8. Saturday Night’s All Right
Saturday Night’s All Right
C assie couldn’t stop the smile on her face as Alex stepped quickly in front of her and opened the door. Alex had done the same at the bar, but a dozen players had walked in before Cassie. This felt different. Personal. More like a date. It felt nice to be out with someone so thoughtful.
Smiling brightly, Cassie stepped through the doorway. “Why, thank you.”
It took a few seconds for Cassie’s eyes to adjust from the bright afternoon sun outside to the darkened interior. She paused a few steps inside, Alex stepping up next to her.
Cassie’s heart fluttered, reveling in the light pressure of Alex’s hand on the small of her back as they joined the line to get seated. It was still a little early for dinner, but the restaurant was brimming. The line in front of them was about a dozen deep, and the waiting area standing room only.
Realizing where they had placed their hand, Alex quickly dropped it from Cassie’s back and shoved it into their pocket. “I-it s-smells great in here.”
Missing a physical connection, Cassie leaned slightly against Alex’s shoulder. “I know, right? They make everything from scratch! It’s seriously the best—”
“CASSIEEE!” A loud, feminine voice cut through the din, drawing Cassie and Alex’s attention.
Suddenly, Cassie was encased in a hug, her face smooshed up against the soft skin of the woman’s ample cleavage. Giggling, Cassie squeezed back, both women swaying from side to side.
After a few moments, Cassie stepped back. “Maria, how have you been?”
“Me? Other than missing this beautiful face?” Maria asked, patting Cassie’s cheeks. “Life is good!” Maria smiled, eyes twinkling with joy before adopting a stern look, placing her hands on her hips. “And where have you been? I haven’t seen you in ages!”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry! I haven’t played for a while, and I don’t get over to this part of town much. Forgive me?” Cassie smiled demurely and fluttered her lashes.
Alex watched, fascinated, as both women suddenly burst out laughing, hugging again.
Breaking from the hug, Cassie turned to Alex. “Maria, this is my friend Alex. Alex, this is Maria. She owns this place.”
Stepping forward, Alex reached out their hand.
“Oh, no! Here, we hug!” Maria said, throwing her arms around Alex’s shoulders and pulling them in. “Cassie’s friends are my friends! ”
Alex chuckled when Maria released her hold. “It’s very nice to meet you, Maria.”
“Come, come.” Taking their hands, Maria pulled them past the waiting throngs despite Alex’s protests.
They continued deeper into the restaurant, through an archway on the other side of the bar.
Suddenly, the noise level dropped significantly, the space even darker despite several candles burning throughout.
Four large tables were taking up the majority of the space and several, two-person tables along the far walls.
Standing on the other side of Alex, Maria waved her hand across the room. “Sit anywhere you like.”
Cassie raised an eyebrow questioningly—it looked like Maria was whispering something in Alex’s ear.
But Cassie couldn’t hear anything and didn’t know for sure.
Alex blushed a little, their smile growing as they placed their hand on Cassie’s back and gently guided her to one of the small tables.
The one furthest away from the rest of the diners.
Stepping in front of Cassie, Alex pulled one of the chairs out for her. “Is this spot okay?”
Cassie was sure her blush was even brighter than Alex’s, but she flashed a huge smile, sitting down in the chair. “Thank you, again.”
Once they were both seated, Maria handed them each a menu. Leaning down toward Cassie, Maria whispered mischievously. “I like this friend much more. They are muy handsome.”
Chuckling, Cassie watched Alex drop their head to the table with a thunk. “Yeah. They really are.”
Giving Cassie a knowing wink, Maria patted Alex on the shoulder as she walked away. “A server will be right with you to take your drink orders. ”
Several seconds later, Alex slowly lifted their head. Looking around nervously, Alex bit their lower lip. “I feel a little guilty cutting in front of all those people.”
Cassie shrugged, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Actually, this space is reserved for friends and family.”
Before Alex could respond, the server appeared, placing a basket of chips and a large bowl of salsa in the center of the table. After placing their drink orders, Alex watched as Cassie practically vibrated with glee.
Cassie grabbed a chip, then nudged the basket a little closer to Alex. “Their chips are the best!”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Alex winked, reaching for a chip. “They’re warm!”
“Yup. They make them fresh all day long.” Scooping up some salsa, Cassie popped the entire thing in her mouth, moaning in delight.
“Th-they sound delicious.” Alex nearly choked, feeling their entire body heat up. That was a sound they needed to hear again. But preferably not in public.
Alex and Cassie continued to chat long after their empty plates had been collected.
Their margaritas had been replaced with water at some point, the rest of the tables in the secluded space cleared.
Tucked away from the bustling restaurant, the sounds of people talking, clinking utensils, and piped-in music became a low buzz in the background.
The warm glow of the candles and the soft gleam of the hanging lights cast delicate shadows across Cassie’s face, and Alex found themselves mesmerized by the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed.
Cassie couldn’t remember a time when a conversation had flowed so easily with someone she just met.
No awkward silences. No red flag warnings.
Alex was sweet and charming; shy and self-deprecating.
And so very, very sexy. Cassie followed the flush creeping up Alex’s cheeks, her smile building with another story of a young Alex’s antics.
Their little stutter when they were particularly excited or slightly nervous was doing things to Cassie’s insides.
At the end of their latest tale, Alex glanced around the empty space, their eyes eventually landing directly on Cassie. “Th-thanks for bringing me here. It’s definitely the best Mexican food I’ve ever eaten.”
Cassie smiled, thrumming her fingers on her belly. “I forgot how good the food is here.”
“When was the last time you were here?”
Sighing, Cassie nervously picked at the napkin still on her lap. “Probably, over a year ago?” The end of the sentence sounding more like a question than a statement.
Alex quickly widened at the unexpected answer. “Wow! That is a long time.”
“Yeah. I used to come a lot when I was playing hockey before. But I haven’t played for the last couple of seasons.”
“Why did you stop playing? Did you get hurt or something?” Concern laced Alex’s voice.
Cassie shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment. “No. Nothing like that. It’s just… my ex really hated me playing.”
“Oh.” Swallowing, Alex glanced down at the table. “I know how that feels. My ex hated it too.” Nodding, Alex continued, “Is that the friend Maria was talking about earlier?”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Maria wasn’t her biggest fan.”
“Oh. So you’re saying I had a really high bar to reach?”
Cassie’s cheek burned. “No. No! That’s not… Maria never really cared for…” Cassie paused, contemplating what she should say next. “ Her . But! She also doesn’t offer up compliments easily. So… actually… that was a pretty high bar you already surpassed. ”
Rubbing the back of their head, Alex could feel the heat trailing up their cheeks again. For the first time that evening, the silence started to stretch. Looking for something to occupy their hands, Alex picked up their phone for the first time since sitting down.
“Oh shit!” Alex mumbled, garnering Cassie’s full attention.
“Is everything okay?”
Looking up, Alex’s face scrunched awkwardly. “Y-yeah. It’s just…uh…after 10:30.”
Gasping lightly, Cassie picked up her own phone.” Damn, I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“My sister is going to kill me. She sent me like a hundred texts.” Alex held their phone up, mimicking a call. “Do you mind if I call her real quick?”
“No, of course not. Please.”
“ALEX!!” Alex squinted, pulling the phone from their ear. Their sister’s voice easily heard in the quiet space. “I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD OR DYING OR—”
“I know Trish, I’m sorry. W-we went out to celebrate our win. I lost track of time.” The words tumbled out of Alex’s mouth. “I just saw your texts.”
“Everyone is still hanging out? It’s been almost five hours! No one on your team had anything else to do on a Saturday night?” Tricia’s voice was still loud enough for Cassie to hear her side of the conversation, but she didn’t seem to be yelling anymore.
“No, not everyone. A-after the bar…” Alex shook their head. “I-I was hungry, so we—”
“OH MY GOD! You’re with her, aren’t you? The hot redhead—”
Standing quickly, Alex nearly knocked over their chair, hissing into their phone. “TRICIA!” Mouthing to Cassie, “Restroom”, they darted through the archway into the main part of the restaurant .
Several minutes later, Alex returned, grimacing as they settled back in their chair. “Sorry about that…”
“So that was your sister?” Cassie grinned, watching the heat climb up Alex’s face yet again. “Everything okay?”
“Oh… yeah. S-she just reminded me that we are having brunch with our parents tomorrow,” Alex replied, shrugging her shoulders.
“It is getting kind of late.” Standing, Cassie gestured vaguely in the direction Alex had just come from. “I’m just going to use the restroom before we leave.”
When Cassie returned a few minutes later, the server returned, handing the cheque to Alex. Cassie watched as Alex pulled out a few bills from the billfold, handing them back to the server with a soft “thank you.”
“Wait, you already paid?”
“Um…” Alex hemmed. “Y-yeah, I ran into them when I went to the restroom.”
“How much do I owe you?” Cassie asked, reaching for her purse.
“Nothing. I asked you…” Alex’s voice trailed off. Smiling, they added, “My treat.”
“But I invited you here.” Cassie tried to argue, but Alex just kept shaking their head.
“Okay, but it’s my treat next time.”
Alex smiled widely. “Deal!”
Cassie felt her smile matching Alex’s. “I know of a few other places I could introduce you to.”
“I’d love that, but I seriously cannot think of food right now. I might not eat for a week.”
“Well, we should probably get going,” Cassie said while gathering her things .
Standing up, Alex walked over to Cassie’s side of the table to assist with her chair. “Yeah. Probably a good idea.”
“Thanks again,” she smiled at them as they made their way through the restaurant and onto the street.
***
Outside, the air was cool and crisp. Alex placed their hand lightly on Cassie’s back at the same time a full-body shiver ran through her. Suddenly, the heat of Alex’s hand was gone, Cassie’s breath hitching.
“Here. Put this on.” The soft fabric of Alex’s blue flannel brushed across Cassie’s arms as they draped it around her. A slight scent of… something… filled Cassie’s senses. It felt familiar. Welcoming. But Cassie was sure she had never smelled it before. Whatever it was, it seemed inherently Alex.
They continued towards the rink parking lot in a bubble of companionable silence.
Although it was after 10:30 p.m., the sidewalks were bustling with the late-night crowd.
Every time they encountered a group of people, a slight warmth and pressure on her lower back would guide Cassie and then disappear.
Soon, the anticipation of Alex’s hand on her back would cause her heart to flutter.
Entering the parking lot, Cassie pointed toward the far end of the space. “I’m parked over near the wall.”
“Me too.”
The lights on the blue Subaru up ahead blinked in time to the chirping sound. “So,” Cassie paused, “this is me.”
Shrugging out of the flannel, Cassie turned to face Alex. “Thanks for letting me borrow this. ”
Alex smiled, reaching for the shirt. Their hand brushed softly over Cassie’s fingers, lingering slightly.
“So, your sister thinks I’m hot?” A shit-eating grin stretched across Cassie’s face. Her eyes twinkling, Alex’s cheeks flaming once again.
Although Cassie didn’t want to embarrass Alex, she couldn’t help herself. Her heart rate seemed to increase in parallel to the flush on Alex’s cheeks. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had such an immediate effect on her. It was addictive.
Pressing up on her toes, Cassie whispered in Alex’s ear, “Goodnight, Alex.” Turning, she brushed her lips across their cheek. She hadn’t meant for it to be a kiss, but the tingling sensation on her lips told a different story.