3.
Thursday morning rolls around and I'm grateful for no classes today. It's only been three days since I met Ed, but he's consumed my thoughts. I just have so many questions that I'd like to ask him, so much I want to know about him. I'm stuck in this loop of wondering if he feels the same about me, and then feeling like that's a silly thing to wonder considering we've barely interacted.
I try to busy myself with my Thursday morning routine of laundry to keep my mind occupied. It works. I'm caught up in sorting, folding, and putting my clothes away. The morning flies by and when I look at the clock I find that it's almost noon. I have an hour before I need to meet up with Jess. It feels silly to worry about being late when she stood me up completely, but I'm not the type of person that can be late to events. I rush to shower and throw together a basic outfit before I'm out the door.
On my walk over, I think of Jess. She messaged me this morning to confirm our meetup. I'm grateful that she was the one who reached out first. I hate feeling like I'm nagging her. I meant it when I told her that I was happy for her and Mike. Despite our opposite personalities, I've really grown to admire Jess as a person. She's not my typical friend type. She cares so much about appearances, and gossip, and shopping. All things that I actively avoid. But she also has this way of making people feel seen, and important, and cared for. I know I am lucky to have her in my life.
When I turn the corner, I see that Jess standing outside the bar doors. Just above her the name I've seen multiple times this week - Midnight Sun. Before Monday, it was just another name of another place I had no connection to. Now, I see that name and I think of Ed with that crooked smile. I can feel the butterflies in my stomach, but I try to push down that feeling. Although I love Jess, I don't think I'm ready for her to know about Ed and how much of an effect he's had on me.
The second she spots me, she smiles and shouts "I made it today!" and pumps her fist in the air.
I laugh at her ridiculous display, "Thank goodness. I would probably give you up as a lab partner if you ditched me twice." I tease.
"Aw Bella, you wouldn't do that to me. You love me too much." she insists.
I give her a sly smile, "Well, there's that. But you know it's mostly the fact that Rebecca wouldn't allow us to switch partners so late in the semester." I shiver at the thought of our strict T.A..
Jess laughs, "Thank my lucky stars for Rebecca. Not sure what you did to upset her, but she'd probably just fail you if you even tried asking for a change."
"I didn't do anything!" I begin defending myself, but Jess cuts me off.
"Bella, forget about her. Let's just get this homework party started. I'm ready for a drink!" she links my arm with hers and pulls me inside.
I try to keep my breathing even as we get settled in the bar. I chance a look around and there's no sign of Ed. I simultaneously feel disappointed and relieved. Just Adam and Miss Bartender today. I should really learn her name. I begin making a mental note to try and get her name today, but my thoughts are interrupted by Adam.
"Oh hey, are you looking for Ed? He's actually off today" Adam unknowingly outs me, "But I can let him know you stopped by, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that"
I feel my cheeks flame, but try my best to keep my response neutral.
"Hey Adam," he smiles when I address him by his name, "I'm actually not looking for him. I'm here with a friend, trying to get some school work done." I gesture towards Jess, who seems intrigued by this interaction. "You don't have to tell him anything, but thank you."
"I see, I'm sorry. The way you guys were talking on Tuesday, I just thought…" he nods his head, almost as if shaking off what he was thinking. "Nevermind.. but anyway, can I get you ladies anything?"
Jess finally chimes in, "Yes, we'll both take a strawberry margarita. On the rocks. Thank you" she smiles sweetly at him.
Adam steps away to get our drinks ready. I look over at Jess, she has her brows raised. I can tell she's waiting for an explanation, but I don't start with that. Instead, I try to shift the focus to our project.
"Ok, so how do you want to divide the readings? I think we should chunk it by first half and second half, just to keep things as coherent as possible" I look to her for a response, but she isn't budging.
"Ok Bella, who the fuck is Ed and why haven't I heard of him yet?" She practically squeals.
"Oh my god Jess, can you keep it down" I whisper, hiding my face in my hands. "Ed is just another bartender here, just like Adam." I add, trying to downplay the situation. "I met him on Monday, when I was waiting for you." I playfully nudge her.
"But if you met him Monday, then why did that dude say you guys were talking Tuesday? Did you forget what day you were meeting me?" She's smirking because I've been caught.
"I hate to admit this, but you were right about a bar being a good place to study. I ended up coming back, to get some more work done." I shrug, hoping she buys it and then we can move on.
"Mhmm, sure. If that's what you say.." she turns to the books in front of her.
For a moment I'm hopeful that we'll actually get started on the work. She shuffles some pages in front of us. Adam returns with our drinks. After he places them in front of us, Jess motions for his attention.
"Adam, was it?" Jess prompts. He nods his response. "Thank you for the drinks. Quick question though… this Ed guy, you mentioned that he would be happy to hear Bella came looking for him. What makes you think that?" She rests her chin on her folded hands, leaning forward.
I'm mortified. I was not expecting her to push for more information. Adam glances my way and gives me a small, apologetic smile. Then looks back at her.
"Well, he was so caught up in their conversation that he wasn't helping with the crowd that had entered." He pauses thoughtfully, then continúes " I don't think he even realized so many people were waiting to order. It's actually very unlike him. So, I had to assume that he and Bella were good friends or something."
"Well thank you for that valuable information." Jess side eyes me, then dismisses Adam, "We'll let you know if we need anything else"
I'm plotting my escape when Jess interrupts. She turns her whole body to face me.
"Well well well, Bella. It seems you haven't been honest about your intentions."
"My intentions? Seriously, Jess? Don't be so dramatic. I talked to him for a little while, and I did my homework. That's all." I insist.
She ponders my response, an inquisitive look on her face. Then she smirks, and I know I'm in trouble.
"So, is he hot?" she narrows her eyes at me.
I roll my eyes for effect, and desperately hope it covers up for the blush I know is present. Jess doesn't fall for it. She giggles and does a little happy dance.
"Oh my god Bella, I don't think I've ever seen you lusting over someone before." she wiggles her whole body, making no attempt to hide her excitement.
'Lusting?' I think to myself. 'Is that what this is? Maybe a little infatuation, but I wouldn't go as extreme to label this as lust.'
"Jess, you're still being dramatic about all of this. Is he good looking? Yes, he is. But I'm not," I paust to glance around and make sure no one could hear me, then whisper, "lusting over him."
She replies with a laugh. "Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." and with that, she lets go of this conversation. For now, I'm sure I'll be hearing more about this later.
We finally begin working on our project. After about an hour of working and another margarita, we were finally able to divide the readings up and agree on a timeline to keep us on track. I wish we would've gotten more done today, but there isn't much we can do until we actually finish the readings. I look down at our plan, satisfied with what's in front of us.
Jess laughs. "You're such a dork, Bella. Only you would stare lovingly at a schedule."
"Hey, I'm not a dork. I just take pride in a job well done." I counter.
We both look at each other. She cracks first and lets out a snort, which unleashes my own laughter. Before I know it, we're both dorks sitting here and laughing at each other.
Jess clears her throat, "So, let's come back tomorrow. No homework, just drinks?" Her smile mischievous.
"Nope. I'm sure the other bartenders are starting to think I'm desperate. I should at least wait until next week before coming back." I frown.
"You don't look desperate, Bella. If he was talking to you the way this dude claims," she discreetly points her thumb toward Adam, "then it sounds like he's interested, too." She states matter of factly.
"Or maybe he just wanted a good tip from me." I add with a shrug.
"If that were the case, your conversation wouldn't have been out of the norm. You wouldn't have been confused for a good friend" she reasons.
I'm torn. Part of me feels like she's making sense, but another part of me feels like she doesn't know what she's talking about.
I sigh, "Well either way, I still think I should wait it out a couple more days."
Her smile is softer now. "I guess that's fair enough. I still want to come with you to see this dude, though."
I agree to the suggestion without committing to a day. As the evening wraps up, we both agree to keep each other updated about our assignment progress. We agree to set up another study date sometime after the weekend. I know her location of choice, but I make no promises to her.
Adam brings us our check. "You ladies enjoy the rest of your evening.." he pauses, then adds, "and maybe we'll see you again soon?" A knowing smile on his face.
"You bet," Jess doesn't miss a beat, "we just found our favorite homework spot." She wiggled her eyebrows at me.