Page 40 of Mistletoe Kisses

Arlo

“Canwe go somewhere and get a drink? I need it.”

Lucas grinned at me. “I’ve got just the place.”

A few minutes later, we pulled into the nearly full parking lot of a bar called The Lucky Tongue. The sign had a logo of thick hot-pink lips and a tongue curving out to touch the top lip.

“What does the name mean?”

Lucas’s delighted laugh filled the car. “Oh, my sweet summer child. The owner is a lesbian.”

A lesbian? Oh. “Oh.”

He patted my thigh. “Come on. I’ll buy you a drink.”

I followedhis laughter into the bar. After getting our IDs checked, we moved into the crowd. The bar to the side had a wait of at least two people deep. A mix of tall and short tables filled the space around a crowded dance floor as a Top Forty song played over the speakers.

“It’s busy.” The dense crowd unnerved me, but I wanted the drink.

Lucas nodded his head to the beat. “Saturday night at one of the only bars in town. To be expected.” He gestured for me to follow him.

Since I’d gotten laid off, my days of the week were all messed up, but he was right. Saturday night meant I was leaving tomorrow. I knew that intellectually, logistically, anxietually—not a word, but it should be given how pivotal anxiety was to my brain processing—but this was the last time I’d see Lucas. That reality made me nauseous. The thought had hovered in my mind all day, but I’d been able to ignore it by dwelling on how dinner would go. With that over, all I could think about was saying goodbye to him and wondering how I could delay it.

It wasn’t often I met people who not only saw past my shyness but accepted it. People usually gave up quickly—before I warmed to them. I couldn’t believe how comfortable I felt around Lucas after mere days. It was like when I’d first met Keaton on move-in day in college. He’d swiftly figured out my aversion to attention. Given how he thrived in the limelight, he’d taken the pressure off me through all the uncomfortable orientation activities that first week. He’d been my person ever since.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that Lucas could be another person for me, and I wasn’t ready to leave him and the connection we were building.

Despite the similarities between how comfortable I was around both Lucas and Keaton, Lucas made me feel lots of things I never did around my best friend. The butterflies, the urge to flirt, the need to kiss. I wasn’t ready to leave that either. I wanted more of him to remember when I got home to my quiet life.

“Let’s do a shot,” I said when we reached the bar.

He looked at me like I’d just done a naked cartwheel. “You sure?”

I nodded.

“All right. Let’s do it. How do you feel about coffee-flavored liquor?”

“Fine with me.”

I couldn’t hear what he ordered over the music, but I appreciated that he made the decision for us.

A group of giggling women moved in line behind me and pushed me into Lucas. He smoothly wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him where I felt safe. Protected from all the activity around us so I could peek out and enjoy it.

While he chatted with the bartender, I looked around the space and saw a surprising mix of people. Some wearing cowboy boots and flannel, others with brightly dyed hair and mesh tops, and everything in between.

After he got our drinks, he grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd, and I willingly followed. Several people acknowledged him or said hello. I imagined he met a lot of people through his work and probably knew even more from growing up here. It was cute to see how he responded to the attention with his gregarious demeanor and engaging smiles. He knew people by name, and they preened under his attention. I could relate.

Where he bloomed under others’ attention, I wilted. I was happy to give him my share.

I’d dated a guy who was super bothered that I wouldn’t sing a karaoke song with him. It was like he didn’t know me at all. Even the thought of getting on stage, all those eyes on me, made me want to exile myself to a cave. The guy couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of me happily watching him from the table and silently cheering him on.

Lucas stopped once we reached a quiet corner. As quiet as a busy bar could get, anyway. The thoughtfulness of that gesture, being seen by him, made me want to hold on and never let go. I wasn’t used to many people meaningfully entering my life, and even less experienced at them leaving it. I had a feeling it would hurt a lot when I drove away from Dahlia Springs tomorrow. Leaving Lucas. Leaving Ron, Karen, and the rest of the family without telling them who I was because, in the cold light of day, I wasn’t sure I actually could.

I knew Keaton wouldn’t be upset with me, but he would be disappointed. Not because I didn’t complete the dare but because he truly believed I would benefit from making a connection with them. Especially since I’d told him about our interactions this past week.

I should’ve told them at dinner. I would probably regret that when I woke up tomorrow. Maybe I could find the courage to swing by and tell Ron at the bookstore before leaving town.

“Shots first, then debrief about dinner?” He removed his coat and draped it over the back of his chair, and I did the same.

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