Page 43 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
“Drinks are good,” Lauren said. “Much easier to make a quick exit than if you have to sit through a whole meal, as you found out today.”
Mia smirked. “Yes. God help me if I’d had to sit through a whole meal with Joy. This seems like a good way to maximize my time while still putting myself out there.”
“Good for you,” Lauren said.
Mia showed her a few more profiles, and Lauren’s cheeks flushed when she saw her own photo in Mia’s list of potential matches. Mia hadn’t commented on it—or removed it—so Lauren was just going to quietly enjoy that the app thought they made a nice couple.
Mia polished off her drink and gestured toward Lauren’s beer, which was almost empty too. “Want another? I’ll get this round.”
“Sure.” Lauren kept her stool near Mia’s, sipping her beer as Mia made her way to the counter. Lauren had never expected to find herself in this bar again, let alone sharing a table with Josie. As she gazed around the room, so warm and welcoming with twinkling fairy lights overhead and a variety of LGBTQIA flags displayed behind the bar, her eyes welled with tears of gratitude.
She would never forget Josie’s kindness or the trust Mia had placed in her. She’d been offered a second chance that not everyone was lucky enough to receive, and she would forever be thankful for it. With her income from the café and the market, she was able to afford the occasional night out like this one without having to dip into the money she was saving for an apartment of her own.
At the bar, Mia was talking to the woman standing beside her. As Lauren watched, Mia laughed, and the other woman brushed her hand against Mia’s. She was beautiful, with golden brown skin and curly black hair, and she was definitely flirting. Mia was flirting right back.
Lauren stared into what remained of her beer. She was glad Mia seemed to be making the most of her foray back into the dating world. This was good. This was what they both wanted, because once Mia found someone, Lauren would have to move on. But watching Mia flirt with someone else didn’t feel great. It made Lauren’s chest ache and a heaviness settle in her stomach.
When she looked back up, Mia and the woman at the bar were doing shots together. Lauren pulled out her phone to distract herself. She had a new comment on her latest fic, which made her smile. She missed writing. Since she’d come back to the city, she’d only written that one little fic. She also been editing her book, but she hadn’t spent nearly enough time on it.
Mia was accomplishing her goals, getting back into the dating world, and Lauren needed to do the same. She needed to do the legwork to become a published author. She’d decided on Lauren White as her pen name, a play on Sam’s last name Whitaker, in honor of the fictional character who’d inspired her to write in the first place.
Just when she’d started to wonder if she should head out and leave Mia to her own devices, a beer landed on the table in front of her, and she looked up to see Mia sliding onto the stool beside her with a fresh cocktail in hand. Her cheeks were flushed, and there was a happy sparkle in her eyes.
“You two seemed to be hitting it off,” Lauren commented. “I can make myself scarce if you want to keep talking to her.”
“She just left, actually, but…I got her number.” Mia grinned. “Her name’s Kat, and we’re going to meet here for a drink next weekend.”
“Look at you.” Lauren tapped her glass against Mia’s. “The ladies are lining up to date you. Kat’s gorgeous, and it sure didn’t look like you two were talking about finance.”
“We weren’t. I think I prefer connecting with people in person rather than online,” Mia mused as she sipped her Midnight in Manhattan. “Maybe I should come in here and hang out at the bar more often, see what happens.”
“Totally,” Lauren agreed.
“That was fun.” Mia was still smiling. There was a new confidence in her posture, as if tonight had eased her dating fears, and Lauren felt like she’d been punched in the gut.
“Now that you’re dating, just text me any time you want me to clear out of your apartment for the night.”
Mia’s eyes rounded. “Oh God, I’m nowhere near bringing any of these women home with me.”
“Well, whenever you are, just say the word, and I’ll crash at the hostel for a night.”
Mia’s cheeks were pink as she lifted her drink, taking a hearty gulp. “As much as I want to get laid, and believe me, Ido, it’s fucking intimidating to think about going home with someone new after being with the same woman for so long. I think I’m going to need to take it slow on that front.”
Lauren wasn’t sure what to say. She’d never had a relationship that lasted longer than a few months. She had no idea what it was like to be married, to come home to the same woman for eighteen years the way Mia had with Kristin. Certainly it must be daunting to start over after something like that.
“I miss it, though,” Mia said so quietly Lauren could barely hear her over the noise of the bar. “Not just sex, but intimacy, you know? Kissing, touching, waking up next to someone in the morning.”
“I bet,” Lauren said, trying not to notice the huskiness in Mia’s voice when she lowered it like that. Also, she was slurring a bit now. That shot seemed to be hitting her hard.
“This drink is really good.” Mia gazed into its opaque depths, and yep, she was definitely drunk.
Lauren sipped her beer, trying to think of a new conversation topic that didn’t involve dating or sex. Her phone chimed almost in unison with Mia’s, and they reached for them, their hands brushing in the process. Lauren saw a new message from their WhatsApp group chat.
Ashleigh: OMGGGGGGGGG did you see the new pic Piper posted? I AM DECEASED.
She followed the message with a flame emoji and a face with X’s for eyes. Lauren opened Twitter to find the photo in question. Piper had tweeted a selfie a few minutes ago, auburn hair billowing behind her as she stood on a beach. She wore a lowcut blue top that showed off her cleavage, andoof, she looked good. She was so gorgeous, Lauren forgot all about her infatuation with Mia for several precious seconds.
“Okay, I get it now,” Mia said as she stared at her phone, and Lauren could see the same photo of Piper on her screen. “I mean, I’ve always thought she was beautiful, but she seemed too young for me to be swooning over the way the rest of you do. But okay, I’m swooning.” She fanned her face dramatically.
