Page 12 of Kiss Me, Maybe

DM EXCHANGE:

@LetiIsTrying:It’s painful how much I relate to your videos sometimes. Dating in the real world is AWFUL. Really hope your scavenger hunt idea works.

@LetiIsTrying:Really loved your last post btw. Respectfully, I nearly spat out my coffee when those photos hit my fyp. Girl, you are HOT!!!

@Angela:Thank you!!! You’re too sweet

@Angela:And when I get messages like these, I’m never sure if I should apologize or feel relieved I’m not alone. I’m here if you ever need to talk.

@LetiIsTrying:My one “relationship” barely counted as a relationship, and that was five years ago. I’m sick of being single, but I’m not like you. I struggle when it comes to putting myself out there.

@Angela:It’s the worst, especially when you feel like you’re falling behind everyone else. And you don’t seem to be struggling when it comes to gaming content. Your nose scrunches up in the cutest way when the green serpent thing kills you in yourStardew Valleyplaythroughs. Someone in the gaming community could be crushing on you already.

@LetiIsTrying:Couldn’t agree more, being the last single sibling is the worst. And gaming is different, especially the guys I’m interacting with on that side of things. You don’t want to know how many creepy gamer dudes I’ve had to block on here. How my biromantic ass is still attracted to men, I will never know.

@Angela:Oof, why must men ruin everything? If worse comes to worst, maybe we should just go out with each other

@LetiIsTrying:If it’ll get my parents to stop asking when I’m going to find someone, I’m in.

@Angela:Who knew dating was this easy?

It takes me a couple of days to work out the finer details. Once I finally do, I film an update post and save it to my drafts folder. If this idea is going to work, I’ll need to enlist help from people at each location. And who better to enlist in my schemes than my favorite bartender?

An afternoon glow sets Havana Bar on fire. The six o’clock sunset casts orange light through the windows. The bar is abandoned at this hour and will likely continue to be until night falls. When I walk in, Krystal sets down her rag and looks up at me from behind the counter.

“Look who’s come in to day drink.” Her mouth curls into a half-smile. She leans forward on the bar, crossing her arms in front of her to support her weight. “Miss me already?”

She raises a brow, intrigued. For a moment, I’m struck again by how pretty she is. I’ve been coming here for years, so you’d think I’d know this by now, but somehow it catches me by surprise every time.

Dark brown curls fall over one shoulder, the lighting settingher hair ablaze. I’ve had plenty of daydreams where I sink my fingers into the soft tendrils, tugging behind the nape of her neck until we’re eye to eye. Once I bend my head until our faces nearly touch, I inspect every line, from the black wings lining her wide brown eyes to the perfectly contoured brows I’d trace with my thumbs if I weren’t worried about ruining her makeup.

Kissing is purely a romantic endeavor, at least in my mind. Eyes flick to mouths, the room around us stills, and only when we can’t take it any longer do we lean in and touch lips. The daydream could go on for hours, but it never goes past that.Just kissing.Not that any of it matters, since I’ve never come close to kissing anyone I’ve crushed on. The probability of Krystal and me kissing for real is about 0.2%, and the probability of me kissing someonein generalis about 0.0%.

“If I say yes, would you be willing to do me a favor?”

“For you?” Her eyes look me up and down in a way that warms me from the inside out. “Anything.”

Okay, maybe it’s more like 0.5%.

“Do you remember what we talked about last time I was here?”

She rests her cheek in a raised hand, elbows propped on the counter. “Of course.” She nods sagely. “I remember any time my customers tell me about their love lives.”

“Nonexistent, you mean.”

“But not for long, if your newest post has anything to say about it.”Shit.I forgot that there was a possibility my videos would come up on her For You page. Her grin is nothing short of shit-eating.

“How do you keep finding those?”

“I follow you.” She shrugs at whatever shock must be written on my face. “It’s the only way I can keep up with your shenanigans.”

When she turns to put away the cleaning supplies, I pull out my phone. I’ve gotten an influx of new followers this past week, so searching for her name isn’t pulling any results. And then, just as I’m about to give up, I come across a profile that makes me pause. At first glance, the picture is innocuous enough. Boring black paint on a boring white wall, until I click the circle for a closer look.

That’s what I thought.The bar’s name is cut off, but I can just make out the paintedHat the edge of the circle. There are no posts on the account or bio information, nothing that would clue me in aside from a single name at the top of the screen.Bingo.

“HavanaGirl1015.”

She turns around, eyes sparkling at the use of her username. “Wow. You’re good at this scavenger hunt stuff already.”

---