Page 12 of Show Me How to Heal
So, I should probably just let it go, but…
“I think I need a new drink. Can I get anything for you? It’s on me,” I blurted out, interrupting a conversation between Mel and Walker about some kind of famous football player who’d moved back to Juniper Creek recently.
Corbyn pointedly looked at my almost full glass of beer, a devious smirk on his lips. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want you to… dehydrate.” He snorted. “But since you’re offering, I could do with another beer.”
“Yeah” — Raphael nodded — “I’ll have whatever they have on tap.”
“Just a Coke for me,” Mel added, scrunching up her nose. “I have work tomorrow morning, and I can’t afford to show up hungover.”
Walker didn’t want anything.
Two beers and a Coke, I repeated in my head while gathering my crutches and slowly getting up.Two beers and a Coke.Maneuvering through the bar was even harder now. It was packed. Every table and every booth were occupied.Two beers and a Coke.I had no idea how I was supposed to get the drinks back to the table. I couldn’t carry them, could I? Nah, definitely not.
There was a guy walking up to the bar.
I scowled as he got closer to the empty barstool next to Zayne.
Don’t!an inner voice said. That was my chair.
Fortunately, the guy who was able to walk way faster than me turned to the left, smiled at a group of girls in their twenties, and sat down at their table.
By the time I reached the still-empty chair, I was sweating. Not profusely, but the warmth in the bar combined with the effort it’d taken to maneuver around all the bags and legs and backpacks had taken its toll on me.
I arrived just in time to hear the bartender congratulate Zayne.
It was his birthday?
As I was awkwardly climbing up that barstool, I thanked god Zayne hadn’t looked over yet. I must’ve looked like a toddler trying to climb a chair way too big for him. But after a couple of seconds, I’d managed to get on the seat, and I placed my crutches to my left, leaning them against the bar so I could easily reach them but Zayne wouldn’t immediately see them.
No reason to reduce my chances.
Taking a deep breath to gather my courage, I inhaled his scent. It had to be him; it definitely wasn’t the bar. He smelled like the forest: cedarwood and leather.
Keeping the bartender’s words in mind, I turned towards Zayne. “Happy birthday.”
“Huh?” Zayne’s head swiveled in my direction. He watched me with a confused expression and furrowed brows.
Dark brown. His eyes were a rich, dark brown. They almost appeared black, but there was too much warmth in them.
“It’s not my birthday,” he told me, slightly shaking his head.
My cheeks went up in flames.
Scheiße.
“Oh.” I thought I’d stumbled upon a great conversation starter, but now I looked like an idiot. Great. Abort mission! How did I get out of this situation? I bit my lip, trying to come up with something I could say to somehow make this less embarrassing. “Sorry. I heard the bartender congratulate you and thought…” I stopped, biting my lip once more.
Yeah, eavesdropping probably wasn’t the best explanation if I didn’t want to look like an idiot. Or a creep.
Flirting was so fucking hard. How did Moritz do it? I definitely needed to ask him when we talked again. No matter how awkward that conversation would be, it couldn’t be worse than this. “Sorry again,” I muttered.
“Well, I did buy a store today, so it technically is the birthday of my owning my own shop,” Zayne said and winked at me.
My stomach fluttered and my cheeks grew even hotter.
He’dwinkedat me.
“Then… congratulations on buying your store.” I wanted to raise my glass for a toast, but I didn’t have one yet. Right. I needed to place an order with the bartender. And I guess I was supposed to get back to my booth, but… later. Right now, I wanted to talk to the fascinating specimen next to me. “By the way, I’m Luke,” I added almost like an afterthought to keep the conversation going.
