10. Chapter 10
“Iam going the speed limit. Promise!” Krystal assured Ceth after her peripheral vision caught Ceth clenching the fabric of her slacks in her fists for the second or third time since Krystal had started driving them into Blueville.
They were headed to one of the bars Maddox had recommended. Ceth’s posture was also painfully rigid as she stared out the window, and she’d hardly said more than two sentences the entire drive.
Ceth’s hands loosened immediately, and her body relaxed the slightest bit. “Oh, I know. You’re a great driver. It’s why that was always your job when we’d go places together.”
Krystal chuckled, remembering fondly when they’d drive from their shared converted apartment in Norman to Oklahoma City for concerts or museum trips on weekends when their school and workloads weren’t too heavy. “I thought it was because your blood pressure couldn’t take OKC traffic.”
“Nobody knows how to use their friggin’ turn signal!
I swear they might as well hang more of those godawful fuzzy dice on the lever since they clearly think they’re only there for decoration,” Ceth grumbled, jumping smack dab in the middle of one of the same complaints she often made eight years ago.
“Uh-oh. I probably shouldn’t have brought it up,” Krystal said with a fuller laugh.
She glanced at Ceth while they were stopped at a traffic light and paused as Ceth returned the look with quiet affection in her brown eyes.
They held the look for a few seconds too long before Krystal swallowed and returned her attention to the road.
“So if it’s not my driving, why do you seem so tense?” Krystal asked. “You’re not nervous about going to the bar for a conference conquest, are you? I thought that was your specialty.”
Krystal had meant the question to come off lightly, teasing even, but after the words left her mouth, she wondered if they’d sounded more accusatory.
Ceth’s body stiffened again even as she contradicted the movement by saying, “I’m not tense. And I’m not nervous about going to the bar.”
“Okay…good.” None of Ceth’s words had held the ring of conviction, but Krystal wasn’t going to push back. They really weren’t on those terms anymore, were they? “Then how about a few pointers for the newbie?”
“What?” Ceth’s tone was unusually high-pitched.
Krystal frowned out the windshield. “How about some tips for how to pick up somebody? With the people I dated before: Elgin, Blaine, Miri…it all happened organically. So, I’m not sure what I’m doing in this situation.”
Ceth muttered something under her breath that Krystal couldn’t catch, but she finally gave her head a small shake and softened her posture.
“It’s not that hard, really. Just find someone you like, if they don’t find you first, and then ask them to dance.
Or offer to buy them a drink. Once you get to talking, let them know you’re interested with your… body language.”
Krystal swallowed and cast a sideward glance toward Ceth, but Ceth was staring straight ahead.
Would Ceth like that? For Krystal to buy her a drink and show how into her she was with physical closeness?
Touching? A kiss? A real one this time. Not the interrupted-before-it-starts kind.
Nerves made Krystal’s palms sweat as she thought of it, but she was pretty sure it was excitement that was making her pulse kick up a few notches.
“O-okay. That doesn’t sound too bad. Thanks!”
Ceth only hummed and went back to staring out her window. She didn’t say another word until they pulled into the gravel parking lot of the Blueville Moonbeam bar.
The air had cooled some when they got out of the car and started crossing the lot, but there was still plenty of summer sunlight left to illuminate the bar’s small brick exterior and neon sign.
Muffled upbeat music drifted from the inside.
A man and woman in their late 20s stumbled out the door while kissing and hanging onto each other before tripping down the front steps past Krystal and Ceth.
Krystal started up the steps when a firm hand grasped her arm and tugged. “Krystal, wait!”
She stilled at the contact and let herself be pulled around to face Ceth’s grave expression.
As she did, Ceth relaxed her grip, but she didn’t let go.
Instead, she pulled Krystal a few inches closer, making her breath catch.
They were standing close enough for her to feel heat radiating from Ceth’s body and sense the rapid rise and fall of Ceth’s chest. Why was she breathing hard?
Ceth’s eyes searched her face. “You don’t really want to do this, do you?”
When she pulled her a half-inch closer, Krystal’s body hummed and she nearly closed her eyes to savor it.
But she met Ceth’s eyes instead. They seemed to be probing deep into her, seeking out her thoughts and emotions.
Then for a second, her gaze dropped to Krystal’s lips before flitting up again.
Krystal’s chest was tight, like a guitar string pulled too taut as she held her breath.
Her voice was nearly a whisper as she asked, “Can you give me a reason why I shouldn’t? ”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ceth whispered back.
This time Krystal was the one to look at Ceth’s soft lips. In fact, she couldn’t seem to look anywhere else.
Ceth’s body gave a jerk, making Krystal look up again. Ceth’s eyes widened, and she dropped Krystal’s arm so abruptly that Krystal nearly fell forward into her. Good thing she hadn’t, because Ceth took a step back at the same time.
“Because this isn’t you, Krystal!” Ceth bit her lip and paced around a few steps.
“Yeah, okay. I can see you getting carried away and doing something impulsive because you’re upset over your breakup, but hooking up with a stranger?
That’s so not you that it’s ridiculous! And I don’t want to see you get into a mess because you lost your head for a little bit and didn’t think about the consequences! ”
Krystal stared at Ceth, reeling from the whiplash. A second ago, they’d been standing so close that she’d been sure they were going to kiss, but clearly she’d been wrong because now Ceth was lecturing her about being impulsive and calling her ridiculous! Her face began to overheat.
She marched toward Ceth, her sandals only wobbling a little in the gravel. Her voice lifted high over the muffled music and the rumble of passing traffic. “You know what? Maybe this is me! How would you know?”
Ceth paused and stared at her, but Krystal didn’t give her a chance to react beyond that before she was stomping right into Ceth’s personal space.
“We haven’t seen each other in eight years, Ceth.
Who do you think you are after all this time preaching at me about being impulsive or getting into messes?
It doesn’t sound like you have the best track record of avoiding the messes yourself.
So maybe neither one of us knows each other very well anymore! ”
Ceth’s face paled, but her eyes remained fixed on Krystal’s. They stared at each other for several seconds. Krystal’s pulse was pounding, but she wasn’t sure if she was angrier at Ceth or at herself for still wanting to lean in and kiss Ceth even now.
Finally, Ceth broke eye contact first by looking down at the ground. She spoke in a quiet tone. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I was way out of line.”
Krystal blew out a breath, and Ceth looked up again. “Whatever you think is best for you is your business. I shouldn’t have butted in. And, if you can get past me being an asshole, I’m still happy to help.”
The ball of anger filling up Krystal slowly deflated. Ceth’s face was so full of regret and concern that she couldn’t have held onto it if she’d tried. “Don’t call yourself that. It’s not true. Most of the time.”
The last part brought a genuine smile to Ceth’s face. “Thanks.” Then she nodded toward the door of the bar. “So…ready to make a conquest?”