ducks her head. “We don’t have to stay.”
“We just ordered another beer. I deserve that beer for sitting through this.”
“Agree. You totally do.”
“I’m ready for the next act. I bet we’re going to hear about the wonders of farts.”
She chokes laughing, falling against my shoulder. “Oh God, I hope so.”
Tension releases from my body and I lean my head against hers, both of us hiding our smiles.
I was wrong. It’s not farts. It’s borborygmus. Which is pretty damn close.
“When your stomach rumbles at Christmas,
It’s borborygmus.
Not a sickness, or an illness.”
I feel Sara shaking beside me and I know she’s trying to hold back her laughter. That makes me nearly lose it, and I actually snort out loud. Sara laughs harder and she coughs trying to cover it up. We’re both dying, heads pressed together. Hopefully everyone else thinks we’re making out and not laughing our asses off.
I don’t want to be rude to these people who get up there and read their poems, which they’ve obviously worked hard on and take very seriously. So I try to sober up and listen to the next poems.
In another break, Sara finishes her beer. “We have to get going,” she announces to her friends. “Thanks for letting us tag along! This was so fun!”
We all stand.
“Great to meet you,” I say to the others.
Then we make our escape outside.
We both start laughing, leaning on each other as we stumble down the sidewalk. “I’m sorry,” I wheeze. “That’s just not my scene.”
“I guess it’s not mine either. I swear last time I went to one of these, the poems were actually good.”
“What’s a good poem? I don’t even know.”
“You don’t know any poems?”
“Hold on.” I pause, holding up a finger. “Twinkle, twinkle, little star…”
She doubles over in a fit of giggles.
“Wait, wait. I have a better one. “There once was a man named Jock, who had an extremely long—”
“Noooooo!” She’s laughing harder.
“He wrapped it around his stomach and down, through his trousers and into his sock.”
We turn the corner onto Fifty-seventh, both of us cackling away.
“How about that dessert?” I say.
“Oh! Right! I definitely want dessert.”
“We need to get over to Lexington.”
We zigzag a bit to end up at Cakey Bakey, where I’d planned for us to go. Better late than never, I guess.
“I love this place!” Sara claps her hands.
“Well, good.” I open the door for her, and we enter to the smell of sugar and vanilla.
Sara vacillates over the extensive cupcake menu, finally settling on peanut butter chocolate. I order a red velvet. There’s only a tiny seating area with tables and chairs, but we snag one and sit to eat our dessert. Sara dives in, and her enjoyment is gratifying. She looks up at me with a smear of chocolate icing on one corner of her mouth. “Yum!”
It’s still there when we’re done and we stand to leave, so I move in and swipe it away with my index finger. “Little icing there,” I murmur. Then, her eyes widening and her lips parting, I brush it over her bottom lip. Her tongue comes out and slides over her lip…and my finger.
Heat rises around us like we’re in the center of a bonfire.
She juts her chin forward slightly and sucks my finger into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it, our eyes locked on each other. Jesus. I think I’m about to combust.
“What now?” she asks, her voice husky.
Chapter 11
Sara
“Um…this is as far as I got with the planning.” Josh leans closer. “My plans were messed up yet again.”
He lowers his hand from my mouth. I’m buzzing, heavy heat building low inside me. “I’m sorry.”
He shakes his head and brushes a kiss over the corner of my mouth. “Don’t be. I hate having my plans messed up, but maybe things can turn out even better.”
“Like listening to bad poetry?” My voice comes out low and raspy.
“Yeah.” He touches his nose to mine. “I haven’t laughed so much in a long time.”
“Laughing is always good.” I lay my palm on his cheek. “I think so anyway.”
“I think I forgot that. And I agree.”
“Good.” Once again, I’m glad I’ve made him laugh. “We could go back to my place.”
“Okay.”
I take his arm as we step outside, both of us adjusting scarves and gloves for the chilly temperature. It feels so easy and natural and I love being so close to his amazing body. We set off along Lexington, past little shops and restaurants, some still open. “This is my hood,” I murmur.