Page 24 of Steve's Barmaid
“Oh, I would like to do that with you,” he said, still blushing. “Uh… do we just like… do that now?”
I laughed. “We’re supposed to be picking out things for the bar, remember?”
While I loved his excitement, I knew there were other things we needed to consider. I didn’t know how the tribes would feel, his or mine, if we started dating. And given my bad luck with relationships, I wanted to keep this just between the two of us for the time being. Not only did I not want tribal politics involved, but I also didn’t want to be peppered for details as the first woman, outside of Piper, who had pursued something with an orc. I didn’t want the opinions of all the girls.
“So, not now. But when?” Steve’s lips were twitching like he was trying to stop himself from grinning.
“We could do that tonight, if you’d like?” I offered. “I have wanted to check out the glowing mushrooms on the forest’s edge, but it is only worth going at night.”
“I’ve never seen them up close either. That sounds like a fantasticdate.” He emphasized the last word, causing my stomach to feel even more squirmy.
Now we had a date planned, and I had to spend the entire day with him calmly picking out furnishings and pretending like I wasn’t thinking about everything from what to wear to whether orkin expected shaved vulvas.
I had to reel myself in. For one, I was determined to take this slow. If I had learned anything in the several weeks last week of working with Steve, if I was going to date him, I was going to date him for real. He was not the type of guy that would want to do casual. He had never been in a relationship before. I wanted to set the right tone. That meant no fucking on the first date, especially considering his lack of experience. I mentally removed shaving from my to-do list.
We wandered through shops, where I picked out beer steins and glassware. I chose gas lamps and candles for the tabletops. I wanted everything to feel warm and cozy, so I chose jewel-toned fabrics and tableware. Steve and I continued to chat as I made my decisions, and I purposefully offered him the ugliest option available just to see if he’d tell me he hated it. I showed him some particularly horrendous patterns for curtain fabric.
He cringed and said, “I think you can do better.”
“Ha! You passed the test!”
With a baffled look, he said, “What test?”
“These are terrible. I wanted to see if you’d agree with me just to be nice.”
He looked relieved. “I considered it, but you’ve always been honest with me, so I decided to go with honesty, even if it hurt your feelings.”
I almost melted into a puddle. I would never get over the lack of facade Steve had with me. True honesty, no guessing games. I was dangerously close to handing my heart over thenand there. Maybe it was my terrible past experiences making the bar for a good guy staggeringly low, or maybe Steve was just that amazing. Maybe both?
We finished up shopping. I had opted to have everything delivered to the bar once it was ready, so as it reached late afternoon, Steve and I stopped just at the edge of the center of town. Everything was electric around us as neither of us moved to head to our respective rooms. I finally broke the silence.
“Why don’t we get cleaned up, and I’ll grab dinner? We can meet at the edge of town just before sunset?” I asked.
He hesitated. I panicked.
“Do you not want to go anymore?” I was prepared for him to have completely changed his mind after spending the day with me. “If not, that’s totally okay?—”
Instead, he cut me off. “No! It’s not that. I promise.” Sweat beaded at his temples. “I just don’t really know what to wear to a date, and I’ve been using the tribe’s extra clothes because we’re staying longer than we planned. They don’t fit a half-orc very well. Some of them are baggy, and some of the pants are too long.”
This orc was going to kill me dead with his vulnerability.
“Oh.” I breathed out shakily. So this was just a clothing emergency, not an I’ve-decided-you’re-a-little-too-much-after-all emergency. That was fine. I could solve that. “Wear something you feel comfortable in. These mushrooms are a bit of a walk. Also, clean clothes are a great start,” I added with a grin.
I’d seen Steve in all states of cleanliness as we’d restored the bar. I wouldn’t have cared if he showed up in his work clothes.
“Okay, I can do clean.”
Just as he was about to walk away, I thought of something.
“Steve?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we keep tonight just between us?” Steve cocked his head to the side, brow furrowed. “All the girls will want to know every detail about everything, and I’d like to see what we can be without their input, if that’s okay.”
“I’ll tell Reykr I am tired and going to bed early. I also don’t need Reykr, and the guys peppering me for details about mydate.” He smirked.
“Oh good, I’m glad we agree.” I hesitated for half a second before I stood up on my tip toes and brushed a small kiss on his cheek.
