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"Two Ruinations Anything else?" she asks, her di into her cheek as she ss

The table falls silent, but my heart is now somewhere under my chair

London

London is our waitress

Her eyes meet mine, and I can’t tell I just can’t tell at all if she heard, and if so, how much Did she hear the part about my apparent penchant for female bartenders? Did she hear what Daniel said? And, oh shit, did she hear ood," Daniel croaks

With a little nod and smile, London turns and walks back to the bar

Daniel bursts out laughing and makes a wry face "Oops!"

"Dude," Dylan hisses, shaking his head atto be pissed London is a nice person, and you guys are dicks"

"Fuck," I whisper "Fuuuck"

Dylan nods athis normally happy face more somber before he turns and heads toward the bathroom in earnest this tis and i about the US Men’s Water Polo teaether to Tokyo to watch them, but I can’t do ht because you, Luke, banged the bartender where I wanted to go

Luke banged the new bartender at Fred’s? I was talking about the redhead at Stone at Liberty Station

She’s hot, in that single-serving kind of way

Pretty soon on’t be able to go anywhere without so in the bathroom over Luke

In the e of all theup to it Maybe the ue And it’s true that the sound of voices falls away anddirectly against my eardrum But it’s the anxiety I didn’t expect The panic that she s The fear that I just confir she suspected about me

The problem is, it’s all true

Dylan returns to his seat, and looks up at the bar behindLondon--his brows pulled down in concerned frustration Right as he seeain fro to hihs as I walk toward the bar

It’s a Tuesday and still pretty early; except for the five of us and a few groups standing over near the DJ stand, the club is ht as she opens two beers and sets them on a tray for another waitress, and so she doesn’t noticeainst the wood

Startled, she looks up "Hey"

"Hey" I slide one hand inover here to defend my indefensible actions and ht?"

London lifts one shoulder as she dries off a glass "Sure You?"

"Pretty good" I s, and the words vanish from my head It’s aard, and she knows it’s aard, and in perfect London fashion, she’s not co to my rescue "I didn’t know you worked here"

She nods as she sets the glass down and lifts another "Just started"

"Ah"

I’irls are hard to read Is she pissed? Preoccupied? Does she want to kiss me so bad she can’t even look at me?