8. Sloane
SLOANE
“Did he respond?” My cousin Delaney asks as she drags her straightener through the last bit of her dark bob, then sprays it with texturizing spray while she prepares for her date.
I’m excited for her, but very annoyed with myself for not suggesting tonight for my date with River, because my aunt and uncle are probably out for the night and thus won’t be up my ass like they were last night about me being home.
Evidently, they wanted to have a family dinner, and since it was my first week here, it was a very big deal that I wasn’t home.
And an even bigger deal that they didn’t know where I was.
Delaney tried to cover for me as much as possible, but she’s a terrible liar.
After not having to do it much, since they rarely cared what she was doing, my aunt was convinced I was in the process of being abducted and was being held captive in some creepy guy's basement. And so she didn’t panic, call my mother, and tell her I was probably dead, I raced home to show proof of life, and very effectively ended the night with River.
They weren’t even mad once I got here. “Just worried, darling!!” my aunt said, while she engulfed me in a hug and tried not to spill her martini.
I know how it looked, and even more importantly, what River is probably thinking, especially after not texting me last night or all day today, so I am trying to clear the air.
“I do not need to be getting involved with this young girl who can’t even stay out past ten p.m.,” he was probably thinking, and I don’t blame him, especially after I was barely down from the high of my orgasm before I had to go.
That’s cause for worry, too, because what if he thinks all of that was a plan and I’m just not into him?
“Not yet,” I sigh while lying across her bed as she continues to mess with her hair in her en suite bathroom. I roll over to lie on my back and stare up at the ceiling before holding up my phone over my face again.
“I can cancel,” she says, and I immediately snap my head to the side to look at her.
“Absolutely not. You look hot, and you know you like this guy,” I remind her as I sit up, propping my head up on my fist. He’s evidently a guy in our grade who she’s been friends with for the past few years, but as of late, they’ve been talking a bit and flirting even more, and now they’re going on their first official date despite having hung out alone hundreds of times.
“So?” She shrugs even though she’s completely dressed and looks hot as hell in the navy strapless dress we’d gotten a few days ago and white sandals. “I don’t want to leave you here all alone.”
“I’ll live.” I snort before turning onto my stomach and begin to swing my feet behind me as I scroll through Instagram in an attempt to distract myself from the fact that River hasn’t texted me back yet.
“Call me if you need me?” she asks.
I wave her off because I don’t want her to worry while she’s on her date. “I’ll be fine. Go. But text me if you need me and tell him I’ll kill him if he acts up.” She leans across the bed, pressing a kiss to my forehead before she heads out of the room and I hear her moving down the stairs.
A few hours later, I’m sitting on the couch mindlessly watching television while I scroll through my phone when a text comes through, and I raise an eyebrow at the name on my screen.
River:
I know you’re an adult. The situation just caught me off guard.
Me:
I figured.
River:
I wanted to kiss you and get you off again, and you were going all Cinderella on me, turning into a pumpkin.
The reminder of how good that orgasm sends a flutter through me.
Me:
We’ll circle back to the part about getting me off again… you do know Cinderella doesn’t turn into a pumpkin, right?
River:
You know what I mean.
Me:
Not when you’re fucking up a very easy Disney metaphor.
River:
You ever get tired of busting my balls?
Me:
Nope
River:
Lol.
Me:
What are you doing?
River:
At a bar.
Me:
Ah, the reason for the texts and incorrect Disney metaphors, I presume?
River:
No, I’m good.
Me:
How many drinks have you had?
River:
I can handle it.
Me:
Like you could handle the weed gummies?
River:
I’m fine, thank you.
Me:
Are you driving?
River:
No. I’ll get an Uber later or call my brother.
Me:
Or… I could come get you? I feel like I owe you for last night.
River:
Sloane, you don’t owe me anything. I hope you don’t really think that.
Me:
No… I was kidding. I want to see you again. Is that so hard to believe?
River:
It’s almost eleven. It’s late.
Me:
I already told you, I don’t have a curfew.
It was just a thing last night because my aunt wanted to have a family dinner for my first week here, but neglected to tell me that was her plan.
Tonight, my cousin is out on a date. My aunt and uncle are at a benefit for several more hours.
Trust me, it’s fine. Unless you aren’t interested in seeing me again?
River:
I definitely am.
“You come here often?” I ask him as I slide onto the worn leather barstool next to him.
Despite it being a Friday night, the bar wasn’t super busy, and I easily spotted him sitting along the polished wood that spanned the length of the establishment, staring down at his phone.
He looked good from what I could see, wearing a cream short-sleeved button-down shirt open, with a white shirt underneath, showcasing all the ink he has on both arms. His thick dark hair was pushed back in waves, making him look effortlessly cool yet still polished.
He turns his head slowly, taking a second to look me over from my feet to my eyes, and chuckles before taking a sip of the beer in front of him. “That line is older than you are.”
“What’s this fixation with my age?” I ask, crossing one leg over the other to show off my bare tanned legs that I’d shaved thoroughly in the shower after he invited me out for a drink.
I lean my elbow on the bar and cock my head to the side.
“It’s actually getting quite old,” I tell him.
“I’m guessing that’s why you ghosted me last night. ”
His eyes snap to mine, and he shakes his head.
“I did not ghost you.” I purse my lips and narrow my gaze, hoping to convey that I’m not buying that.
“I didn’t!” He sighs after I continue to stare blankly at him.
“It wasn’t that I’m not interested. But…
you’re right. Normally, if something came up with a woman, I’d understand, but your age just made things seem more complicated.
But you’ve explained it’s not like that…
so, I won’t mention it again. I’m sorry.
And I’m sorry if I came across like I didn’t enjoy our date or that I wasn’t into you.
” He chuckles before taking another sip of his drink.
“Couldn’t be further from the truth.” I try not to beam at his words, but my lips quirk upward slightly.
He raises two fingers toward the bartender.
“Old-fashioned with Makers,” he tells him, before looking at me. “What would you like?”
“Just water with lime, please,” I tell him before turning my eyes back to River’s chestnut-brown eyes that seem to be looking at me curiously. “I’m here to drive you home, remember?”
“I can really Uber.”
“Well, I really drove,” I tell him. I’m sure one drink wouldn’t hurt normally, but not only am I underage and I’m not trying to risk River finding that out, but I’ve also never operated a car with any alcohol in my system before, and I’m not trying to find out why they say you really shouldn’t do that.
“So responsible.”
I tilt my head back and forth as if to imply sort of.
“I also don’t have a ton of experience driving here in general.
” Because I was over eighteen and had a valid driver’s license from a country overseas with which Maryland had reciprocity, getting a new license was much easier.
Now I just have a temporary license while I wait for one to come in the mail.
The bartender places his drink in front of him before setting the glass of water in front of me.
“So you’re a teacher and a high school football coach, right? If you weren’t doing that, what do you think you’d be doing?” I ask him, changing the subject.
“That’s random.”
“Isn’t getting to know someone just about asking a series of random questions? Okay, how about, name a time you felt the happiest?”
He hesitates, and I assume he’s trying to come up with the answers to my questions.
“I’ll be honest, I kind of stumbled into teaching.
I studied biology and kinesiology in college because I wanted to go into sports medicine, maybe to be a physical trainer…
but things changed, and there was just so much fucking math that came with that.
” He laughs. “And I realized I was more interested in sports itself, specifically football and coaching, than anything. I think at some point, I’d love to coach for a college team.
” He pauses briefly to take a sip of his drink before continuing, “And this is more about my boys than me, but the team is very good, so there are always a lot of eyes on our school from colleges and thereby on me. So I’ve gotten a ton of offers since I’ve been there.
I was up for a position as a special teams coordinator about two years ago for Penn State that I was seriously considering taking, but…
” He rubs the back of his neck. “That was right around the time my brother’s ex died, and it just didn’t seem like the right time to up and move that far while my brother’s life was drastically changing, and he needed help. ”
My heart squeezes slightly in my chest because it seems like he really does care about his brother and his kids. “It’s sweet how much you love them.”
“They’re all I’ve got, really,” he says, and I can see the fondness in his eyes when he speaks about them.
“Where are your parents?”
“Florida and I visit them, and they fly up here a few times a year, but it’s not the same with them being so far, you know?
” He turns away from the bar and more toward me.
“And a time I felt the happiest…” he whistles, “is it bad that I don’t know?
” He shakes his head. “I don’t mean I’m unhappy, I just can’t remember a time that I was more happy than normal? Is that what you’re asking?”
“Are you drunk?” I giggle.
“No!” He laughs, and seeing his smile, I briefly feel my heart flutter in my chest. “I just… I assume you’re asking about a time when I wasn’t just normal, day-to-day happy?”
“You’re overthinking it. How about… what makes you happy in general?”
He leans forward and rests his elbows on the bar, swirling the remaining contents of his drink around the glass, clinking the ice against it with every movement.
“Maybe last year when we won the state championship again? That might be my happiest moment in a while. The high of that is… like nothing else. Seeing them succeed makes me so fucking proud,” he continues, “but in general, probably seeing my nephew play soccer… or… my niece Isla, she’s getting really good at swimming now.
She’s one of the best on her swim team. So seeing her compete is always great.
Margot, my oldest niece, she’s graduating this year, and I already know I’m going to be a fucking baby about it.
” He runs his hand through his hair, and I watch as his inked bicep flexes against his shirt.
Damn, he is so hot it’s ridiculous.
“What about you?” he adds.
“The happiest I’ve been…” I let out a whistle.
“Right before I moved here, I was in Tuscany with my family for a week. They weren’t working, my brother was actually not being a pain for once, the food, the weather, the house they’d rented, everything was amazing.
Fifteen out of ten recommend,” I tell him.
“I think I was also just trying to soak up every last minute with them before I left.”
“That sounds great. I’d love to go to Italy.”
“You absolutely should, if not just for the pasta, which is absolutely as good as they say. But it would be fun to go with your family. Especially somewhere like Tuscany. I mean obviously, Rome is the hot spot, but for a more chill vibe, I love Tuscany, and honestly, you could do both. It’s about a three-hour drive. ”
“They’d probably love that.” He drums his fingertips on the bar. “I’ll be sure to consult you for help before making any plans.”
“I would be happy to be your travel agent.” I can’t stop the grin from crossing my face as I nod in agreement.
There’s a comfortable silence between us for a few moments that I use to briefly imagine what it would be like to go to Italy with River when he suddenly breaks it.
“I had a date earlier tonight,” he says abruptly, and my prior excitement over our previous conversation is replaced by slight irritation.
Not that he owed me anything, but why did I need to know?
“And you’re telling me this… because?” I blink at him.
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Because I thought about you the whole fucking time.” He puts a hand over his eyes and rubs his temples. “She left the date early because I was so distracted,” he continues, and I suppose that makes me slightly less irritated.
“You know, as cute as that might be in theory, it kind of sounds like the reason you can’t stop thinking about me is because the night didn’t end the way you wanted it to, which was with me in your bed.
Maybe you’ll be over it as soon as you get me out of your system.
” I pull the straw to my lips and take a long sip of the icy liquid.
“No, it’s not like that,” he says, and while it sounds genuine, River seems exactly like the kind of guy where it is exactly like that.
I shrug. “It’s not? I mean, look, we met, and clearly, we’re attracted to each other and enjoy each other’s company. It can just be that, you know. I wasn’t necessarily expecting to go riding off into the sunset with you like the end of a cutesy rom-com.”
Because that is definitely out of the question.
“I was trying to do things differently. Not to think so much with my dick.”
“And I commend you for that, but what’s wrong with having fun? You’re single and still… relatively young,” I say, which earns me a glare from River.
“Nothing is wrong with it, and believe me, I’ve had plenty of it.
I was just… looking for something deeper, I guess?
I don’t know,” he rambles, and I try to hide the wince that crosses my face because there’s no way I can give him anything deep.
“But you are also insanely gorgeous and interesting and funny and…” He takes another long sip of his whiskey, and I wonder how much alcohol he’s already had tonight.
“I kind of want to spend more time with you before you leave for college… if you’re open to that.
” A smirk pulls at his lips, and I return a smile of my own.
“So at the risk of saying another line that’s older than me: you want to get out of here?”