Page 75 of Notes About Vodka

Laura looks up into my eyes. Her’s are so damned blue right now, just sparkling like sapphires.How perfect for tonight.

“You did this?”

I want to kiss Laura right now, right here, right in front of everyone. She’s stunning, wrapped in this skin-tight, barely any sleeve if that shoulder part counts as one, hot pink dress that hugs her body like it was made for her.

“I had help,” I whisper into her ear as I press a kiss to the side of her head instead of her lips.

Her friends gather around, singing and cheering her on, and all I can do is watch, as I let her go.

Struck by how magnetic she is. I’m filled with that familiar mixture of excitement and frustration, the kind that’s been there since this whole game between us began.

We’re celebrating at The Blue Key, a bar with neon lights and a bustling crowd—a perfect place to lose ourselves for the night. It’s one of those chilly November evenings where it was warm and sunny during the day, but now the cold is the kind that settles under your skin, reminding you the seasons are shifting.

Laura’s smile cuts through the coolness of the night though. She’s glowing as she mingles with Skipper and Rhea, hugging them close and thanking them for the party. Her laughter spills throughout the bar, lighting up the atmosphere.

Even though tonight is supposed to be about Laura and fun, I can’t shake the thought of whatever it is she’s hiding from me. I know it has to do with her family…her mother…but what other secrets is she keeping?

It bothers me. I can’t stand feeling so distant from someone I care about this much; someone I’m rapidly falling…no, I am in love with Laura.

But tonight, it’s her 24thbirthday, and I tell myself to let it go. For now.

I want a repeat of the other night. I want to taste Laura again; I want more than the long kisses and hugs that make it where I never want to let her go.

This cat-and-mouse game between us has dragged on for months.

Grabbing coffee, watching movies, all of it just hovering on the edge of something more.

And the notes! She still leaves them hiding around everywhere for me to find. Doodles, stories of our moments, struggles with classwork she thinks I can help with.

It’s driving me insane, feeling her warmth so close but always just out of reach. I know she feels the same—I can see it in her eyes, in the way she smiles when she thinks I’m not looking.

That night… her delicious pussy… her moans, her soft snores, her… BLET!

It was something beyond amazing, but I want more.

Finally, I am able to pull her back to my side as we gather around a long bar top where the bartender has set me up with my own beverage station. I paid a little extra to be able to create some of my favorite martinis for everyone here for the party.

My heart is hammering in my chest.

“Laura,” I murmur, leaning close. “You know how much I care about you. I want tonight to be special. Happy Birthday, moya lubimaya, my world.”

Then, I turn around the face our ever growing birthday celebration crowd.

“Let’s celebrate properly,” I say to everyone, “I’m going to make some special vodka martinis for us,” I add as I open up a bottle of Russian Standard vodka.

I prepare the first drink, a classic dirty martini, with a neon green twist.

As I hand Laura the classic martini, the green making the gray in her eyes glow through the captivating dark blue, I can’t help but watch her reaction. “Simple but timeless,” I explain, my voice dropping as I hold her gaze. “Just like you.”

Her eyes flicker with something—hope, maybe, mischievousness? Whatever it is, I cling to it. Laura has been relaxed tonight, a bit more carefree and I wonder what it could take to really make her go wild.

I wait patiently for her reaction as she takes the first sip.

"Pure alchemy, Valerie! I was expecting sour olive, but this, the flavor is still there, but it’s slightly sweeter, purer tasting."

I wink. “It's the water that makes the vodka. Here, try just the Russian Standard on its own."

I pour her a shot and pass it to her, our fingers grazing, causing the all too familiar electrical current to ripple through my body.

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