perfectly
regular name.” Lucy glared at him but there was no fire behind
it.
“ Whatever, the guy was
named after wieners,” Blake retorted, causing Chad to laugh even
harder.
“ You never liked him.”
Lucy shook her head, but that smile was still playing on her
lips.
“ Of course not!” Blake
agreed heartily. “He was always after my girl. And it sounds like I
had good cause to hate him.”
Lucy shot him a look that he was positive
could melt glass, but he gave her a crooked grin.
“ Did you or did you not
try to kill the guy?” Sway tried to get an answer to his question.
Unease and light panic displayed across his features. Sway had
always been more than a little afraid of Lucy and her inability to
tolerate bullshit.
“ Of course I didn't try to
kill him, Sway!” Lucy exclaimed. “You know, if I was a vice
president I don't think I'd be under this much
scrutiny.”
“ Damn, I've missed you!”
Blake slapped his hand down on the table and laughed out loud. He
didn't even care what he was supposed to be doing or how he was
supposed to be acting. She was still his favorite person in the
whole world. She was smart and funny and she didn't take shit from
anyone. How was he supposed to stay away from her at this
point?
She finally gave into that smile and she
directed it at him from under hooded eyes. He thought his heart
might stop. A thousand memories replayed in his head and all of
them were sweet and wild. Why did he have to stay away again? They
could at least be friends... couldn't they?
“ How long have you guys
known each other?” Chad took a bite of his burger, ketchup dripping
down his chin.
Blake looked to Lucy and she shrugged,
letting him answer. “Since we were kids.” He smiled at the memory.
“I was eight, she was six... I crashed my bike and was sitting in
the gravel, crying my eyes out like a baby when she sat down beside
me.” Blake grinned at her, the event replaying vividly in his mind.
“She told me I was going to be fine, that I wouldn't die from my
injuries. Then she gave me a frog that I'm pretty sure she had been
carrying in her pocket.”
“ You are the weirdest girl
I know,” Sway said, shaking his head, but Blake saw her bite her
lower lip as she tried not to smile again.
Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at
him. “That was a fun summer.” All he could do was nod.
***
The rest of the night was implausibly easy.
No awkwardness, no tension. Blake even switched chairs with Stuart
so he could be closer to Lucy. The angst he'd been feeling the past
two weeks had evaporated. She was laughing and he was laughing and
no one was bothering them. He got caught up on the events back home
that he had missed while he'd been gone. It really was two best
friends reuniting after way too long apart.
When they got back to the buses, he grabbed
her fingers lightly and tugged her to a stop before she could go
back to her bus and they went back to how things had been. She was
wearing the band shirt he had given her when he'd first joined DBS.
He didn't point it out, he simply reveled in the fact that she
hadn't let go of their whole history.
“ Chad was pretty brave
throwing you in the ocean today, knowing that you shoot people,” he
teased her, enjoying the gentle curve of her mouth as she smiled in
return.
“ I told you, it was an
accident. I missed.” She raised her eyebrows, imploring him to
believe her.
“ You forget, Lucky, I know
you. You don't miss.” He held her eyes for a beat longer than
necessary. “We can do this, can't we?” he asked
carefully.
“ Do what?” She held her
breath, and he noticed.
“ We can be friends
again... without all the pain and drama, right?” He looked down at
her hand in his and felt a deep longing that he knew he needed to
suppress.
“ I would really like
that,” she whispered, not looking away from him.
In that moment, after she
confirmed they could be friends , he was overcome with the
ache of wanting her. He swallowed
regular name.” Lucy glared at him but there was no fire behind
it.
“ Whatever, the guy was
named after wieners,” Blake retorted, causing Chad to laugh even
harder.
“ You never liked him.”
Lucy shook her head, but that smile was still playing on her
lips.
“ Of course not!” Blake
agreed heartily. “He was always after my girl. And it sounds like I
had good cause to hate him.”
Lucy shot him a look that he was positive
could melt glass, but he gave her a crooked grin.
“ Did you or did you not
try to kill the guy?” Sway tried to get an answer to his question.
Unease and light panic displayed across his features. Sway had
always been more than a little afraid of Lucy and her inability to
tolerate bullshit.
“ Of course I didn't try to
kill him, Sway!” Lucy exclaimed. “You know, if I was a vice
president I don't think I'd be under this much
scrutiny.”
“ Damn, I've missed you!”
Blake slapped his hand down on the table and laughed out loud. He
didn't even care what he was supposed to be doing or how he was
supposed to be acting. She was still his favorite person in the
whole world. She was smart and funny and she didn't take shit from
anyone. How was he supposed to stay away from her at this
point?
She finally gave into that smile and she
directed it at him from under hooded eyes. He thought his heart
might stop. A thousand memories replayed in his head and all of
them were sweet and wild. Why did he have to stay away again? They
could at least be friends... couldn't they?
“ How long have you guys
known each other?” Chad took a bite of his burger, ketchup dripping
down his chin.
Blake looked to Lucy and she shrugged,
letting him answer. “Since we were kids.” He smiled at the memory.
“I was eight, she was six... I crashed my bike and was sitting in
the gravel, crying my eyes out like a baby when she sat down beside
me.” Blake grinned at her, the event replaying vividly in his mind.
“She told me I was going to be fine, that I wouldn't die from my
injuries. Then she gave me a frog that I'm pretty sure she had been
carrying in her pocket.”
“ You are the weirdest girl
I know,” Sway said, shaking his head, but Blake saw her bite her
lower lip as she tried not to smile again.
Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at
him. “That was a fun summer.” All he could do was nod.
***
The rest of the night was implausibly easy.
No awkwardness, no tension. Blake even switched chairs with Stuart
so he could be closer to Lucy. The angst he'd been feeling the past
two weeks had evaporated. She was laughing and he was laughing and
no one was bothering them. He got caught up on the events back home
that he had missed while he'd been gone. It really was two best
friends reuniting after way too long apart.
When they got back to the buses, he grabbed
her fingers lightly and tugged her to a stop before she could go
back to her bus and they went back to how things had been. She was
wearing the band shirt he had given her when he'd first joined DBS.
He didn't point it out, he simply reveled in the fact that she
hadn't let go of their whole history.
“ Chad was pretty brave
throwing you in the ocean today, knowing that you shoot people,” he
teased her, enjoying the gentle curve of her mouth as she smiled in
return.
“ I told you, it was an
accident. I missed.” She raised her eyebrows, imploring him to
believe her.
“ You forget, Lucky, I know
you. You don't miss.” He held her eyes for a beat longer than
necessary. “We can do this, can't we?” he asked
carefully.
“ Do what?” She held her
breath, and he noticed.
“ We can be friends
again... without all the pain and drama, right?” He looked down at
her hand in his and felt a deep longing that he knew he needed to
suppress.
“ I would really like
that,” she whispered, not looking away from him.
In that moment, after she
confirmed they could be friends , he was overcome with the
ache of wanting her. He swallowed
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