Chat Love by Justine Faeth Page A

smiling Dave. “Hey, Lucia,” he says, giving me a hug. “Happy early Valentine’s Day.”
    I grimace theatrically, “Please don’t remind me.”
    He chuckles and leans in to kiss Skyler gently. “Now who’s this little lady, drinking without me?”
    Skyler giggles and whispers something into his ear, which causes a sly grin to spread across his face. I turn away to give them some privacy and am surprised to come face-to-face with Jackson, who is suddenly standing next to me.
    He looks at Skyler and Dave and asks, “So is Skyler pretty smashed?” He flashes a sexy grin, chuckling at whatever shenanigans are occurring behind me.
    I turn back to the happy couple and see Skyler’s hand on Dave’s ass. Laughing, I look at Jackson and answer, “Yeah, just a little. Luckily, Dave is her fiancé, so he’ll take good care of her.”
    “And what about you? Who’s going to take care of you?” Jackson asks.
    His question hits me harder than it should and I look up at the ceiling, trying to will my eyes to dry up. Between the alcohol, the holiday, and my growing depression, the innocent question seems hurtful.
    Jackson cups my chin gently and looks me in the eye. “Hey, I just meant who is going to make sure you get home safely?”
    I pull away from his grasp and wipe a runaway tear. “I know. It’s just the alcohol; it makes me a bit more emotional than usual. “
    Jackson narrows his eyes at me, trying to figure something out, but then the bartender interrupts us and he orders two shots of tequila.
    Skyler hugs me from behind. “Hey, do you mind if Dave and I leave? I mean, I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about my wedding plans, but I can definitely stay here with you if you want me to.”
    I shake my head. “Don’t be silly, Sky. Go enjoy your night.”
    As she hugs me, she whispers into my ear, “I guarantee I will be enjoying my night tonight. I have a sexy man waiting for me and I bought edible panties and everything. Happy Valentine’s Day to me!”
    “Sky, I really don’t need to hear the details, but have fun.”
    As I watch the giddy couple leave, I feel someone nudging my side. I turn and see that it’s Jackson, clutching a full shot glass in each hand.
    “I saw you taking tequila shots before with Skyler, so I thought that maybe you should have one with me, too. It might make you feel better.”
    “Who says I need to feel better?” I retort.
    He chuckles, “Everyone could always feel a bit better.” He hands me my shot, grabs my free wrist, and licks the inside of it slowly, never breaking our gaze. He then shakes some salt onto the wet spot and hands me a lime. I am mesmerized by his eyes and the feel of his touch. I watch carefully as he prepares his wrist in the same way and puts the shot to his mouth, nodding for me to do the same. We stare into each other’s eyes as we simultaneously down our shots. I quickly lick my wrist and feel the burn of the tequila as it slides down to my stomach, causing me to arch my back ever so slightly and fueling the fire building inside me. I quickly suck on my lime while I watch Jackson places his lips around his wedge, sucking out the lime juice,
    Jackson removes the lime from his mouth and places it in his empty shot glass, staring at me. “How do you feel?” he asks.
    I immediately blurt out, “Hot.” I blush as I hear him chuckle. “I mean, the tequila burns my throat, and it’s warm in here…” my voice trails off as Jackson takes a step closer
    “Does the burn feel good?” His warm breath brushes my ear, making me shiver.
    “Yes, very,” I whisper. If I turn my head just slightly to the right, my lips will be on his. I decide to make a move, and as I begin to turn my head I hear a familiar high-pitched voice.
    “Jackson,” Caitlin whines, “I want to do a shot! Come and take a shot with me!”
    We both turn in the direction of the voice and see Caitlin—clearly drunk—leaning against the bar and batting her lashes sloppily.