Page 32 of Surviving the Merge
I could not be late for my first date with Sam.
9
Arriving late wasn’t a great first impression. But if the amount of people still hanging outside the bar was anything to go by, the show hadn’t started yet.
I lost track of time after Blake informed me he wouldn’t be coming home from the basketball game. That he’d be staying the night at our house in Chadwick. He swore he’d take the sleeping pill before bed and drive home first thing in the morning, so I relented. I called Ash and told him to make note of any odd behavior for me.
The scent of oncoming rain in the air perked me up as I made my way to the entrance. I took a deep breath; the sharp smell of earth and ozone filled my nostrils.
It didn’t take long to spot Sam sitting on a stool at the end of the bar closest to the stage. Catching sight of me at the same time, she enthusiastically waved me over.
“Hey, you’re late, Mister.”
The added sass made it sound more likeMistah.
“I’m sorry. I, ah, lost track of time.” I rubbed the back of my neck.Should I leave?
“Did your hot stud hold you up?” she whispered, conspiratorially.
“Um... ah...well?”
“I’m only kidding.” Her eyes laughed. “Oh my God, you’re beet-red. Did I embarrass you?”
“No.” I threw in a weird giggle, and she frowned, not understanding my discomfort. I thought back to Blake’s words:be yourself.“You’ll need to excuse me. I’m new to this. I may be awkward at first.”
“New to what?” she asked perplexed.
“Hanging out. Making friends.”
“You don’t have any friends?” She cocked her head. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe it. My life revolves around dance and my husband.”
Something behind me caught her attention. When she looked back to me, she said breathlessly, “They’re coming around to collect tickets, which means the show’s about to start! I want to hear more about this dancing and husband stuff later on.” She patted my knee. “You and I are going to be great friends, Justin.”
“We are?” The last word was pitched higher than intended. I blushed at my own eagerness.
“The bestest, sweetie.”
My heart swelled with a giddiness never before experienced.
At the end of the night, we stumbled into the condo, barely making the short distance to the couch before our legs gave out.
The show was amazing. We stood on the bar top and belted out lyrics, and for every wrong word, we took shots. After a certain point, we were screwing up the lyrics not because we didn’t know them but because we were wasted on tequila. We bought CDs after the show and managed to get them autographed. One of the best nights of my life.
I wanted more just like it.
“Sa... Sam?” Unable to hold my head up, I stopped trying and slumped onto the sofa cushion.
“Yeah?”
“We’ve got to take these wet clothes off. We’re fucking up the couch, and Blake is going to kill us.”
“Ugghhh,” she groaned. “Why does it have to rain so much?”
“I wove the rain.”Did I say wove?
“Justin?”
