Page 22 of One Night

I smile. "Some guy did that for you? So where is this guy?"

"I don't know. He took off."

"Kira!" I swat her arm. "That guy was hitting on you! Why'd you let him leave?"

"He wasn't hitting on me. He was just getting me a table."

I turn to Matt. "Was that guy flirting or not?"

"He was flirting," he says before taking a swig of his drink.

I look back at Kira. "See? I told you. So then what happened?"

"He sat down and we talked for a few minutes and then he left."

"What did you talk about?"

"Chicago. I told him I just moved here and he offered to show me around."

I grab her arm. "He asked you out? And what did you say?"

"I told him I didn't need him to show me around because my best friend already offered to do it." She smiles, knowing she's driving me crazy. I've been wanting her to go on a date for over a year but she refuses to even consider the idea. She keeps saying she doesn't want a boyfriend right now and that's fine but I think it'd be good for her to at least start dating again. It'd get her out of the apartment and maybe get her mind off gymnastics for at least an hour or two.

I toss my hands in the air. "Why did you tell him that?"

"Maybe she didn't like him," Matt says.

"She totally liked him," I say to Matt. "Look at her. She's blushing."

"I'm not blushing." Kira holds up her drink. "It's the alcohol. Always makes my cheeks pink."

"That's true. I forgot. So is Matt right? You didn't like him?"

"I liked him," she says. "He seemed nice. And he got me the table."

"But he's not your type," I say, trying to force her to give me an actual reason why she won't give this guy a chance. "You don't like how he looks. Is he too scrawny? You hate scrawny guys."

"He's not scrawny. He's tall. And really muscular."

A loud voice comes over the speaker. "Just an update for everyone. We're having an issue with the mic but we're getting a new one. The band will start shortly."

"So what's the deal?" I ask Kira. "Why won't you go out with him?"

"What's his name?" Matt asks.

I look at him, confused. "What difference does that make?"

"Sometimes girls are turned off by a name."

"That's not true." I turn to Kira. "Is it?"

"It could be true, but in this case it's not. I like his name."

"So what is it?"

"Austin. He didn't tell me his last name."

"You mean the guy in the band?" Matt asks Kira.

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