Clementine by R. Jean Wilson

crush on him,” Alicia answered, smiling and pulling her car into a free parking spot.
    “Yeah, well he did invite me to go kayaking with him tomorrow morning…”
    “What! When?” Alicia asked excitedly as they climbed out and she locked their car doors. Addison shrugged calmly trying to look carefree.
    “He asked me right after my exam. I couldn’t really say no.”
    “Okay, let’s not pretend that you didn’t tell me he was ‘lick-ably’ cute on Monday. We both know you are crumbling to pieces you are so excited about this.”
    Addison squealed covering her eyes with hand. “Okay! I haven’t been able to think of anything else since. I don’t even know how I’ll sleep tonight!”
    Alicia laughed and tugged her arm down, pulling her toward the bar. “There’s the reaction I was looking for. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this over a guy before!”
     
     
    Addison stepped into the bar appreciating the blast of cool air that fell across her bare shoulders. They’d decided on heading down to the Rainey Street area after dinner and it seemed they weren’t alone. A few years back, a woman purchased all of the old bungalow style houses along the street and redesigned the interiors, creating open floor plans and an interesting alternative to the dirty club scene found just a few streets away. They decided to start at the first bar on the block, a large white wooden house that seemed unassuming from the front. However, once inside, Addison was surprised to find an eclectic mix of vintage decorations and a large deck area illuminated by strings of bright bulbs. The whole bar would have been romantic if not for the crowds of young urbanites drinking and socializing among the wooden tables.
    “I’ll go grab some seats before the other girls get here, wanna just grab me a glass of Sauvignon Blanc?” Addison asked, slipping Alicia a ten before they split up. She walked over to where the bar spilled out onto the deck. Dozens of picnic style tables were set up under the night sky and she had to search for a few minutes before she found one with a few seats available.
    “Mind if I grab these?” she asked the group of men occupying the end of a long table, motioning to the vacant bench seats.
    They looked up and nodded, a few of them offer ing her overtly interested smiles.
    “Sure thing, you can scoo t down toward us if you want,” one of the younger-looking men offered courageously.
    Addison smiled but ignored his invitation. Usually she would have at least entertained the idea that a few of the men were cute, but she seemed completely uninterested in their advances. None of you look anything like Holden. She looked down at her phone, hoping to seem busy enough that they wouldn’t try to talk to her again. A few moments passed before Addison heard her friend approaching.
    “Here’s your wine . I’m surprised you could find us a few spots,” Alicia said appreciatively, taking a seat and eyeing the men down the table.
    “Yeah, the place was packed but these guys didn’t mind sharing with us.”
    She could feel them leering towards her again, intrigued by Alicia’s new presence at the table. Luckily, Alicia didn’t seem to notice.
    “Oh, how fun they have a dart board over there,” Alicia commented.
                 
                 
    The rest of their friends from work arrived one by one forcing her closer to the men at the end of the bench. They were all discussing stories from work and Addison tried to listen but felt herself getting distracted by her morning plans with Holden. She mentally scanned through her bathing suits, knowing people usually swam while they kayaked in Town Lake, especially when it was as hot as it had been the last few weeks. Interestingly, this meant Addison would have to be in a bathing suit around Holden after knowing him all of five minutes... It’s like the guy planned it that way. She had a mint green bathing suit that accentuated her