‘Yeah … I think this could work.’
‘I can definitely see you here.’ Her glistening eyes roam the bar. She starts pointing around the place, Kip sauntering over and nodding. ‘You’ve got plenty of space for booths – I definitely think you wanna keep the same red and dark wooden vibe from Duke’s, tie it all in with neon signs. You could even have them surroundingthe shelves behind the bar, really add that old school country vibe.’ Everything she describes comes to life in my imagination, fitting perfectly with my own visions. Cherry continues, ‘Standing tables in the middle, throw a jukebox by the dancefloor, and – oh! That larger space over there, definitely big enough for a mechanical bull.’
My brows shoot up. ‘A mechanical bull?’
Cherry giggles, then bats those long dark lashes at me. ‘Oh, come on. We gotta be a little cliché with it. I’ve always wanted you to put one in Duke’s, but there was never any space.’ And man, am I glad there was never any space, because I don’t think I would’ve survived seeing Cherry ride that bull all summer.
I sigh out a laugh and look over to Kip. ‘I guess we gotta get a mechanical bull, then.’
‘I’ll look into it.’ He grins and pulls out his phone to write down a note. ‘So, what do we think? We gonna do this? All that’s left is to just run through some paperwork, sign some dotted lines, and then Duke’s can find its home in the city.’
My gaze drops to the bar, second-guesses and what-ifs clawing their way up my throat. The most important question tumbles out as a whisper when I turn to Cherry, ‘You think the guys would like it?’
Her eyes soften at me, a faint smile gracing her lips. ‘Hell yeah. They’d love it. That’ll be their booth, over there, whenever they come and visit.’ She points to the nearest corner, which would edge the dancefloor. And I see it too – no doubt Rory, Fliss, and Sawyer shuffling their boots on the dancefloor, laughter pouring out of them and smiles brightening up the night, while Wyattand Wolfman shake their heads and grin at their friends, nursing their beers together.
Still here with me.
Just like Cherry is.
My smile spreads out, mirroring Cherry’s now full-on grin. I turn to Kip and hold out my hand. ‘Let’s do this.’
It takes a good couple of hours to run through everything, and Cherry sits happily at the bar with her iPad, sketching out ideas she had for the bar earlier and curating mood boards. Her soft voice from that night a couple of weeks ago keeps running through my mind every time I start to second-guess my self –when was the last time you did something big just for you?The memory of her fingers slipping between mine reminds me that I can do this. That, even if what we have ends when the summer does, there’s no way I can go back to my life before without her now – I need an excuse to be near her somehow. And this bar will do that.
Because Cherry Hensley has imprinted herself on my very soul. She’s rewritten everything I knew about myself and shone light into the darkest corners of my mind, helping me see that I don’t have to hide. Even before I got the privilege of touching her,tastingher, she was pulling apart my seams and sewing me back together, weaving her love and laughter into my very being.
That’s what gives me the strength to sign on the final dotted line. It’s nowhere near the final step, with all the work that will need to be done on the bar before opening, but it’s a step in a new direction. It’s letting myself ride past the line I’m always avoiding.
‘This is going to be great, Duke. I promise you.’ Kip’s eyes brighten. ‘You know what? You guys should come check out Haze. See the vibe of another bar here, get a feel for city life. I’ll get you a private booth too, some drinks on the house. As a celebration.’
Cherry chimes in before I can even consider saying no, ‘That sounds perfect.’
Music thumps in my bones as we sit in our booth at Kip’s bar, Haze. Cherry happily sips on her third Jack and Diet Coke beside me, my arm stretched behind her. Dance melodies melt into each other, deep-blue mood lighting lining the glass shelves of the two bars either side of the room gives the impression of being submerged underwater, away from the chaos of the world, and heat from Cherry’s body pressed against me all floods my veins with calm. As well as the joy radiating off her as she wiggles in the seat to the music.
It’s not enough – any touch from Cherry is never enough, not when there’s still so much more I want to give to her – but I’m conscious of taking too many risks today. I’m trying my best to let the music drown out the voice in the back of my mind wondering if it’s all a trap – the calm before the storm, when I then lose everything.
Maybe one more drink out in the open together, before I drive us back.
Except, Cherry leans into me, warm breath sending shivers across my skin as she suggests into my ear, ‘We should go dance.’
I shake my head, hand clasping tighter around my non-alcoholic beer. ‘I don’t know … There’s a lot of people here. Someone could know us.’
‘Don’t make me turn this into a closing-time argument.’ She quirks a brow at me, teeth sinking into her bottom lip teasingly. ‘Because you know I’ll win.’
My laugh barrels out and I place my bottle on the table. ‘Will you now?’
‘I got you to kiss me, didn’t I?’
The ease of which she speaks of us kissing out in the open has my body tightening – though it’s mostly because the flash of that memory, our first kiss with her straddling my thigh, fills my mind.
‘Duke,’ Cherry laughs my name, shaking her head at me. She deposits her glass clumsily back on the table, enlightening me to how quickly the few drinks she’s had have gone to her head. And made her bolder than usual, it seems.
Positioning herself in front of me, she throws her hands on her hips and levels her dark eyes at me. The blue lighting filling the bar glows around her, and I realise how easily I could get used to looking up at her like this, shining brightly above me. Slowly, she bends towards me, sliding her smooth palms against my stubble until she’s cradling my face.
‘Nobody knows us here – I’m sure of that. It’s dark and crowded. No one will care if you touch me.Whereyou touch me.’ A wicked grin spreads out those tempting dark red lips of hers, and I feel suddenly compelled to get down on my knees, completely under her spell, ready to fulfil her every command. ‘Please just come and dancewith me. When will we get another chance to get lost in the music together?’
‘Cherry …’
‘Last time I was in the city, at the club, all I could think about when we were dancing was how badly I wanted to be with you. How badly I wanted to feel your body behind me, your hands on my hips.’
