You’ve got something on your lip there
Thirty-One
YOU’VE GOT SOMETHING ON YOUR LIP THERE
Liv
“You look so good! Luke will just die when he sees you.”
Viv emerges from her room, ready for trivia night wearing wide-leg pants that hang low on her hips and a cropped tank top.
My dress—the dress—is a cream linen summer dress with a deep v-neck and laced scalloped hem.
It shows off just enough cleavage to be sexy without being too much for trivia night.
The sleeves, which flare out at the elbow, are made of the same lace.
I’ve cinched the waist with a brown belt that has a large gold buckle.
And the skirt, lined along the bottom with the same scalloped lacing, hits mid-thigh.
The moment Rachel and Viv saw it on the rack, it was a done deal.
This dress was going to be mine. They didn’t have to twist my arm.
I pull my sunglasses from my crossbody purse and push my hair back, using the sunglasses as a headband.
“Let's do this.”
The Tavern looks to be near its max capacity with tables pushed together to accommodate larger groups.
“Viv! Liv!” I hear a voice yell from somewhere in the sea of trivia winner hopefuls. Rachel’s hand shoots up into the air gesturing wildly. “Over here!”
We wander through the tables, my eyes catching Luke’s. His gaze lingers on me as we move closer, his eyes sweeping from my face down my body. My cheeks flame under the heat of his stare.
Josh hops out of his chair. “Looking good, girls!”
Luke stands with him, pulling chairs out for us. As I climb up into the high-top chair, Luke’s fingers graze the exposed skin on my neck so lightly I almost question if I imagined it. If the goosebumps racing across my skin are any sign, I didn’t.
“Ladies, this is my guy, Jimmy. Jimmy, this is Liv and Viv,” Rachel introduces us.
“Liv and Viv? That rhymes.” Jimmy sends us a quick nod of hello.
Fran wanders past our table on her way to the bar, stopping when she sees me. She says hi to the crowd around the table and drapes her arm over my shoulder.
“Did you get the book I left you?” she asks, then leans in a little closer, cupping her hand around her mouth. “Read it when you’re alone. Trust me.” She elbows me and winks.
“Haven’t started it yet. I’m nearly done with my last book and will start it soon, I promise!”
“Oh, hunny. You need to pick up the pace! I have a stack of books waiting for you, and it’s only growing taller.
Get a move on so we can chat about who’s the hotter book boyfriend, would ya?
” She swats me on the shoulder. “I’m getting a beer.
Start that book! I need someone to chat about it with. Too-de-loo!” She waves.
The table collectively calls, “Bye Fran!” and we watch her throw her hand up in the crowd in a backward wave.
“So, what’s our trivia team name?” I ask.
“We’re thinking, The Reign Terminators because Joanie’s team has been winning for like… forever,” Josh says.
“That’s an awful name,” Viv responds, reaching for the pitcher of beer and a glass that Rachel just returned with.
“What? No, it’s not,” Josh says.
“Mmm, yes, it is,” Viv retorts.
Josh looks around the table, but no one is looking his way. In fact, we’re all looking somewhere else. Rachel is inspecting Jimmy’s face, while he inspects the bubbles rising in his beer glass. Luke seems concerned about the structure of the ceiling.
“Damn, guys. Tell me how you really feel,” Josh grumbles into his beer.
“It’s terrible.”
“We never really agreed on that name.”
“The Reign Terminators? C’mon, man.”
“I didn’t actually want you to tell me how you really feel! Fuck off, all of you.”
Luke throws his arm over Josh’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Joshy, we still love ya, even if your trivia name is shit.”
“How about the name Misfit Dethroners?” Viv offers.
“Babe, no,” Rachel responds, sending the rest of the table into a fit of laughter.
“Let’s go with MCSM. Stands for Maple Cove Sitcom Masters?” I suggest.
“I like it,” Luke says, eyes trained on me.
“Ohh,” Josh says, eyebrows raised. Viv, sitting beside him, nods.
“Works for me,” Rachel says.
Name intact and submitted to the trivia announcer, Jimmy returns with the answer card.
Let the games begin.
“Who said it? Question two: the phrase ‘We were on a break!’ was said by which sitcom character?” The announcer booms over the microphone.
“Ross Geller!” Viv whisper-shouts, leaning heavily into the middle of the table.
“Are you sure? I thought maybe it was the How I Met Your Mother guy,” Josh argues.
“Do not test me, Josh. I’m here to win! Answers like that are why you lose.”
Josh leans back, eyebrows raised, and then tilts his head toward mine.
“Is she always like this?”
“Viv can be very competitive. Don’t take it personally.”
I catch Luke’s stare from across the table. A smile graces his lips as he watches the chaos unfold. His eyes never leave mine as I lift my beer to my mouth, the foam left behind sitting on my lip.
“You’ve got something on your lip there.
” He smirks and reaches across the table, swiping his thumb across my lower lip at an excruciatingly slow pace.
The motion is undeniably sensual. He brings his thumb to his mouth, clearing it of the beer he wiped from my face.
I inhale sharply, my thoughts clouded with memories of his mouth on mine.
I bite my lip. Luke tracks the motion, eyes darkening.
“All better,” he mumbles, his voice deep and gravelly, the sound sending my blood buzzing.
I release my breath, chest caving in. “Thanks.”
After the first two rounds, we’re tied with Joanie’s team, The Queen’s Reign.
“Last question for round three, and then we’ll take a brief break to tally the scores and refill those drinks!
Here we go: Sitcom Theme Songs. Listen carefully to the theme song clip.
Then, name the show and provide both the year it premiered and the year it ended.
You can earn up to three total points for this question. ”
The crowd inside The Tavern hushes as the theme song rings out across the speakers.
“Okay, well, that’s Family Matters, obviously,” Viv announces proudly.
“Obviously,” we all agree, waiting for her to answer the rest of it, but Viv is curiously silent.
“Wait, wait, wait, hang on a second. You don’t know when it aired or ended?” Josh scrutinizes Viv, who is looking down into her glass. He rubs his hands together as if ready to throw an answer into the game.
“I’m pretty sure it ended in 1999,” Rachel adds.
“Are you sure? I thought it was 1997,” Jimmy says, draping an arm around his fiancée’s shoulder.
“I think Rachel is right. 1999,” Josh adds.
“It premiered in 1989 and ended in 1998,” Luke says very matter-of-factly. There’s no sign that he’s unsure. In fact, he seems confident.
“Are you sure?” Viv asks, skeptical of the guy who’s said very little this whole round.
“Positive.”
“How do you know?” I ask, curious to gather a little more information from the man who seems to know so much more about me than I do about him.
“It was my dad’s favorite show.” And that’s all he says about it, like it's answer enough, and to the rest of the table it seems to be.
A pang of jealousy washes through me wondering what it might be like to know your parents well enough to say something with such confidence.
All I’ve ever been able to say with confidence is that I wasn’t wanted—I was left behind by the people who brought me into this world, to be raised by my grandparents.
I swallow the feelings that attempt to disarm me and refocus my attention on the group.
Rachel writes the answer and hands the card to Jimmy, who walks it up to the announcer.
“Well, that was exciting. I’m gonna get a refill.” Josh grabs the empty beer pitcher and wiggles out of his seat at the high-top table.
“I’m going to run to the bathroom,” I say, scooting out of my chair.