Chapter 2 #3
I lean over the table, smiling. Jake has an odd, dry sense of humor that lands well with me.
Lining up the cue ball, I break in one swift punch.
The crack of the ball is enough to make Jake take notice.
His eyebrows lift in surprise. Stripes and solids fan out across the felt.
A striped ball drops into a corner pocket, and a second trails along the side before sinking into another pocket.
I straighten and begin looking for my next move.
Jake makes an impressed whistling noise. “Girl, you said everyone plays.”
“That wasn’t an exaggeration. Most everyone has shot a game of pool in their life.”
“Yeah, but you left out the part where you play well.”
“My father always said no one likes a braggart.”
His mouth twitches. “My old man said that as well.”
I bite back a smile and circle the table, already seeing the next shot. “You can go ahead and concede if you don’t like losing to a woman.”
“Not a chance, sweetheart. I’ve had a bad day, not a head injury.”
I find myself laughing because he’s funny and I’m having a great time. Nothing about Jake even feels vaguely threatening. He seems wholesome as can be.
I bend over and sink another striped ball.
Jake watches me with new interest. “Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”
“My brothers love to play pool. Unlike me, they play for money.”
“So, they’re pool sharks,” Jake guesses. “That must be why you look so innocent sinking every ball in sight.”
I look up at him, still smiling. “At least I didn’t suggest we make a wager.”
His gaze holds mine. “Yeah, lucky fuckin’ me. You must really like me.”
“I’m getting there,” I admit.
Jake grins at my words. This one is a little different than before. It’s lopsided and a little cocky. “Just so you know, I’m takin’ a real shine to you as well, Nora. I’m glad we’re gettin’ to spend time together tonight.”
“Me too. This is the best night I’ve had in a very long time.”
We stand there, gazing into each other’s eyes, and it feels like the perfect moment for him to shoot his shot. “How do you feel about comin’ to my place for the night? I promise you won’t regret it.”
Before I can answer, my phone buzzes. I grab it and take a look because I’m worried it’s my father, and for some reason he’s back in town.
Instead, it’s a text message from Lena.
Lena: Me and Kassy are going to grab coffee with these guys at the diner on Third Avenue. You good with their friend? If you’re not, shoot me a text and we’ll come back.
Jake’s wry voice fills the air. “Let me guess, they took off and left us to our own devices, right?”
I nod, looking up to find the dance floor is mostly empty. There’s no trace of any of them.
“Yeah, they’re going to a local diner for coffee. It looks like it’s just you and me.”
I open the rideshare app and think long and hard about just ordering a ride and getting the hell out of here.
The app timer spins and then just keeps spinning for about a minute and a half.
It looks like the next available ride is fifty-eight minutes away.
I close the app, open it again, and get the same numbers.
Really, this is just busy work. What I’m really doing is thinking about Jake’s offer.
Jake is patiently waiting. He can clearly see the rideshare app open on my phone.
He sets the cue in the rack against the wall. “Look, if you don’t want to come home with me, I can drop you off at your place.”
When I don’t immediately answer, he adds, “Or I can wait with you until there’s a rideshare available.
I can even call you a cab. Or you can come back to my place and crash in my spare room.
I just want to know you’re safe and comfortable.
Take your time and think it over. My feelings won’t be hurt no matter what you choose. ”
He doesn’t crowd or pressure me. He just stands there, giving me space to decide what I want to do. I’m not used to getting the opportunity and space to make my own choices.
Jake is a stranger, a nice one, but a stranger, nonetheless.
He’s big, ripped and his hands look rough.
In every conceivable way, going home with him is the wrong choice.
But the thing is, it’s my choice to make.
I want what he’s offered, which is to be mine for this one night.
His offer coincides with this singular opportunity for me to do as I like.
I snatch up all my courage and tell him, “I want to go to your place, not the spare room though.”
His face goes soft. I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to say that. I decide right then and there that I like surprising him.
“Alright. You’ve made a good choice for yourself. Now, it’s up to me to live up to the promise.”
I find myself smiling again. If I’m not really careful my face might just get stuck in a permanent smile. He wraps one arm around me and leads me out of the bar. I feel warm and protected in the cool night air.
As we walk out to his car, I find the excitement is slowly overcoming the anxiety about going home with him. With any luck, my first time will be amazing.