Page 34 of Finding Jess

Tiana continued dancing as she stepped away in the opposite direction. “I’ll grab a couple more drinks and bring them back to the table.”

Sam nodded, then made her way through the crowd back to the booth.

“I was just about to make Jess get back up so we could dance with you guys,” Scarlett said with a frown as she returned.

“Sorry,” Sam said with an apologetic smile. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll go back out with you.”

Sam watched as Liz shot Jess a disappointed look, one of those tight smiles that said more than words. And she knew Jess’ answering expression. It was the one she used when things felt off. The one that told her she wanted something more.

Scarlett leaned over to Jess. “Wanna get a drink with me real quick before?” she asked with a wide grin.

For a moment, it seemed like Jess might actually stay. That they might have a few more moments in that hazy, alcohol-laced night together. But then Jess caught Liz’s hopeful look, and Sam saw the quiet resignation in her eyes.

Jess shook her head, forcing a smile. “Yeah, no, you’re right,” she said to Liz. “It’s getting late.”

Tiana appeared, setting four shots on the table with a triumphant grin, breaking the brief silence. “Here we go,” she said, sliding them one-by-one to Sam, Scarlett, and Jess.

“Oh,” Jess muttered with a small frown, glancing at Liz. “Actually—I think we’re about to head out.”

Tiana’s smile faded into mild disappointment, but she quickly recovered, shrugging with a playful grin. “Alright, then,” she said, nudging the extra shot toward Sam. “Two for you.”

Sam raised an eyebrow as she glanced down at the two glasses lined up in front of her. “Trying to make up for lost time?”

“Something like that,” Tiana muttered with a teasing smile. “Cheers!” She clinked her glass with Scarlett’s before downing her shot.

Sam followed, the liquor thick in her throat as she glanced over at Jess, who still hadn’t moved.

“Sure you don’t wanna stay?” Sam asked, her voice softer than she’d intended.

“No,” Liz interjected before Jess could respond, pulling her phone from her purse. “I’m calling the Uber now.”

Tiana immediately wrapped an arm around Sam’s shoulders, leaning in with a smirk. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay as long as you want. Maybe we can keep the fun going after we leave, too.”

Sam felt the heat of Jess’s gaze, and glanced over at her, catching her even expression.

“Well, I’m glad you guys came out tonight,” Sam said, leaning back in the booth as she turned to her. “We need to do this more often. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun.”

Jess smiled softly. “Me too.”

Tiana nudged Sam’s arm, breaking the moment as she leaned close, kissing her cheek. “Then maybe you should listen to me more often,” she said. “Less work, more play.”

Sam snorted a laugh as she nodded. “Yeah, yeah.” But as she glanced back at Jess, a flicker of memory hit her—another night, another crowded, where she’d felt that same pull, that same ache when Jess had been just out of reach. When another girl had been draped over her.

Another night that had ended very differently.

“Uber will be here in a couple minutes.” Liz announced, standing from the booth with her phone in hand. “We should go wait outside.”

Sam’s gaze flicked to Jess, catching the way her eyes lingered on her for just a beat too long. Then Jess turned to Scarlett, leaning in for a hug.

She whispered something into Scarlett’s ear, the words too quiet to catch over the hum of the bar.

Scarlett let out a soft chuckle as they pulled apart, her gaze drifting to Sam with an almost knowing look.

“Yeah,” Scarlett said with a nod. “I’ll make sure she gets home okay.”

***

Sam danced until her legs burned, and the hours blurred together. It wasn’t until Scarlett finally declared she was ready to head out that she realized how late it had gotten.

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