“How do you know what my face looks like when you haven’t looked at me since I sat down?”
He’s right. I need to quit being a baby because it was my choice to get on that counter—always is—and it’s not like I can stop looking at Tristan forever. I don’t want to either.
I turn my head toward him. “There. Are you happy?”
A bright smile graces his lips. “Yep, completely happy. And now that I have your undivided attention, I want to ask what I should wear on Sunday.”
“That’s all you want to ask?” I question skeptically.
He nods. “What else would I ask?”
I momentarily stare at him, waiting for him to mention the slutty dance routine, but he simply waits for me to answer his question. I mentally give him ten brownie points for his silence and briefly consider kissing him—I’m that grateful. Then I return to my senses a split second later.
“You can wear whatever you want,” I manage to say through the confusion crowding my thoughts.
“Anything I want,” he muses as he rubs his chin. “Even my birthday suit?”
“Hey, it’s my birthday,” I counter. “So if anyone gets to wear their birthday suit, it’s me.”
“Oh, I’m down for that.” His gaze darkens and lazily drinks me in from head to toe.
I smack his arm. “Hey, no flirting, remember?”
He chuckles as he rubs the spot on his arm where I smacked. “Fine, but at least tell me I can take my shirt off while I’m at the beach because it would suck if I can’t.”
“Fine, I will make an exception on that rule, but only for beach purposes.”
“Thank you, boss,” he teases. “And you have my permission to go shirtless, too.”
I roll my eyes, but then laugh. “God, you’re lucky you’re so amusing, otherwise I couldn’t be friends with you.”
He grins and my heart misses a beat, scaring the crap out of me since I’m pretty sure it’s never done that before, at least from a smile. I need a break to clear my mind from all the fogginess he’s instilling. Now.
“Tristan, I don’t mean for this to come out rude, but what are you doing back here? Shouldn’t you be carding people?”
“Worried I’m slacking on my first day?”
“That’s not what I meant. I was just—”
His fingers spread across my thigh, causing goosebumps to sprout across my flesh in a good way. “Relax, Avery. I’m just kidding.”
My gaze drops to his hand, his palm scorching my flesh, heating places that have been frigid for a very long time. The fogginess I was trying to escape wraps around me and sucks me back in.
He tracks my gaze but doesn’t withdraw his hand. “I was told by Benny to take a quick break before eleven and the rush comes in.” As his eyes drift up to mine, his tongue slips out to moisten his lips.
I should tell him to remove his hand. I really fucking should. However, I can’t get the words to leave my mouth. I start to recollect the kiss out in the alley and can almost feel his lips on mine, his hands on me, how he tasted. I’m thinking very un-friend type things at the moment, and for some reason, I can’t find the strength to give a shit that I’m breaking my own rules.
Through my cloudy brain, I manage to smile. “So, how’s your first night going?”
“It hasn’t been super easy,” he admits, glancing at the array of alcohol bottles in front of us while his fingers continue sketching a featherlight path on my thigh. “But honestly, I thought it’d be harder than it is. That might be because it’s so fucking busy I barely have time to think of anything else.”
“That’s what makes it easier for me.” I pick at a loose thread on my shorts, glancing at his hand again. Tell him to move it. “Well, that and the fact that I don’t want to go back to the person I was when I was drunk all the time.”
He considers something carefully while looking at my shoulder then a lopsided grin forms. “I would really like to hear that story one day.” The sincerity in his eyes throws me off balance. “That is, if I can earn your trust.”
“Maybe one day.” Relief washes over me when the music turns off. I jump to my feet and his hand falls off my leg. Suddenly, I can breathe again. “Times up. Let’s get our asses back to work.”
Nodding, he stands up. “See you next break.” Then he does something unexpected and completely against the rules, like the thigh touching, maybe even more so because it feels so intimate.
He lifts his hand and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, his fingers grazing my cheekbone before he turns and struts away, leaving me with my mouth agape as I watch him push his way to the front door.
It takes a few seconds for me to jerk my attention away from him. In fact, it takes Charissa smacking my ass to do it. Then I busy myself with orders, making myself focus on only that and not the blonde-haired, blue eyed, sexy guy standing near the entrance door. I do better than I thought I would, but that might be because I never get a break. People continue coming at me with orders all through the night and I struggle to keep up. By the time The Vibe closes, I’m exhausted, reek of booze, and just want to pass out in my bed. Tristan is talking to Benny in the office, and I hope it’s not about anything bad.
“See you at the party, if not sooner.” Charissa waggles her fingers at me as I lock up the register. “And don’t forget that bikini’s aren’t optional.”
I plaster on a sarcastic smile. “Yeah, that ain’t happening.”
She pulls a face as she slips her hoodie over her dress. “Whatever. Just show up, ready to have fun. No bailing out.”
“I promised I would.” I put the clean glass down below the register then flip off all the lights except for the front ones near the window and the door.
“You always promise you will,” she reminds me, zipping up her hoodie. “But you always bail out early, either because of work, Mason, school, or something else.”
“That’s because I’m responsible.”
“Well, it’s your birthday party, so you get exclusive rights to be irresponsible for one night.”
“That’s not how it works. But I’ll try my damn hardest to have fun this time. I’ll even pinkie swear on it.”
She grins as she walks up to me with her pinkie up. We hitch fingers and then laugh as we pull away.
“I’ll see you later, okay?” She starts toward the back door, but briefly pauses before she enters the hallway. “Have fun, Avery.”