Page 10 of Something Like Sugar (Pine Forest Something #2)

SHANA

O h hell to the no.” Jeremy’s arm shoots out as I exit the stoop, giving me an almost heart-attack. He appraises my outfit, ripped skinny jeans and an oversized black cardigan, paired with a light pink camisole and flats.

He clicks his tongue and snaps at Lemon who pops out the hydrangeas with a makeup caboodle, scaring the absolute crap out of me. “We cannot consciously let you go on a date like that.”

“You guys are certifiable! You scared me.”

“You’re easy to stalk.” Lemon shrugs.

“How do you know I have a date?” I shift to Lemon, in a conspiratory whisper. “ Did you talk to Dustin?”

“I didn’t say anything about Dustin.” Her eyes sparkle as Jeremy’s widen in shock. “But you did.”

Jeremy yanks me into the house with Lemon on my heels, squealing in delight.

Within seconds, I’m seated in the recliner watching my boundary-deficient friends make home on the sofa. Lemon crosses her legs to one side and Jeremy promptly follows suit toward the other, as if it’s been choreographed.

With these two, it probably has.

“Spill it.” Jeremy pouts. “I wanna know what Lemon knows.”

“Not so fast, Sherlock and Watson .”

Lem snorts, so I cut her my best teacher look while Jeremy just snickers.

These two.

“The only person who knew about my date was Dustin, and only because he wouldn’t get his smelly boots out of my studio while I was trying to choreograph.”

I stand and pace the floor, uprooted over dumb, muscly, unattainable, grumble of man who has the nerve to come waltzing…no, not even waltzing. I bet he doesn’t know how to waltz… traipsing . That’s what he did.

“He traipsed in there with that over-the-top nonsense of his, ‘oh you’re the moon, you’re the eclipse, Shana, I’m not bright enough for your shadowy light,’ and then he kisses me like that’s gonna help!”

I stop in an instant, realizing what I’ve let slip.

Jeremy and Lemon have unanimously scootched off the couch and are crisscross applesauce on the ground, both sets of jaws practically touching the floor as they gape at me.

My phone pings the signature Flinger sound, and all three of our heads whip to the saddle bag slung across my midsection.

“He kissed you!?” Lemon squeals. “Is he pinging you now? What does it say?!”

“Calm down, it’s not like that.” I fish my phone from the bag. “I’m just me , after all. Typical Dustin.”

Lemon grabs my arm. “What do you mean ‘typical Dustin?’ You’re the moon ?

Shay, I have known Dustin Campbell almost as long as you, basically my whole life, and I wasn’t sure ‘typical’ for him was more than two words a day out loud…

which is a lot like you now that I’m thinking about it. Oh my God! Jeremy, they’re soulmates!”

“I see it!” he agrees, framing my face. “The Ballerina and the Barista. A love so sweet you’ll dance.” He fans himself while Lemon claps excitedly.

I shake my head, focusing on what’s important here. Not on fairytale romance ideals. Not on a man who says he wants one thing but does another.

A creepy plant and then dance lesson requests? But oh wait …we can’t.

You’re just…you.

I don’t need more uncertainty in my life than I already have. I need someone who knows what he wants and goes for it. Who wants me for me.

Someone who feels like me is enough.

“It doesn’t matter,” I tell them on a quick exhale. “Dustin’s not my date. It’s a true Flinger match. Someone I don’t know.”

I smooth the goosebumps that scatter my arms with that thought, hoping my friends don’t notice how terrified I am.

Lemon slinks to the couch, deflated. “I was hoping it wasn’t that. Your dad told me earlier when I checked his vitals. Said he didn’t want you falling victim to a skin fetish…or something.”

I meet her scrunched face and my lip quirks before we both laugh.

“He wants you to be happy.” She reaches for my hand, and even though it feels emotional, I let her grab it.

It’s real. It’s friendship I can count on, even after Dad is gone. That’s who I need to fill my life with, now more than ever. People who do what they say and are there when you need them. People like Lemon and Jeremy.

And maybe someone on Flinger.

What I won’t do is wait around for someone who won’t come through when it matters.

The app pings again. I never checked the first notification, so I drop Lemon’s hand and swipe up, reading both messages.

LawsonLaw69: Looking forward to looking at you. Still smirking at the 69 in our screen names. Glad to know a woman with a sense of humor. See you when I see you.

LawsonLaw69: Sending you the location of a milkshake bar. Meet before the show? Just across the river.

Across the river. Strategically, or so I presumed, I set my location to the college town up north; to attract people I haven’t known since birth, small-town problems. But across the river from there, is here.

And the only milkshake bar in town is…

“You guys…he wants to go to Sugar Stable, what do I do? Lemon! What do I do?” My throat tightens thinking about the way Dustin’s tongue explored the insides of my mouth when we kissed. How my lady parts responded. “We can’t go to Dustin’s!”

“Are you sure you shouldn’t just cancel with this Flinger rando and talk to Dustin? It seems like a lot has happened between you two in the last few hours—”

“Decades,” I breathe.

“Right.” She presses her hands to my shoulders. “And I really think you should—”

“No!” I grab her wrist before she can take my phone again. “First of all, nobody, and I mean, nobody breathes a word of this to Devyn. No Dustin and Shana. No Shana and Dustin, got it?”

They nod.

“Now, I’m going out with this random lawyer guy tonight, and you know what? I’m going to kiss him!”

Jeremy gasps dramatically.

“I’m not kidding! I’m going to kiss him. And I might do more than that. Second base even!”

I don’t care what they think. And Lemon has no right to judge me when she got down with an entire band last weekend. Don’t even get me started on Jeremy’s extra-curriculars.

“I appreciate your advice and all, but this thing with Dustin has gone too long.”

“Too long?” Her eyes widen. “How long?” She exchanges a look with Jeremy.

“Never mind.” I hand Lemon the makeup kit. “I’m going to do whatever I need to get him out of my head and off my lips. Then I can get back to usual. Everything that happened today is totally normal. And tonight, I’ll have a totally normal date like a completely normal person. That’s all.”

Lemon cocks her head to the side. “ What’s normal?”

I stare at her reflection. Maybe I do need to confide in someone who has experience with these feelings.

“The fireworks,” I finally say. “It’s nothing, right?” I touch my lips. “That’s normal when you kiss someone?”

“Oh.” Jeremy’s brows pull in. “Was…this your first kiss, Shay?” He looks at Lemon.

“Not exactly,” I mumble.

“So, compare this with the others,” Jeremy suggests. “Were there any fireworks then?”

My eyes flick to the sugar plum plant. “I don’t think it works that way when they’re with the same person.”

“Oh, fuck.” Lemon rubs her temples. She grabs my phone a second later, raising an eyebrow for permission.

I let her. I’m not equipped for this. But her fingers tap left and right, and I’m suddenly nervous.

She smiles, sliding the phone in my hand. “I told him you’ll meet at Cowboy’s Paradise instead. No Dustin. Not tonight at least, okay? But I still think—”

“Lemmm,” I groan, “Can we focus on the man I don’t want to pummel tonight?”

“Fine,” she concedes. “But second base can also involve pummeling, just so you know.” She smiles at me until my nerves slink off, and I smile back.

“Now…” She holds up a bright red dress that hardly looks longer than a t-shirt, with a low-cut V-neck slashing down the front. “I vote for this dress.”

“Yeah, right. I am not going out in that.” I gesture to the oversized tube top and beg Jeremy for help.

Surely, I’m not the only one who sees there is no way that belongs on me.

“Why not?” Jeremy presses his lips together.

“Do you see that thing? I can’t wear something sexy like that. Everyone would see—”

“You?” Jeremy tucks my hair behind my ear and smiles. “It’s okay for them to see you the way you feel inside.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I take the fabric scraps from Lemon. “Fine. I’ll put the dumb dress on, but not because I want people to think I’m—”

“Sexy?” Lemon smirks.

“I hate you both, you know that?” I shove into the hallway half-bath and yank my original outfit off. I don’t see what was wrong with the jeans and cardigan combo. It’s not like I want a guy to like me for being half naked.

On the other hand, I am there for de-virginity purposes and all.

“Whoa.” My breath leaves my lungs as I look down at the red velvet hugging my body, accentuating my curves.

The ribbon ties around my waist, just above my hips, falling elegantly down my side.

The air kisses my right thigh, bare from the height of the slit.

Skin exposed or not, I must admit, this dress feels made for me.

When I step into the hallway, my friends gasp in unison.

“Shay Bae, you look…” Jeremy shakes his head.

“Like the eclipse.” Lemon beams, crossing her arms over her chest proudly.

Before I can respond, my phone pings. I frown, wishing I could say the messages from LawsonLaw69 bring me butterflies or fireworks, but they don’t.

Maybe that’s normal. We don’t know each other after all, like Dustin and I have for years.

Still, I wish there was more of a spark when I swipe into the message.

Until there is.

I expect to see my date’s response to the venue switch-up. Instead, it’s a message from someone I’m not matched with.

No picture available.

I know I shouldn’t open an unmatched message, but my eyes scan the screen before my brain grants them permission, and the words travel straight between my legs, a building pressure amounting to…I don’t know what.

A collision?

Explosion?

Watcher: You’re letting a forty-dollar plant die. Shame. It’s not the plant’s fault you hate attention.

Fireworks.