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A TRAY OF GLASSES CRASHING to the floor is a sound anyone who’s ever worked in a bar cringes when they hear. Sometimes, I hear it in my sleep, and it always wakes me up like I’m having a nightmare.
The sound of it breaks through my what the fuck is happening? fog, and I awaken suddenly like I was in deep sleep.
Annabelle’s eyes are wide, and they are blinking at me from beneath her glasses. Shit. Did I just force myself on her? Wait, no. She was kissing me back. She looks kind of pale right now and her eyes...her eyes are blue like the cornflower blue crayon in the box...
Jesus, pull yourself together man.
“What the hell, Anker?” Annabelle’s mouth isn’t moving, so that wasn’t her saying it. I shake my head to try and work out of this daze. Tanaya is staring at me accusingly from behind the bar, her hands on her hips. That was her voice asking me what the hell. Behind the bar where all the glass must be. She must have dropped her tray when she saw me about to undress her roommate in front of the whole bar in my place of business.
“You’re kidding me, right?” Shar says next to me. She’s got the same look as Tanaya does.
I don’t even know how to explain what just happened. I panicked is one way to put it. I just wanted Shar to get the hint. She passed me a note earlier in the evening telling me she wasn’t wearing panties under her skirt, and I knew she wasn’t going to take being let down gently very well. Annabelle as my cover just popped into my head. I thought I’d sort of suggest she was my girl and give her a quick kiss and that would be that.
I’m still staring at her. My hands are still cupping her jaw. There is no “that would be that” about what is happening. I don’t know what is happening, but I wish I could go back five minutes and rethink the trajectory of events that got us here. I’m not convinced I would do it differently, though, even knowing what I know.
Because that was one hell of a kiss.
Her eyes are so blue. How could I never have noticed that before? And her hair is actually an assortment of colors when you really look at it. It’s not nondescript. It’s like an explosion of different shades of wheat and copper and...
Fuck, Beck. Let go of the girl.
I lift my hands off her face and take a step back. “I shouldn’t have kissed you like that in front of the whole bar. I’m sorry.”
She shrugs and slides off the stool. “It’s fine...um...honey. I’m going to wait for you in the office. I have some...important school stuff to do in there. Um...honey.”
I think she’s about to hyperventilate. I’m not sure sending her into the office alone is a good idea, but I need to get things back on track out here.
“You’re not mad?”
“We’ll talk about it later.” She pats my arm and then looks like she’s doing math in her head for a second. She stretches and pulls my head lower and kisses me on the cheek.
I’m not convinced that she’s not mad. But at least she’s not making a scene. Tanaya glares at me and leaves the bar to tend to her tables, so I get to work on the mess behind the bar.
Shar and her friend are having an argument with their eyes when Shar finally asks. “Are you really dating her? I mean I’ve seen her in here the last few weeks, but I thought she was Tanaya’s friend. You guys hardly spoke to each other.”
Everything in my body is tense. I don’t need to explain myself to this woman or anyone except Annabelle in the office, but I have to wait. I have work to do that won’t just stop on account of my personal life. “We were keeping it quiet,” I mumble.
The dishwasher must be done with his break because he joins me with a broom.
“So Tanaya didn’t know? No wonder she’s pissed.”
I feel like I’m digging my hole deeper. “We just wanted to keep it between us for a while. I guess I blew that, though.”
Shar looks like she wants to say something else, but her friend stops her. “It’s not our business.”
“She’s just so...”
“Shar!” her friend shouts. “Body positive, remember? We don’t shame other women. We made a pact.”
“You’re right. I’m being so petty right now.” She reaches down and buttons up two buttons on her shirt. Closing up shop. “I don’t want to be petty. She’s a lucky girl. I hope you guys work out.”
They leave. So I guess I solved one problem. But judging from Tanaya storming around the floor and who knows what happening inside my office right now, I’m probably still fucked.