I hesitated to answer. I did have plans—with a woman I’d met online. Couldn’t say I was too excited about it, though.
“Uh…just dinner.”
Her brow lifted. “Anyone interesting?”
“Not sure yet. The verdict is still out. Haven’t met her in person.”
“Gotcha.” She played with some lint on the couch. “Well…if it doesn’t work out…you know…if she doesn’t make the cut to come back and…play Parcheesi, maybe you can stop by and have a late drink with me.”
Play Parcheesi. I remembered I’d once used that as a metaphor for sex.
“Yeah. Maybe,” I answered, sweating a little and feeling oddly anxious. This felt different. Was it just in my head?
Carys had no idea how badly I wished I could play Parcheesi with her tonight.
* * *
Her name was Allie, she worked for the city’s water board, and she liked karaoke bars. That was about all that registered. Everything else was in one ear and out the other.
I would’ve loved to believe I just wasn’t that into her, but I knew it was more than that; I couldn’t stop thinking about Carys—her invite and whether I was going to take her up on it. Aside from that one dinner, our get-togethers were always during the day—innocent. Her inviting me over for a drink in the late evening felt different.
Allie was attractive enough. If this were a different time, I might have taken her back to my place for a nightcap. But I had no interest in that tonight. Believe me, I wished I did.
Finally, we came to the point in the evening where we needed to leave the restaurant and figure out the next step. Allie asked the question that forced me to make a decision.
Out on the sidewalk, she flicked her curly blond hair to the side. “Would you be interested in seeing my apartment? It’s small but cozy. We could have drinks there instead of going somewhere else.”
Code for: would you like to come back to my place and fuck?
I could practically hear the ticking in my head as my brain formulated a response. “You know, I actually have an early appointment tomorrow. So I’d better head home.”
“Oh.” Disappointment was written all over her face. “That’s too bad. I would’ve liked to hang out some more.”
“Next time, maybe.” I forced a smile.
“Yeah.” Her tone proved she knew there wouldn’t be a next time.
Once I separated from Allie, I grabbed a cab back home.
My palms were sweaty as I texted Carys from outside her door. I’d gone to her apartment many times, but somehow the vibe from earlier had stuck; it felt different this time.
Deacon: Still up for that drink?
A response came in almost immediately.
Carys: Yes.
Deacon: I’m outside your door. Didn’t want to knock and wake Sunny up.
A few seconds later, she opened. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I swallowed at the sight of her.
Carys wore black leggings, showcasing her toned legs, and a vintage Bon Jovi T-shirt. Her hair was damp. She must have just come from the shower. My eyes wandered down to her bare feet. Her toes were painted a light pink, like the color of a ballerina slipper. Fitting. She wasn’t even trying to look good, and I couldn’t remember her ever looking as beautiful as she did right now.
Fuck me.
She blinked a few times as she looked up at me. “I didn’t think you’d come by.”
Following her inside, I said, “Why not?”
“Just a feeling, I guess.”
Conflicting emotions rushed through me as I towered over her, continuing to take her in. She was right in that I hadn’t been planning to come over. But she was wrong in probably assuming it was because I was more interested in hanging out with someone else. Just the opposite. Not only was I physically attracted to this woman, I connected with her in a way I’d never felt before. It scared me.
“Did she get to bed okay?” I asked.
“Hmm?” Carys seemed as much in a daze as I was.
“Sunny. Did Sunny go down okay?”
“Oh. You mean after several full rounds of The Best of the Bee Gees? Yes.”
“You’re welcome?” I joked.
Carys yawned as she laughed.
“You said you’d be up for a drink, but I have a feeling I’m late to the party.”
She shook her head. “I think my body is tired, even though my brain isn’t. This day is just catching up with me. But I have no desire to sleep. Not sure I feel like a drink this late, though.” She rolled her eyes. “God, I’m twenty-five, and I sound like such an old lady.”
“Twenty-five? Am I missing something? When did you turn twenty-five?”
She looked down at her feet. “Today.”
What? My eyes widened. “Carys…today is your birthday?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged. “Because I didn’t want you to feel obligated to hang out with me. I wanted you to choose to come over because you wanted to have a drink with me, not because you felt sorry for me on my birthday.”
Wow. If I’d known, I would’ve definitely canceled my plans.
“Confession…” I said.
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t come for a drink,” I admitted. “I came because I wanted to hang out with you. But if I’d known it was your birthday, I definitely would’ve been here earlier. We could’ve ordered Ichigo. I wish you would’ve told me.”
That was the most honest I’d been about my feelings since we’d met. Maybe it was dangerous to admit I would’ve dropped everything for her tonight, but it was the damn truth.
Carys blushed. “I’m sorry.”
“Goddamnit, girl, you only turn a quarter of a century once.” Wracking my brain, I scratched my head before turning back toward the door.
She followed. “Where are you going?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back in a few.”
* * *
I’d done the best I could on short notice. Hitting the two grocery stores within walking distance, I managed to find Carys a cake and a present.
It still floored me that she was going to let this day pass without doing anything special.
Carys looked down at the cake I’d found. It had probably been baked a few days ago. It had orange and blue frosting, which reminded me of the Florida Gators. If I’d had more time, I might have found a way to write Happy Birthday, Carys, but this would have to do.
“So just imagine it says, ‘Happy birthday, Carys-Like-Paris’, okay?”
She smiled. “It’s the thought that counts, and it was an amazing gesture. Thank you.”
We sat on the floor, eating directly off the cake with our forks.
“This ain’t bad,” I said with my mouth full.
“Not sure I want to know where you even got a cake this late, but I have to say, it’s pretty damn good.” She had blue frosting stuck on her teeth, and I had the urge to take her mouth in mine and lick it off.
Whoa.
Distraction needed. Stat.
I reached into my pocket and took out the gift card I’d purchased from the kiosk at the store. “There weren’t a lot of options. So I hope you can use this.”