Page 97 of Kiss Me, Maybe

Later that night, once the party has ended and we’ve cleaned up, Krystal and I end up in my bedroom.

“Should we have the talk now?” I ask as Krystal plops herself on the edge of my bed. When she raises a brow at me, I clarify. “You know, the relationship talk? We said we love each other. Does that mean we’re in a relationship?”

“I haven’t done the whole relationship thing since Isaac,” she reminds me. “I’m not sure how good I’ll be at it, but you make me want to try. I love you. I want to be with you, Angela. So if you’ll have me…” She reaches for my hands, intertwining our fingers as a cheesy smile lights up her entire face. “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

I can’t help but mirror her grin. “Of course I want to beyour girlfriend.”

My hand tangles in her hair as I clasp the back of her neck and bend to kiss her. Dare I say it, but I think in the last few hours I’ve become an expert. She moans into my mouth as my tongue glides against hers. I didn’t mean to ramp up the heat between us so fast, but I can’t seem to help myself.

“You’re a little too good at that.” She pulls away slightly, voice breathy. “And you’re a little too good at some other things too.”

“What can I say? Twenty-seven years gives youplentyof time to research.” I trail kisses down her jaw. “Plus, I had a great teacher.”

“Oh, yeah?” Her eyes darken with desire. “Is that who taught you how to drive me wild with your tongue on my pussy?”

Fuck.

I’m never going to get over Krystal’s dirty mouth. She pushes me back against the bed, lowering herself to the floor as she peels off my pants. Thankfully, they’ve dried out so she doesn’t have to exert much effort to remove them from my body.

“Krystal.” I bite down on a moan as she works me open with her tongue, praying no one can hear us. I’m full to the brim with love for this woman, and I’m in danger of overflowing. “Fuck, Krystal. I love you so much. I love that every first I have is with you. But you know what?”

It takes her a moment before her tongue stops moving against me. Her eyes have a devilish glint to them, but there’s something soft in them too. It’s that look again. That look you can only give someone you’re irrevocably in love with. “What, Angel?”

I stare down at her, in awe of this woman I get to call mine.

“I hope you’ll be my last.”

Epilogue

Two Years Later

Are you ready?”

I glance out the window to the dusty building Marcela and I are parked in front of. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. The glowing neon sign is out of place against the old gray brick, but Krystal seems to like the juxtaposition. After a while, it grew on me too. More so when I realized what building it was.

“Ready,” Marcela tells me, undoing her seat belt. “Should we be worried that they refused help setting up?”

“They have a staff for all that.” I wave off her concern as we cross the street, making our way to the bar. “I’m just here to drink.”

Back when Krystal first showed me the building she and Theo had found for the bar, she had waited for me to get it on my own, eyeing me with patient excitement as I squinted my eyes at the unassuming, abandoned building. Inside, I kicked at the trash on the floor as I made my way around the space for the first time. The wooden beams were nice, but the unfinished ceiling and concrete floor left much to be desired.

“I don’t get it,” I finally told her. “What am I supposed to be looking for?”

Her smile was giddy.

“This used to be your favorite view,” she told me. “But I get why you wouldn’t recognize the building from up close or inside. You needed some distance to get the fullpicture.” When I still didn’t understand the hint she was giving me, it finally clicked when she said, “It looks a little different since they washed off the mural, doesn’t it?”

This was the building that started it all. For Natalia. For me. Now, finally, for Krystal. When I met Natalia two years ago, I couldn’t shake this feeling that our fates were tied. Now, as the sign Natalia designed and built blinks back at me, it’s as if the three of us have come full circle.

There’s already a line wrapped around the corner. After a successful soft launch last week, people around town have been rallying for the Elixir Lounge to open for normal hours with an extended drink menu. It’s even gotten great reviews and buzz in local and national publications. A security guard waves us through in front of the long line, and even though Marcela and I have met Steven on several occasions, it still makes me feel like a treasured VIP guest when he lets us pass without so much as a blink.

Inside, the place has come a long way from the first time Krystal and I visited. The back wall behind a row of booths has been replaced with tempered glass and gold metal plating that lets in lots of sunlight during the day and gives a greenhouse effect. There are rows of multi-colored neon lights behind the bar that make the place look more like a nightclub when the sun goes down. Plant life is everywhere—on the shelves beside bottles of liquor, hanging in pots above our heads, on top oftiered shelves against the windows. There’s plenty of Natalia’s artwork as well. Any wall space not taken up by trailing vines holds framed paintings, and an array of sculptures in various sizes are mixed in with the plants by the window.

Krystal and Theo are talking with the staff in a circle, possibly discussing the game plan for tonight. While they’re occupied, I make my way behind the bar. Marcela shakes her head at me as Krystal excuses herself from the group.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Practicing my moves.” I grab a bottle of Malibu from behind the bar and toss it in the air. My girlfriend catches it in midair before it can land in my hand. I pout at her glare. “Oh, come on, I’m getting better!”

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