I could tell Lucy was already slightly buzzed from her pink cheeks and glassy eyes, so when she recommended the wine tasting, I hesitated.
"Please?" She asks before tugging on my wrist to pull me across the street. I felt every inch of her hand on my wrist, aware of her touch like I have never noticed before. She's not a touchy-feely person by any means and I have watched her endure hugs for years. I have also only seen Lucy buzzed a few times but never drunk. She's always the responsible one both at parties and on the lake, saying she can't mix heat and liquor. Tonight, she seemed determined to keep a wine glass in her hand so I was not going to be the one to kill her buzz.
I follow behind her as she crosses over to the wine bar and I immediately notice how nice she looks tonight. Her dress is flattering, her short hair is wavy and her make-up isn't overdone. She looks really pretty, but I won't tell her because I don't want her to take a compliment as an insult again.
We show our IDs to the doorman and he straps neon paper bracelets around our wrists before we are allowed inside the overly crowded tasting room. I instantly spot two women in the corner that Fischer and I have gone out with, so I am thrilled when Lucy pulls me over to two stools that are shockingly open at the opposite end of the bar. I make sure I sit with my back to them and Lucy shifts in her seat as she scans the menu.
"You're doing a flight with me, right?" She asks, more telling than asking and I shrug before agreeing. She orders us two of the red wine tastings and is delighted when we get free chocolate to pair it with.
"I didn't eat before I got to the gallery, so I already feel the champagne," she confesses as if I couldn't tell just from looking at her.
"I've wasted so many seltzers on you. All this time I should have just bought a cheap bottle of champagne to get you drunk," I tell her, and she giggles.
"Why were you ever trying to be me drunk, Maverick?" She asks, her playful eyes landing on mine.
"Because clearly, you are much nicer to me when you're sloshed." Her jaw drops slightly before she laughs.
"I am always nice to you. I'm nicer to you than most people.
"Oh? You call all your friends Jackass?"
"I do when they are one," she quickly says back and then goes to cram more chocolate into her mouth.
"Do you want me to get you dinner?" I ask, wondering if I should be feeding her real food. She goes to answer but the sommelier interrupts us by dropping down our first tasting. He explains the velvety texture and woodsy notes and Lucy's glass is almost empty by the time his shpiel is over. I pretend to have a mature palette and let the wine sit in my mouth. I swirl it around in my glass, hoping Lucy answers my question. Instead, she pops more chocolate into her mouth and says, "God I've missed chocolate."
"Didn't you just make chocolate cake the other night?" I ask as she continues to break off pieces of the gourmet chocolate bar.
"You watched my video?" She asks in surprise and I realized she doesn't know that I've never missed one.
"Yeah, unlike Blake, I don't think you are a hack," I joke before finishing my first tasting. Her face falls again and I hope I didn't offend her. But then a smirk tugs on her pink lips and she says, "I have a successful Youtube channel that I was making decent money off of. For some reason, he didn't see that as an accomplishment. He only ever saw it as a hobby."
"I noticed you pretty much stopped posting after you left Arizona," I confess, hoping she doesn't think I've been stalking her. Even though that's pretty much exactly what I've been doing. She slides her empty wine glass away from her and then says, "He didn't want me to and I didn't have time. I jumped right into work and the rest of my time was researching spaces for a bakery and school." The sommelier wanders over to check on us and Lucy asks for her second round. He swipes her glass off the counter and then she continues, "Jack, I really am sorry. I was such a bitch to you that last night here. I just...I couldn't have anyone telling me that what I was doing was stupid because deep down, I knew it was stupid. We hadn't even been together for a year when I accepted his proposal. And I knew by the look on Stella's face that she was wary of the whole thing, but my stubborn ass was just determined to prove everyone wrong." Her second glass appears in front of her and this time, the sommelier just watches as she downs it like a shot. He's much briefer in his description and he takes her glass away to prepare her third.
"What did you feel you had to prove with him though Lucy, that's what I never got," I ask her. She's opening up more than she usually does and now I know that liquor makes her chatty. She shakes her head while breaking off more chocolate pieces. She's clenching her teeth together, my guess is debating whether or not to be honest with me. She finally sighs out before saying, "No one has ever been into me like he was. I mean, I've had little flings and have dated but Blake made me feel...I dunno, desirable."
"Lucy..." I start but she throws a hand out in front of her and adds, "It's stupid, I know. But being friends with women like Stella and Maggie...I always feel...less than." Her glossy eyes were shifting in every direction while she found the words but I noticed she wouldn't meet mine. They finally land in her lap and she stares at the half-eaten chocolate bar with the gold foil flaps open inviting her to eat more. A woman's laughter erupts behind us and then clapping tugs Lucy's attention to the door. I try to get her refocused by asking, "What do Maggie and Stella have that you don't?" This incites laughter from her and she just looks at me like I asked her a seriously stupid question.
"No seriously, why do you feel that way?" I ask her again which finally gets her to look at me.
"Jack..." She pleads with a knowing look but I just shake my head, waiting for her to respond. "Come on, Stella is one of the prettiest girls I have ever met. They both know exactly who they are and what they want. Maggie, she's so confident and she just goes for what she wants. And she has that sexy, tattoo, purple hair thing going on that she totally pulls off. Can you imagine if I tried to rock leather pants?" Lucy in leather shoots across my mind and I shake the thought away before it can linger.
"You would look good in leather, Goose," I tell her but she assumes I am joking by the way laughter pours out of her. She swats at me and I'm really starting to see Lucy's lack of self-confidence. I thought she was shy, but maybe she's just incredibly self-conscious.
"I also used to be incredibly fit with all my dance training. I also used to be super strict with what I ate and never indulged in alcohol, you know this. I feel like since I stopped dancing, my body is just...filling out? Sometimes being around all your bikini friends makes me feel...uncomfortable." Her confession shocks me. Lucy is tall and thin and I have never once considered she'd be self-conscious about the way she looks.
"That's crazy talk, there isn't an ounce of fat on you," I say and I catch her wince, it only lasted a second but I don't let it go, "Why are you self-conscious?"
"Blake said I was getting fappy..." she says flatly.
"Fappy?"
"Fat and happy," she clarifies and anger spreads across my chest. I have never wanted to punch Blake in his stupid fucking face more than I do now.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I ask, stunned that that would ever come out of his mouth. She nods, "It's also why I scaled back on my baking. He was worried about my sugar intake."
"I really fucking hate that guy Lucy." I'm genuinely pissed and I'm glad I never have to see him again. This gets her to laugh, but I am serious. Our third tasting is dropped in front of us and she's quick to guzzle it down again. She's going to be toasted by the time she reaches number five so I ask her if she wants food again.
"No, it's much easier to do this with a buzz," she replies back to me and she notices my confusion.
"Do what?"
"Talk to you."
"To me?" I ask, wondering why she needs liquid courage to talk to me. "It's just me Luce, you talk to me all the time. Or, well you used to."
"But that was when you had one of your lady friends or I had one of my flings. We always knew where the line was because we were just friends, we've both never been single at the same time," she states. She then raises an eyebrow and asks, "Or wait, you were a bit vague last night, do you have a lady friend at the moment? Or a...lady you're tom-cating around with?" This evokes a burst of laughter from me.
"Tom-cating?" I ask and she bounces her eyebrows up and down. "Tom-cating, Lucy? I don't even know what that is?" She giggles and her eyes are now pink and glossy. She's beyond buzzed.
"Yes, you do. You tom-cat with all those lake rats."
"What is with you and rats and cats?" I ask her with a smirk. She swirls one of her long fingers around in front of me before replying, "No, what's with you and rats? They all look the same."
"Oh do they? And what exactly is that?" She shrugs but her little mischievous smirk is still there.
"Hot blondes, with perfect little round butts they show off in skimpy swimwear. And like, super tan, drinking White Claws from Yeti's," she says, painting a perfect picture. "Basically the exact opposite of me." Her hazel eyes fly away from me after she says that last bit and I wonder if that statement was a loaded one. Does Lucy...is Lucy into me?!
I decide to instigate because if we have both been being stupid all this time, I am going to tell her how I feel right now.
"You have a perfectly round butt," I joke back, but her focus is still on her wineglass. "And it just so happens that I prefer brunettes over blondes these days." That gets her to flick her eyes back to me. Her lips are slightly parted and I watch as she looks to mine. Is this a signal? Does she want me to kiss her?!
"You do?" She asks quietly and I nod to her, closing the distance very slowly in case I'm reading the situation wrong.
"There you are dude," I hear Fischer say and both of us spin around to find him standing next to Ariana. "We were going to get food but I told her you drove me over here." I watch Ariana throw her arms around Lucy and Lucy's hands briefly tap her back.
"Come with us! My friend can get us a table at Louie's. Stella said she'd meet us over there." Ariana says and I want to throw Fischer back out the door. That was the closest to Lucy's lips I have ever gotten and he came and destroyed the flirty atmosphere. I glance to Lucy whose eager eyes find mine. She's still pink and by how slowly she blinks, I can tell food should be the priority.
"Lucy should probably get something in her system besides wine," I suggest and I watch her smile dip for the briefest moment. I ruined it. I should have told Fischer to fuck off.
"Yeah, I should probably get food." She goes to reach for her wallet but I stand up to get the sommelier's attention with my card in the air. I turn back to Fischer and palm my keys into his hand, "Go get the car. I'll close us out." Lucy goes to hand me her card but I wave it away, "No you're good. I got this one."
"Are you sure? I can Venmo you?" She offers but I shake my head, "Go with Ariana. I'll be right out." She nods before peeling herself off the stool. She glances at me before Ariana loops an arm through hers and tugs her toward the entrance. I watch her lean onto Ariana and then sigh out.