Free Revive Me by Charity Ferrell Page B

“What do you want to drink, babe?”
    “I’ll have a water, no lemon,” I answered, and she scribbled it down without looking at me.
    “I’ll have what my girl is having,” Reese said.
    “Right,” she drew, tapping her pen against the edge of the pad. “Are you ready to order for you and your girl?”
    Reese grabbed our menus and handed them to Molly. “Large chicken, extra cheese, and a small order of breadsticks.”
    “I’ll get that in for you,” she said, jotting our order down and walking away.
    “I’m glad you came out with me,” he said. “I was sure you were going to bail on my ass.” Molly returned and set our drinks down without saying a word and left.
    I played with the straw in my water. “I was sure I was going to bail.”
    He laughed, playing with his piercing, and grinned. I eyed him, wondering what it would feel like to kiss him. I’d never been with anyone sporting mouth metal.
    “You didn’t, and that’s what’s important. I think you’re starting to warm up to me. Sooner or later, you’ll be completely comfortable, telling me everything.”
    “Oh really?” I asked, forcing a small smile across my lips. Nobody would ever know my secret.
    I picked at my pizza, while Reese told me about going to his buddy’s show the other night. “You have to come with me next time. They’re so kickass, there’s no way they won’t become big time in the future. I’ll definitely be a roadie for them, too,” he laughed. I didn’t say much, just listened to him ramble.
    Molly brought the bill, setting it on the table, and Reese picked it up.
    “Here, let me get mine,” I said, unzipping my purse.
    He nodded. “Okay, looks like it’s twenty-five bucks, if you’ll just give me twenty that’ll be cool. I’ll leave the tip.”
    My head jerked up in disbelief. I always offered to go Dutch on the few dates I’d been on, but the guys always declined, insisting dinner or the movie was on them. But Reese was sitting across from me, holding out his hand, and definitely not saying dinner was on him. I grabbed a few bills from my wallet and handed them over.
    “Thanks, babe.” He pulled money from his pocket and shoved them on top of the bill.
    “You’re going to have fun tonight,” Reese said, getting back into his car. “Even if I have to force it out of you.”
    I pulled the seatbelt across my body, and the music shot to full blast again. I didn’t ask him where we were going. I just kept my eyes on the road and hoped we’d get there soon before I had to start plugging my ears. The band wasn’t terrible, but they weren’t going to be hitting the big time in my opinion. We turned down a dirt road that led into an open field lined with cars and trucks. I squinted and made out bright flames in the distance as a few people walked across the lot and headed towards it. Great, so much for him not taking me to another party.
    I’d always enjoyed bonfires. They were pretty popular in our town. We didn’t have fancy hangouts, bars, or clubs. I didn’t mind that, but I wasn’t expecting him to do something else. I looked down at the grimy floorboard covered in bags of Cheetos in disappointment.
    He got out of the car and pulled a lever underneath his seat. I watched him open up the trunk from the side mirror. He pulled out a case of beer and set it down onto the ground.
    “Yo babe, a little help here!” he called out. I secured my purse around my body and got out. He could’ve at least pre-warned me so I wasn’t wearing my flip-flops while walking through a field. He handed me a few bottles of alcohol and grabbed the case of beer. I held a green bottle out, reading the label, and my stomach twisted.
    He looked over at me and laughed. “That’s your best friend, babe. I got that just for you.”
    “I don’t think my stomach can handle that again,” I said, holding out the bottle and examining it. He laughed, pulling out a flask from his pocket, and filling it up with a dark