She eyes me over the rim of her glass, licking her lips to wipe the drink residue away when she’s done. One subtle movement from her has my dick ready to jump out of my pants.
“A Mezcalita.”She pauses. “You want to try it?” She holds her glass out to me, mischief shining in the chocolate brown of her irises.
I take the glass from her outstretched hand, ignoring the sensation that creeps through my body at the contact from our fingers.
The minute my lips touch her glass, her eyes blaze and her breath escapes in a sharp hiss. I register the taste of the mezcal and pineapple juice sliding down my throat. I even register the coarse texture of the Tajin rim against my tongue. The drink is fine, but I can’t stop imagining how it would taste on Janelle’s lips.
She clears her throat. “Do you, um, do you like it?”
“It’s not my favorite drink, but it’s good.”
She tilts her head to the side, taking me in. “What’s your favorite drink?”
I take a moment to study her, gliding my gaze down her form, lingering a second too long on those God damn waist beads, and then back to her face. “I haven’t had it yet.”
Her jaw drops but she doesn’t have a chance to say anything before the waiter enters our peripheral. She leans down to ask, “Bienvenido. Can I get you a drink?”
Everything in me wants to keep the connection Janelle and I have right now. Pull her down the rabbit hole of lust with me, but I know I’ve said too much already, so I turn my attention to the waiter. “I’ll have what she’s having,” I say.
She turns to Janelle, then eyes the drink in my hand, and nods. “Not a problem.”
She asks the table if we’re ready to order appetizers and Arnold takes over, ordering for everyone. I couldn’t care less what we eat but when I turn back to Janelle, she’s deep in conversation with Eve.Shit.
Once the appetizers are ordered, Janelle and I fall back into easy conversation but the moment is no longer charged like it was earlier. I don’t know what made me push things like that when I said I wasn’t going to explore the emotions she has me feeling but fuck, I can’t resist. Resisting Janelle is like resisting the urge to breathe. It tears you apart from the inside out until there’s only fragments of you left.
Quite frankly, I’m tired of trying.
“Hey, Nelly, did you remember to bring the picture of Pops with you to add to my bouquet?”
The past two hours at dinner have been full of this. Every time Janelle gets comfortable or gets involved in a conversation not centered around the wedding, Amerie tosses her a random wedding-related question to reel her back in.
Janelle clenches her fist under the table, then smooths her hand over her knee. “Yeah, Ri. Remember I showed you earlier?”
“Oh, right. Okay, thanks.” Amerie turns her attention back to Arnold, giving him a megawatt smile and quick peck on the lips. “Oh, wait, but did you bring the pink ribbon I wanted to tie around my bouquet for Wheezie since she can’t come because of her treatments?”
I catch Janelle grip both her knees tightly before speaking through clenched teeth. “We never talked about a pink ribbon on your bouquet, Ri.”
The entire table stops in their tracks.
“Yes, we did. I remember telling you I wanted to do that. Why wouldn’t I want to honor Wheezie?”
Wheezie is their aunt who is currently battling cancer. From what I hear from Arnold, her chemo is going well, but she’s unable to travel at the moment. If I remember correctly, though, it’s Janelle who’s extremely close to Wheezie whereas Amerie checks in out of obligation.
Janelle swallows deeply and I wonder what thoughts she just choked back. I wonder if anyone else notices the storm brewing in her eyes. I catch glimpses of resentment, rage, melancholy, and defeat all before she blinks them away into a state of neutrality.
How often does she mask her true feelings for those around her?
She clears her throat as she rubs her fists up and down her thighs. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m sure I can find some pink ribbon here though.”
Amerie’s eyes sink to the table.
“I’ll help you look,” Eve offers.
“Yeah, it’s not a problem. I can get Javier to point us in the right direction. I’ve already bonded with him,” Dani laughs.
Micah’s eyes cut to hers, but she doesn’t seem to notice before he homes back in on his drink.
Janelle’s focus remains perfectly planted on Amerie, who is looking everywhere but back at her.
