Page 91 of Flirting Lessons

Avery thought about that for a second, then nodded.

“That could be the kind of thing that I would do.”

Taylor smiled.

“So, no woodworking, then. I didn’t really think it was that, but it’s good to check something off a list.” She held up a finger. “Ooh, powerful: superheroes are powerful. Is it the new superhero movie? You know I love those things. And it has Anna Gardiner in it, and you know how I feel about her.”

Avery did know. She’d thought of that and then rejected it for being too obvious. Plus, you didn’t really get to talk during a movie, and one thing she liked about going out with Taylor was getting to talk to her all night. But now she regretted her decision; Taylor sounded so excited by the idea of going to see that movie. Maybe she should have gone for the obvious choice.

“Or…” By the time Avery had parked her car, Taylor had come up with three other options, none of which was right. She looked around when Avery turned off the car, and Avery touched her hand.

“The bad news is that you didn’t guess it. But the good news is that means I’m coming home with you tonight.”

Taylor leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.

“You are an excellent consolation prize.” And then she kissed her again. And again.

“Don’t you want to know where we’re going?” Avery asked in her ear.

Taylor brushed her thumb against Avery’s lip.

“Right now? Not particularly.”

After not long enough, Avery made herself pull away.

“Come on,” she said to Taylor. “We don’t want to be late.”

Taylor tucked Avery’s hair back behind her ear and opened her door.

“Fine, but only because you just told me that you’re coming home with me later.”

Avery laughed as she got out of the car.

“I was always coming home with you later.”

Taylor reached for her hand.

“I didn’t want to take that for granted.”

That look on Taylor’s face, that frank, honest tone in her voice, made Avery believe, maybe for the first time, that she and Taylor were really doing this. She’d been a lot more anxious about tonight than she’d recognized: anxious to plan a good night for Taylor, anxious to show that she was good enough and cute enough and cool enough to actually date Taylor and not just be her pathetic bisexual buddy who didn’t know how to flirt with women, anxious that Taylor would realize that she was boring Avery Jensen and wonder what she’d ever seen in her.

But in all of that anxiety, she’d forgotten who Taylor was. Taylor liked her, just for her. Taylor didn’t care if she was cool or not, because Taylor herself was too cool to worry about what other people thought. And Taylor wouldn’t care what she’d planned, she’d have fun no matter what they did.

Avery squeezed Taylor’s hand.

“It’s this way,” she said. “Let’s go.”

They were at the end of the block before Taylor saw the sign. She burst out laughing.

“You didn’t,” Taylor said.

Avery grinned at her. That had been the exact reaction she’d been hoping for.

“I sure did,” she said. She opened the door of Axes R Us, and ushered Taylor inside.

Avery felt very smug as the guy at the front desk checked them in, led them to their lane, and gave them the whole safety rundown.

Finally, he left them alone in their lane with the huge target at one end and two big axes at the other. Taylor looked at her with such warmth in her eyes that Avery felt a fluttering in her chest. Ah, that’s why they called it butterflies.

---