Page 23 of I Wanna Be Your Lager

Jake exits his office, and I trail a few steps behind until we reach the bar. He says a few words to Lach and waves at Nora before he’s out the door. At least Nora’s here, so I won’t feel like I’m talking to a brick wall. As the night progresses, the customers get few and far between. Nora takes a seat on a stool on the customer’s side of the bar. Her fingers dance over the screen of her phone.

“Ugh, this stupid app is going to drive me to drink.” Nora drops her phone to the bar top.

I glance up from placing glasses in the under-the-counter dishwasher. “Well, you’re in the perfect spot.” I shrug. “What’s the app?”

She rubs her temples. “I’ve been working on programming a dating app.”

I freeze, glass midair. “Wait, you’re programming an app? Like, you know how to do that?”

“Yeah. I went to college for computer programming.”

“Impressive. Why are you working at Porter’s, then? I feel like there would be more money in that than bartending.”

She props her chin on her hand. “It’s kind of a long story, but essentially, the hours are less demanding, so it works.”

I nod. I don’t want to pry into Nora’s life, but there’s more behind that answer than what she’s telling me. “Aren’t there a million dating apps?”

“Yes, but all those are ‘find the love of your life’ or ‘hookup for a night of forgettable sex.’ Mine’s different. It’s an app for people who need a date for a night and can’t find one. Dessa gave me the idea last year when she needed a date for a wedding. There are no obligations besides being the date.”

“That’s kind of a cool idea.”

“Mostly, it’s for people who have to go to family gatherings and have to endure the countless ‘Why are you still single?’ ‘You need to settle down,’ or ‘You’re not getting any younger’ questions,” she says in a mocking tone. “This app will fix that. At least temporarily.” She laughs.

“It could be useful for making someone jealous.” The words tumble out without thought. It’s not that I want to go on a date to make Lach—or anyone—jealous, but it could push someone into figuring out their feelings.

“Suuure.” She eyes me wearily. “You could do that too. I have a spot to mention date specifics. Right now, I can’t get this messaging feature to work properly. But when I get this last bug fixed, I’ll need a beta tester.” She flashes me a cheesy but hopeful smile. “You’re new to town. Single. It’s a great way to meet people with zero expectations.”

Join a dating app? I am new to town. The single status is up for debate. Technically, I am, but I want to see what happens with Lach first. “I don’t know about that.”

“Well, think about it. Especially if,” she nods her head toward Lach, “he’s going to be a grumpy brute.”

A laugh escapes me. That’s him to a tee right now.

As expected, Lach spent the entire night saying as little as possible to me. If I happened to be within five feet of him, he’d find an excuse to go somewhere else. It was a quiet night. The cooler didn’t need to be stocked eight times.

I spot Lach at the end of the bar with no escape besides jumping over the bar top. Now’s my chance to demand answers. I’m no longer playing his game of dodgeball. I strut to where he’s standing and cage him in with a hand on my hip.

“Why are you ignoring me? Every time I walk into the room, you walk to the other side. You barely say more than two words to me each time you see me.” He freezes, and a moment of silence passes between us. Then it hits me like one of my imaginary dodgeballs. I lower my voice. “Do you regret what happened between us?”

He flinches as if my words stung him. He tilts his head to the ceiling and blows out a deep breath. “I don’t regret it.” His head falls and turns toward me. “In fact, I can’t stop thinking about it.”

FOURTEEN

CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED

Lach

When I’m with her, I’m thinking about her. When I’m not with her, I’m still thinking about her. Then Jake’s angry scowl flashes in front of me like an annoying website pop-up, except there’s no close button. She’s Jake’s sister. My best friend’s sister.

She pops her hip. “Then what’s your problem?”

“My two rules have always been don’t date an ex’s sibling or a best friend’s sibling. It gets messy. And this,” I point between me and her, “is going to get messy.”

“This,” she points between herself and me, “is fun.” Her face softens. “You made me forget how shitty things have been lately. I just want more of that.”

My heart thunders in my chest as I glance over my shoulder to make sure the coast is clear. “Me too.”

Reaching up, I cup her cheek. I brush my thumb over her soft skin, running it back and forth. Her hazel eyes meet mine. I ache to bend down, press my lips to hers, and whisper how desperately I crave her. How much I need her. But I can’t. Her plump pink lips part a fraction and her chin raises, waiting formy lips to touch hers. Instead, I drop my hand and retreat a step. Her shoulders slump.

---