bathroom, and I stood up and pulled on my jeans and my t-shirt. I was just putting my shoes back on when she emerged.
“You don’t have to go,” she said.
But I did. I wasn’t one to hang around after a hookup, and if this was going to happen again, I had to set the precedent.
Besides, Fiona would never agree to a coed sleepover.
“Yeah, I do.” I pulled her into me and kissed her by way of apology, and then we exchanged numbers.
I almost said, “Next time, we do this at my place,” but I stopped myself. I didn’t really want some entanglement, especially not with a girl who worked at the bar I was going to be frequenting and who lived in my apartment complex. It was easier to take off when I was the one doing the leaving. Besides, I reasoned, she had told me that she just wanted a night of fun. And fun had certainly been had. So I left it at that and walked the short distance to my apartment.
On Tuesday afternoon, I was unpacking more of my boxes when lunchtime rolled around. I thought about going to Skips. What if Tracy was working? Would she take it as an indication that I wanted something more? I didn’t, but I did have a hankering for a cheeseburger, and Skips was the closest. I took it as a good sign that she hadn’t texted me yet; that meant that she wouldn’t be a clinger, and hopefully she had meant what she said the night before: “I don’t want anything other than a fun night.”
I covered the short distance to Skips in a few minutes.
Four women sat at the table by the door, and it took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the dark bar after being out in the bright sun. I pulled off my sunglasses. Some men rested sunglasses on top of their heads; I didn’t, because I didn’t want to mess up my hair. Some guys put their sunglasses in the neck at the back of their shirts; I didn’t, because I thought that looked douchey. So I stuck my aviators in the v-neck of my t-shirt as I threw on my confident swagger walk and headed to the bar, pretty sure that I could feel the eyes of the four ladies by the door on my ass.
I sat in the same seat I had been in the night before and remembered when Tracy had walked up to me. It had been a fun night, but I knew it would never amount to anything more than just a string of fun nights with her. And I was cool with that, as long as she was. The bartender came over to take my order. He looked more like a bouncer than a bartender. “Hey dude, you’re back again?”
I smiled. “Closest place to my new digs.”
“Welcome. I’m Max.”
“Travis.”
“You go home with Trace last night?”
I nodded, a little weary to be discussing this with him.
“She’s a sweet girl.”
“Yeah.” I wasn’t sure where he was going with this conversation.
Lucky for me, he dropped it. “What can I get for you?”
I placed my order and watched the basketball and golf highlights on ESPN while I waited for my burger, and a text from my dad buzzed through. Hey pal. Thinking about you .
I smiled at my dad’s text. He was the poised patriarch of my family, typically devoid of emotional outbursts, but I knew he was concerned about me.
Hey Pops. Thanks. Doing well so far. Excited about work tomorrow.
Good. You will have your hands full.
For some reason, an image of Tracy’s breast filling my hand the night before popped inappropriately into my mind at that moment. And then it was immediately replaced by an image of Gorgeous and her perfect breasts filling my hands. I realized later that one person didn’t pop into my mind in that moment: Julianne Becker. I felt the progress of baby steps.
Ready for it. Thanks for everything.
You bet, kid. Take care of yourself and text your mother. She’s worried about you and driving me crazy.
I chuckled as the bartender set down my burger. “Enjoy,” he said.
CHAPTER 6
After lunch, I decided to take a walk on the beach. I hadn’t been there yet despite the fact that I’d been
“You don’t have to go,” she said.
But I did. I wasn’t one to hang around after a hookup, and if this was going to happen again, I had to set the precedent.
Besides, Fiona would never agree to a coed sleepover.
“Yeah, I do.” I pulled her into me and kissed her by way of apology, and then we exchanged numbers.
I almost said, “Next time, we do this at my place,” but I stopped myself. I didn’t really want some entanglement, especially not with a girl who worked at the bar I was going to be frequenting and who lived in my apartment complex. It was easier to take off when I was the one doing the leaving. Besides, I reasoned, she had told me that she just wanted a night of fun. And fun had certainly been had. So I left it at that and walked the short distance to my apartment.
On Tuesday afternoon, I was unpacking more of my boxes when lunchtime rolled around. I thought about going to Skips. What if Tracy was working? Would she take it as an indication that I wanted something more? I didn’t, but I did have a hankering for a cheeseburger, and Skips was the closest. I took it as a good sign that she hadn’t texted me yet; that meant that she wouldn’t be a clinger, and hopefully she had meant what she said the night before: “I don’t want anything other than a fun night.”
I covered the short distance to Skips in a few minutes.
Four women sat at the table by the door, and it took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the dark bar after being out in the bright sun. I pulled off my sunglasses. Some men rested sunglasses on top of their heads; I didn’t, because I didn’t want to mess up my hair. Some guys put their sunglasses in the neck at the back of their shirts; I didn’t, because I thought that looked douchey. So I stuck my aviators in the v-neck of my t-shirt as I threw on my confident swagger walk and headed to the bar, pretty sure that I could feel the eyes of the four ladies by the door on my ass.
I sat in the same seat I had been in the night before and remembered when Tracy had walked up to me. It had been a fun night, but I knew it would never amount to anything more than just a string of fun nights with her. And I was cool with that, as long as she was. The bartender came over to take my order. He looked more like a bouncer than a bartender. “Hey dude, you’re back again?”
I smiled. “Closest place to my new digs.”
“Welcome. I’m Max.”
“Travis.”
“You go home with Trace last night?”
I nodded, a little weary to be discussing this with him.
“She’s a sweet girl.”
“Yeah.” I wasn’t sure where he was going with this conversation.
Lucky for me, he dropped it. “What can I get for you?”
I placed my order and watched the basketball and golf highlights on ESPN while I waited for my burger, and a text from my dad buzzed through. Hey pal. Thinking about you .
I smiled at my dad’s text. He was the poised patriarch of my family, typically devoid of emotional outbursts, but I knew he was concerned about me.
Hey Pops. Thanks. Doing well so far. Excited about work tomorrow.
Good. You will have your hands full.
For some reason, an image of Tracy’s breast filling my hand the night before popped inappropriately into my mind at that moment. And then it was immediately replaced by an image of Gorgeous and her perfect breasts filling my hands. I realized later that one person didn’t pop into my mind in that moment: Julianne Becker. I felt the progress of baby steps.
Ready for it. Thanks for everything.
You bet, kid. Take care of yourself and text your mother. She’s worried about you and driving me crazy.
I chuckled as the bartender set down my burger. “Enjoy,” he said.
CHAPTER 6
After lunch, I decided to take a walk on the beach. I hadn’t been there yet despite the fact that I’d been
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