CHAPTER 4
REESE
Kiran held out his hand to Reese as they walked to the shop. His hand was warm in comparison to the cold air, and she gently swung their hands as their strides synced. He looked down at her and smiled and she couldn’t help but grin back at him.
“So who’s coming tonight?” she asked hopefully.
She didn’t want to admit to herself—or anyone else for that matter—but she hoped Jette was part of the group they were meeting up with at the tattoo shop.
They hadn’t talked since Jette’s birthday party and part of Reese wished they had exchanged numbers.
She didn’t have many friends in the neighborhood, hardly any in fact; and it would be nice to have a friend close by.
But another part of her was slightly relieved they hadn’t.
Jette was effortlessly confident and charming and Reese found herself thinking about Jette more than was probably appropriate.
They were practically strangers but Reese couldn’t help feeling drawn to her.
Her thoughts had drifted to Jette several times over the past few weeks.
She just wanted to talk to her again. It was all completely innocent, Reese reassured herself.
Sure, her late-night Instagram stalking had possibly crossed a line once or twice.
It was probably fine, a tiny voice piped in the back of her mind.
Reese had thoughts like this when she met new people before.
She dismissed it as innocuous curiosity.
Plus Jette had seemed curious about her too, hadn’t she?
Maybe she was just being polite the night of the party, but the entire encounter felt like it was on the verge of flirting, and Reese didn’t want to risk blurring any lines.
On second thought, maybe it was good that they couldn’t text all the time.
It certainly made it easier for Reese to keep a strict boundary as friends.
Kiran answered, “Well, Garrett definitely. And I think Carlos and some of the guys are going to meet us at the bar.”
Reese tried not to feel disappointed when she didn’t hear Jette’s name as a possibility. “Oh, okay, cool,” she said, trying to sound casual and lighthearted.
Kiran started telling her about a podcast he had listened to on the train as they continued the rest of the way.
When they turned the corner, Reese looked up to see the glossy black motorcycle parked on the sidewalk again.
Her pulse quickened and she felt pathetically hopeful until her train of thought was quickly derailed.
“Isn’t that wild?” Kiran asked incredulously. Shit. She hadn’t been paying attention.
“Yeah, wow, that’s totally wild,” she lied smoothly. Predictably, Kiran barely waited for a response before continuing.
They trudged up the stairs to the shop and opened the door.
Having never been in the shop except for the night of the party, Reese was surprised by how brightly it was lit inside.
Lots of framed artwork was hung on the walls.
Courtesy of the artists, she presumed. She casually scanned the room but didn’t see Jette anywhere.
Meanwhile, Garrett came up and clapped her on the back.
“Hiya Reese,” he said cheerfully, adjusting the brim of his baseball cap.
Her eyes involuntarily flinched and her back stung from Garrett’s hand. She looked up at him and smiled tensely, “Hey Garrett.”
Her eyes wandered around the room as she wondered if Jette had a client in her office—no, her station.
It would be weird to go back to say hi, right?
But Reese couldn’t seem to make her feet move from Kiran’s side.
She looked back to him and slowly snaked her arm around his waist, drawing him close.
He smiled down at her and immediately returned to his conversation with Garrett.
They teased each other back and forth, occasionally looking to Reese to agree with them.
But Reese’s focus drifted aimlessly around the studio.
The door chimed as it opened behind them.
“Is Jette in the back?” A voice asked from behind.
“Sure is. Go on back,” answered a heavily tattooed man propped against the counter.
Feeling ridiculous, Reese kicked herself for not asking the same question.
But as Reese turned to watch a very petite person in a dark green winter coat striding past her to the back hallway, she stayed put.
If Jette came out from the back, then it would seem totally coincidental that they happened to run into each other.
The conversation unfolding around the register felt like it was a different language. Player names, stats, records; it all went over Reese’s head, but she tried her best to keep up when Jette turned the corner with the stranger in the green coat.
“Oh shit, hey!” Jette sounded surprised to see her. Her signature black leather jacket hung off her shoulders and her ripped black jeans clung to her legs in a way that felt obscene.
Reese felt her face break into a wide smile as she said, “Hey! What’re you doing here?” Her voice sounded breathier than she intended.
Jette’s eyebrows came together in amused confusion as she answered, “I work here.” She laughed and gestured to Reese and Kiran as she asked, “What’re you doing here?” Reese’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Duh.
“We’re headed down to Thompson’s to watch the Sixers game,” Garrett chimed in. “I mentioned it to you earlier, didn’t I?” Reese’s eyes never left Jette as she nodded in agreement with Garrett.
“Hm,” Jette said casually, “I guess I forgot.” The stranger in the green coat subtly nudged Jette and looked pointedly at Kiran and Reese. “Oh, right,” Jette startled, “This is my friend, Emery. Emery, this is Reese and Kiran.”
Emery smiled and gave a small wave as a tint of pink flashed across his nose and cheeks. His eyes were almost an unnatural shade of blue, a startling contrast from his olive skin and jet black hair. He hesitated for a minute and then goofily extended his hand out to Kiran.
“Hey man, good to meet you,” he said in a husky voice.
“Same,” Kiran replied as they shook hands. Emery quickly turned and extended his hand to Reese.
“Nice to meet you, Emery,” Reese returned.
Jette nodded before sliding her hands into the pockets of her jeans and rocking on her heels.
Her apprehension felt so different from the confident woman that Reese had met just a few weeks ago.
Reese wanted to fill the silence, but suddenly couldn’t think of a single intelligent thing to say.
Kiran turned back to Garrett and chatted as he fiddled with the register at the front counter.
Emery noticed the uncomfortable silence and looked at Jette for help, who was very busy looking at her own feet.
“So,” he began, “You’re a basketball fan?”
Reese let out a silent sigh of relief as Emery made the first move to start up a conversation. “Not really. I was mainly going for the drinks,” she joked.
“Wow,” Emery teased. He looked at Jette and his voice softened as he remarked, “It’s amazing what some people will do for a drink, huh?” Reese agreed with a chuckle and Jette’s laughter mixed with hers as she shuffled her feet.
Jette and Emery slyly looked at each other at the same time.
The unspoken glance seemed to convey more words than Reese could interpret in the moment.
They looked at each other as though reading the other’s mind.
Jette reached up to adjust her messy ponytail and said, “We were actually headed to a bar too.” Her dark eyes met Reese’s and a small smirk settled on her lips before she teased, “There’s no basketball though. ”
Reese laughed tensely and Emery blurted out, “You should come with us! If you want to, I mean.”
“What bar?” Reese asked casually. The idea of sitting in a crowded sports bar pretending to watch a basketball game felt like a nightmare but she was really only going because Kiran wanted to.
She glanced at Kiran who was still preoccupied with Carlos and Garrett around the register.
If Kiran was going to talk and drink with the guys all night, she likely wouldn’t even be missed in the event she bailed.
“Lizzy’s,” Jette answered. “There’s a drag show tonight—”
“MY drag show,” Emery interrupted as he rolled his eyes playfully.
Jette rolled her eyes earnestly and exasperatedly agreed, “Yes, sorry. Emery’s drag show.”
Reese felt a twinge of excitement. It had been years since she’d been to a drag show at Lizzy’s. She shot him a look that was equal parts surprised and impressed.
Emery lolled his head to the side and pretended to flip long hair over his shoulder as he explained, “Wellllll…a couple of my friends and I put on a show there every other month. You should come! I mean yes, selfishly, I want more people in the audience. But Jette could use someone to sit with too.” He tossed a sidelong glance at Jette that went unreturned as her dark eyes were focused on Reese.
The direct eye contact felt heated in the drafty entryway around them.
Words caught in her throat and Reese instead opted for an excited nod.
Emery gave her a once over and added, “Lizzy’s is a gay bar.” He paused before continuing, “Just so you’re aware.”
“Well it’d be weird if a straight bar was hosting a drag show,” Reese teased, delighting in the way Emery snorted in response. “But yes, I’m very familiar with Lizzy’s,” she stated confidently, sending a smirk of her own.
Emery’s eyes lit up as he realized the implication. “Hold up, are you…” his voice trailed off before he found the right words. “One of us?” he continued.
Reese laughed and nodded as she looked at Jette. Her dark eyes were studying Kiran through impossibly long lashes. “Well, kinda,” Reese clarified, “I’m bi.”
“What do you mean kinda?” Emery asked. “If you’re bi, then you’re one of us, babe.”