Sullivan relaxed and went on. “I guess we probably want… no lips unless the whole room is shouting,Kiss, kiss.”
“Where are we going to be with a bunch of people shouting,Kiss?” Kia asked.
Sullivan could have sworn she sounded more curious than disbelieving, like she would be on the lookout for a room full of people chanting,Kiss. Sullivan kind of liked that.
“At a rugby drink-up?” Sullivan ran her hand through her hair, messing up her curls, then stopped, suddenly hyperaware of the nervous gesture.
“And what if we do get bullied by the rugby team that wants us to kiss?” Kia asked, a grin hiding behind her faux-serious expression.
“If a whole rugby team tells us to kiss, I guess we should probably kiss.”
chapter 17
Kia and Sullivandecided on a mélange of activities for their first social media shoot. They’d invite friends to the Tennis Skort, where they’d challenge each other to a cooking competition. That would be social media gold. At the end, Kia would whip out one more dish—her signature dessert—and on top would be a ring. The ensuing engagement speech and congratulations would fuel her socials for a week.
Actually, Kia was looking forward to creating some unsponsored content. She wasnotgoing to propose to the woman she’d had a crush on since she was twenty (even if it was a fake proposal) with a can of Fizz Bang in one hand and the ring stuck in a Pronto Pup.
Sullivan had asked Opal tojust happento bring the She-Pack to the Tennis Skort, and, all the way from Paris, Kia’s cousin’s girlfriend had rallied her burlesque troupe. They would also coincidentally be there. Mixing with the rugby team and the burlesque troupe would look fantastic on Kia’s diverse, colorful, fun-loving socials.
Now they were sitting in a booth at the Tennis Skort, which gave a serious I-met-my-wife-playing-softball vibe, and waiting for Sullivan’s friends to show up. Naturally, Opal and Nina would be there. Sullivan and her besties didn’t doeverythingtogether, but they were tight. It was sweet. Kia hadn’t see that side of Sullivanin school. She socialized with everyone in the program and dated several of the guys, but she didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d have bestie ride-or-dies from childhood. It was nice getting to know her better. She liked the real Sullivan even more than the version of Sullivan she’d idolized in school.
The server checked on their drinks—Megan Rapinoes with Bombay Sapphire gin—and they ordered a second round. Sullivan looked like she needed it. She kept looking around and wincing when anyone pulled out their phone for a picture. Next to their table, a trio of women took a dozen selfies and laughed at the outtakes.
“We should probably…?” Kia asked tentatively.
“I guess that’s what we’re here for.” Sullivan’s whole body sighed.
Kia leaned toward Sullivan, trying not to sniff Sullivan’s freshly washed hair. She had no right to think about how good Sullivan smelled or how wonderful it would be to snuggle under Sullivan’s arm, to lean against her, to feel the curves hidden beneath her masculine clothing.
She took a quick selfie and started typing the caption.
“Aren’t you going to take a thousand more to make sure I’m smiling right?”
“You always smile right.”
Kia kept typing. Sullivan looked over her shoulder.
“You don’t care that my mouth is open and I’m not wearing lipstick?”
“You never wear makeup.”
“But I look washed out in the picture.”
“Do you want to borrow a lipstick? We can redo the photo.”
Sullivan’s sudden insecurity made Kia want to hug her. Where had that come from? Why did gloating, boastful, irresistiblycharming Alice Sullivan disappear when the camera came out?
“No,” Sullivan said cautiously. “I don’t care, but I’m not photogenic. I thought you’d want to get a better picture.”
Sullivan was so photogenic Kia’s phone was swooning.
“You look like one of those hot, queer influencers who make a million dollars wearing jeans.”
Kia felt herself blush. She’d just called Sullivan hot. Again. She might as well run with it. She captioned the photo,Kickin’ it with my boo. Damn, you’re fire, girl! And you make me so happy. Here’s to the best chef I’ve ever met.She added some emojis and showed it to Sullivan.
“The best chef.” A smile spread across Sullivan’s face. “You finally admitted it.”
“The best chef I’vemet.” Kia elbowed her. “I didn’tmeetmyself.”
