Page 45 of Written in the Stars
Elle glanced up, smiling at the waitress who held a tray with two beers, two shots of sake, and two pairs of chopsticks. “Thanks.”
Darcy glowered at her from across the table. “Sake bombs?”
All right, so maybe it wasn’t thebestchoice, but it didn’t have to be messy. You could chug neatly... if you set your mind to it...
Shrugging, Elle unwrapped her chopsticks and set them across the top of her pint glass, wide enough apart to balance the shot. It appeared Darcy needed a little cajoling when all she did was cross her arms and stare. “Come on. It’s fun. You pound the table, pound your drink, and try to finish first.” She wiggled her brows. “You aren’tscared, are you? Worried you won’t win?”
Eyes narrowed, Darcy snatched her chopsticks off the table and placed them across her glass. She reached for her sake, hand hovering in the air over the shot glass, and then changed course, finger reaching for the topmost button on her blouse. Brown eyes meeting Elle’s across the table, the corner of Darcy’s mouth twitched as she undid the pearl buttons of her blouse one by one.
Elle’s mouth went dry. “What are you doing?”
Darcy’s nimble fingers reached the middle of her chest, revealing a strip of nude lace. A camisole. “As I said, I’m fond of this outfit. If you’re going to all but dare me to drink with you, I’m not keen on ruining this top.”
Elle tore her eyes from Darcy’s cleavage and fiddled with the chopsticks atop her beer. “Ah. Good plan. I, uh, like the way you think.”
Darcy chuckled lowly and untucked her blouse, sliding it down her arms before hanging it over the back of the chair beside her. “I’ve never done one of these before. Do we go on three?”
“Sake bombs?” Elle goggled. What did Darcy do in college if not attend a copious amount of cheesyaround the worldparties featuring alcohol from other countries? Study? Elle lifted her shot of sake to demonstrate. “Okay. You balance the sake atop the chopsticks, like so. Then you count to three, preferably in Japanese. Ichi, ni, san, then you shoutsakeand bang the table with your fists. The shot falls into the beer and you chug it.”
Darcy shut her eyes and groaned quietly. “Are you serious?”
Elle chuckled. “You don’thaveto.”
Darcy rolled her shoulders back, posture perfecting, and when she opened her eyes, her gaze was steely and determined. Elle wiggled in her seat.Piece of cake.
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” Darcy muttered.
“Okay. Ichi, ni, san... sake!” Elle banged the table, herchuckle mingling with Darcy’s bright bark of laughter as they both tipped back their glasses. Elle squeezed her eyes shut and opened her throat, swallowing as much of the bitter beer as quickly as possible. Foamy, slightly too warm beer dribbled down her chin, sliding down the front of her throat as her eyes and lungs burned, the latter demanding she take a breath. Just a little more.
The slam of glass against the Formica tabletop made her open her eyes. Cheeks pink and lips and chin wet, Darcy grinned, panting, all breathless and smug.
Elle lowered her pint glass, an inch of foamy beer left in the bottom. “What the fuck.”
Darcy threw her head back and laughed.Fuck. A tiny drop of beer trailed down her throat and Elle wanted to lick it off, taste Darcy’s skin. Her back teeth clacked together.
“What do I win?”
Elle snorted and polished off the remainder of her beer. “Bragging rights? I don’t know. Was there something you wanted?”
Either the beer was hitting her hard, or Elle was imagining the way Darcy’s eyes darkened.
Darcy shrugged and sniffed, tossing her hair over one deliciously freckled shoulder. “I’ll think about it.”
So would she.
“You’re full of surprises, you know that?”
Darcy cocked her head, frowning softly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What it sounds like.” Elle ripped the paper of her chopstick wrapper down the middle. “You’re a beer-chugging champ andyou watch soap operas? Or at least know enough about them to answer a trivia question that stumped everybody else.”
Darcy’s expression shuttered, her eyes blanking before dropping to the table. “What about it?”
Elle didn’t mean anything by it, definitely no offense. “Nothing. It’s just... unexpected. I think it’s cool.”
Darcy scoffed. “Sure.”
