Read Online A Bar Tender Tale by Melanie Tushmore - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Melanie Tushmore
Tags: Humor, Romance, Gay, Contemporary, M/M romance, glbt, dreamspinner press, Novella, Melanie Tushmore
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blushed furiously. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go! Now he felt really stupid. Panicking, he excused himself and sought refuge in the gent’s.
Nathan dithered around inside the gent’s trying to decide what to do. He’d hoped coming in here would sober A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 70
him up, but it was having the opposite effect. The colored lighting didn’t help either.
He didn’t understand what was wrong. Nathan was more than happy to take things slowly. It sounded great, in fact… but no kissing? It was just a kiss! Either you wanted to kiss someone or you didn’t. Why didn’t Auryn want to kiss him?
Nathan scrabbled for his phone and punched out a text plea to Stuart: “If a guy takes you out but doesn’t want to kiss you, what the hell do you do? Help me!” It was getting on for 8 p.m. Stuart would have finished work long ago. Nathan hoped he had his phone nearby, whatever he was doing. How long could he wait in the toilets? Out of habit he checked himself in the mirror, only to be reminded that his hair was a mess and he looked like a scruffball today.
Arrgh. Nathan turned away from the mirror and glared at his phone, willing it to receive a message.
Lady luck was certainly being up and down tonight. A message came back from Stuart after only one minute:
“WTF? Who is it? He sounds confused! XOXO.” Nathan rolled his eyes at the XO’s. Yeah, rub it in, he thought. He replied just as quickly: “I met him today. I think we’re on a date but he won’t kiss me. Suggestions, please?” Waiting for Stuart’s next reply seemed like an age. When it did come it was only a one word answer.
“Straight! XOXO.”
Nathan made a face at his phone. “Oh shut up,” he grumbled, about to text back.
A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 71
Just then the door to the bar opened. Nathan jumped, saw it was Auryn, and immediately felt guilty. He shoved his phone away but not before Auryn had seen. Those dark eyes had spotted the phone, then rose up to look at Nathan, who was currently dying of embarrassment.
Oh, this is a nightmare!
“Are you okay?” Auryn asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Nathan said, trying to be casual. “I was just replying to a message.”
There was a definite pause, then Auryn’s quiet admission, “I feel like I’ve upset you.”
“What? No, it’s fine,” Nathan insisted, trying not to pout.
When Auryn moved to stand in front of him Nathan twisted his body to the side, shying away.
“I have upset you, haven’t I?” Auryn’s voice was firm but gentle. Nathan wondered if he used that voice in his work, to patiently explain something complicated to someone who just didn’t get it. Nathan felt like that now: utterly stupid. As he slouched against the wall, he was eye level with Auryn’s broad chest. Nathan’s gaze was distracted by the bare patch of skin at the open collar; it looked so smooth, so inviting….
Oh God.
Nathan was sure if he hadn’t been so drunk and frustrated, he wouldn’t be making an idiot of himself right now. He couldn’t answer, though; he was all out of ideas. He willed Auryn to do something to rescue this awkward situation.
A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 72
Auryn took a deep breath. He reached forward and gently touched Nathan’s hand, as if he wanted to hold onto it but was unsure if he’d be welcome.
“I’m sorry, Nathan. Talk to me. Please?” Nathan frowned, more from confusion than anything else. He looked up at Auryn and asked, “About what?”
“Tell me… um, well, you’re going to have to tell me what you want.”
What? Nathan’s common sense was warring with his gut feeling. One was telling him to cut and run while the other was begging him to hold on.
Oh well. Nothing ventured, he thought.
Nathan wound his own fingers around Auryn’s hand, trying not to press too tight. “I don’t know how…. I mean, how much more direct can I be? Can’t you guess what I want?”
Auryn’s fingers squeezed
Nathan dithered around inside the gent’s trying to decide what to do. He’d hoped coming in here would sober A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 70
him up, but it was having the opposite effect. The colored lighting didn’t help either.
He didn’t understand what was wrong. Nathan was more than happy to take things slowly. It sounded great, in fact… but no kissing? It was just a kiss! Either you wanted to kiss someone or you didn’t. Why didn’t Auryn want to kiss him?
Nathan scrabbled for his phone and punched out a text plea to Stuart: “If a guy takes you out but doesn’t want to kiss you, what the hell do you do? Help me!” It was getting on for 8 p.m. Stuart would have finished work long ago. Nathan hoped he had his phone nearby, whatever he was doing. How long could he wait in the toilets? Out of habit he checked himself in the mirror, only to be reminded that his hair was a mess and he looked like a scruffball today.
Arrgh. Nathan turned away from the mirror and glared at his phone, willing it to receive a message.
Lady luck was certainly being up and down tonight. A message came back from Stuart after only one minute:
“WTF? Who is it? He sounds confused! XOXO.” Nathan rolled his eyes at the XO’s. Yeah, rub it in, he thought. He replied just as quickly: “I met him today. I think we’re on a date but he won’t kiss me. Suggestions, please?” Waiting for Stuart’s next reply seemed like an age. When it did come it was only a one word answer.
“Straight! XOXO.”
Nathan made a face at his phone. “Oh shut up,” he grumbled, about to text back.
A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 71
Just then the door to the bar opened. Nathan jumped, saw it was Auryn, and immediately felt guilty. He shoved his phone away but not before Auryn had seen. Those dark eyes had spotted the phone, then rose up to look at Nathan, who was currently dying of embarrassment.
Oh, this is a nightmare!
“Are you okay?” Auryn asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Nathan said, trying to be casual. “I was just replying to a message.”
There was a definite pause, then Auryn’s quiet admission, “I feel like I’ve upset you.”
“What? No, it’s fine,” Nathan insisted, trying not to pout.
When Auryn moved to stand in front of him Nathan twisted his body to the side, shying away.
“I have upset you, haven’t I?” Auryn’s voice was firm but gentle. Nathan wondered if he used that voice in his work, to patiently explain something complicated to someone who just didn’t get it. Nathan felt like that now: utterly stupid. As he slouched against the wall, he was eye level with Auryn’s broad chest. Nathan’s gaze was distracted by the bare patch of skin at the open collar; it looked so smooth, so inviting….
Oh God.
Nathan was sure if he hadn’t been so drunk and frustrated, he wouldn’t be making an idiot of himself right now. He couldn’t answer, though; he was all out of ideas. He willed Auryn to do something to rescue this awkward situation.
A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 72
Auryn took a deep breath. He reached forward and gently touched Nathan’s hand, as if he wanted to hold onto it but was unsure if he’d be welcome.
“I’m sorry, Nathan. Talk to me. Please?” Nathan frowned, more from confusion than anything else. He looked up at Auryn and asked, “About what?”
“Tell me… um, well, you’re going to have to tell me what you want.”
What? Nathan’s common sense was warring with his gut feeling. One was telling him to cut and run while the other was begging him to hold on.
Oh well. Nothing ventured, he thought.
Nathan wound his own fingers around Auryn’s hand, trying not to press too tight. “I don’t know how…. I mean, how much more direct can I be? Can’t you guess what I want?”
Auryn’s fingers squeezed
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