“Mai, I know I’m not exactly big, but I still have three inches on you,” I pointed out. I didn’t add that my average-sized bust was a couple cup sizes bigger than hers. That’d become obvious as soon as I tried to put on one of her shirts.
“Here,” she said a moment later as she shoved something into my hands. “This has one of those lace-up corset fronts, so it should fit.”
I had my doubts, but I knew better than to argue with Mai. I pulled it over my head, appreciating the slide of silk across my skin. To my surprise, the lacey corset-like shirt settled into place without a problem. The laces didn’t have much more give in them, but I was able to make a presentable bow without any difficulty.
By the time I was finished, Mai was dressed in her favorite ripped blue jeans, a scarlet tank top, and matching heels. With her equally daring lipstick and a silver choker, she was prepared to attract attention, though I knew she’d never even consider cheating on her boyfriend. That was just Mai.
“You look perfect,” she declared as she turned me toward the mirror.
The deep, cerulean blue made my eyes practically glow, and the combination of the shirt and leggings showed off my figure better than I could’ve imagined.
“I guess I clean up well,” I joked. I pressed my hands to my stomach, pretending to smooth down the material when in fact I was trying to calm the butterflies that had taken off. I rarely had a problem handling professional interactions, but social ones generally left me at a loss for what to do. Not for the first time, I wondered how much of that was my personality and how much was the way I’d been raised.
“You do,” she assured me. “Now, let’s find you some shoes.”
* * *
MacLean’s was smallerthan I’d expected, and thankfully, wasn’t too loud or crazy. I didn’t like going to clubs, even to dance, which meant the slim brick building was a welcome surprise. The interior had classic furniture lining the walls, with one section reserved for a dozen four-person tables. The dance floor was equally small, with room for only a handful of couples dancing to the American-style music. As I scanned the beautiful prints of various Scottish landscapes, I wondered if they played popular or traditional Celtic music when it wasn’t a weekend, or if they just mixed it up all the time.
We turned, and to my surprise, I saw Hob waiting for us at the bar. Mai hadn’t mentioned that he was coming. It wasn’t as though I didn’t enjoy his company. He was a great guy. It was just that I’d expected a casual evening with my roommate. A girls’ night out. With Hob here, Mai had someone to dance with, and I didn’t. Instead of the two of us drinking and dancing together, I’d just become the third wheel.
Hob smiled when we approached. “Wow, Lumen, you finally made it out to a bar!”
Judging by his appearance, he’d come straight from the hospital where he was a third-year pediatric resident. Jeans and sneakers with a slightly wrinkled button-down shirt weren’t exactly in Mai’s league at the moment, but the two of them pulled it off like they always did.
“Here I am,” I said, feigning enthusiasm.
At least I was close enough to home to walk when Mai and Hob got wound up enough in each other that they forgot I was here. It wasn’t anything intentional on their part. I was just that sort of person who faded into the background. I didn’t mind. At least I wouldn’t have to be out until the early hours of the morning.
“First round’s on me,” Hob insisted.
He waved over a wiry, grizzled man with a thinning hairline masked by a close buzz cut. One bicep had a picture of what appeared to be a blue lion-dragon hybrid with a white cross over it. Underneath were the words ‘I bleed blue and white.’ The other arm had a full sleeve of what appeared to be a blue and green tartan with thistles every so often. The detail and quality of the work made me wonder if this man had gone to the artist who’d done the tattoo on Alec’s back.
“‘Nother bloodhound, mate?” he asked, his accent thick, his voice rough with what I guessed to be a lifetime of cigarettes and whiskey. It wasn’t until he took a step back to grab something that I realized he was wearing a kilt to match the plaid on his arm.
“Please!” Hob swished his nearly-empty glass of orangey liquid, making me wonder if that was his first or second glass of the night. He wasn’t a lightweight, but he couldn’t handle alcohol as much as he thought he could. “A raspberry Cosmo for my lass while you’re at it, and a blackberry G&T for my lass’s lass.”
“Stop sayinglass, you ass,” Mai hissed at him, smacking his arm.
“I’ll have a Tom Collins instead of the G&T,” I clarified for the bartender. I liked G&Ts just fine, but I didn’t like when people ordered for me, not even someone as well-meaning as Hob.
The bartender nodded and began mixing the drinks with the sort of practiced movements that spoke of just how long he’d been at this job. It wasn’t long before we were half-way through our drinks and loosening up, waiting for the right song to come on before heading over to the dance floor. My drink was fizzy and sweet and delicious, and before I knew it, I was swaying to the beat of the new song that had just come on.
“Ugh, this is the one with the harmonica,” she groaned. “No no no.”
“You’re so picky,” I complained, my tongue loosened by my delicious alcohol.
Coming out had been a wonderful idea. I didn’t know why I didn’t do it more often.
“Tell me about it,” Hob laughed. He was on his third bloodhound and had reached the point in intoxication when he started slapping his hand down to emphasize a point. He hadn’t believed that he did it until one day he’d ended up with a bruised palm. Whenever he got past tipsy though, it happened all over again.
“I’m datingyou, aren’t I?” Mai shot back. “Take it as a compliment.”
I laughed, aware that I was sitting comfortably in the tipsy realm. Even with getting something to eat, I knew I could only drink one more safely. After that, I’d be flat-out drunk, and that wasn’t an option. Loosening my inhibitions was one thing. Losing control was something else entirely. I didn’t do it. Ever.
“One more?” Hob asked. Mai and I both nodded, and he headed back to the bar for a fresh round.
While he was gone, another song came on, and Mai bounced in her chair. “This is it!” she exclaimed. “Let’s go!”
