I took my eyes off the road for an instant, just to look at her. She was beautiful. And she had no idea. The coastline flying by out the window behind her was the perfect backdrop. Her hair danced around her face in the wind. Her eyes flashed in the sun. She was a wild one. And I loved her.
My eyes drifted back to the road as my thoughts drifted back to the night we met...
It was another busy night behind the bar. Girls were ordering cosmos and lemon drops, while their men downed Coors by the bottle. When the orders finally slowed, I looked up to get my bearings.
There she was. Across the room. I had never seen her before. She was dancing with her friends. It was hypnotic, they way she moved. She danced like no one was watching, and she was good.
My coworker Will must have seen me looking, because he chuckled. "Take a shine to Cheyenne, did ya?" I blushed and looked down at the bar, wiping up a spill that wasn't there. "Be careful Corey, she can't be tamed, that one." I kept swabbing that spot on the bar, but I looked back up at her. Cheyenne, I thought. Why would anyone want to tame her?
The rest of the night was a blur, but I looked for her at every lull. And at every lull, she was still there. All hips and fire. Untamed. Beautiful.
When things finally slowed and our bouncer hollered "Last call!" I looked up one more time, hoping to catch a parting glance. She was gone. I sighed. It stung more than I cared to admit.
"Hi." A soft, melodic voice startled me out of my reverie. I dropped the glass I was polishing. It shattered as it hit the ground. Smooth Corey. Real smooth. It was her! Cheyenne!
"Hi," I croaked, my throat suddenly parched. Be cool, be cool! "Can I get you anything for cast lall?"
She smiled. "You mean last call?"
Facepalm. I smiled, even though I was internally kicking myself. "That's what I said."
She laughed, and I knew the melody would drift through my dreams. "I think tonight..." her eyes drifted over the lines of bottles behind me before coming back to mine. "I'll just do a whiskey, neat. Whatever's in the well."
I winced. Our well whiskey wasn't great. "That's gonna burn like fire," I said.
She winked at me. "I like fire."
My eyes opened slowly. It was still dark out. The clock on my nightstand flashed 4:43. The night before was a blur. I tried to piece together my memories. Cheyenne. Dancing. Last call. I didn't want her to drink alone, so I took a shot with her. Then another one. And another. She had leaned across the bar to whisper in my ear...
I shot up out of bed as the pieces fell into place. She had come home with me. I looked down at my empty mattress. Someone had definitely spent the night. Or most of it. When had she left? I puzzled. WHY had she left? The other half of my comforter was all bunched up. The extra pillow had a dip in the middle, where someone's head had been. And in that dip was a note. See you tonight. ❤C
A huge smile broke across my face. I wasn't scheduled to work tonight, but I would be there.
I agonized over what time to get to the bar. Should I get there early and potentially wait all night? I thought. Would that make me look overly eager? Or should I get there right at last call to try to take her home again? But would that send the wrong message? Ultimately, I got there right as the sun was setting, about halfway through the night. I walked in and scanned the dance floor, but I guess it was still too early for dancing, because it was mostly empty. The bar, however, was hopping, so I made my way over. I grabbed a stool at the end and ordered a beer from Will, who sauntered over to me grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "How was your night last night, buddy?" he drawled.
"Fine," I smiled. The details were still a little hazy, but I had a feeling it had been a very good night. "Uneventful."
I smiled and shrugged. Then I brought my brows together and leaned in over the bar. "She left super early," I confided. "Like, before the sun rose."
"Awww, man. I'm sorry, brother. But I did warn you. She's a wild one, not prone to sticking around or settling down." He shrugged and straightened up. "At least, that's what I've heard."
I frowned, but didn't say anything. Girls were more than a little complex. And why would she leave that note? I wondered.
"Well," Will slapped the bar. "That beer's on me, to help nurse your broken heart. But the next one's on you. Holler when you're ready for it." He walked back down the bar to help another customer, leaving me to my tangled thoughts.
I was on beer number three, watching folks dance when someone plopped onto the stool next to me and asked, "What do you say? Wanna put them to shame?"
I stiffened. I would know that voice anywhere. I looked over. Cheyenne! She was smiling up at me. "Well?" But she didn't wait for my answer. She pulled the beer out of my hand and set it down on the bar. Then she grabbed my other hand and pulled me onto the dance floor.
"I, uh..." I stumbled over the words. "I don't know if I can put anyone to shame out here. This isn't exactly my element." I could only hope I didn't look as nervous as I felt.
"Oh honey, that's okay. I just want to have another good night." She winked at me, then placed my hands on her hips, and circled hers around my neck, like we were at a high school dance.
When my heart rate finally slowed down I said, "I missed you this morning. Thought maybe last night had been a dream."
She laughed--God, I loved that sound. "Was it a good dream?"
She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. I knew I was grinning like a fool, but I didn't care. We stood there and swayed until I lost track of songs. Until the bouncer hollered out, "Last call!" And even then we stayed locked together.
When they finally kicked us out of the bar, we left holding hands. I saw Will giving me a thumbs up out of the corner of my eye. We meandered through the parking lot to my truck.
"Do you wanna--" I don't know where I was going, but before I could utter another syllable, she put a finger on my lips to stop me.
"Corey, there's something you should know about me," she said. "I'm not looking for the white picket fence sort of life. I don't want to settle down. I don't want to stop living. There's so much more out there that I want to do, want to see, and I don't want to lead you on if that's not the life you're looking--"
This time I put my finger on her lips. I looked into her deep brown eyes and could have sworn I saw the highway unwind before us.
All I said was, "Would you like some company?"
I blinked. Just like that, I was back in my truck, Cheyenne next to me. Wild. Free. The ocean breeze drifting through the car brought her to life in a way nothing else could. As she looked back out the window toward the coast, I heard her singing along to my beat up radio. Then the breeze turned into a gust that carried the song away.
I took my right hand off the wheel to rest on her knee. She looked back at me and smiled, placing her left hand over mine. I loved the way that the gold band sparkled in the sun. I thought a little diamond would be nice, but she was adamant: no diamonds.
I grinned. This amazing woman was mine. I squeezed her knee as I kept driving down the coast. We didn't have a destination, because wherever we are, wherever we go, that's where she calls home.
