Free Hidden Barriers by Sara Shirley

talking about the C-Naughties and other random things going on back home with Mom and Dad, whom I haven’t seen in ages, but it makes me realize how much I miss seeing my family.
    “Are you going to tell me about this guy?” Drew asks, leaning back on the sofa as he props his foot up over his knee.
    Glancing over at the yellow tulips lying on the coffee table, I realize I forgot about Josh being here. “Shit!” I mutter as I scan the bar looking for him.
    “What’s the matter, Sam?” Drew asks as I reach for the tulips and push myself up from the sofa.
    “He was here, but I must have lost track of time talking to you. I guess he left.”
    Walking over to the bar where Cara is still showing Brian the ropes, I wait for her to finish talking to him before getting her attention. “Hey, Cara, have you seen Josh around?” I question as I still look for him in the bar, but all I see are more people strolling in for happy hour and an older woman with a fiddle setting up for open mic.
    “He took off about a half hour ago. He said to give you this because he didn’t want to interrupt you and your brother.” She shakes her head as she pulls the bag of candy from her apron pocket. “He’s a good guy, Sam, but you totally gave him the cold shoulder the minute your brother showed up. If I were you, I’d go over to his house and make things right.”
    Eyeing her suspiciously, I reply, “How do you know where he lives?”
    “Let’s just say I’ve become closer to his roommate.”
    “Nick? Really, Cara? You know that means I win the tally bet.”
    “Yeah, I know. I owe you, but not until you take care of this thing with Josh.”
    My brother grabs the seat next to me at the bar and looks between Cara and me. “What’s going on?” he asks with furrowed eyebrows.
    Thinking there really isn’t any way to avoid this conversation I’m about to have, I decide to just spill the beans. “The guy I was talking to when you walked in, well, that was the guy who asked me on a date.”
    “Let me get this straight. He’s the first guy you decide to open up to and actually go out on a date with in three years, and you’ve completely ignored him the last hour?” he questions, and I just stand biting my nails and nodding in agreement.
    “And to top it off, he left and I never even had the chance to introduce you to each other,” I say, knowing very well that Josh would need to have Drew’s approval anyway if I were to actually date him. Now, I really kind of wish he were still around, since having Drew here would make this a lot easier.
    An idea suddenly comes to my mind, and I look at Cara who is pouring a few glasses of wine for an order. “Cara? You wouldn’t happen to know the guys’ home address, would you?”
    Not looking up from her pours, she answers, “Yeah, well, maybe not the house number, but I can certainly tell you exactly where it is. Why?”
    “I need to go make things right. When you’re done pouring, can you write it down for me?” I say as I go around behind the bar and grab two empty six-pack carriers and load them with various craft beers from the cooler. Just as I’m about to put the last bottle into the carrier, I eye Drew who is watching me intently.
    Scratching the back of his neck, he asks, “We going somewhere, Sam? Not that I have a busy night, but just curious what you’re up to.”
    “Grab your things. We’re going to do something I should have done an hour ago. We’ll take your car; the address is right around the corner,” I say while placing the beers onto the counter and grabbing the directions from Cara.
    Snatching my coat and purse from the back office coat rack, I slide my arms quickly through the sleeves, pocketing the bag of candy from Josh in the process. I look over at Drew, who is ready to go, with the beers in his hands. Before we exit through the front door, I turn back to Cara behind the bar. Throwing up her arms, she begins making a shooing motion before saying,