We’re also in a public space, and she seemingly has had a few drinks, so maybe it’s a bit easier for me to get to know her without her making a scene.
“How frustrating.” It’s a monotone statement that has me snorting.
“My sister would agree with you.” She looks up, shocked at the thought, and I wonder what crosses her mind when she thinks about me. “Do you have any siblings?” I add.
She flashes a sheepish smile. “A twin sister- she puts up with a lot from me.”
“Did she steal your hockey sticks?”
She rolls her eyes. “Worse… my dresses for school dances.”
I try not to scare her off with a bright grin. “And the hair straightener?”
She sighs, “You know my plight.”
“Sisters do that to you.”
She raises her glass to mine, and clinks it. “To sisters who drive us crazy.”
I sip, enjoying the carbonated drink, the static taste that settles onto my tongue. She looks like she’s in heaven with the drink in her mouth, her eyes closed and head tilted back slightly. “Maybe I can like you,” she says, opening up a bright green eye, and I can’t suppress the smile that pulls at my cheeks.
“I just want to be able to talk strategy, if that’s possible.”
She sighs, “I could do that too.”
I clink our drinks together again. “To reluctant teamwork. We’ve got at least two years together.”
“Goodie,” she mutters into the drink. “Brynn’s looking at you, and Winnie is too.”
“Winnie just outed me to Brynn,” I say dryly, turning back to the two of them and waving. “They’re probably figuring out how to make it up to me.”
“Outed?” she echoes.
“Well, yeah, it’s not a secret; my girlfriend was in a lot of posts on the Chill’s socials last year before—”
“You moved.”
My heart thuds against my ribcage, as if wanting to escape. “I broke up with her.”
When I turn back to Taylor, I can see every fleck of brown in the emerald green of her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
I shrug. “It was a long time coming. We were very different people from when we started dating.”
“My-fiancé-cheated-on-me,” she says in a rush. It’s my turn to blink away the flurries of thought. Anger courses through me, and I start to understand why she is being a bit prickly. Justifiably so.
She lets out a soft breath and a curse that I ignore, and downs the rest of her drink. “Sorry, I’m tipsier than I thought I was. I shouldn’t have… especially not…” She clams up, and whatever headway I thought I made is suddenly gone.
“No, it’s alright–”
“I think I’m just gonna,” she points to the door, “Can you let Brynn know I went home?”
“I-I … yeah, I can do that.”
She doesn’t wave as she walks away, and I’m tempted to get another drink as I watch her walk around the oak and steel interior of the bar and leave. I look back at Brynn and Winnie, who are watching the two of us curiously.
I make my way back to the table and place my hands on Winnie’s shoulders. She looks up with a smile. “Green eyes?”
“She had to leave—said she was heading home,” I say to Brynn, pointedly ignoring Winnie’s question. Winnie smirks, blue eyes bright with mischief.
