“Still your favorite drink?” she asked, smiling up at me. God, she was beautiful. She’d always been the most beautiful woman in the world to me, and it seemed like nothing had changed.
But I was different. I was over her. I could do this, talk to her like an old friend who I had absolutely no lingering feelings for.
“Always.”
She shrugged. “It’s a good go-to.”
“You have a new favorite?”
She grinned. “Dirty martini. Correction—filthy martini, actually.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What’s a filthy martini?”
“Vodka and olive juice, shaken and chilled.”
I shuddered. “That sounds awful.”
“It’s delicious,” she argued. “In fact, I’m thinking about asking Brenda for some olives.” Her stomach rumbled in the most obvious way.
When the waitress came back, I ordered wings, extra hot, just like she used to love.
“Oh, thank God,” she muttered. “I’m starving.”
I chuckled. “I never minded feeding you.”
She smirked. “I’ve gained thirty pounds, so I guess Idon’t mind feeding myself.”
I couldn’t help but look her over. “It looks good on you,” I said and I meant it. I wasn’t just flattering her, either. She really did look good, her hips wider, her breasts bigger. Her waist was still trim, with a belly that I bet would feel so soft under my hands. As she looked up at me with her bright green eyes, I noticed she hadn’t aged at all.
I, however, had crow’s feet around the corners of my eyes. I wondered if she noticed.
Lexie blushed.
“I cannotwaitfor these wings.”
She seemed excited, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You're really psyched to be back at the Pig. Don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so excited to be here.”
“It’s been too long,” she said. “Does that one guy still bartend?”
“Jorge? No, he went to college, settled out in California.”
“Aw, he was my favorite," she whined. “But, good for him.”
This place held a lot of fond memories for me and Lexie, and I wondered if she remembered them as well as I did.
Part of me hoped she did.
A big part of me.
I didn’t know where this night would end, but I felt like I’d follow her to hell if she asked me to.
I was clearly not over Lexie Tripp.
Two hours later, we'd each had a few more beers and shared some wings and fries. Lexie seemed to be having a greattime. I was having a great time, too, better than I’d had in years.
We were able to talk about the past without bitterness, and I was grateful for that.