Page 74 of Unconventionally, Elle
He grinned and raised his glass of Veuve Clicquot.
I placed my Dom Pérignon on the glass table and reached for Sarah's hand.
"Shots!" I shouted at her over the music and pointed toward the magnificent bar with shelves of gleaming bottles and fine liquor.
She nodded with excitement and stood up.
We shimmied our way through the crowd and found an open spot at the very end of the bar where the mixologist was creating one of their themed cocktails with gin, champagne, and elderflower.
"That looks amazing," I said as Sarah got the bartender's attention.
"Four tequila shots please, Don Julio," Sarah said.
The bartender nodded and hurried off to get the bottle and glasses.
I leaned in closer to Sarah's ear. "James would flip his shit. Don Julio? Who are you? I thought we'd do the good ole college Jose Cuervo?"
She turned her head and gave me anAre you serious?look. "This place would kick us out if we got Cuervo!" she shouted back. "And yeah, but he's fine. Though, I forgot to put beer in the fridge. Poor guy only has ginger ale tonight!"
We both let out contagious belly laughs.
"Oh my God, poor Jamesie," I cooed. "He's so lost without you, I bet. Tell me the truth, how many times has he called or texted you?"
"Honestly?" She giggled. "Called five and--wait, actually, he's still texting me." Her phone screen lit up, and I saw the bubbles from his texts on the screen. The mischievous yet loving gleam in her eye had me throwing my head back again in laughter.
The love James and Sarah had for each other was pure, and I wanted that. I'd thought I had it.Wait, no. I'm not going to let myself think about anything but the present. No relationship rabbit holes or babies or anything. It's just me and my friends bringing in 2023 like we are a couple of newfound celebrities.
"Here you are, ladies." The bartender slid the shots toward us.
"To friendship and the nights we'll never remember." I lifted my shot glass to her.
"Cheers!" she yelled.
It was so crowded, the bartender forgot to give us any salt, so we only had the small lime wedges in the shot glass. The first shots went down fine. Sarah's eyes were glassy, and I was starting to feel the buzz of the alcohol. Now, the second shots were... something. I tossed mine back and grabbed my lime wedge and sucked hard on it to cut the taste of the tequila. Sarah threw hers back but forgot the wedge. I saw her eyes bulge and her body heave. I thought to myself,Oh fuck!Her hand flew over her mouth, and her wide eyes told me everything I needed to know. She ran through the crowd toward the women's restroom. On second thought, maybe the back-to-back shots of tequila were a little too much too fast.
I texted her to see if she needed me, and she responded right away.
Sarah:No, no. I'm fine. I think my body was just shocked, but I'm good. I'm good, I swear.
Me:I'll order you a water! I'll bring it to the table.
Sarah:
I got the bartender's attention again and asked for a glass of water. While leaning on the bar, I checked my phone. Still nothing from Barrett. I guess I was expecting to hear something from him tonight, but I knew he was busy. Just wishful thinking on my part.
I grabbed the water, turned, and accidentally bumped into a man's chest who was standing right behind me. Embarrassed, I looked up and came face-to-face with eyes that I didn't realize still made me weak in the knees until that moment. His deep laugh was the same, and his voice made my heart race all over again when he asked, "Elle Belle? Is that really you?"
The plastic cup bounced on the floor and water splashed up my legs. The cold rush clashed with the heat that consumed my body just by the way he said my name.
I barely whispered his name, shock taking over my intoxicated body. "Jude."
"Elle." His lips pulled up and his golden eyes turned smoky. Seductive.
I couldn't speak. My tongue was literally paralyzed. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity but I'm sure was only a few moments. His gaze was magnetic, pulling me toward him.
He leaned down and tilted his head to the side so that his lips brushed my ear. An electric shock pulsed through my spine, and my body was alive. "Can I get you a drink?" His breath tickled my oversensitive neck.
"No, no that's okay. We have a table."Way to go, Elle. Way to go. Say no, per usual, but tell him you have a table. Jesus, do better.
