Page 54 of If You Never Come Back
I shake my head, letting out a flustered huff of breath. I try to smile. “It’s just…”
The amber-hued liquid glimmers in the sunlight streaming in through the nearby window. I stare, mesmerized by the honey color.
I clear my throat. “After you left, I said never again. To tequila, that is.”
“You did?” He looks so surprised.
“Well, yeah. It kind of became our drink. Remember?”
He nods before his eyes fall to the floor. When they land back on me, a sad smile plays at his lips.
“After I left, tequila was all I drank,” he says. “It got to be a problem.”
Questions dance at the tip of my tongue. Did he indulge in a week of post-breakup binge drinking like me? Does the mere thought of tequila ever send him into an emotional tailspin? Is he scared that he’ll never be able to look at another bottle of that honey-hued devil’s booze without picturing my face?
“We’re good now, right?” he asks, his expression unsure.
I don’t answer him. I just bite my lip and glance between him and the bottle.
“One drink, Shay. Please?” I open my mouth to decline, but he speaks first. “We should be able to do one friendly drink together.”
Despite my hesitation, I agree. I want to be able to share a cordial drink with Wes. This is as good a time as any to try.
“So you carry tequila in your bag at all times?” I ask.
“Bad habit.”
He pours me a glass first. I’m about to sip when I catch his furrowed brow. I stop before it hits my lips.
“No toast?” he asks.
“What is there to toast?”
He shrugs, his smile taking on a flustered edge. “Just thought the mood called for it.”
I raise my glass. “To friendship.”
“That’s so cliché.”
“To exes getting along.”
He blinks and I could swear he flinches. “I approve.”
We toast and sip. The burn coats my entire mouth, hitting all the way to the back of my throat. I wince through my swallow, it’s so potent.
“Damn,” I huff.
“It really has been a while for you.” Wes laughs, taking another long sip without a hint of hesitation.
“This is like water to you, good lord.”
He shrugs.
“Tell me about it.”
“About?”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “About your tequila binge after you left.”
