“What are you doing tonight?” he asked as he put the drinks on a tray.
“Closing with Caroline.” I grabbed the cold glasses away from Hank, our bartender.
“Ouch. The one that doesn’t shut up?”
“Yep. That would be the one.”
“You should see if Bethany will close for you, doesn’t she owe you one anyway?” Reece said as he took his tray of drinks and walked to his table.
That was right, she did owe me for when I had switched with her a few weeks back. And I was so done with this day, I had lost the motivation for making money. I just wanted to go home.
I marched up to Bethany and asked if she wanted to close for me, telling her she owed me. After some minor bitching she agreed to it. I gave her a dose of her own medicine and told her whom she was closing with. One evil glare from Bethany and two more tables later I was finally phased and working on my side work, my night suddenly looking up.
After the table of rowdy boys had finally left, four pitchers of beer later, I went to go clean up the table. I found on the back of the receipt a phone number and a handwritten note that said, Your cute. Call me! with the number below. I wasn’t even going to touch the fact he used the wrong your, but put the receipt in a cup and threw it away. The guy who had left me the note was pretty cute and had flirted with me the whole time. I flirted back because I wanted to make money and it paid off; each boy had left me at least five dollars or more. The guy who left his number gave me ten. I wasn’t interested, but it was still nice to know people found you attractive. The guy who left the note and his poor grammar skills was the first hit; any guy my age needed to know the difference between your and you’re. Hell, most seventeen year olds needed to know the difference.
I put the note in the back of my mind and concentrated on busting my ass and getting out of there. Reece got phased shortly before me, but because I was rocking my side work we ended up rolling silverware together. We had more than half of the restaurants worth of silverware to roll. I wanted to bash my head against the wall. I threw some napkins on the counter as Reece walked up to me with the rest of the forks.
“Looks like we will be rolling for a while,” Reece said as he grabbed a stack of napkins from me.
I sighed as I grabbed a knife and a fork and started to roll.
“What are you doing when you get off work?” Reece repeated the question from earlier.
“Going home, I’m beat and want to go to sleep.”
“Which means I can’t convince you to have a drink with me? It’s Saturday night, you should go out and have some fun.”
“I have fun. Fun at home sleeping.”
“How about I win a drink from you.”
“How will you do that?”
“Whoever can roll the most silverware wins. If I win I get to take you out for a drink and if I lose I get to come over to your place and have a drink there.”
I wasn’t sure exactly how I won in this bet, but if I won I did get to go home and that was all I wanted to do. Having Reece go home with me would be a plus.
“All right, I could do that.”
Little did Reece know I was the fastest at rolling silverware out of the crew. Looked like I was going to get to go home and have some company. Suddenly, I wasn’t as tired anymore.
What felt like an hour but was really only twenty minutes later, we finished rolling and I had started to count how many I had rolled. After counting, I looked at Reece. I had rolled fifty-six. While Reece’s stack was similar to mine, there was no way he could have beat me.
“How many?” I asked.
“You first,” he answered.
“Fifty-six.”
“Sixty.”
“No way! I call bullshit.”
“Count it and weep, and then grab your bag we’re going out!” he said as he walked away to cash out. I sure as hell counted his silverware. He wasn’t lying; actually, he had really rolled sixty-one. That sucked. I admitted defeat as I finished cashing out and told him to pick me up in fifteen minutes from my place. I needed to go home and change, not wanting to head out in my work outfit.
Fifteen minutes later Reece was at my door. I had thrown on black leggings and a long, blue flowing shirt. After I put on flats I knew were comfy to walk and stand in, I grabbed my small purse with my ID and money. I undid the French braid my hair was in for work, letting it flow down my back in its slightly curly waves, grabbed my house keys and was out in Reece’s old Jeep within a few minutes.
We drove downtown, which was really only a few minutes away, and parked a few streets over from 8th street. Spending time with Reece made up for the fact I wasn’t home in sweats. I shivered from the cooler October air and Reece noticed as he put his arm around me, trying to warm me up. It was almost midnight, but by the time we entered the bar, the place was pretty full. Reece leaned into me, his voice close and intimate, a contrast in the loud bar. “What would you like to drink?” The simple question gave me butterflies. I told him to grab me a beer, he could pick, and he was off to the crowded bar. I was left standing a few feet behind him as he tried to squeeze in and grab the bartender’s attention.
While I waited, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I spun around to see the guy who had left me the number. He smiled at me and I could already tell he was more than a few drinks in. Great. I politely returned the smile and turned back around, thinking he would just go away. Another tap on my shoulder told me he was, in fact, not going away. “Can I help you?” I asked.
“You’re the cute waitress at the restaurant we went to tonight. I left you my number. I think you’re really cute.” First of all, I was not a waitress, I was a server. The grammar and the waitress name calling was quickly making this guy less and less appealing. He might be decent looking, but I wouldn’t deal with an idiot.
“Yes, so the note said,” I replied, sarcasm heavy in my voice. He didn’t get it.
“You did get it then! Great. Do you want a drink? I can get one for you.”
“No, no I’m fine, I’m actually—”
“Cool, what do you want to drink?” random drunk guy asked, cutting me off. I was getting more annoyed by the second. I think I heard myself say no, but apparently this guy didn’t hear me.
“No. Thank. You. I don’t need a drink,” I shouted louder this time.
“You’re in a bar. You need a drink,” he said as someone shoved him aside, pushing him against me. The drunk guy’s hand went up to my arm to steady himself. At the same moment I felt someone else grab my hand. I looked to the other side and saw Reece with two beers. He was glaring at the drunk guy. This did not look good.
“Is there a problem here?” Reece let go of my hand and handed me a beer.
“Hey, man! I was trying to get this chick here to have a drink. Do you think you could help me out and convince her that a dashing man,” Drunk Guy pointed to himself, “should be able to buy a hot chick,” he then pointed to me, like I had forgotten his mission, “just one drink?” He finally finished after his flourish of hand motions. This guy should do a puppet show or something. Although, he probably would scare away small children. I snapped back to the situation to find no one was talking. Drunk Guy had taken his hand off my arm, but Reece was still giving him a stare down.
“I don’t think I will be able to help you, man,” Reece said as he took a large drink from his bottled beer. I glanced back at Drunk Guy to see his reaction.
“Oh. Then could you leave so I could finish my quest to buy this chick a drink?” Wow, this guy had balls. On the other hand, I would not cross an angry Reece. Okay, maybe I would, but I think the end result would be different for me than for Drunk Guy.
“I don’t think I will be able to do that either. And I will give you my reasons why. First of all, this lovely creature is not a chick, she is a lady, get it right. Second of all, I already bought her a drink, so there is no reason for you to. And third, go the fuck away.” Reece looked around and said, “Actually, here, I will do you a favor and help yo
u.” Reece then grabbed another equally drunk girl in a short skirt and high heels and practically threw her at Drunk Guy. “Go buy this girl a drink. Her’s looks empty,” Reece said.
“Wait, I have a full drink,” she replied, motioning to the one in her hand.
Reece plucked it out of her hand and threw it in the trash behind the bar. “Now you don’t and this guy wants to buy you one.”
Drunk Girl looked at Drunk Guy, shrugged her shoulder and linked her arm through his, dragging him toward the bar. I took another drink of my beer and shook my head at Reece. “You just wanted to take me out and buy me a drink.”
“Shut up, June, and chug your beer. We’re getting out of here.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. I quickly drank my beer and threw it away. Grabbing my hand, Reece led me out of the bar and onto the street full of people wandering between the different bars.
“Jealous much?” I asked as he hoofed it down the street toward the car, pulling me behind him.
“Yes, actually I am. You weren’t going to let that guy buy you a drink. Really?” I was not expecting Reece to admit he was jealous. We waited for the light to change and continued to walk down the street.
“No, I was not going to let that guy buy me a drink because he was an idiot,” I said as I followed behind Reece.
“And if he wasn’t an idiot, would you have let him buy you a drink?” Reece stopped, dropped my hand, and turned around. His abrupt stop made me run into him. I looked up into eyes that were drawn together and staring down at me. Reece was angry and I wasn’t sure why. We hadn’t DTR yet, defined the relationship, so if a guy, who was indeed not an idiot, wanted to buy me a drink I should be able to say yes. However, Reece was acting like it was not okay.
“Is there a problem?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.
“Yes, there is a problem. Why would you let other guys buy you a drink?”
I wasn’t sure if we were talking about alcoholic beverages anymore. I was thinking we were talking about something else entirely.
“I don’t want other guys to buy me drinks, Reece. I really only want you to buy my drinks, but I am not sure if you will always be there to buy me a drink or if you even want to always buy me a drink,” I answered with a softness that wasn’t there before. I lowered my hands from my hips, hoping he caught my meaning. When it came down to it, I really didn’t want anyone else but Reece right now. My goal was to only think about the here and now, and that included Reece.
Without a spoken word, he grabbed my hand again and we continued the walk to his car. It was a quiet, quick drive back to my place. Reece stopped the car and walked around to open the door for me. When we got to the apartment, Reece didn’t come in. I threw my keys on the tiny table and stood in the doorway, watching as the little porch light dimly illuminated Reece deep in thought on my doorstep.
“Do you want to come in? I can open a bottle of wine?” I asked. He still hadn’t really said anything yet and I was getting nervous.
“Come over for dinner tomorrow?” he asked instead of answering my question. He was pretty good at avoiding questions he didn’t want to answer.
“Um sure. Do you want me to bring anything?”
“Just June,” he replied as he gave me a tiny kiss on my forehead and walked back to his car. I watched from the door as he drove away.
“Spill, June, you’re fidgeting today. Your vibes are totally throwing me off.” Jo was right, I had been anxious all day. I was nervous for whatever tonight was going to bring.
I finished putting my order in and turned toward her. “Reece asked me to dinner tonight. After a weird conversation last night about people buying me drinks, I think we might be DTR-ing tonight. I’m nervous. I have no idea what’s going to happen. I feel like he is either going to say he doesn’t want to be with me or he does, and then what? We sleep together? That’s a big step. I haven’t been with anyone else except for Owen in the last three years.”
“Wait. Back up. You mean you guys haven’t slept together yet?” Jo asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice.
“No, we haven’t. I mean, we slept in the same bed together twice, but it was strictly sleeping.” My mind drifted toward what we had done and I got nervous all over again.
“Wow, I’m impressed. I think. You need to chill, girl, it’ll be fine. Reece isn’t one for making things awkward,” Jo said. Resting my back against the wall, I silently prayed she was right.
It was almost five thirty and I had already finished getting ready. I threw on a nice pair of jeans and a dark red sweater. Curling my hair slightly, I let it loose over my shoulders. I added my brown boots over my jeans. I was completely ready and it was only five thirty five. It took less than five minutes to drive to Reece’s. Did I head over there early, or show up late? My skills were lacking in the dating scene. I decided to say screw it and jumped in my car, after a slobbery good luck kiss from Morrison.
After driving the short distance to Reece’s house, I parked my car on the side of the street. The beginnings of winter were in the air. Stoves and chimneys were warming up houses and the rest of the leaves on the trees were falling to the ground, making a crunching sound as I walked. I ran my fingers through my hair, playing with the curls I had added, and knocked on the door. Even though it was chilly outside, I felt flushed with nerves as I waited for Reece to answer the door. Excitement and fear of the unknown wove through me. However, I was okay with it; I would take it in stride because it was Reece. Being with him was easy, and thinking about the future with him was becoming less scary. Thinking of my future—which was full of uncertainties—Reece fit in the chaos and made it a little easier to think about. As much as I fretted over the idea of us and put up walls, I wondered if I was only doing it because it seemed like the appropriate thing to do. Yes, being with Reece right now did not fit into my plan, but I didn’t know if I cared anymore. I was sick of people telling me what I should do to have a better life. Reece felt real, and right now I needed real.
Reece answered the door wearing jeans and a long-sleeved, button-up dark blue shirt. He looked amazing and I could already feel my palms start to sweat.
“Come in. Actually, come to the back I have a surprise.” Reece grabbed my hand and we went through the house to his backyard. He opened the door for me, and I walked out in front of him.
The scene in front of me was stunning. The big tree in his smallish backyard was lit with hundreds of golden lights. The last of the fall leaves on the tree gave them hints of red and orange. It was magical and storybook perfect, like a tree you would find in a mystical forest. Underneath it was a picnic table with a red and white-checkered tablecloth. A giant white candle sat in a hurricane glass and there were two plates of food. There was an iHome sitting on the end of the table and “Honey and the Moon” by Joseph Arthur was playing softly in the background.
I turned around to look at Reece with wide eyes and my mouth hanging open. I couldn’t believe he had made this beautiful scene for me … for us. No one had ever made such a romantic gesture toward me. Upon closer inspection of the plates of food, I came to discover three sushi rolls graced our plates. I loved sushi, but I never remembered telling Reece. After I sat down, I couldn’t eat because I was still in awe, my mind was trying to filter all the emotions I was feeling. I gazed across the table at Reece and tried to say something, but I couldn’t find the words.
“I wish I could take credit for all of this, especially with that look on your face, June, but I really got lucky,” he said, gesturing to the golden-lit tree and the meal in front of us. After pouring us each a glass of wine, he continued, “The lights were already here. I think my aunt put them up. When I was raking leaves, I found the cord on the ground and plugged in. I found the tablecloth in the basement and the sushi is take-out. I was going to make you an amazing home cooked meal, but we got a late rush at work and I was stuck there later than usual. Jo said sushi was one of your favorites, so I went with it. But, the wine is a bottle I grabbed w
hen we visited the winery a few weeks ago.”
I took a sip of wine and tried to take it all in. It didn’t matter if he made the lights himself; it was still amazing and thoughtful of him. He might have gotten lucky, but it still took effort to be so kind and I wasn’t going to let him downplay it.
“Thank you.” I reached for his strong hands, capturing them in my own. “This is amazing. No one has ever done anything like this for me before. I’ll never forget it.” And I wouldn’t. Even if Reece and I ended up parting ways at some point, I would never forget the fall evening bathed in the light under the grand tree, the meal and the wine. I doubt I could forget the man sitting across from me either.
“I must ask. Why? I mean, I love it, but this is more than a friend thing. It’s a very romantic gesture.”
Reece smiled and took a sip of his wine. “Yesterday, when you asked if I wanted to be the only one to buy you drinks my answer was yes, but I didn’t feel right asking you outside of a bar after working all day. I wanted you to know I feel something for you I haven’t felt in a long time. Hell, I don’t know if I have ever felt anything like this. You speak your mind and don’t hold anything back, and I can’t help but be attracted to that. You’re real, June, and that is pretty special in this screwed up world. Even if you think life sucks right now, with everything that went down, you’re still true to yourself. In turn, you make me a better person. I want you to be a part of my story.”
My mind was reeling with Reece’s words. The fact he thought it was me that made him a better person was enough to be blown away. Reece had no idea how he calmed me when I freaked out or how his words soothed my soul, which was drowning in chaos. It wasn’t until this moment I realized it, fully and completely. With Reece, things made sense and I was tired of fighting it.
Finding June Page 16