Page 74 of No Place Like You

I shake my head. “Keep me company,” I urge.

He smirks.

“Is that too clingy?”

He shakes his head. “You could be sewed to my side, and you wouldn’t be clingy.”

33

Lucy

The music’sloud and the chatter even louder at Butter, an upscale bar and lounge in the West Village. Dexter and I didn’t mind the distance across the bridge or the extra hour we spent getting ready, mainly because we spent that time together. By the time we walk into the bar, hand in hand, most of my coworkers are already there.

I poke a finger in the direction to where Elaine is sitting at a table, talking to a few other interns, and nudge my head in the direction while looking at Dexter, letting him know my friends are here.

“You want a drink?” he calls over the noise, leaning closer to me. I get a good whiff of his woodsy, spicy cologne and take a moment to appreciate how he looks tonight. His hair is still short, making him look boyish with the adorable dip in his widow’s peak. He’s wearing a dark T-shirt, neatly pressed without a single thread of lint hanging off of him, and he’s paired it with jeans and sneakers. I love that his arms are exposed, the muscles on his forearms and the slight bulge in his biceps out in the open for me to ogle. I dressed just as casually, opting for jeans and low heels with a straplessbustier top and large hoop earrings, and it makes me melt into a tiny puddle every time he trails his fingers over my bare shoulder or when his eyes linger over the curve of my cleavage rounding the top of my bustier.

I nod. “Just whatever you’re having.”

“I’ll catch up with you,” he says.

I turn just as Elaine spots me, and she waves her hand in the air to get my attention.

“You made it!” she exclaims, pulling me into a tight hug. “You need to catch up!” She lifts her hand and catches the attention of a waitress walking by. Elaine makes some gesture at the empty round of shot glasses in front of her, and the waitress nods at their already acquainted signal. “We’re doing tequila,” she informs me. “And Ajay is making a bet with Min Jun on how many girls’ Instagrams he can get by the end of the night,” she adds.

I grimace. “I forget that they’re literal children.”

“We were once twenty-two, Lucy. Best to let them make their own mistakes.”

We both cackle a loud laugh just as Dexter returns to my side, two pink-tinted cocktails in his hand. “I got you a paloma,” he says close to my ear.

“Thanks,” I shout over the noise. I turn to Elaine, whose eyes ping-pong from me to Dexter and then back to me. “This is Dexter,” I say over the table. “He’s my roommate.”

“Nice to meet you,” she says, extending a hand toward him. Elaine smiles at him and then at me, her brows raised, and I smile back, resisting a small eye roll. “I guess you don’t really need to catch up,” she comments, eyeing the matching drinks in our hands.

Just then, Ivy shows up, greeting us with hugs and eager waves. “Sorry I’m late,” she says with a deep sigh. “It was hell catching a cab.”

“You got here just in time,” Elaine says, taking the shot glasses from the waitress’s tray as she lowers them to the table. “We’re doing another round.”

“Seven!” Ajay announces as he returns to our table.

“Six,” Min Jun corrects. “That last girl gave you a fake handle.”

“I’ve heard of fake numbers, but fake Instagram accounts?” Elaine says, feigning sympathy as she pats Ajay’s shoulder. “Rough night?”

“I probably just typed it in wrong,” he defends while reaching for a shot glass. “It’s six more than you,” he adds, handing the drink to Min Jun.

“The night’s still young, my friend. I am taking it nice and slow,” Min Jun argues, taking Ajay’s offering. “Looking too eager is highly unattractive.” Dexter coughs a laugh, and Min Jun raises his glass to him. “I’m right, right?”

“It’s worth testing out the approach.”

“I’m Min Jun,” he says to Dexter. “And this little eager bunny is Ajay.”

“Dexter,” Dexter responds, shaking Min Jun’s extended hand. “Nice to meet you guys.”

It’s getting more and more crowded by the minute, and Dexter squeezes himself between another rowdy table behind us and me. He places his hand on my back and leaves it there as we all take a glass.

A quick toss and a painful grimace later, and we’re all sipping on our drinks while we chat up about our work life these past few months. Dexter’s been lured away from the table by Min Jun and Ajay, whatever brotherhood or camaraderie they’ve developed in the short time since we’ve arrived turning into a fun night of more tequila shots and loud games of darts and pool.

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