Jules pursed her lips. “You’re good.”
“Well, you’re kind of predictably a sucker for bubbly drinks,” she said, pointing to champagne under the list of ingredients. “Also, mint.”
“True,” Jules agreed. “Hey, I like what I like. Okay, let me try to guess yours.” She spent a long minute studying the menu. “The Gingerbread Snap.”
“Hm,” Sophie said, keeping her expression neutral. “What makes you think so?”
Jules gave her a searching look. “You ate a gingerbread cookie last night, and you seem to like spicy things.”
That was actually pretty astute of her. “It was between that and the Mistletoe Martini.”
“But you decided on the martini?” Jules asked, looking disappointed.
“I did, but it was close. I might try the gingerbread one next.”
“I would have one of everything on the menu if you wouldn’t have to scrape me off the floor at the end of the night,” Jules joked.
A waiter approached their table, and they placed their orders, holding hands across the table after he’d left. They’d been together a full twenty-four hours now, and Sophie would be perfectly happy to keep this date going indefinitely, which was kind of scary, considering how quickly things between them seemed to be progressing.
“We still need food at some point,” Jules said, glancing around the bar. It was long and narrow, smaller than its opulent decorations initially suggested, and as such, it didn’t serve food, only cocktails. “But how do you feel about takeout?”
Takeout meant they’d be heading back to Jules’s apartment, and maybe that should feel like too much for this weekend, but it didn’t. “I’d say it sounds like I need to stop by my apartment and get some clean clothes.”
“Deal,” Jules said. “Do you have plans tomorrow?”
“Just need to run some errands before we’re back in rehearsals on Monday.”
“Same,” Jules said. “And I have a piano lesson in the afternoon.”
“Brushing up before your big debut?”
Jules nodded. “I’ve been practicing as much as I can.”
“Want to play for me later?” Sophie asked. “I’d love to hear.”
Jules gave her fingers a squeeze. “I’d like that a lot.”
The waiter arrived with their drinks, and they both paused to take pictures of them for social media because they were just too pretty not to. Jules’s drink was minty green and frothy at the top, while Sophie’s was a deep red thanks to the cranberries infused into it as well as mulled wine. The green garnish gave it extra Christmassy flair.
“Mistletoe?” Sophie said, remembering the name of her drink. She lifted it above their heads.
“Pretty sure that’s mint,” Jules told her.
“Well, pretend for me, then,” Sophie teased, leaning in to press her lips firmly against Jules’s.
Jules gave her a quick kiss before sitting back, gaze darting around the bar.
Sophie looked at her drink, determined not to be bothered by Jules’s hesitance to kiss her in public. They’d only been dating since yesterday, after all. Sophie lifted her glass and took a sip. Her Mistletoe Martini was rich and spicy, with a tanginess from the cranberries that was absolutely delicious. “Don’t tell Josie, but this is amazing.”
“Mine is too,” Jules agreed. “Want a taste?”
They swapped glasses, sipping and laughing, holding hands through three rounds of drinks. By the time they left the bar, between the two of them, they’d tried almost every drink on the menu and were delightfully tipsy.
“I’m so hot from all the alcohol, it actually feels good out here,” Jules said, tipping her face toward the night sky.
“You say that now…”
“True.” Jules hooked her arm through Sophie’s. “I’m sure I’ll be shivering in no time.”
