The Kiss

She knew she was being shallow, but a guy like Alan taking her out was enough to make her forego her better judgment.
    The moment he was out of her sight, an annoyingly familiar voice reached her ears. “Well, look at that, Greg. That guy dropped her faster than even you did.”
    Oh, yay . The jerks had seen her.
    To his credit, Greg said nothing, but Nate , best friend to the ass formerly known as her boyfriend, went on. “I mean, this one didn’t even get to sample the goods.”
    “Cut it out, Nate,” Greg said flatly in that voice that used to make her shiver with lust and now just left her cold.
    “Ah, come on. Let a man have some fun, will you?” Nate wasn’t the type to give up, and Eliza sadly knew it.
    She turned and glared at him. “What exactly is your problem?” She hoped she sounded disinterested enough. In all honesty, every time Nate decided to make fun of her, she wished the earth would open and swallow her whole, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of backing down.
    “Don’t have one.” He sounded as cool as she wanted to seem. “Don’t need one. I don’t like you.” Green eyes sparkling, he high-fived another guy—Ethan- something —who’d obviously found his come-back inspired.
    Nope, he sure didn’t like her…which was a pity. He was gorgeous, a real-life Adonis, with his green eyes, angelic face, and sculpted body. The eye-candy effect was ruined by the scorn he always directed towards her. He had dis liked her ever since he’d first met her, when she and Greg had still been together.
    “Well, there you go then.” She waved a hand dismissively. “ That’s your problem. Deal with it.” Inwardly, she prayed she’d heard the end of it.
    A guy chuckled, and she knew it was Bill, the most decent of the group. He had always been nice to her, pre- and post-breakup, and now she graced him with a thankful smile.
    He winked at her, then turned to Nate. “She and Greg don’t see a reason to be mean to each other. Leave it alone, already.”
    He was wrong, of course. Boy, did she see a reason to be mean toward Greg, but she’d chosen the high road, and he seemed to respect that. Greg hadn’t always been so magnanimous, of course. Not when he’d told the guys how useless she was in bed, after he’d taken her virginity.
    Not when Nate had mocked her for being easy for weeks afterward, while Greg just smirked.
    She’d never found out what had made Greg change his tune; he’d just appeared at her house one day and apologized for everything. She hadn’t believed him, but for the year and a half after that he’d been more than civil.
    Which was more than could be said for Nate, who was now leering at her. “Maybe I want her to be mean back. Nasty even.” He waggled his tongue at her. “Come on. I bet you’ve learned a few tricks since Care-Bear here popped your cherry.”
    She wanted to punch him. Hard. He had no right to rub her face in it or use her old pet name for Greg—stupid though it was. She was glad the lights were dim and hoped he couldn’t see her blush.
    The moment that thought crossed her mind, there was a loud puff and the lights went out. If Nate said anything else, it was lost in the protests of the crowd, who were afraid the musicians wouldn’t be able to perform without electricity.
    She was too grateful for the reprieve the blackout gave her to join in the protests. Alan wouldn’t be able to find their table easily until the lights were back on, and by the time they did, Nate would hopefully have found something else to keep him occupied.
    She felt a shift in the air around her, as though someone invaded her personal space. At first she thought it was just someone trying to make his or her way around her table, but then fingers brushed her naked arms on their way up to her neck. She was too stunned to react when they got tangled in her hair and warm breath caressed her cheek.
    And then he kissed her.
    That kiss…
    Now the lights were on again, and Alan was approaching their table, drinks in hand. There was no way he was the one who’d kissed her in the dark; he’d been too far away.
    She pouted. Her hands flew to her hair to tuck wayward locks randomly back into her ponytail. She was sure she looked the way she felt: flustered.
    ***
    Eliza tried to get the kiss out of her mind the rest of the evening. She really did.
    The band went on, and for a while she managed to just enjoy the music and the company. Alan had obviously sensed something