In the bar, the lights were dim, and a few battery votives flickered amidst the fragrant holiday garland draped across the bar top. I pulled up a leather barstool, realizing literally everyone else was in the theater, leaving Carter and me utterlyalone,and that realization sucked all the air out of the room.
Carter slipped behind the bar. “What’ll it be, pretty girl?” He flipped a cocktail shaker with a flourish and I laughed, realizing he was still wearing that ridiculous bikini shirt.
“Lime jello shots?” I shrugged innocently.
He laughed, loud and throaty. “I can see you’re taking your college drinking very seriously.”
“What can I say? I’m a pro at jello shots.” I mimed it out for him—the sticking my finger in, giving it a swirl, and knocking it back. It earned me a genuine laugh that warmed me all the way down to my toes.
Carter disappeared as he dropped down and rooted around in the liquor cabinet, reemerging a moment later. “I’m sorry to say, it looks like we’re all out of the clear stuff.” He gripped the back of his neck. “We do, however, have enough whiskey left for the apocalypse, though.”
“Just my luck.” I muttered.
“How about a seven-and-seven?” He asked.
“Sure.” I shrugged, knowing I’d take literally anything he gave me.
Carter made my drink, looking far too good doing it, and then he topped it off with one of the edible flowers my mother kept the bar stocked with.
I tucked the flower behind my ear. “How do I look?” I playfully rested my chin on the bare skin that my sweater had slid down to expose on my shoulder.
Carter just stared at me for a long while, fingers gripping the countertop. “You look good.” He nodded, but didn’t add anything else, or apologize as he watched me so incredibly intently.
A long moment stretched between us before I smiled shyly and dropped my gaze.
“Well, how is it?” He asked as I finally took a sip of the drink.
“It’s great.” I grimaced, throwing it back in several eye-twitching gulps.
“Damn, should I just leave you the bottle?” Carter joked, sliding the whiskey my way.
My heart tripped noticing my pink hair tie wasstillon his wrist.
Heart pounding, I leaned over the bar and grabbed two shot glasses, sloppily pouring a shot in each. “Let’s play truth or dare.” He gave me a look I couldn’t quite decipher, and I wondered if I was about to lose my gumption. “You haven’t forgotten how to play, have you?” I teased, albeit a bit nervously.
“I don’t forget anything when it comes to you.” He crossed his arms, leaning forward onto the counter, which made his buff arms look even bigger. “Tell me what you want to know, pretty girl.” His eyes glimmered suspiciously.
I ran my finger around the rim of the shot glass slowly. So many things I could ask. So many things I wasdyingto ask, but I chickened out. “Why did you leave?” I asked quietly.
He shrugged before giving me his canned answer. “I wanted to serve my country.”
“If you lie, you drink.” I warned, and he lifted his glass to drink. “Come on.” I groaned, wondering if we didn’t have that familiar cadence between us anymore. “Seriously, why did you leave?”
He set the shot glass down with a lazy smirk. “I don’t know. Just wanted to change things up. Needed to get out of here.”
I swallowed hard. “Was it really so bad here? Was there nothing worth staying for?” Shit, did I really just say that part out loud? I blew out a slow breath, feeling my cheeks heat.
“I needed to figure out who I was without all this.” His mouth twitched in an almost smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “Things were complicated back then. They still are.” He was unapologetic as he stared at me for a moment too longagain,and I shifted nervously.
“What happened to your lip?” I finally asked.
He shrugged. “Bar fight.”
“You? Never.” I knew he was lying, and my heart sank a bit, realizing he didn’t trust me as much as he used to.
He chuckled, ignoring my question altogether. “It’s your turn, and you don’t get to pick truth or dare because you picked for me. So tell me something, pretty girl.”
There was a long pause. “Tell you what?” I puzzled.
