after a little persuasion, so was I.
Chapter
Three
Catherine
After dropping off Colt, I started running errands.
I had a few hours to myself and there were a few mundane things that I needed
to pick up before heading to work. It gave me a lot of time to think about the
night earlier and all that had happened in the intervening time that could
potentially have big consequences for my life. Colt was a special guy, there
was no doubt about that. But given the short timeline, I was having trouble
separating out my lustful feelings from a deeper attraction I might feel
towards him.
He had this calm about him, a calm that spread to me
and gave me escape from my own anxiety. I needed someone like that in my life,
especially on the rugged road ahead as I continued on with my studies.
Everything was still largely unsettled. For right now we would just plan on
talking about it after the trip to Las Vegas.
But what did that even mean? Would he consider
moving here, or was a long-distance relationship on the table? I didn’t know
what was waiting for him back in Austin. There had to be something, I figured,
if that was the place he called home. Maybe there was a girlfriend back there
he hadn’t told me about. Maybe last night really was just a one-night stand.
Dammit. Why was I questioning myself like this? I
had good instincts, and Colt didn’t seem like the guy to do something like
that. I needed to relax and stop talking myself out of what might turn out to
be a good thing, a chance for something in my life to finally work out how I
wanted it to. So I made a conscious effort to forget about things for a while
and just sort of let life flow how it would. Things like this take time, I kept
saying. All great things need time to develop.
***
At work later that day, I had a strong impulse to
spill everything to Ellie. I just needed someone to confide in, a second
opinion, someone to reassure me and help sort things out. It took everything I
had to resist that impulse, at least for the time being, and just go about my
work. But the truth was that there really wasn’t much time to talk today. It
was Sunday in December, and anyone who works a busy bar knows what that means:
football Sunday, NFL games all day long .
Ellie had been here since noon. Customers had
started streaming in around 1:00 PM and the flow hadn’t stopped. By the time I
rolled in at four o’clock the place was an absolute madhouse. We had specials
on Bud and Bud Light, plus 25 cent wings. Yes, as you can imagine, things could
get a little crazy. Especially this afternoon with the Cowboys playing the
Giants.
I always liked working the afternoon games. People
were usually pretty drunk by the later games, which typically meant they were
better tippers. Also the atmosphere was just great. I’m the type of girl who
can get into a good football game, so getting paid to watch the Sunday games
was one of the best parts of my job. Another added bonus was that Mike, my
boss, was apparently still home sick with the flu. Today it was just Ellie and
me working the bar room, plus a couple line cooks back in the kitchen cooking
up food.
My heart raced a little what I saw Colt and the boys
walk through the door around 7:00 PM. They were coming in just in time for the
final plays of the late afternoon games, all of them surprisingly close. The
Cowboys, at the time, were on the Giant’s 43 yard line. It was 3 rd and five. I watched the center hike the ball, the quarterback rolled, looked
for a receiver, but didn’t see anything downfield. He tried to scramble for the
first down but came up short. The Cowboys would have to punt.
I turned away from the television to walk over to
the guys, see if I could get them anything to drink.
“Buds, all around,” said Garrett. “Actually, shot of
Jack as well.”
“Not for me. I’m still feeling last night,” said
Tyson, looking slightly tired, all things considered.
“Colt, you gonna do a shot
Chapter
Three
Catherine
After dropping off Colt, I started running errands.
I had a few hours to myself and there were a few mundane things that I needed
to pick up before heading to work. It gave me a lot of time to think about the
night earlier and all that had happened in the intervening time that could
potentially have big consequences for my life. Colt was a special guy, there
was no doubt about that. But given the short timeline, I was having trouble
separating out my lustful feelings from a deeper attraction I might feel
towards him.
He had this calm about him, a calm that spread to me
and gave me escape from my own anxiety. I needed someone like that in my life,
especially on the rugged road ahead as I continued on with my studies.
Everything was still largely unsettled. For right now we would just plan on
talking about it after the trip to Las Vegas.
But what did that even mean? Would he consider
moving here, or was a long-distance relationship on the table? I didn’t know
what was waiting for him back in Austin. There had to be something, I figured,
if that was the place he called home. Maybe there was a girlfriend back there
he hadn’t told me about. Maybe last night really was just a one-night stand.
Dammit. Why was I questioning myself like this? I
had good instincts, and Colt didn’t seem like the guy to do something like
that. I needed to relax and stop talking myself out of what might turn out to
be a good thing, a chance for something in my life to finally work out how I
wanted it to. So I made a conscious effort to forget about things for a while
and just sort of let life flow how it would. Things like this take time, I kept
saying. All great things need time to develop.
***
At work later that day, I had a strong impulse to
spill everything to Ellie. I just needed someone to confide in, a second
opinion, someone to reassure me and help sort things out. It took everything I
had to resist that impulse, at least for the time being, and just go about my
work. But the truth was that there really wasn’t much time to talk today. It
was Sunday in December, and anyone who works a busy bar knows what that means:
football Sunday, NFL games all day long .
Ellie had been here since noon. Customers had
started streaming in around 1:00 PM and the flow hadn’t stopped. By the time I
rolled in at four o’clock the place was an absolute madhouse. We had specials
on Bud and Bud Light, plus 25 cent wings. Yes, as you can imagine, things could
get a little crazy. Especially this afternoon with the Cowboys playing the
Giants.
I always liked working the afternoon games. People
were usually pretty drunk by the later games, which typically meant they were
better tippers. Also the atmosphere was just great. I’m the type of girl who
can get into a good football game, so getting paid to watch the Sunday games
was one of the best parts of my job. Another added bonus was that Mike, my
boss, was apparently still home sick with the flu. Today it was just Ellie and
me working the bar room, plus a couple line cooks back in the kitchen cooking
up food.
My heart raced a little what I saw Colt and the boys
walk through the door around 7:00 PM. They were coming in just in time for the
final plays of the late afternoon games, all of them surprisingly close. The
Cowboys, at the time, were on the Giant’s 43 yard line. It was 3 rd and five. I watched the center hike the ball, the quarterback rolled, looked
for a receiver, but didn’t see anything downfield. He tried to scramble for the
first down but came up short. The Cowboys would have to punt.
I turned away from the television to walk over to
the guys, see if I could get them anything to drink.
“Buds, all around,” said Garrett. “Actually, shot of
Jack as well.”
“Not for me. I’m still feeling last night,” said
Tyson, looking slightly tired, all things considered.
“Colt, you gonna do a shot
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