The Other Side
Over the last three weeks, I have learned that Alana loves caramel iced lattes from this little breakfast place on the promenade, she speaks French, was the salutatorian of her high school class, and secretly wants a tattoo. She hates black olives, snakes, and anything that sounds remotely related to Phish. Also, her favorite ice cream flavor is Dulce de Leche. Whatever the fuck that is.
What's more, I still can’t figure out what her definition of casual is, because we've spent every day together in some way, shape, or form.
Not that I’m complaining.
The time I’ve spent getting to know her has been amazing.She’samazing, but there’s this wall. She has no problem sucking my face off for hours on end, leaving me starving and wanting more, but as soon as I try to get closer, her guard goes up. It’s incredibly frustrating, not to mention confusing. I know she likes me.Morethan likes me. I just can’t figure out what the issue is.
I knew she was going to be a challenge from the very first day. It’s like she was egging me on, and I walked right into her trap. Because now she has me. She owns me. It’s no secret. At least not to me. And at this point, I’m not sure if I like the chase or hate the hunt. All I know is every little crumb she gives me only makes me hunger for more. More of her. More of her body and more of her heart. And I’m pretty sure she’s not going to hand either of those things over to me that easily.
Doesn’t mean I’m not going to fight for them.
I’ll even fight dirty if I have to.
* * *
I pullinto the parking lot of Tradewinds. Work has been awesome to say the least. I never leave with anything less than three hundred dollars in my pocket, and the job is cake. Minimal set-up and minimal break down. Mac is already behind the bar when I walk through the doors. He’s pouring ice into one of the bins. I hop over the bar top, grab the other bucket, and fill up the last station. The club looks different with the lights on. You can catch the colorful patterns in the dark rug and see the ocean clearly through the huge windows. When the sun goes down it’s just a black void beyond the outside lights.
“Nice of you to show,” Mac digs sarcastically.
“Isn’t it?” I smile.
“Oh, how I missed those pearly whites.”
I smile wider to give him a better looksee.
“Is your girl coming in tonight?”
“She’s not my girl,” I huff.
“Oh, I’m sorry, the chick you hang out with every day who doesn’t give you any ass.”
“That would be more how I would describe her.”
“My head would be ready to explode. I don’t know how you do it. Especially with her.”
“It isn’t a cake walk,” I grumble as I pull the plastic wrap off the bottle tops. It keeps the fruit flies out of the alcohol. “But I like her. What can I say?”
“I think you looove her.” Mac bats his eyelashes at me.
I punch him in the arm. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Ouch.” He rubs his bicep. Puny thing that it is. “Is she coming in tonight or not?”
“Yeah, she is. Why are you so interested?”
“I want to hook up with her friend.”
“Which one?”
“The one with the short blonde hair. She’s cute.”
“That’s her cousin, and I’ll see what I can do. No promises, though.”
“Please, when has a woman ever resisted me?” he grunts arrogantly.
“Do you want just dates and times, or places too?”