watch me squirm baby, but you are just what I need
The bartender sets their drinks in front of them abruptly, but not without a quick smile sent Kady’s way.
“She keeps eyeing you like that. Play your cards right and you’ll get lucky tonight.”
Kady turns to Julia and scoffs, taking a slow sip of her drink. It started with a few beers and now they’ve moved to whiskey, but it hasn’t put her out of it enough to ignore the bartender’s lingering stares all night. She’s just taking her time to decide what to do with it.
(There’s always a plan. Anything can be an opportunity if she thinks about it long enough.
Julia doesn’t need to know that, though.)
Kady takes another sip, remaining as aloof as possible, “Sure it’s not you she’s been staring at? Hot and mysterious ivy league piece like you are a bartender’s dream.”
Julia rolls her eyes, “How flattering.”
“She’s probably just trying to decide if we’re dating or not.”
“Oh,” Julia leans closer, something dangerous lighting up behind her eyes, her voice gravelly, “Do you think she’s jealous?”
Kady leans forward - the last few sips driving her - and she’s suddenly grinning at Julia, “I don’t know. Maybe you should come a little closer and actually give her something to get jealous over.”
Julia bites her lip and raises her eyebrows, smiling wide, but the second the words tumble out of her mouth Kady leans back and gives her a once over. A small awkward laugh escapes her mouth and she shakes her head a little to herself - trying to make sense of it. She didn’t plan on saying that and she knows it’s blunt - even for her. Her mind is buzzing and she can’t stop replaying the moment on loop.
She studies Julia, appraises her for a second before breaking the silence, “I’m flirting with you.”
She says it more like a question, the reality of the implications not quite something she’s wrapped her mind around yet. Julia looks at her - all soft smile and curious eyes - before taking a small sip of her drink.
“You sound surprised.”
Kady rolls her eyes, crossing her arms but unable to resist nervously playing with the edges of Julia’s sweater.
(She’s borrowed it more than five times already, but Julia hasn’t made any indication that she minds in the slightest.)
“I just - since Penny, I don’t know. I don’t really know why I-” She shakes her head and sighs. Takes a long gulp of her drink to finish it off. Let’s it burn down her throat. “Whatever. Don’t be an asshole about this.”
There’s a small hand wrapped around her wrist and the touch burns more than the whiskey did. She pushes past the soft haze buzzing around her brain to focus on Julia’s face. The look she’s met with warms her more than the touch, a swirl of mischief and invitation swimming behind Julia’s eyes.
“Who says I wasn’t flirting back?”
She doesn’t get a chance to respond to her because Julia is already turning towards the bartender and flagging her down.
“So,” the bartender is on her way over to them again and Julia is turning back to Kady with a dangerous smile, “Another round on me?”