Free Black Number Four by Kandi Steiner

POK-ER.
    “Okay, my question is this… Is it true that you don’t ever bluff? Or was that just a shot at Mr. Frat Daddy Douchebag?”
    She smiles, picking up another strip of bacon. “It was just a shot. I bluff, everyone does – I’m just really good at it. I’m good at decoding other people’s bluffs, too,” she replies, her eyes shooting up to mine at the last sentence.
    Shit. Can she see right through me? Does she know why I’m here?
    Calm down, Kip. There’s no way she knows anything. Stay focused.
    “So when he was going to pay you to show your cards, were you bluffing then?”
    She shrugs, standing and grabbing our empty plates. “He was going to pay me for those cards, and now you think I’m just going to tell you for free?”
    I grab the plates from her hands. “I got these, sit down and relax. And yes, I want to know your secrets.” I walk to the sink and drop the dishes in, waiting.
    Skyler leans against the wall and crosses her arms. “Oh yeah? In poker or in life?”
    I tuck my hands in my pockets and shrug, my eyes locked on hers. “Both.”
    She stays there for a while, smiling and scrutinizing me at the same time. Suddenly, her face falls, and I feel the same resistance from earlier stretch between us like a tense rubber band. “I should probably go,” she says, lifting from the wall.
    I check my watch. “Why don’t we go watch the sunrise? It’ll be up in twenty minutes.”
    Skyler chews her cheek, her foot tapping on the floor. “I don’t know, I think this would be a lot easier if I left now.”
    I shake my head, walking toward her. “What do you mean by this ?”
    She goes to back up but hits the wall. “This. Us. I just, I don’t think we should get caught up. I have to focus on poker this semester and you’re pledging. It would just be easier if we didn’t complicate things.”
    I keep walking until our chests touch and place my hands on the wall around her head, my face inches from hers. Her breath hitches in her throat, but her bright blue eyes don’t leave mine.
    “Baby, you made me lick tequila off you the first night we met. This is nothing if not complicated.” Her eyes flick to my mouth, her heart racing against my chest. I bite my lip and lean in closer, wanting desperately to close the remaining inches and feel her mouth on mine. But, she’s right – this can’t get too complicated. I need to get her close, need her to trust me – but I also can’t get caught up in feelings I’m not allowed to have. Not for her, anyway.
    I push back off the wall. “Come on, watch the sunrise with me. I’ve been in Florida for over a week now and still haven’t set foot on the beach. And I get what you’re saying, so we can keep it simple. We can be friends, right? Just because we made out in a crowd full of people doesn’t mean this has to be weird.”
    She laughs, but seems shaken as she stands up straight. “Fine, let’s go. But I’m serious – this is a friend zone.”
    “I’ll be sure to wear my friend zone crash helmet,” I say, giving her a cocky smile as I grab her coat and open the door. “But that means you’ll have to keep your hands off me. Think you can manage?”
    She snags her coat and throws it on, rolling her eyes. “I’ll do my best to refrain.”
    I laugh and lock the door before jogging down the stairs to catch up to her. “Something tells me we should bet on this,” I say. “I don’t think you’ll be able to last.”
    “Put your money where your mouth is, Four Eyes,” she says, smiling at me from a sideways glance. “I’d love to take it from you.”
    “I know you would,” I say, returning her smile. As we walk down the stairs and out toward the beach, I note the way Skyler looks in the early morning light. Her eyes are bright, her skin warm, the small smile still playing on her lips. It’s a little chilly this morning, causing her cheeks to run a slight shade of pink, and her hair is now completely wavy and unruly blowing in