Page 64 of Framed

We were nothing. That's the lie I told myself anyway.

Though I could say I did notice more than a few figures drifting in and out of the basement. Tonight, that half of the bar seemed busier than ever for some reason.

Ethel told me on my first shift that I wasn’t allowed downstairs, on any circumstances. From what I gathered, it had something to do with the girl they’d hired before me quitting abruptly, though why, I couldn’t guess.

All I knew was that one night a week, rougher-than-usual-looking customers headed that direction.

That, and Xavier spent most of those same evenings down there. Like tonight, for example—I hadn’t seen him since I got here for my shift.

Not that I was complaining. Anytime I had less than the usual number of awkward run-ins with him were great nights in my book. And I was craving more space than ever lately—anything to forget about that kiss. The one I still dreamt about every time I closed my eyes after a long shift. The one I sometimes swore I could still taste on my lips, even though I knew that had to be impossible.

And then there was the other night, when he barged into my apartment like a wild man, cornering me in my room, practically pinning me against my bathroom door. In that moment, I hadn’t wanted him to stop. I’d wanted him to put his hands everywhere he threatened to.

If Kane hadn’t walked in…

I shook myself, suppressing a shiver.Kane.That was who I ought to be thinking about. I had a date with him tonight. The guy Ishouldbe going for, the decent one.

For the rest of my shift, I forced my thoughts not to wander toward Xavier. Instead, I focused on all the details I knew about tonight, via Winter: the school set up an outdoor projector movie on the beach at campus, along with a bonfire. After the movie, everyone snuck in booze and music to keep the party going.

I didn’t know if I had an all-night rager in me, especially after working this shift, but it would be nice to do something semi-normal. Act like a college kid for once.

By the time I clocked out, Ethel calling a goodbye, I was actually looking forward to this cheesy thing. I stopped by the restroom to change shirts and fix my makeup—I’d decided to put in a little effort, at least—then stepped outside to find Kane already waiting in his pickup. He waved when he saw me, with an eager grin that brought out that dimple again.

I waved back, surprised to catch myself smiling as I climbed into the passenger seat. I did feel relaxed around him. Not on fire, not desperate to touch him—nothing like with Xavier. But happy.That could be enough,I thought.

“Long night?” Kane asked, glancing past me at the exit to Sweat.

“Not bad,” I replied. Nights when the downstairs portion of the bar got busy, things upstairs were usually a little calmer. At least, until after the downstairs closed, and all those people poured back upstairs. I didn’t envy Ethel the rush she’d be dealing with in an hour.

Kane pulled away from the curb, steering back toward campus. As he drove, he shot sideways glanced at me. “Do you ever see Xavier there?” he asked.

I blinked, then frowned. Did Kane know that Xavier was the owner? I didn’t know whether that was common knowledge around campus or not. And I wasn’t sure how Xavier would feel about me spilling his business to anyone.

Actually, scratch that, I knew exactly how he’d feel about it.Pissed off.I settled for a noncommittal answer. “Sometimes.”

Kane shook his head. “One of these days, he’s gonna go too far.”

I frowned, unsure what that meant. But before I could ask, we turned off the highway onto the exit for campus, and Kane brightened.

“Have you seen Casablanca before?” he asked.

I hadn’t, but I felt weird admitting that. Like somehow my lack of classic movie knowledge would tip him off that I was missing a whole large section of typical experiences someone my age ought to have by now. “I don’t think so?”

He grinned. “You’d remember if you had. It’s so good. One of the classics. I watched it in an intro to film class.”

“You take film studies?” I glanced at him, surprised.

His smirk widened. “What, you think all us jocks just major in gym?”

My face flushed. “No, I…” To be honest, I hadn’t given much thought to how Kane spent his time outside of football. Besides the anime we’d talked about the first time we met. “It’s cool,” I said. “That’s all.”

His grin settled into something self-satisfied. “Thanks.” We reached the nearest parking lot to the beach. I could already see the bonfire from there, along with the tall projector screen. It was blank for now, but the movie would start soon.

Kane jumped out of the car and hurried around to open my door. I let him, though I refused his hand down from the truck. It wasn’tthathigh.

There was an awkward moment where I could tell he was about to take my hand, so I marched ahead of him toward the beach. The noise of our classmates grew the closer we got to the chairs. Staff had set up dozens of lawn chairs and bean bags in front of the projector, but half the kids sprawled on blankets they’d brought anyway.

The couples on date nights were easy to spot. They all seemed to have opted for blankets, the better to snuggle up as the projector screen darkened and the movie started.

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