Page 24 of The Probability of Us

I don’t know how long it takes to melt away, but I’m about to drop into a puddle of sunshine on the floor of the bar when one of his hands moves to grip my hip, the other moving to the nape of my neck to angle my head so he can deepen the kiss. With a gasp, my arms wrap around his neck, and I pull myself closer as my mouth opens to him. I let him kiss me deeply, explorative as we learn each other’s rhythm and synchronize into a beautiful harmony.

When we finally pull away, my body stays sealed to his. No more than a few inches are between us as we stare wide-eyed, and both breathe heavily.

“Now that,” I whisper, “was worth the wait.”

His eyebrows raise and a grin grows on his face. “Nowthat’sthe reaction I was looking for.”

I playfully shove him and roll my eyes, but the smile on my face gives me away. “Don’t let your ego get too big over there, Mitchell.”

He laughs. “Do you need another drink? I’ll get us another round.”

“I thought I was supposed to be paying for the drinks tonight.”

He shrugs. “I did get that promotion; the money’s burning a hole in my pocket.”

The corners of my lips tug up into a smile. “Of course. That’s the only reason I’m into you anyways.”

Both our smiles grow until we’re laughing.

“I’ll be right back,” he says, before kissing my cheek and heading over to the bar.

When I get close to the table, Sterling whistles and the look on Ali’s and Trent’s face echo the sentiment. My cheeks heat but I haven’t been able to stop smiling since that kiss.That kiss. Warren just kissed me. I just kissed Warren.My mind keeps playing it on repeat; I don’t want to ever forget a single detail about this night.

“I thought we were just here for karaoke, not to watch the two of you suck each other’s faces off for ten minutes,” Sterling teases.

“It was not ten minutes,” I counter, only getting more red.Was it?

He only raises his eyebrows and presses his lips into a thin line. I press my hands to my cheeks in an attempt to cool the heat pooling there.

“What Sterling is trying to say,” Ali cuts him off with a pointed look, “is we’re happy for you guys.”

“Yeah, it’s about time,” Trent adds with a smile. “I was getting sick of hearing how much he liked you. Now he can tellyouand spare me.”

So, hedidtalk to them about me. I want to ask what Warren told him, but after glancing back at Warren and finding him already smiling at me, I realize I’d rather wait to hear it all from Warren himself.

* * *

Warren kisses me goodnight on the skinny sidewalk outside of the brick-front of the bar. It’s not even past midnight, but it’s late enough that there’s not a car in sight and it gives us the illusion of being the last humans alive in the city. Maybe it’s that feeling, or the alcohol in our veins that keeps us sealed together long after we know we should pull apart—especially since Ali, Trent, and Sterling have made their presence increasingly obvious.

“All right, we get it,” Trent groans eventually, and it’s what finally breaks our spell. We both look over at him as he continues, “You’re both adults and can make decisions for yourselves,butthe three of us have collectively decided that everyone will be heading back to their own apartments tonight.”

He looks at us with a glare that saysjust try to argue with me and see what happens. I almost laugh at how serious he is, as if he’s expecting us to argue. But Warren and I already made that same decision earlier in the night. We knew how tempting it’d be to explore this feeling. How easy it’d be to skip steps and end up in bed together at the end of tonight, especially with all the drinks. But we want to do this right—there’s no need to rush things.

A shiver runs down my spine as I recall his last words on the topic,“Besides, I want to be completely sober our first time, so I won’t forget a single glorious moment.”When I asked how he knew it’d be glorious, he said,“Because it’ll be with you.”

With his arms still around me, he can feel the shiver, and from the smile growing on his face, he knows what I’m remembering. It makes it harder to walk away.

“See you tomorrow.” Warren looks at Ali and Sterling before turning back to me. His hand runs across my cheek once more and his lips press to mine one last time. “Goodnight, Analise.”

“Goodnight, Warren.” I turn my gaze to Trent as Warren moves to stand with him. “And goodnight to you, mother hen.”

The corner of his mouth quirks up even though he still acts like he hates the nickname. Trent is always the one making sure we’re on time, following the rules, and generally not getting too rowdy—which is a big ask with this group. With a wave, our groups split, Warren and Trent heading northwest to their buildings, and Ali, Sterling, and I heading east.

The next morning, as I enter Kallia out of breath for the second day in a row, he’s already there with our coffees in hand and two blue tulips.

Ten

AUGUST CURRENT DAY (WEDNESDAY)

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