wall. Those soft curves. The feel of her. I can't think of anything else.
Somebody moans… not one of us and it’s someone in the office.
My brow rises as the both of us look up and to the doorway.
The sound echoes out of a nearby background, and Aubrey puts her hand to her mouth and laughs. "Oh my god. We weren't the only ones with this idea."
A smile widens on my face as I look down at her. I brush her hair away from her face, unable to stop myself from laughing, too. "Well, it was a good idea I think. Come on. We'll go out this way."
Aubrey takes her phone out as soon as we step outside behind the bar, looking a little rumpled and sweet. "My friends are looking for me."
"You better go find them."
She sways slightly and I wonder what she’s thinking.
“I’m glad you came out tonight Bree,” I tell her and she grins like there’s some secret only she knows. “Even more glad you wanted to see the backroom,” I joke, running my hand through my hair.
Her teeth sink into her bottom lip and she nods before saying, “Same. I’m so glad I got to see you. Maybe I’ll see you again?”
“Damn right you will,” I tell her and then glance back to the bar, knowing it’s waiting on me.
She smiles although her eyes hold so many questions, and I'll be damned if my heart doesn't skip a beat. "How about one more good night kiss?"
I lean down and kiss her, softer than before, and she laughs into it. The sound fills me with something like heat, something like joy, and I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself, no matter how right this feels.