Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
MAX
I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous in front of a woman I’ve already fucked. Not even running into her in DC or seeing her at Isla’s surprise party compares to tonight.
My stomach is in so many knots that I’m not able to eat before our date, and my iced coffee is sitting half-full, condensation pooling on my counter.
I pour it down the sink and try to calm myself down.
I don’t know why I am so nervous. It isn’t like this is my first date.
But it is my first date with Cari, and knowing how badly I’d fucked it up in the past hangs over my head.
I leave my apartment with plenty of time to grab flowers from the bodega around the corner and get to her place by six.
I text her that I’m here, and wait for her to come down.
It ends up being a little counterproductive since she has to go back up once she sees the flowers.
But I didn’t want her to think I was looking for a reason to go upstairs.
It’s late February, so I am freezing my ass off, but it was worth it.
“Ready?” I look at Cari, and she’s wearing a black belted coat, a green hat, and matching gloves.
“Yes, subway?” she asks, and I nod.
We make small talk, bringing up the snow and how it hasn’t been too bad yet this year.
Real New Yorkers knew that winter might be over in the next few weeks, or it could be more horrible snowstorms until mid-April.
You never know what you’re getting, and neither of us trusts the groundhog’s predictions.
I wish I weren’t so nervous, but it’s my own fault getting in my head about this going well. It’s sort of like this is my one last shot to make this work. No pressure, though.
“This place looks so cool,” Cari says as we make it inside the bowling alley.
I’d stumbled upon it a few times while walking the neighborhood, thinking it might be a cool place for a photoshoot.
On the outside, you might miss it, just a small sign that says ‘Split Happens’ on the awning above the window.
But inside, the whole place looks like a vintage bowling alley.
With all the old machines and neon colors.
There’s a huge lit neon sign that says ‘BOWL’ and all the lanes are wooden with bright colored accents. There’s a bar at one end, and an arcade at the other. I can see it has Pac-Man which is a win in my book.
“It’s my first time actually bowling here. I’ve always thought it would be a cool place to shoot.”
“Oh, my goodness! I was just thinking this place would be so fun for Ellie’s designs, but doing a video campaign?
! It would be so cool. Remind me to ask for the owner’s number,” Cari says as she takes a few pictures on her iPhone.
It’s nice talking to someone who understands how my creative side works.
We grab a pair of bowling shoes, and I pay for three games from a goth chick who is doodling in a sketch book.
We get to lane number eight and Cari takes her jacket off, draping it over one of the chairs.
She bends over and I check out her ass, the dark wash jeans stretching over her backside, and I internally groan.
An image of her naked ass sitting over my face appears instinctively.
That isn’t what I want to be thinking about right now.
I am trying to be good, but then she turns around, and she’s wearing this green crop top that shows off her stomach and tits.
Is she teasing me on purpose? No, this was how Cari always dressed.
It just never killed me before because I was able to touch her whenever I wanted.
“You good?” Cari asks, sitting down to put on her bowling shoes. She glances up at me, and I can see down her shirt, the white lace of her bra peeking out.
“Yup.” I blush.
This is the opposite of what I wanted. I need to shut this thought pattern down real quick; it isn’t my fault, I haven’t been laid in months. I want to see if there is something more than sex with Cari; it isn’t my fault she is so fucking hot.
I take off my coat and sit down to put on my shoes as Cari types our names into the ancient screen.
“Thank goodness our names are short.” Cari smiles.
“Aspen usually is ‘Ass,’ since her name never fits.” I laugh.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been bowling with River.” Cari frowns.
“How is that possible? You’ve been friends almost as long as you’ve been alive.”
“I know. I’m going to drag her bowling this week. I can’t have you and Aspen out friending us,” Cari jokes.
“Get out of here.” I laugh. Cari picks up a pink bowling ball and walks up to the line, and tosses her ball a little too hard, gathering the attention of those in the lanes next to us.
“Is it possible you haven’t bowled in your life?” I ask quietly.
Cari opens her mouth to protest, “Okay, fine, I’ve never been bowling. I didn’t think it would make that loud a sound.”
“It’s not supposed to,” I tease. “Can I help?”
“Is this some ploy to touch me?” She purses her lips and raises an eyebrow.
“No, it’s an added bonus. But you can’t bowl like that, you’re going to break the bowling ball.”
Cari’s the one to touch me first, playfully shoving my shoulder. “That’s not possible!”
“Uh, yes it is.” I pick up the ball she used, back from the gutter.
“Okay, fine, show me what to do.” Cari pouts. Her sparkly lips glisten in the neon lights.
“First of all, you never want to throw it in the air. It’s not that kind of sport. But you want to stop about a few feet back from the black line and lift your arm back, then pull forward quickly and release the ball,” I explain, showing her what to do without actually doing it.
“Okay, I think I got it.” I hand her the ball and step out of the way.
She swings her arm back and accidentally lets go of the ball, tossing it back toward our stuff.
She gasps, using her hands to cover her mouth, and then begins hysterical laughing.
I grab the ball for her, grateful she didn’t hit anyone, and attempt to show her again.
This time, I put my hand over hers while I stand behind her to show her.
I’ll admit it is nice being this close to her again, but that wasn’t the intent.
I thought everyone knew how to bowl, apparently it isn’t as common a skill as I assumed.
I step even further out of the way this time and she manages to do it right.
The ball slides down the middle and knocks over six pins.
“Oh my gosh! I did it!” She jumps up cheering.
“You did!” We high five even though I want to kiss her.
For a while, we go back and forth with me winning the first two games.
We stop to eat before we play the third game, grabbing food from the snack bar.
It isn’t what I had planned, but Cari and I have been smelling the chicken fingers for the last two hours, and our stomachs are rumbling.
Cari tries to pay but I insist on covering everything.
We grab sodas instead of beer and share an order of cheese fries.
The alley starts to pick up a bit around eight, the younger crowd coming in.
“Is it possible we’re old?” Cari asks.
“Speak for yourself please.” I gasp, grabbing a double fry.
“I’m serious! These are college kids, but they look like children. How is that possible?” Cari asks, looking around. I hate to admit it, but she was right. Why do I suddenly feel a hundred?
“I can’t imagine starting my night right now. I’m almost ready for bed,” I admit.
“Now who’s getting old?” Cari laughs. “I could go all night if I didn’t have work tomorrow.”
“Mmm, I remember just last year you were someone dancing all night long at a club with me. Then chugging a Red Bull and going to a brand meeting.”
“Yes, and I’m definitely not that person anymore,” Cari says proudly.
“I like this version of you,” I admit. Cari smiles, and I notice the cheese sauce on her chin. Instinctively, I reach forward, wipe it off with my thumb, and lick it clean. Cari blushes, and I clear my throat, realizing what I’ve done. Way to take it slow.
“Sorry,” I mumble.
“No worries.” Cari takes a sip of her soda, looking away.
“Back to the game?” I ask. Our food was mostly done, and we could still play and eat.
Cari nods and reapplies her lipgloss while I take my turn. I’m happy for the distance because I know I should not be watching her lips like that.
She wins the last game, and I claim she has beginner’s luck, but I know it’s because I’ve been distracted. All I want to do is kiss her, run my hands through her beautiful blonde hair, and taste those cherry lips. It’s making it impossible to focus on bowling.
Even though the alley is ten minutes from my apartment, I still take her home. It feels like the romantic thing to do, and the smile on her face makes it worth it. I try not to think about how many times she’s walked or Uber’d home alone from my place.
We’re standing outside her front door, and she’s staring at my lips the way I’ve been glancing at hers. I know she wants to kiss me. I could always tell when she wanted to. She has this tell where she bites down on her bottom lip before looking me directly in the eyes.
Cari purses her lips, and I’m like an alcoholic looking at a bottle of liquor. All I want to do is press my lips to hers and taste that cherry lipgloss, but I know I can’t.
The desire is too strong, and that just tells me even more that I need to wait.
If I fuck it up with her after one date, I won’t forgive myself.
I’ve never had so much fun with someone besides Aspen.
It was nice getting to know Cari, this new version of her.
She’s still looking at my lips, so I take her hand.
I can’t kiss her tonight, but I know how Cari thinks.
So I know I have to say something so she doesn’t worry it’s her, or that I don’t want to.
“I think if I kissed you right now, I wouldn’t know how to stop. And to see if this can be something, I need us to wait,” I say.
Cari’s eyes widen as she pulls back slightly, clearly shocked by my words. I don’t blame her. The first time we met, I had her naked within the hour. And as much as I want that, I don’t want this to be some short-term fling, so I know I need to hold off. At least for now.
“I understand,” Cari says.
“Trust me, I want to. Fuck, do I want to, but it’s really not a good idea yet,” I admit.
Cari laughs. “It’s okay. You’re right, it’s probably smart for us to take this slow.”
“Can I see you again?” I ask hopefully.
“Yeah, I’d like that. Are you free on Saturday?” she asks. And just like that, the butterflies in my stomach I’ve spent so long trying to kill are back and thriving.