Alonso
The crowd from work was small, but all people I knew. P’s and Cues wasn’t a large place to begin with, so it always seemed cozy, and since it was just a mile away from the studio, it was convenient. I searched around for Piper. Not that I was looking for her, but she had said she would come.
Oh, who was I kidding? I was totally looking for her. I had nursed a crush on her back in college and it had returned full force after watching her interact with Maggie. A few months ago I swore I would never date someone from work, but Piper made me rethink that.
I watched Tyrell and Ashley groping each other in the corner booth. Ashley was a Savannah socialite who worked as a preschool teacher to keep herself from being bored and because her father said she had to have a job. They had been high school sweethearts who just found each other again recently. Now they were joined at the hip.
Pangs of jealousy hit me. I wasn’t jealous of Tyrell, not at all. Ashley was pretty, but so not my type. But I did feel that slam of jealousy over having someone to come home to at night. Someone to share my dreams with and someone to make Abuela’s mole sauce for.
I scanned the room again for Piper and saw her come from the restrooms with Maria. They laughed at something Maria had said and my breath stilled. The unbridled joy that broke out onto my face was automatic.
Piper Campbell radiated light.
Which could spell disaster for me. She didn’t look any different than she had at work, but she had removed her cardigan and her hair was swept off her face with a clip or something. But still, she simply shone from across the room. And I felt completely smitten.
The pair made a beeline for me and my pulse quickened. My mouth dried immediately and I struggled to swallow. This sensation was new to me. Sure, I had dated plenty in my life, but nobody had made me feel like this before - and we weren’t even dating.
“Hi, AO. You look happy to be off work tonight.” Maria smiled. She sidled up to me and batted her eyelashes.
I knew she was trying to be flirtatious, but I was in no way attracted to Maria. “Something in your eye, Maria?” Yes, it was a little mean, but I wasn’t going to let her think I was interested. Especially not with Piper standing next to her.
Straightening out, Maria ran her fingernail under her eyes. “Um, no. I got it.” A look of defeat came across her face. “I’ll be right back, Piper. Want a beer?”
Piper shook her head as she sat across from me. As Maria walked away to the bar, she spoke without looking my way. “Maria likes you. She asked me to invite you tonight.”
I took a long drink while I thought over what she said. I had picked up on Maria’s flirtations, but I didn’t realize she was actually interested. Or that she had asked Piper to invite me. Did that mean Piper had only mentioned it to me for her friend? “She’s a nice girl, but not my type.”
“You don’t date people from work.” It was a statement, not a question. Yet, based on her tone, Piper was definitely asking me for an answer.
I shook my head. “Not usually. But it’s not a rule. I would date the right person if she came along, regardless of where she works.” It had been a rule up until that exact moment. But I meant it when I said I could change the rules for the right person.
“But it’s not Maria.” Another statement.
With long black hair and a tiny, delicate body, Maria was beautiful. And she was a great coworker and a nice person, but none of it added up for me. I shook my head. “No. It’s not.”
I tried not to let the sly smile that crept onto Piper’s face encourage me. Was she glad Maria wasn’t my type? I thought about offering her what I did find to be my type. Long-legged, sassy women with eagle eyes and a knack for coaxing a story from complete strangers. That was my type.
A pool table opened up and I challenged Piper to a game. She eyed me. “What’s the wager?”
A date. The loser takes the winner on a date. Which meant that either way, I would still be the winner. But I chickened out when I opened my mouth. “Loser carries all the equipment for a week?”
“And...” She chewed her lip while she thought. “And buys lunch for the winner at least twice.” Her cheeks flushed at the addition.
I only nodded my acceptance. It was almost like a date, though we ate lunch on the road often enough. Perhaps we could have more wings and I could lick the sauce from her fingers again.
When it became apparent she would be whipping my tail, I bit back a laugh. With each shot, Piper grew more animated and the smack talk got livelier. I would happily buy her lunch every day to see that smile on her face more often.
Tyrell stood beside me as she sunk another ball into a corner pocket. “Man, you’re not even trying.”
I turned to him. “I am trying. She’s kicking my butt.”
He laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. “And you’re enjoying every minute, AO. I saw how you were looking at her earlier. Mr. I’m Never Settling Down. Mr. I’ll never date anyone from work.”
I steeled. “I like her, yes. But I’m not settling down and we’re not dating.”
“Yet.”
A chuckle came from my friend. “When you’re done getting your backside handed to you, come see me. Ashley has a story idea that’s actually pretty good.” He sauntered back to his table when I nodded in agreement.
When Piper beat me soundly, she whooped loud enough for everyone to hear. “You owe me, Alonso. Carry everything and two lunches this week. I am the pool master. Bow down to my pool prowess.”
“I’ve never seen you so cocky, Campbell. But I will bow to you, O Queen of the Pool Cue.” With that I bowed low, my hair flopping and almost touching the dingy bar floor. She curtsied and as I came back upright I noticed Maria look from me to Piper and back again.
At Tyrell’s table, I slid in across from the lovebirds. “Ashley, you look great as always.”
The bombshell beamed and blew me a kiss. I knew better than to read anything into it, the girl was a flirt. “You are the sweetest thing.” She ran a manicured finger over Tyrell’s cheek.
“What’s the story idea, T?” I wasn’t too interested in watching their table groping.
Ashley came to attention then. “Oh, that was my idea. I hired a professional bridesmaid to help me with the wedding. I thought it was a great story idea. Have you ever heard of a professional bridesmaid before?”
Professional bridesmaid? That was a thing? I scratched my chin. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of one, but I’m not up on wedding stuff. Let’s see if Piper has heard of it.”
I caught her attention and she came over to us. Piper slid into the booth next to me, her bare thigh touching my hand. I quickly retracted it, but I didn’t move over more. I liked her close to me.
“Ever heard of a professional bridesmaid?” I raised an eyebrow in her direction.
“No. They have professionals now? Aren’t you supposed to have friends be bridesmaids?” Ashley wasn’t offended by the remark, thankfully, but that did raise a great question.
We talked for a few minutes and Piper got the contact info for Ashley’s professional. The whole time I could only concentrate on the fact that Piper’s long, toned leg was firmly pressed against mine and I had the desire to place my hand on it to see if I would feel that spark I had felt the last time we had touched. I refrained, keeping my hands on the tabletop and feeling like a fool the entire time.
Maria left early, which was a relief because she was reading far too much into the unspoken words between Piper and me. Tyrell and Ashley also left because Ashley needed her beauty rest. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of her beauty was applied with a sponge. A few others from the office lingered, but I wasn’t close with them. Piper moved her things over to my table and sat across from me sipping on a tea.
My thoughts turned to the night of her birthday when we had licked the sauce from each other’s fingers. I kept my eyes trained on the slender digits “Are you hungry?”
“Hungry? No. We ate an hour ago, Alonso. Didn’t you get something?” She tilted her head to the side.
Of course I had ordered something. A huge burger. And I had eaten every bite. I wasn’t hungry, I just wanted to have that experience again.
I snapped out of my trance. “Of course, yes. You know me, always hungry.” I rubbed my stomach.
Piper tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear with a slender finger. “You know, I could go for more of that chocolate cake if they have any. Where’s Pinky the waitress?”
With another slab of cake between us and two forks, we laughed as we fought over the large swirl of chocolate buttercream sitting in the middle of the cake. She may have won the pool game, but I wasn’t giving up on an extra dose of sugar. Much to her disappointment, I won that battle and scooped up the icing. As I licked it off my fork, I offered her the leftovers. She made a face, sticking out her tongue, and I did my best not to lean across the table and kiss her.
That night I tossed and turned as I tried to fall asleep. Piper’s radiant smile appeared every time I closed my eyes. Which made my heart beat faster. Which kept me awake longer. But when I finally fell asleep, she filled my dreams as well.
I dreamed that her long legs were intertwined with mine and she had one of her signature cardigans draped over her shoulders like a 1950s schoolgirl. We ate sauce-laden wings and after she went to lick the sauce from my fingers, she kissed it off my lips. I wanted to smear more sauce on my mouth so she would keep kissing me.
Suddenly, we were reporting on a story about playing pool and the dangers of it, how it made people fall in love. Piper looked into the camera and said many men had fallen for women who had beat them in a game of pool. Shaking my head, I said I wasn’t in love and Maria showed up and disagreed with me. She said I was in love with Piper and not her and that I should have played pool with her instead. Finally, I explained that I didn’t love Piper because she had beat me at pool, but because she was the most amazing human being I had ever met.
Then, in the dream, I got down on one knee and professed my undying love for the world to see and asked Piper Campbell to marry me. All while Tyrell held the camera and Karry and Sam reported the whole thing live.
The only thought in my head as I woke up drenched in sweat: I love Piper Campbell.