A little idea that came to mind.
It was hard for him to just look at her from afar. Looking at her smile and the funny faces she pulled when talking served just to remind him why he loved her.
Just thinking about it formed a lump in his throat.
Time and time again he tried to move on, to forget about her and go on with his life as it was before she pranced into it in her short shorts and sky-high heels. He even harbored the hope that one day she'd return after his confession, right until she wrote that email and destroyed what was left of his heart.
It'd be a lie if he had said he never wished to see her again, that his heart didn't beat faster when she showed up that Sunday. Honestly he just feared he had drunk too much too early in the morning, and God was punishing him for not saying his prayers, but it was her.
Since that day things had turned increasingly worse for him.
She had moved on. She had a new boyfriend with whom she didn't have a problem to be seen or to say those sickening cutesy words she had pretended she hated before. She was not his to kiss or hold at night. She was no longer across the pond being the electricity leech he hated to love.
But he still hated to love her.
When George figured things out, that he would only fool around with married or unavailable women, he knew he had stopped being subtle a while ago. And yet, Zoe didn't care.
Behind the bar, Wade pursed his lips, studying the people around the Rammer Jammer. Suddenly his eyes zeroed in on the couple having breakfast. Joel stood out like a sore thumb, even if he only wore those stupid NYU shirts (as if no one could figure out he wasn't from around).
The guy wasn't pretentious or a complete jerk. He just had a different notion about life… and needed gallons of sunscreen and bug repellent to just go by.
When those big brown eyes of her looked up and met his, he felt his heart doing a little flip-flop. He just smiled, nodding his head as a greeting. Her smile was tight at best but he wasn't ignored.
He just wished he could be ignored. He wished he could just swagger his way to her and plant a proper kiss on her lips just like things should have been if she had returned to Bluebell for him. If she had returned his feelings.
How he got roped into this, he had no idea but one moment he was serving a bunch of guys a round of beers and next thing he knew he was saying yes to Lemon when she asked him if he would be helping her by bartending for AnnaBeth's bridal shower, because she wanted him to create a signature drink for AB.
Of course he then almost witnessed a catfight when Zoe told her she was planning to hire some people with more experience but Lemon being Lemon told her that she was very capable of dealing with everything. The only reason the two women did not engage a fist fight was because of Peter and the, in Lemon's words, absolutely adorable smile he shot her.
"This is not about you," Zoe assured as soon as she realized he was there, listening to everything.
It was a lame apology. And also a lie. "Right."
It was never about him anyway.
Wade had to admit being the only man in a bridal shower was far more entertaining than he thought. He never thought so many women together could be fun but he had laughed pretty hard with their antics. Besides he had time and opportunities to safely practice his flirting techniques, charming those pastel dresses right off the married women at the party.
Tipsy belles? A hundred times funnier than normal.
And Lemon could pretend she was not hiccupping or that her hair hadn't fallen out of place but he saw. Those pink cheeks did not lie.
"You and Lemon are… friends now?" Wade asked to Zoe when she went for a refill.
She smiled widely at him with her flushed cheeks, and swaying a bit on her feet. "We are!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Who would have thought she could be fun!?"
He snorted a laugh and filled her glass with just juice. There was no need to provoke an accident and, for the first time ever, he was the only one sober enough to be in charge. And he could also record this on his phone and take a few pictures he would later send to Lavon.
As he was cleaning up a bit, since Lemon would sober up eventually and this was her place, Wade heard the women chanting his name, demanding more drinks or a little show.
"Hey, watch the hands!" He walked around serving drinks. "I'm not a Chippendales dancer. I mean it, Tara."
After a while, though, the giggling and the shrill voices were just hurting his eardrums. He had to breathe some fresh air and not the scent of potpourri and overly sweet perfumes that invaded Lemon's apartment.
Stepping out in the balcony, Wade inhaled deeply the cold and crispy evening air. It felt nice and calming after the hectic day.
"It's crazy, right?"
He almost jumped out of his body when he heard the soft voice behind him.
"Dammit, Zoe!" he hissed under his breath. When he turned around to see her leaning her back against the wall, hidden by standing next to the window, she was smiling brightly at him.
"I've kind of missed that."
Snorting a laugh he moved to stand before her, his backside against the railing. "Well, I haven't missed the outage every time you turn on your blow-dryer."
She tilted her head to the side, prodding for more but he wasn't about to confess how much he missed her. Having her living across the pond, right under his watch, was easier because he could keep her safe. But every night he was alone, lying in his bed in the dark, he was reminded of all those candlelit moments filled with passion.
A lock of her hair had fallen out of her hairdo and Wade couldn't stop himself before tucking it behind her ear, before brushing it away carefully. The spark of electricity he felt up his arm as the pads of his fingers made contact with her skin was enough to let him know it was a bad idea; the way she shivered only enforced the thought.
"Wade," she whispered, turning her head away, begging him to leave and let go.
He had never been able to let go. He hadn't left Bluebell or his father. He held onto the things her cared about but they weren't many.
With both hands he cupped her face and forced her to look at him. Just one look into her deep brown eyes and he knew he wouldn't be able to forget her.
He pressed his lips to her forehead, softly as his finger sank into her hair.
Zoe tried weakly to pull her head away but she only gave him more room to kiss her temple and her cheek.
When her hands gripped the sides of his shirt, his defenses succumbed to her.
"I still love you," he confessed in a pained voice. It was just a murmur against her ear but she tightened her hold on him. "I can't…" he sighed, frustrated. "I can't."
Her face had been showered in his soft kisses and she was trembling, no thanks to the weather but to him. A single tear rolled down her cheek even if her eyes were closed.
She said nothing and just pushed herself on tiptoes to finally crash her lips against his, as he had only hoped for since the moment she had returned.
Zoe's lips were as soft as he remembered. The hint of raspberry still lingered on her tongue mixed with her warmth, with her unique scent that had clung to his sheets once. Her shallow intakes of air forced him to revel in the kiss, to cherish it before they both came back to their senses.
When her fingers gently brushed the short hairs on the back of his head, he smiled a bit. It was odd how quickly they could remember what the other liked.
"Zoe," he called quietly, not wanting to break the fragile bubble that had kept them safe but doing it so anyway.
"No," she gasped, taking a step back and looking at him with wide eyes. "I have to go. I have to." Looking at him as she hurried her way out of the apartment, he saw the hurt and sadness in her eyes. She regretted what had just happened and it was the last thing he wanted.
"Wade?" Lemon was standing before him and he hadn't noticed it. She looked worried but he painted a fake smile on his face as he scratched the top of his head. "Are you okay?"
"Fine. Just fine." He tried to walk past her but she curled her fingers around his forearm and pulled him to a stop.
"Don't do this. I know what happens when you don't do things in a proper way. Look what happened with me and Lavon."
Wade only swallowed the lump in his throat and chuckled uncomfortably. "You see something? It was nothing."
Before Lemon could keep speaking to him about such sore subject, he walked away.
Nothing had happened. Nothing that could lead to anything. Nothing that could make him happy.
His lips still tingled that night as he thought about what would be consider proper to steal the girl away from her boyfriend.