I swallow hard, feeling weirdly emotional about what she’s done here.
“It’s spectacular,” I blurt out.
I don’t think I’ve ever described anything as that in my life.
Words don’t come easily for me at the moment. “Maybe I’m tired but…”
She takes a step closer to me. “Foster, are you crying?”
“No.” I step back, wiping the sweat off my face using my tee-shirt.
“Then why are your eyes so sparkly?” She’s closer once again. This time, I don’t move.
“It’s the stupid Christmas lights.”
“Do you need a hug?”
“I’m fine.”
“Aw, come here. If I bring someone to tears, they get a hug. That’s the rule.”
Ari opens her arms wide and crashes into me, holding on to me too tightly, and for too long. And it feels too good to beappropriate. We’re both sweaty and dusty, but she still has that sweet scent on her that she left on the coat I gave her. She’s warm and fits nicely in my arms and makes me think the kind of thoughts I shouldn’t be thinking. It’s not that I don’t want to feel her against me. But I’m worried she’ll notice what is so very wrong with me.
I pull her off me before she can feel it.
“Uncomfortable with hugs. Got it. But we’re friends, right?” Ari asks.
Slowly, I nod, relieved she didn’t notice my erection. “I’ll be your assistant whenever you need one. I had fun tonight.”
Ari’s hand goes to her neck self-consciously. “We make a great team.”
A long, quiet moment follows with the fidgety Ari slowly swaying on her feet like she’s ready to burst. Her eyes flit from my face down to my middle and back up. Me, I’m just staring. She looks like a goddess under starlight.
“Do you want to go get a beer or something?”
Her smile fades, but only a little. “Magpie is closed on Tuesday.”
“How’d you know I like Magpie?”
She chuckles, “I’ve seen you there. You’re kind of hard to miss. You’re the only guy there in the off-season that I haven’t known since I was in diapers.”
“It’s the smell,” I joke, lifting my arm and sniffing. I’ll do anything to ward her off. Because if Ari’s repulsed by me, then it’s easier for me to stop staring at her like a lost puppy.
“False self-deprecation,” she says, playfully punching my shoulder. “You know you’re a hottie.”
“Am I?” This is the first I’ve heard of it.
“Stop it,” she says. “You know everyone around here is obsessed with fresh meat.”
I laugh. “The gossip network downtown is pretty rampant, so I can just imagine what they say.”
“Any gossip about me?” Ari asks, leaning in.
I decide to go for it. “Sure. Baddest glutes in the whole town,” I say, deadpan.
She laughs and swipes a hand over her face self-consciously. “It’s the squat machine.”
“See? You’re hard to miss, too,” I tell her.
