by Jamey Moody
Kara chuckled, “I get it, that sounds like something I’d do. How did you leave things with her?”
“She walked me to the ferry and hoped we’d come back. It wasn’t a one night stand, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Of course not, you don’t do one night stands.”
“Oh yeah, I told her about being our guide and she was all for it.”
“That tells me it might have been more than just great sex for her too.”
Riley nodded hoping Kara was right.
Alex took her shoes off and walked along the beach on the way back to her place, letting the water lap over her toes. She hadn’t walked the beach in a while. Sure, she ran along it sometimes on one of her morning runs, but to meander like this, it had been too long. She made a mental note to do this more often. The thought of Riley being next to her made it an even better idea.
She let her mind go and enjoyed Riley being in her thoughts. It had been so long since she’d thought of another woman that way. Be careful, Alex, she told herself. Make some good memories to think back on, but don’t get too attached. That’s what she’d do.
But Alex couldn’t shake the conversation she’d had with Liz yesterday about Lorna. She knew Liz felt like she’d missed out not trying to make that work. Was Riley that woman for her? She felt that she was getting too far ahead of herself, but there was something about Riley. She could feel it. When she thought back on last night and those gorgeous green eyes, her heart sped up and she welcomed the cool breeze on her cheeks.
Alex got back to her place and readied for the day. When she got out of the shower she noticed Riley’s shirt laying on the bed. She picked it up, held it to her face, and could smell Riley’s sweet scent. It brought with it instant memories of last night and that morning, making Alex smile and her belly clinch down low. She might not get this shirt back, she thought.
Later she made her way to the bar to get things ready to open. She was making sure the bar was stocked, the chairs were around the tables, the porch was swept off, and the tables were wiped down, quietly singing as she did.
“Someone had a good night,” Liz said as she walked over to Alex.
“Now what makes you say that?” Alex responded with a twinkle in her eye.
“Oh, the singing was a dead giveaway, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you smiling quite like that while simply wiping a table,” she said and chuckled.
“Smiling quite like what?” Alex asked with a smirk on her face.
“Smiling like you did not spend the night alone in your bed,” Liz stated.
Alex’s cheeks reddened slightly under her tan, and she paused to look at Liz. Liz returned the look with her eyebrows raised. Then Alex laughed and said, “There’s no way I could hide it, so yes, you’re right, my friend. I’m saying ‘my friend’ so you won’t tease me unmercifully all day.”
Liz smiled and gave Alex a hug.
“What was that for?” Alex asked, hugging her back.
“I’m not going to tease you; I’m going to be proud of you!” Liz said happily. “Maybe you listened to me after all yesterday. And I saw the way you two were looking at one another the moment she stepped through the door.”
“I’m not even going to argue with you. Riley is something special, period. I can tell,” Alex said.
“Hmm,” Liz pondered. “Maybe Riley has something to do with the feeling you were having yesterday morning.”
“What? How could it be Riley? I didn’t even know her then.”
“They say love is blind,” Liz commented.
“Love!? Slow down! I am going to show her around but, she’s only going to be here two weeks,” Alex told Liz.
“Two weeks is plenty of time. But I am happy you’re actually doing something with someone else! I’ll cover here for you, so take all the time you need.”
Alex held up her hands. “I’m not taking off.”
“You’re taking some time off, and that’s all there is to it.” Liz held up a warning finger to cut off the protest building in Alex’s throat. “Nope. Not another word about it. Now, when do you see her again?”
Alex sighed. “She’s supposed to bring her group back over today sometime.”
“Perfect. We’ll make sure they have a good time.”
Liz and Alex worked in tandem getting things ready to open. Before too long Max came in for his shift, opening the doors and welcoming the first customers. Alex went about her work greeting tourists and a few locals as the day flew by. Before long, she looked up and saw Riley and her friends enter the bar. She watched as Riley looked first at the bar and then scanned the room, looking for her. When her eyes rested on Alex, her face lit up and she walked toward her with purpose. Alex could feel her smile widening and thought she could get used to this. When Riley reached Alex she leaned up and gently placed her lips on the taller woman’s and squeezed her hand.
“Hey,” Riley said shyly when they broke their kiss.
“Hey back,” Alex replied. Then she remembered the women behind Riley and said, “They didn’t come here to hurt me, did they?”
Riley looked behind her, continuing to hold Alex’s hand and said threateningly, “They’d better not.”
The women stared for a moment, but then all smiled as relief washed over Alex.
A short brunette stepped up and said, “Hey Alex, I’m Kara, and on behalf of our little group here, we would like to thank you for taking such good care of our friend.” She placed her hand on Riley’s shoulder. “We’ve come to spend lots of money in your bar and have another great time. But we would also like to keep another miscommunication like yesterday from happening, though it seemed to work out pretty well for Riley. So, we would like to hang out on your patio, enjoy the beach for a bit, and then get something to eat, which we should have done yesterday, instead of continuing to drink.”
She took a breath and turned back to look at her friends sternly. “After we eat we can come back and dance for a little while, but tomorrow is the wedding and no one is getting drunk tonight.”
Alex looked the group over. “We can definitely take care of you on the patio, and if you’d like I’d be happy to order food that can be brought here while you enjoy the beach. There are also several food trucks right on the beach out by the patio. The music can start whenever you wish. I was happy to help out last night and give Riley a place to stay,” she said, looking down at Riley with her brown eyes beaming. She caught herself then said, “Let’s get y’all a table, right this way.”
Riley chuckled. “I hear that Texas accent coming out.”
Alex tilted her head and shrugged her shoulders. She led them to the patio and a corner with a long table overlooking the beach. “Take this corner and enjoy. It’s easy access to the beach and the food trucks are right down there,” she said pointing to the trucks nearby. “There are several really good restaurants that will deliver right here, too, so if you’d rather do that, let me know. Now what’s everyone drinking?”
Max walked up behind Alex and said, “I’ve got this, boss. Liz said for you to sit.” He then addressed the group and started entertaining them with signature cocktail choices.
Alex pulled Riley aside and quietly said, “I don’t want to bother you with your friends.”
Riley looked at her. “Alex, you’ve been bothering me since you took me to that rooftop terrace of yours last night.” She lowered her voice to a husky whisper and said, “And I don’t want you to stop.”
Alex smiled back as understanding reached her eyes, darkening them and coloring her cheeks.
“I hope I’m not interrupting, but would you like a drink?” Max asked Riley.
“I think I could use one to cool off a little,” she said looking at Alex with the most vibrant green eyes.
“Hey Alex,” someone yelled, tearing her away from those eyes she was falling into. She turned, and it was Sara asking her which food truck had the best tacos. Alex smiled and went over to point out the one she liked. They welcomed
her into the group, asking questions about the bar and the islands. She entertained them with funny tourist stories. Some of Riley’s friends walked on the beach, others played in the surf as the waves came in, and Alex and Riley were rarely apart. It was obvious they were drawn to each other, and the group didn’t seem to mind at all. Alex ordered seafood and had it delivered on the patio as the afternoon turned into twilight.
As she cleared away some of the plates to make room for more drinks, Kim and Kerry followed her into the bar. She set the dishes down behind the bar, and Kim said, “Hey Alex, could we have a minute?”
“Sure,” Alex said. “Can I get you something else?”
“Gosh no, this has been a really fun day for everyone. Thanks for doing that, but Kerry and I wanted to first thank you again for taking care of Riley. She’s really important to us, and we panicked when we realized what had happened.”
“It was no problem. It can be scary when you realize you’ve missed that ferry. I’ve gotten stuck a few times over on St. Thomas myself,” Alex answered.
“Actually we’d like to invite you to our wedding tomorrow,” Kerry said. “We know it’s short notice, but we’d really like it if you could be there.”
Alex didn’t know what to say.
“We’ll understand if you don’t want to—I mean, you just met us and all—but you fit right in with our group. I know Riley would like it, and we would, too,” Kim added. “What do you say?”
“Well,” Alex said, her face brightening, “that sounds like so much fun, but let me ask Riley first.”
“Ask Riley what?” Riley said, walking up to the bar. She looked between Alex and Kim and Kerry.
“We invited Alex to the wedding tomorrow, but she wanted to check with you first.”
Riley’s face lit up. “That sounds wonderful. Can you come? I’d love for you to be there. But only if you’re my date, it could be our second,” she said with a wink.
“In that case I’d love to. Thanks so much for inviting me.”
“Okay, now that we have that settled, let’s turn that music up, I want to dance with my girlfriend one more night before she gets married. Maybe I’ll get lucky,” Kim said wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
Kerry pulled Kim into her arms with a laugh. “I love you! I’m so glad we’re finally getting married.” She planted a sweet kiss on her lips, then dragged her onto the dance floor.
“I like those two,” Alex said, smiling as they left.
Riley nodded. “They were made for one another.”
“And how nice to invite me to their wedding. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
Riley placed her hands on each side of Alex’s hips, pulling her close. “I’m more than okay with it.” She kissed Alex, long and slow, weakening her knees. When their lips parted she whispered breathlessly, “I’ve been wanting to do that since I walked in this bar and saw those beautiful brown eyes.”
She took Riley’s hand and whisked her through a door at the end of the bar. When the door closed Alex pushed her against it. She looked into Riley’s green eyes and saw her pupils darkening as she placed her hands on either side of her face. She leaned down and crushed Riley’s lips with her own. A moan escaped Riley as she grabbed Alex and pulled her closer. Alex wedged her leg between Riley’s and thrust her tongue in her mouth. If Riley hadn’t been holding on to Alex she would have slid down the wall. They were both panting when they broke for air. Neither said a word as their mouths met again, and Alex moaned as Riley grabbed her ass with both hands. Before those hands could roam any farther, Alex broke the kiss and met Riley’s forehead with her own.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since I put you on that ferry this morning,” she said.
They smiled at one another, unspoken words in their eyes, questions, hopes, lust. Was it just lust? Two weeks would tell.
Alex took a deep breath. “We’ve got to get back out there before your friends turn on me.”
“Okay, but that was one epic kiss,” Riley said, winking.
Alex chuckled. “It sure was!”
Four
It wasn’t long until they had to catch the ferry back and get ready for Kim and Kerry’s big day. Everyone thanked Alex for the special treatment and headed to the dock. Alex wanted to walk with Riley to steal a few minutes alone. Liz told her things would be fine until she got back. As they walked hand in hand at the back of the group Alex said, “I know this sounds strange, but I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I wish you could stay.”
“That doesn’t sound strange to me because I wish I could stay, too. I tell you what, when you come for the wedding tomorrow evening, plan to stay with me this time. I mean, if you want to?” Riley said, hoping she didn’t sound pushy. She didn’t know what was happening, but she wanted to be with Alex all the time. This was crazy. It was so fast. She’d certainly never felt like this so quickly before. Maybe it’s the island air, she thought.
“That’s a great idea,” Alex said playfully. “Then last night wouldn’t be a one night stand. It’d be a first night stand.” She laughed and bumped Riley’s shoulder. “How stupid did that just sound?”
Riley laughed, too. “That didn’t sound stupid at all. I think it was sweet. You’re trying to save my reputation.” She bumped Alex’s shoulder back. They walked in silence enjoying being together for a bit before Riley said, “You know, you can come over early tomorrow if you want. Just text me.”
“It depends on how busy we are tomorrow afternoon. I’ll see what I can do, though. Otherwise I’ll meet you at the hotel.”
“I’ll be waiting on you.”
They made their way to the dock, and while the others got on the ferry and walked up to the top deck, Riley pulled Alex under the stairway and put her arms around her neck. She looked into Alex’s whiskey-brown eyes. They filled her with such longing, and neither said a thing.
Alex smiled and gently brought their lips together in a sweet good night kiss. “Sweet dreams, Riley,” she whispered. The warning horn sounded, and Alex pulled away to leave the ferry.
Riley was in a daze as she climbed the steps to the top deck. She looked back at where they boarded, and there was Alex, smiling and waving. She watched as Alex took out her phone and started texting. In a moment Riley’s phone pinged in her pocket.
Alex: This is twice today I’ve put you on a ferry going away from me. I don’t like it.
Riley: Just so you know, I don’t like it either. Kindly tell me what’s happening to us.
Riley wasn’t sure if she should text that, but this was all so confusing and wonderful at the same time. She thought she knew herself better than this and was so surprised at what she was feeling and doing. Having great sex had turned her into a person she didn’t know yet wanted to be. She liked this carefree, constantly smiling, hand-holding and bartender-kissing person that Alex had found in her.
Alex: I don’t know but I like it. And I hope it keeps happening over and over and over!
Riley: Me too!
When Riley looked up she waved, but Alex had disappeared in the distance. She sighed.
Alex walked back to the bar and couldn’t remember when she’d felt like this. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow and the day with Riley.
“I love that happy look on your face,” Liz said as Alex came around the bar.
“I like how it feels, but it’s also terrifying,” Alex admitted. “I don’t know what’s happening, Liz. I feel such a connection to Riley, and I know she feels it too. How can that be when I’ve only known her for one day?”
“I’m sure it is terrifying, Alex, but don’t run,” Liz said in a stern voice.
“That’s just it, I don’t want to run. I want to see what happens, if there’s a chance for something. But then, I remember,” she said, her voice dropping, tinged with sadness. “I remember how I got here and why I’m alone.”
“Stop! That was a long time ago. Put it out of your mind and go explore with Riley. Find out what this might be, and we’ll worr
y about the past later,” Liz said stepping in front of Alex and looking into her eyes. “Be happy, Alex. Try it on for a while, live in it.”
Alex took a deep breath and let it out. “This goes against everything I know I should do, but okay. I’m going to let it go for now and find out more about Riley James.” Alex smiled. “Thanks, Liz.”
“Anytime, sweetie.”
The next day, Riley and Kara sat next to one another in the hotel’s spa. Kim and Kerry were excited for the ceremony that evening and had treated the group to a mini spa day with manis and pedis in the morning. They were in the middle of their pedicures when Kara looked over at Riley thoughtfully.
“So what’s going on? You look so serious.”
Riley looked over at Kara. “I was just thinking.”
“About what? It wouldn’t be a beautiful bartender, would it?”
“She is beautiful, isn’t she?” Riley said wistfully and smiling. “I can’t get her out of my head.”
“Why would you? You two click.”
“What do you mean?” Riley asked.
“It’s obvious. When you two aren’t making goo-goo eyes, you can tell how comfortable you are with each other. You click. It’s like you should be together.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you two don’t seem to see it, but it’s obvious. The question you should ask is, is she in your heart?”
“I know,” Riley answered. “Believe me I’ve asked that and the answer is ‘How could she be, when we haven’t known each other that long?’”
“So what!” Kara exclaimed. “Who says you have to know someone a specific amount of time before you let them in your heart? Who says you have to date someone for so many months before you go to the next step? You don’t let society dictate your life or you wouldn’t be the successful, openly gay teacher that you are. If she’s in your heart, why not let her live there?”