Page 6 of Love on the Main Stage
“Your brother or sister married a Brit?”
Not exactly.
“It’s complicated,” I said. “But they live here.”
“You’re too young to be this mysterious.” Mary put her drink on the bar.
“Is it bad?”
“Nah. It makes it sort of hot. You have more layers than I thought you would.”
I cocked my head. “I’m notthatyoung, Mary. You shouldn’t make assumptions.”
She bit her lip. “I really, really shouldn’t. My friends want to go to this bar. Meanwhile, I have no desire to ditch you right now.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I mean, I could go to another bar?”
* * *
MARY
I shouted over the club’s techno. Betty followed us. I hadn’t pegged her as a dancer, but she was loads of fun. The problem? I was desperate to go back to hers—wherever that was—and make bad choices.
I melted to my core when I gave her a hard time and her eyes lit up.And that laugh!
“You couldn’t be more obvious,” Bea giggled, flopping by me at a corner table.
“What?”
“She’s a ginger. And she’s very hot. But are you sure she’s queer?”
“She’s been flirting with me from the minute we met, so, yeah.”
“I dunno. I get ‘just for the night’ vibes.”
“I don’t.”
Betty approached, hips swaying from the heels that must have tortured her. Even sweaty and worn out, she was gorgeous.
“Well, I am happy if you are.” Bea patted my leg and stood. “Go home with her. Do yourself a favor for once.”
Betty reached me as Bea departed towards the toilet line. The mysterious ginger slumped by me.
“Having fun?” I asked.
“Alicia is a laugh,” Betty agreed. “She’s like the energizer bunny, though. My thighs are so trashed from no stirrup work that I’m just done, I think. You?”
I was clueless what “no stirrup work” meant, but the mere mention of her thighs sent me reeling. I was sure she meant nothing by it.
I said, “I’m tapped out. I started my day at about 5:30 today, so I am done with dancing.”
“Oh, boo. That’s early. I am a morning person, but getting up before six is a hard pass.”
I didn’t think, just ran my hair through her strawberry-blonde waves absentmindedly.
“What?” I assumed she blushed, even in this low light.
“I love your hair.”
