We still ordered dessert. Duh. So it was another hour before we made it to The Mission—an upscale bar located in a repurposed old Baptist church. It was one of my favorite places to go. The stained glass on all the windows was original, but it looked especially stunning in the candlelight from the tables. The owners had turned the raised stage, where the pulpit used to be, into a dance floor, and it was a different experience to have couples dancing slightly above you. The bar was set in the middle of the space in an oval. And all along the walls, repurposed pews had been turned into private booths.
It was the sexiest space. And the drinks even met my high standards.
Jonah had texted to let us know he’d snagged one of the booths while he waited for us to get there, so once we were passed the bouncer, we headed his way. I was surprised to find him alone, though.
“Where’s Will?” I asked, sliding in next to him. He already had a drink in hand. And I could tell he had only been planning to hang out with Will tonight because he looked a little more casual than usual—jeans, a random bar T-shirt, and an olive-green hoodie. Flip-flops per usual.
“He decided not to come,” he said easily. “Said he was tired.”
Will not being here changed the whole dynamic of the night, and my brain struggled to catch up. “Oh really? You didn’t have to meet us then. You could have stayed with him.”
Jonah smiled at me. It was wide and comfortable and sweet. “I’m good.”
I turned to Claire in case she hadn’t heard over the thumping of the music. “Will went home, I guess. Said he was tired.”
She shot Jonah a narrowed look. “Really.”
Jonah kept his easy smile and shrugged. “He’s not as cool as us, I guess.”
I eyed his drink. “What’s that?”
“Manhattan. Want one?”
“Sure, if you’re buying.” I shot him my best pleading-puppy-eyes, wide smile look. He slid out of the booth on the other side. “Claire? Drink?”
“Please.” We settled in while Jonah fought his way to the bar. She turned to me as soon as he was out of earshot. “You don’t think it’s weird Will isn’t here?”
“No, Will is an old man. I’m not surprised at all.”
She rolled her eyes. “Jonah is just trying to crash our night out.”
I took a deep breath while deciding how to answer. I knew she was probably right. Jonah had already told me he wanted to hang out with me tonight. And that he was hoping I’d join his and Will’s plans. It didn’t bother me that he’d figured out how to finagle his way into our night. But then again... I could see how Claire might be annoyed. So I settled on, “Well, we can make him buy drinks all night.”
She didn’t look appeased.
A few minutes later, Jonah rejoined us with three fresh Manhattans. They weren’t my favorite whiskey drink, but I had a thing for the dirty cherries this place used. “Thank you,” I said when Jonah handed the glass over.
“I’m going to use the ladies’,” Claire announced as soon as Jonah sat down.
Jonah scooted over to me while Claire wandered off. He sat so close I could smell him—whiskey and cherries and something sweeter, something all him. “Claire is in a mood tonight,” he noted.
I turned to face him so I didn’t feel like I was sitting directly on his lap. “She thinks you tricked us into letting you hang out with us.”
His mouth lifted on one side. “You’re so much more fun than your brother.”
“Oh, I know.”
“He’s like an old man,” Jonah complained. “All he wanted to do was go back to his place and watch basketball.”
“I said the exact same thing to her,” I agreed animatedly. “I said he’s an old man.”
He scooted closer again, trying to get comfortable on the wooden booth. In his defense, the backs to the booths were straight up and down. But he ended up practically leaning against me, with his left arm resting on my thigh. “We’re so much cooler than he is.”
I giggled. “Obviously.”
Claire arrived back from the bathroom but didn’t sit down right away. After a few seconds of hovering awkwardly at the end of our table, she said, “I’m going to go. I have an early morning tomorrow, and I forgot I have to swing by Kaya’s before I go home.”
I sat up straighter, pushing Jonah away. She liked Jonah more than he liked her, but she did not like when the three of us hung out because she said we excluded her. I didn’t think that was true, but at this moment, while Jonah and I were practically cuddling, I could maybe see how this would be uncomfortable for her.
