Everett
I’ve been standing in front of this mirror forever. It’s not like I care how I look; going out means being seen, which means being remembered, and it’s much easier for me to stay in hiding.
Last night in her apartment keeps replaying in my head. We were comfortable around each other. There was no awkwardness. Everything just flowed.
I was not expecting her to invite me out tonight.
“You could meet us. If you want.”
Of course, I fucking want to. I want to spend all the time I can with her.
She’s unlike any woman I’ve ever met. She’s free, beats to her own drum, and doesn’t seem to care what others think of her.
Violet has this confidence about her that makes her even more attractive.
Not only is she beautiful on the outside but, from what I’ve learned about her, on the inside, too.
Deciding on my usual uniform: jeans, a belt, a gray t-shirt, and brown cowboy boots, I head to Henry’s. We’ll take a cab into town together.
The Red Barn is the local bar. It’s the only one in town. Friday nights turn into karaoke night, and around 11 p.m., it turns into a dance floor. It has country music posters on the walls and whiskey barrels as tables. It’s your typical country bar.
It was already loud when I walked inside. Someone was singing a horrible version of Shot Through the Heart by Bon Jovi.
A few people turn their heads to look at me as I walk in, but my focus is on finding Violet, my Firefly.
Violet’s hiding in the shadows, at a table off to the side in front of the stage. She is laughing with Lily. Her head tips back, showing off her neck that I would give anything to taste, her hand curled around a glass.
She looks happy, free. Maybe I made a mistake coming here. I don’t want to disrupt a fun, easy-going night for her.
But then her eyes lock on mine, like she senses I am here. She smiles at me. It isn’t a polite smile. It is real. She is happy I am here. That smile is everything.
Approaching her table, I slow down, aware of how many eyes are on me. I’m getting used to it. I know not everyone here trusts me; I can’t fault them for that.
It’s something I’ll continue working on. I am hoping that, with me fixing up the theater and making an effort to be part of this town again, people will change their minds. But only one pair of eyes matters more than the rest, and she invited me out tonight.
She is my focus.
Violet looks up at me. “Hey, you came,” she says, still smiling.
“You invited me,” I reply. “Is this where the cool kids sit, or am I in the wrong section?”
Lil snorts. “That depends. Can you keep up?”
“Define keep up,” I say, responding to Lily, but looking at Violet.
Violet smiles. “Ignore her, sit.”
Henry and I sit down, I’m beside Violet, with Henry to the right of me, Lily to the left of Violet.
“So, me and my sisters always sing the same song on karaoke nights when we come here,” Violet says.
“Oh, I can’t wait to see this, let me get it on video,” I say, going to pull my phone out of my back pocket.
“Don’t you dare!” she says, pushing my arm away playfully.
The DJ calls Violet and her sisters on stage, Wannabe by The Spice Girls is blasting, and these sisters aren’t holding back.
I can’t take my eyes off Violet. The way she is laughing, spinning, completely unselfconscious.
She’s wearing these dark jeans that hug the curves at her waist and hips, flaring out at the bottom.
She’s paired it with a back top that looks like a vest, but she isn’t wearing anything underneath it.
She has the top couple of buttons undone, giving me a delicious view of her breasts trying to spill out.
She tied it all together with a pair of red cowboy boots that are poking out from under her jeans.
She looks beautiful, but she could wear a garbage bag and still look beautiful in my eyes.
After their performance, they come back to the table.
“Well, that was the show of the century,” Henry says.
“Why, thank you,” Violet responds as she curtsies and giggles.
The girls were the last karaoke song of the night; the DJ has taken over, and now the dance floor is open. It’s gotten a lot busier since we arrived.
Violet is enjoying the music and sways in her seat. I pull my chair closer, then bring my mouth to her ear, whispering, “Want to dance?”
I see her body react, the goosebumps appear on her arms.
“I…I guess.” She turns to look at Lily, but she nods, telling her to go.
I get down from my chair and reach out to take her hand. She puts her hand in mine and jumps down.
She looks nervous. “Relax, you’re dancing, not performing heart surgery.”
She laughs loudly. “I’m fine. Really.”
“Uh-uh,” I say, raising a brow. “You’re acting…weird.”
“I am not!” she says, bumping into me.
“Yes, you are. But I like it.” I chuckle as I pull her into me.
We dance for a few songs. She’s impressive, showing off her line-dancing skills to Fancy Like by Walker Hayes.
Just as we are about to walk off the dance floor and join the others back at the table, Tennessee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton starts playing.
I quickly grab her hand and spin her back toward me.
Her chest crashes into mine. Looking down into her blue eyes that are dimmed by the bar lights.
I wrap a hand around her waist and hold her close to me.
Her one arm reaches up and wraps around my neck, holding her other hand. The space between us has disappeared.
I catch that faint smell of lavender and vanilla that always seems to follow her. My hand tightens a little at her waist, like it has a mind of its own.
We start to sway with the music. I’ve danced with women before, but this feels different. It feels meaningful.
Her head tilts just a little toward me, close enough that if I leaned down, I could rest my cheek against her hair.
I wonder if she feels this pull, too. If she notices the way the rest of the room seems to disappear.
The music fades into background noise.
The laughter and conversations around us blur together until they feel miles away.
It’s just the two of us moving slowly in the middle of the room, like we have somehow stepped into a quiet place in time that belongs only to us.
I glance down and catch her looking up to me.
There is something soft in her expression.
The world doesn’t seem complicated, because right here, with Violet in my arms, everything feels exactly the way it should be.
After the song is done, we stay there in each other’s arms for a short moment.
We turn and head back to the table. The bar is busy and loud, which happens when the weather starts to warm up, and people are ready to shake off winter.
Boots thud against the old wooden floors, laughter fills the room, and people are going up to the DJ requesting their favorite songs.
Violet sits beside me, her sisters sitting around the circular table with Henry on the other side of me, nursing his beer. I have only been back in Lavender Creek for a few weeks, but moments like this make it feel familiar, like I am slipping back into something I didn’t realize I was missing.
Rose leans forward, eyeing me like she is studying me,
“Okay, I have a question.”
I take a sip of my beer and raise an eyebrow, “That tone doesn’t sound promising,” I say, smirking.
“It’s not,” Daphne says, teasing.
“You’re the guy who climbed up the water tower senior year, right?” Rose asks.
Henry immediately pipes in, “Yep, that’s him.”
I turn to Henry, glaring at him.
“What? It’s public record,” he says, slapping my back.
Violet laughs into her glass, the sound catching my attention more than the conversation.
“I knew it,” Rose says. “Small town legend.”
“It wasn’t a legend,” I say. “Just a dumb decision.”
“Same thing,” Daphne says.
Lily leans toward Violet with a grin. “You didn’t tell me you were hanging out with criminals now.”
“Relax,” I say, holding up my hands. “Statute of limitations.”
Henry starts talking to Daphne, who is beside him, and Rose and Lily start up a conversation, too.
Violet turns to me. “You know, I always thought you were quiet in high school.”
I raise a brow. “You noticed me in high school?”
Her lip curves. “Everyone noticed you, Everett.”
Not knowing what to say, I pull out the classic line, “Can I get you another drink?”
“Yeah, thanks, I’ll come with you.”
The bar area is crowded, people shifting and standing shoulder to shoulder waiting for their drinks. Violet leans against the counter beside me while I try to catch the bartender’s attention.
“What are you drinking?” I ask.
“Tequila, soda, with a lime,” she responds.
The bartender walks over to us, and I order Violet’s drink and a whiskey for myself.
As the bartender hands us our drinks, I take a sip.
She moves in closer, looking up at me through her lashes. “You know, I’ve never tried whiskey. Can I have a sip?”
“You look at me like that, and you can have anything you want, darlin’,” I say, handing her my glass.
As she parts her lips, she’s still looking at me, and as I watch the smooth amber liquid drop into her mouth. It makes me want to grab her and kiss her right here, taste that whiskey on her lips.
But I don’t, I control myself. I’ll just add that to the list of things I want to do with her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks.
I shake my head. “No reason, so tell me, what are your thoughts on the drink?”
“I wouldn’t order it, but I’d steal a few sips next time.”
Next time. So, she wants there to be a next time.
The DJ just said it was last call, the music shifts to another song, and the room grows loud again, a swarm of people heading toward the bar before it closes.
Violet leans closer so I can hear her when she says, “So you survived my sisters.”
“Barely,” I scoff.
She smiles. “Most people don’t.”
I lift my drink toward her. “Guess I’ll have to stick around to prove I can handle them.”
Her eyes look into mine for a second longer than necessary. “I guess you will.”
With the bar closing, we scrape our chairs against the floor as jackets and purses are grabbed. Outside, the night air is cool, the kind that makes you feel awake.
Everyone says their goodbyes, hugging and making plans to do this again soon. It was a fun night, a glimpse into the life I can have here now that I am back.
I turn to Violet. “Well, thanks for the invite to join you guys, it was fun.”
“Thanks for joining us, it was,” she says, smiling up at me, glowing with the bar lights behind her. “Goodnight, Everett.”
“Goodnight, Violet.”
I watch her go, making sure they get to the car safely, already looking forward to the next time I’ll see her.