After Midnight (a.i.)

65

Cara's POV

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Jess furrows her brows as a means of sincerity. I lower mine and pass her the joint.

"It's only two weeks. I'll be fine." I assure her. Smoke trails into the air with my words and I exhale the rest. "I know you're dying to see him. Alex and I can handle the bar while you're gone."

"I'm so nervous to see him. It feels like it's been forever." Jess gushes before taking a hit of the joint. Her cheeks hollow and she takes a deep breath.

"I'm starting to forget what he looks like."

"Shut up." I laugh at her dramatics and stretch my legs out on the fuzzy rug between the beds.

After yet another hectic week at work, I've been needing this. Jess and I have finally been able to have some much needed alone time now that the boys are away and she's not attached to Michael's hip at all times. Even times like these after class or before work. But I know Jess is missing Michael, so Ari and I agreed to let her visit him for a bit while he's on tour. The Alibi hasn't been insanely busy lately, so why not. We can handle it.

"Enough about my boy." Jess waves her arm to clear the smoke between us. She sits up straight on the floor and crosses her legs. "What about yours?"

"What about him?" I reach for the joint. She hands it to me.

"Don't play dumb with me. This is, what, your third time hanging out this week?" Her eyebrow lifts to her hairline and I feel the heat in my cheeks. "How's that going?"

I need some time to form a response, so I take another hit and blow out the smoke to stall. Her raised brow persists.

"He's nice. And cute." I say, fishing in my head for any other words to describe him. "And fun."

"That's it?" She almost laughs at my obvious cover. I roll my eyes at myself and groan.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself. It's nothing, really. Just hanging out." I tell her.

It's not a lie. I'm not looking for anything serious and neither is Noah. I'm not ready to date. I'm simply putting myself out there and having a good time. And those words, while bare boned, perfectly described him. He seems like a nice guy. Fairly put together and always smiling, offers to buy me drinks and hold the door for me and doesn't ask too many personal questions.

As for looks, he's a decently attractive man. Wavy brown locks and dark brown eyes, always in a tattered leather jacket that made him feel invincible. His eyebrow ring only accentuated the amber hues in his eyes and honestly, it was hard not to stare. He's not too big and burly, he's a little taller than average height but we fit together pretty well. I'd say we have a pretty good time together.

Nothing has gone too far, it's too soon. Though Jess' words play in my head every time I look at him, it's not as easy as it sounds.

Get over your ex with meaningless sex.

I'm not a virgin Mary by any means. I don't think he is either. I'm not waiting for love or saving myself or anything along those lines. Frankly, intimacy has been weird for me for a while, but I haven't felt that spark yet. I haven't felt that sense of urgency that seemed to come so naturally with... him. It was weird. Not that I'm in a rush, but I'm getting a bit bored of making out on Noah's couch after a night out just to fall asleep to whatever late night cartoon was on. Maybe I have to jump the gun and make the first move.

Maybe I'm the one that gets to be in control this time.

"Well, I'm glad you're finally having some fun. Maybe this guy's the real deal." Jess muses to me, a sniveling smile curving in her lips as she reaches for the joint.