6. The Bar Is in Hell
The Bar Is in Hell
I stared at my phone while I sat in my towel on the bed.
I couldn’t believe that I actually ran into Spencer again, and that he asked me out too.
The logical side of my brain knew I probably should’ve said no or at least waited till I knew we could do this with no repercussions from work, but the other side threw all caution to the wind and said why the hell not.
Besides, we were getting dinner as friends.
New friends who had just met each other.
Friends get dinner all the time, so it was totally acceptable.
Right?
Shaking my head to expel some of the anxious energy, I headed into my closet to throw on a comfy lounge set. Excitement and nerves flooded my system as I thought about all my possible outfit options and how tonight would go.
I hadn’t been on a date where I was this excited in a long time.
Even in my previous relationship, the dates were never anything I truly wanted to do or enjoyed.
It was always places he wanted to go to and activities he wanted to do.
I wouldn’t have even cared to do those things, but he made it so miserable the entire time.
Cameron would argue if I suggested anything he wouldn’t like to do.
He’d pout and make comments about how bored he was or how bad the food was.
Anything he could bitch about, he did. Eventually, I gave up making suggestions and sucked it up and shoved my frustrations deep down.
Spencer seemed different and like he genuinely cared and wanted to try.
Even if I told him this was strictly platonic.
He was already doing more by simply asking me if I had preferences.
It only took a few seconds to send someone a text asking such a simple question, but by him doing so, it felt monumental to me.
“Sheesh, the bar for men is basically in hell, isn’t it, Dolly?
” She cocked her head at me like she’s known this and I’m the one now figuring it out.
My stomach was in knots and probably would remain that way until tonight.
It was still pretty early in the day, so I made myself some lunch and curled up on the couch with Dolly.
Deciding to turn on some HGTV reruns and scroll my phone to kill the time and relax.
Once four o’clock came around, I decided to crawl out of the hole on my couch and start getting ready.
Even though I knew it wouldn’t stay for long because of the ever-so-lovely humidity, I added a few loose curls to my hair and started working on my makeup.
I decided to go with a lighter smoky eye with a little winged liner and a mauve lip.
With one final glance in the mirror, I got up, headed into my walk-in closet, and started to sort through all my clothes.
I needed to pick something that I wouldn’t sweat everywhere, but still felt comfortable and confident in too.
“Hmm, let's see what we have,” I said to myself as I thumbed through everything and pulled pieces out to see if anything sparked my interest. The pile of clothes accumulating on my floor from all the discarded options was concerning and probably a sign that I should go through things to donate.
I finally landed on a black skirt that hit mid-thigh with this lace tank top tucked into it, and a pair of strappy sandals. Grabbing my favorite coconut lotion, I applied another layer and then topped it with the matching spray. It smelled like summer in a bottle.
Looking through my jewelry, I landed on some cute gold hoops, the beautiful tennis bracelet my mama got me when I graduated, and lastly, the delicate gold chain necklace with a small pearl pendant my granny left me when she passed.
“Damn, I look fine as hell right now.” I giggled as I snapped a couple of pictures to send to Emma for her approval too.
I wanted to make sure I wasn’t too overdressed.
She quickly texted me back, letting me know that I was hot as sin and that I had the best boobs she’s ever seen.
This outfit showed off some of my tattoos and allowed some others to peek through too.
I checked my phone for the time—six forty-five p.m., so I still had a few minutes to kill. I touched up a couple of curls that had already fallen and then let Dolly out. While waiting for her to get done, I heard a knock at the door.
“Huh? It’s only six fifty, is he here already?
” Pulling up my front door camera, I checked it was him before opening the door.
Although my neighborhood was safe, I took every precaution a woman should when living on her own, like having a camera and a baseball bat tucked near the door.
“Oh, he is. One second!” I hollered while I tried to get Dolly back inside, but of course, now was the time she wanted to not listen and get the zoomies.
Cursing to myself, I left the back door open and went to let Spencer in.
When I opened the door, he was facing away from me, looking over the front yard.
He had on a long-sleeved black shirt with a crisp, folded collar stretched tightly against his back and broad shoulders, and pants that clung to his legs.
I’d never checked a man's ass out before, but I couldn’t help it.
He had a really fucking nice bubble butt.
“Hi,” I said sheepishly. He turned around, and my knees threatened to buckle.
His deep chocolate brown hair was still slightly damp on top, causing his curls to hang down slightly above his glasses.
Slowly drinking him in from head to toe, my heart skipped a few beats while I did.
His shirt sleeves were rolled up, showing off his muscular forearms, revealing the sleeves taut against his biceps.
“Hi there. These are for you.” Smiling as he handed me the beautiful bouquet of daisies in his hands, and those panty-dropping dimples on full display.
“Wow, they're gorgeous, thank you so much. Here, why don’t you come in? I’ll go ahead and put them in a vase. I have to get Dolly in. She’s being incredibly stubborn right now.”
“Thank you, who’s Dolly?” he asked at the same time Dolly came barreling through the back door and barking as loud as she could.
“That little raptor right there would be Dolly. I’m so sorry, she’s hesitant with new people being in her home. Come on, girl, please stop.” I pleaded with her.
“It’s her home, and she just wants to protect it,” he said as he slowly dropped into a crouch.
“Isn’t that right, pretty girl? You want to keep your mama here safe, huh?
” He slowly stuck his hand out and kept as still as possible, waiting for her to come to him.
He wasn’t phased in the slightest by her barking while I was on fire from embarrassment.
Having a reactive dog was frustrating on so many levels at times.
One, because it made me feel like I did something wrong, and two, because I felt bad for her.
I wanted her to have a fulfilled life, and it felt like I failed her at times when she couldn’t do things other dogs did.
Dolly slowly crept toward him and started sniffing his hand, then his shoes and legs.
She seemed satisfied with her explorations because she launched herself at him full speed.
Clearly, she trusted him because she was trying to give him kisses and get pets from him too.
We’ll take that as the first green flag.
“There’s a good girl,” he said while he scratched behind her ear. Hearing him say good girl did something to my insides, and I don’t think I was prepared to explore that yet.
“Well, she certainly does like you. She’s never warmed up to someone that quickly.
” I laughed as he stood back up and walked over to me.
I couldn’t help but breathe in the cologne he was wearing.
It smelled clean but had a masculine scent—something citrusy, and woodsy, maybe?
I’m not a lumberjack, so I wasn’t sure, but either way, he smelled delicious.
“Dogs are incredibly smart animals, and they’re excellent judges of character.
Better than most humans. Studies have shown that most can detect a person who’s untrustworthy before we can.
I’m sorry, I’m rambling, aren’t I?” Spencer looked away, but I could see the sheepish look on his face as he toed the ground with his shoe.
“No, it’s okay! That’s interesting. I mean, I’ve heard of studies where some untrained dogs could sense cancer in their owners, and some even knew when the woman was pregnant before she did.
They really are smart.” I headed to the cabinet below the sink and pulled out the giant mason jar I used as a vase.
While it filled up, I snipped the ends of the flowers before mixing in the plant food and gently arranging them in the jar. “Voila! They’re perfect.”
“Yes, you are,” he said as he stepped closer to me, gently stretching his fingers out to trail them down my arm and grab my hand.
I slid my hand into his, and he pulled it up to his mouth and gently kissed it.
“You look absolutely stunning, Allie,” he said as he lifted my hand above my head and slowly twirled me around, his eyes slowly raking up and down my body, taking every inch of me in and causing my skin to flush under his gaze.
“Thank you, so do you, and thank you again for the flowers. They're beautiful. I have Dolly already situated. If you’re ready to go?”
“After you, then, sweetheart.” Fuck I liked how that sounded a little too much for someone who needed to stay solely in the friend box right now.
We walked out into the warm night, the evening breeze making the limbs of the willow in the yard sway.
It sent the smell of freshly mowed grass, flowers, and a summer storm brewing through the air.
Spencer quickly stepped in front of me so he could open the passenger door.
I slid into his front seat and buckled up.
The first thing I noticed was how clean his car was and how good it smelled too.
I’m pretty sure his car was cleaner than mine, actually.
Green flag number two.
Spencer jogged around the front of his car and then quickly slid in and buckled.
“Ready to go?” He asked as he started the car and turned the air conditioning on. Music filtered through the speakers lightly, but I could swear it was Fall Out Boy. I’d know them even in my sleep.
“Yep, all ready! Is that Fall Out Boy playing?”
“Oh yeah, it is, maybe it’s lame, but I still love them, even all these years later.” He chuckled, and I could’ve sworn I saw a faint blush spread across his face.
“No, that isn’t lame at all! They’re actually my favorite band. I have a couple of matching tattoos for them with Emma because we bonded over them, and we’ve seen them live three times now!” I turned to face him a little more as I talked.
“No way, really? You’ll have to show me the tattoos sometime. I haven’t seen them live but would love to.”
“It was seriously some of the most fun we’d ever had.
The crowd was so energetic. They’re absolutely amazing.
We even got to do this VIP thing they had, which was so cool.
We were so exhausted the following days, but it was so worth it.
” I hadn’t realized how loud I was being until I noticed how quiet Spencer was because I was so excited.
“Sorry about that, I sometimes get louder and louder and don’t realize it.
I know it’s obnoxious.” I rubbed my hands together in my lap and hung my head, turning back to face the windshield.
“No, don't apologize, it's cute seeing you talk about something you’re passionate about. I like it.” He rested his hand on the middle console near mine, his pinky grazing mine. The small touch electrified me, and all I wanted to do was have his hand in mine.
We continued to listen to music and chatted off and on till we arrived at the restaurant, which was a very upscale spot nestled in the downtown area of Rosemary Ridge.
“I hope this was okay? I looked around but kept overthinking every place because I wanted it to be perfect.” Spencer asked me while we were looking for a parking spot.
“This looks good! I’ve only been here a couple of times before.” I said back as I swiveled my head around, helping him look for a spot.
“The last time I lived here, this place wasn’t here, so it’s new for me.” Spencer parked the car, but as I unbuckled and moved toward the door, he said. “Wait a second,” before hopping out, running around the front of the car, and opening my door for me.
“Handsome and a gentleman, how did I get so lucky?” I smirked as he took my hand and helped me out, and pulled me closer to him as he closed the door. I could feel my heart stumble over itself as I looked into his eyes. God, they were the most stunning stormy blue eyes I’d ever seen.
“So you think I’m handsome?” He grinned so broadly, those dimples fully on display, and his eyes sparkled with amusement.
I rolled my eyes at him and scoffed. “Oh, please don’t tell me you’re full of yourself. You can’t be hot and full of yourself.”
“So it’s hot now, huh?” I didn’t think he could grin any harder.
“Oh my god, I’m gonna walk away now before I embarrass myself anymore and before your ego grows anymore. Let's head inside.”
He grabbed my chin between his fingers and tilted my head slightly toward him, preventing me from moving. We were so close that if I moved any further, our lips would touch. Friends’ lips could touch, right? That could be totally platonic.
“This is just basic manners and actions anyone should do for their partner. The bare minimum that you should never have to ask for, and they automatically do. Come on, let's go ahead and get inside, sweetheart.”
I swallowed, my mouth dry and suddenly at a loss for words. I nodded my head and turned with him, letting him lead me into the restaurant.
Fuck, I was in over my head.