“Maybe, just taking in the options for the evening.” He smirks, checking out a girl that just walked into the VIP area. Her dress doesn’t leave much to the imagination and I can tell Matt is interested, for sure. He perks up as his eyes follow her every move across the room until she stops at the bar. “I’ll be right back,” he tells me quickly and I watch as he slides up to the bar next to the knock-out beauty.
I watch the interaction from our table for a minute or so. It is hard to determine if things are going well since I can only see their backs, but he’s standing next to her, their bodies angled slightly toward one another. He must be laying on the charm based on her body language. A slide of her fingertips along his forearm, followed by his hand sliding along her waist, until it rests just above her ass as he pulls her a little closer.
“Can I get you another drink?” our server asks, pulling my attention from my teammate and friend.
“A bottle of water would be great; do you have any?” I ask, knowing I need to slow my alcohol intake. Not only because I need to get myself home, but also because I don’t want to deal with a hangover tomorrow.
“Of course,” she says, flashing me a cute smile that I am sure is her way of telling me she’s available. She’s cute enough and I was once feeling the need to hook up tonight, but the more I look around, the more that desire isn’t prevalent. Not sure what the hell is up with that, but maybe I’m just tired and need to head home for a good night’s sleep.
I look around the lounge, spotting Matt still wrapped up in his conversation turned make-out session with the chick at the bar.
“Thanks for this,” I say, grabbing the bottle of water she delivered to me. The cold liquid quenches my thirst as she stands close by, I’m sure, hoping I’ll ask her out.
Six
Carmen
I roll over in bed, stretching my arms above my head as I do most mornings. I reach for my phone as per my usual ritual. I wasn’t woken up to deal with anything overnight, which is a true blessing. But I still make it a priority to check all my notifications right away each morning to not miss anything important that might have transpired.
With no pressing issues, I take a few minutes to scroll through my personal account. I stop to look through the album of pictures my sister-in-law posted of my nephew. He’s the cutest damn kid, sporting two new teeth in his otherwise gummy smile. I drop a few hearts on the pictures. It’s moments like this, seeing him growing up through pictures and the occasional FaceTime that I wish we lived closer, but with my brother being in the military, that won’t be a possibility until he’s out of the service and can decide where they’re going to call home for good.
I finally drag my butt out of bed after scrolling for another twenty or so minutes, thanks to my bladder screaming at me that it is time to get moving. Before leaving the bathroom, I wash my face and brush my teeth. Checking the clock, I see I have just enough time to make it to my favorite yoga studio for one of my favorite Saturday morning classes.
Feeling slightly refreshed and excited for a much-needed class, I pull on some shorts, a sports bra and a tank top before sliding into some sandals. I fill a bottle with some ice water, grab a banana from the counter, along with my keys and cell, and head out the door. I love my condo building, as it is in a pretty up and coming area that has been revitalized over the last few years. I have so many places I can go within walking distance.
A short, five-or-so-minute walk later and I’m striding through the doors of the yoga studio. I toss my banana peel in the trash before placing my items in one of the small lockers they have in the lobby for customers. After getting all checked in, I grab a mat and pick a place in the open room. I lay down, starting a few stretches to get me warmed up before the class actually starts.
An hour later, I’m a puddle of sweat and feeling so much better. There is just something about a good yoga session that centers me and helps me relax. With a constantly go-go-go mentality at work, I sometimes have a hard time shutting my brain off and relaxing, but yoga makes me tune everything out for the hour I’m in the studio, sweating my ass off and finding the calm I so desperately need most days.
After cleaning my mat off and putting it back in the pile, I gather my phone and keys from the locker, then make my way outside. The sun is bright, making today a gorgeous day. I stop at the coffee shop on the corner, ordering an iced latte and breakfast wrap to go. I eat the wrap on the short walk back home, finishing it quickly since I was starving after my class and only ate a banana on the way.
I step out of the shower, wrapping my hair up first before toweling off, and then wrapping my fluffy towel around my body. My cell starts to buzz against the counter. I grab it, seeing that Carly is calling.
“Hello,” I greet, putting her on speaker right away.
“Hey! What are you up to today?” she asks.
“I don’t have any plans yet, went to yoga this morning and just getting dressed for the day now. What are you up to?”
“Do you want to meet up down at the farmers’ market?” she asks.
“I’d love to,” I tell
