Page 54 of The Problem with Dating

She looked up, glassy eyes and all, and asked, “Are you Uber?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t call for an Uber.”

“It’s your lucky day. But we’re walking home.” I held a hand out toward her and she frowned.

“Walking? I’m so going to leave you four stars.” She took my hand into hers and allowed me to pull her to her feet. “Whoa,” she mumbled, almost falling over instantly in her heels. My chest stopped her from crashing and she steadied herself. “Alex?”

“Yes?”

“You have abs.” Her hands ran up and down my chest. “I like your abs.”

I chuckled a little. “You’re drunk.”

“And sad. A drunken sad girl. But that sangria?” She moaned from pleasure. “That was the good stuff.”

“A little too good, I supposed.”

“No, just right.” She began to try to walk, but she almost broke her ankles in those high heels. It would’ve been a longer walk if the woman ended up snapping her ankles, so I had to shift the situation.

“Here,” I offered, stepping out of my dress shoes. “Switch.”

She arched an eyebrow. “You like high heels, Mr. Ramírez?”

“No, I like the idea of you not breaking your ankles.”

“For someone who doesn’t care about people, you sure seem to care about people.”

“Only when they’re drunk.”

She tossed her hands up in the air. “Well, I shall forever be drunk around you from this day forth.”

"Shoes off, Goldie."

She stepped out of them and then slipped my dress shoes on. "You know, I might’ve been the clown tonight, but you have the clown feet, Bozo."

I snickered. She was a sassy drunk. "Fair assessment." I lifted her heels off the sidewalk, and she linked her arm through mine to keep steady. "But you know what they say about men with big feet."

"They have long toes," she replied, matter-of-fact.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You like it.”

Yes.

I couldn’t tell her that, though.

I’d hardly even told myself.

“You should be careful letting me lean on you too much,” Yara expressed. “Cole is probably flying a drone overhead to watch my whereabouts. If he found out you walked me home, shoes and all, he might put you in jail.”

“I'm not scared of that man.”

“I am. Sometimes.”

“Why?”

---