Page 15 of The Breaking Pointe
“My boy!” Bobby cheers, pointing at me. My hand raises for a lazy wave.
“Bobby.What’s up, man?”
“Beer?”he asks, as if he needed to confirm.
“You got it.”I nod once, sighing as I watch him move into action.
Immediately my eyes shut, attempting to close out the entire environment around me, until a warm, dulcet voice calls from beside me.
“Do you think I could have another cosmo, please?”Then an aluminum beer can drops on the counter infront
ofme,forcingmyeyestodarttowardsit.Afternoticing, I give Bobby a look as he shuffles away.My eyes followhim until they meet the voice who requested another cosmo, landing on the ginger-haired girl.It’s half up, half down, running all the way down to the small of her back.Something about the color is suddenly distinctly familiar.The way some streaks are lighter than others, how the structure of her side profile displays itself under the lighting.It seems a little implausible.
Except it’s not, because as her hair tosses and her face turns in my direction, she reassures my curiosity.It’s the Noelle girl.
“Thank you.”Her cheekbones rise as she smiles at Bobby.
Now I didn’t want to close my eyes. Looking at her seems a lot more fitting.She’s even more enchanting in person than in pictures.I want to call this a coincidence, but in what universe do these odds happen?If it weren’t for me being authentically attracted to her, I’d say something about said coincidence, but saying anything feels like it would be stupid. Especially if she’s with Daniel. That would mean he’s here, and he’s not far behind. Hitting on his girl right after I dogged him in the ring would put an entire tub of icing on the cake.
“Can I get you anything else?”Bobby asks, tapping the counter with his hand to get my attention.
Inhaling a bit of air, I double-take at his presence, speak- ing in a hushed voice.
“Yeah, you could do me a favor, actually? Is she alone?” I ask. His eyes move from me, to her, then back at me. “No— well she came with a friend and a guy. The two of them have beendancingforthepasthourwhileshe’sbeensittinghere.”
Hechuckles,grabbinghisdishrag.
I’m going for a long shot, but this might be my only shot. “Well, uh—put it on my tab, would you? All of them. Leave it open until they’re done,”I say,resting a forearm on the counter.“But don’t make it a big deal.”Bobby nods, looking at her again before walking over.Hoping not to seem obvious, I pick up my beer, finally taking a few sips, but listening for any discourse.
“Are you having anything else tonight, hun?” he asks her. She lets out a dragging sigh.“Guess not.I dunno about myfriends,though,”shesays,halfsmilingasifitpained
her to say that.
Friends.Colton,you’realuckyman.
“Alright, well your tab is paid for. You just lemme know what you want,” he responds.
Her face tightens in confusion, poking her chin out. “I- I’m sorry, by who?”
Bobby chuckles and says, “Take a wild guess. There are only a few people here to pick from.”
Chugging more of my beer now, I stay frozen in my vicinity, pretending to mind my business.Bobby continues to dry different glasses, walking down the bar as she watches him, wildly looking around until I feel her gaze fall on me.
“Hey!” she says loudly, reaching her arm out and tapping on the counter.
I can’t tell if she’s pissed or not by her body language.All I know is she’s probably not going to hold back with whatever she is going to say—instant karmic effect on my behavior from tonight.
Turning my head, I set my beer down and return the greeting loud enough for her to hear me.
Both of us are now eyeing each other down.She slowly drags her arm back to her personal bubble, almost speech- less at the sight of me.Our eyes connect again, just like earlier tonight. Only this time, I can see the green in her eyes much better than before, and every detail on her precious face that could be highlighted by the awful lighting.It didn’t matter how terrible the environment was, because she’s that illuminating in person. I know my face looks like shit, but I don’t think it’s that bad.Distracted by her, I almost forgot until just now.Whatever she was going to say slipped right back into her brain, and after a couple of blinks, she eventually has a few words.
“Um…you didn’t have to do that.But, thank you,” she says, resting her hands in front of her.
Still in a trance from our stare-off, I deliver all I can think of. “I know. I wanted to do it. You’re welcome.”
By the look of her not avoiding eye contact now, I’m utterly confused if I ruined my one chance or not.Saying more might be risky, but I’ve never been more tempted to get a woman to talk before in my life.I want her voice to keep blessing my ears for the rest of the night. As much as I wish they would, having those thoughts isn’t going to make her pay more attention to me, and neither is eyeballing her like a crazy ass.
“Shouldn’t you be out there? Dancing with your friends instead of watching?”I suggest, whipping out a scoop of courage to further our encounter.
