IT HAD BEEN A LONG week, but Kayla got home on Friday night with more than enough energy to shower and dress for an evening out.
She tried to remember the last time she’d felt so excited about going out, and gave up. She couldn’t. That was how long it had been since she’d really looked forward to just hanging out. The plan was to meet Maria at a newly updated bar, which turned out to be the one that they used to sneak into in their troublemaking years. Had it really been ten years? That’s a long time to be away, and she knew first-hand how life changes people. So she allowed herself the few nerves that made her palms damp.
Looking at the full-length mirror on the closet door, she saw a different woman to the one who had stared back at her last month. Now, instead of a tired and unhappy face, she saw someone with less stress and a lot more confidence. And after all Mrs. Bronson’s fine home cooking, there was also a bit more of her to look at.
Her long hair fell down over her shoulders and back. The dress hugged her curves and a wicked grin crossed her lips when she noticed her cleavage. The girls were ready to shake up the world tonight.
And it looked like that was going to happen. The bar was no longer murky and smelling of old beer and cigarettes. The renovations had replaced the sticky linoleum with shiny planks of wood, the walls had been painted in a rich shade of gold, and there were beautiful lights glowing all the way along the refinished bar. The racks of bottles were still there, but now there were actual clean mirrors behind them, not the half-shattered mess of smoked glass she remembered. She kinda missed the gum chunks, but was happy to see that the place outside where she’d thrown up her first tequila had been planted with a lovely blooming shrub.
Maria, Kayla soon realized, was still living up to her reputation as a bad girl. She had always possessed a free spirit, but tonight she was free to have some fun, since her husband was home with the kids.
“Marcus told me to get it out of my system.” She swung her hips in time to the music as they stood around a tall table holding their drinks.
Kayla laughed, “You and Marcus are still together. That is so awesome. Two kids, and you’re still the same. Of course, the fact that he’s such a good man and father helps.”
“Oh hell, yeah. That, and he’s a sex machine too. The man never quits.” Maria started to giggle. “I do adore him.”
As the noise in the bar and grill picked up, Kayla turned toward a group of guys standing at similar table across from them. They all were laughing and having a good time, judging by the grins on all their faces.
One guy, whose face she couldn’t quite see, caught her eye. She tried to be nonchalant as she glanced across and sized him up from head to toe. Everything seemed to be in the right place and proportioned perfectly. For some reason she began to crave a large kielbasa sausage.
Maria waved her hand in front of her friend’s eyes. “Hello? Earth to Kayla? Since you’ve been checking out that guy’s ass for so long, the least you should do is go ask him if he prefers hips or lips. Because, chica, you know you been fucking him in your head.”
“What are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean.” She turned away and felt her cheeks warm with her blush.
“Hey, I don’t blame you. If I was single, I’d want to get back on the horse. Since your ex was such an asshole you should at least look around. Nothing wrong with window shopping. You may find something you like. Hell, you might even want to take it for a test drive.”
Taking a sip from her drink, Maria kept going. “I sound like a car salesman. Okay. I’m gonna sell you a real gem.” She laughed at herself. “Lemme see. You don’t want some small car, I can tell. You got class, chica. You want something with a Hemi that can handle all the rough curves.” She rubbed her hands all over her body and laughed.
“Hola, Maria, you causing trouble again?” One of the guys at the table yelled over to her.
“Oh shit, Carlos bebé, you know soy una chica mala. Where’s your wife? She needs to come out with us girls sometime. Hey, tell your compañero that my girl here was checking him out.” She felt a swat on her arm. “Ouch, what the hell?”
Kayla glared at Maria and was beyond embarrassed. “Jesus, woman. Did you have to?”
“Holy shit. Is that you? Kayla?”
A man’s voice made her turn around and she finally got a good look at the face of the guy she lusted for. “Seth? Oh my God, I am so...uhh...hello.” She knew her face had to be beet red and she stuttered, just about left speechless as she recognized him.
It took a while, but eventually her embarrassment faded, and she began to feel at ease in Seth’s company. All the guys had come over to their table, and she and Maria sat around laughing and talking with them most of the night.
At some point late in the evening, she looked around at the smiling faces, easily talking, joking and sharing terrible jokes over beer and pretzels. Kayla realized that she had indeed come home again, and finally all the drama and the baggage melted away into a shadow she could leave behind.
Seth probably had a lot to do with that particular feeling. He had always been a safe space for her as she grew up, without her even realizing that he protected her and helped her when she needed it. He was a year older, but they had a lot of firsts racked up together.
He was her first kiss.
He had been her first crush.
He was the first guy she’d ever seen naked.
He was the first guy she really wanted to be her first.
And above all, he was the guy who set the bar for the kind of man she wanted. Every time she had thought about telling him how she felt, he’d tell her about his new girlfriend. It had seemed like Fate was completely fucking with her and the timing had never really worked out.
Looking at him, under cover of the general conversation, she discovered that he’d filled out nicely and had turned into a handsome grown man. She wasn’t surprised. He had a calm way about him that had always made her relax. He still had it, but tonight she found it wasn’t working as well as it used to, because instead of feeling tranquil, she was horny as fuck and was going to need to change her panties real soon. Damn...he was hot. Very hot. Muy caliente, Maria would have said, without a doubt.