The old man had paired those truly majestic pants with a black long-sleeve shirt that had pearlescent diamond snaps on it. He had insisted that Luke keep the clothes, saying he had no need for them anymore. I also saw everyone snickering behind Luke’s back, clearly poking fun at him. It’s probably why they never kicked us out once they noticed we weren’t supposed to be there.
“What was I supposed to do with them? They were two sizes too big on me.”
“You were supposed to treat them like they were a trophy you won.”
There is silence between us for a moment before he looks over at me, his eyes landing on mine for a second, the dimple in his left cheek making an appearance, before he admits, “I kept the clothes. I couldn’t toss them. They were a souvenir for such a pivotal night in our friendship.”
I beam at his words, overly joyful that he did keep them after all and that they’re a special reminder to him about us. “We’ve had a lot of pivotal moments together,” I add, stretching my arms out.
An idea strikes me of something we can do to pass the last sixty minutes until we’re due at his grandmother’s house.
“How well do you think we know each other? Like, truly know each other."
His grin grows wider, stretching his five o'clock shadow. “Hmm. I’m pretty sure I know you better than you know me.”
“No way!”
“I bet you five bucks that I do.”
“You’ll have to do a lot better than just five bucks,” I say, turning down the music.
“Okay.” He ponders for a moment, stroking his fingers over his jaw, the sandpaper-like sound filling the space. “Fifty bucks.”
“Luke, I don’t want your money.”
He grunts, knowing whatever I’m about to say is going to embarrass him. He would be correct in that assumption.
“I want you to wear the cowboy clothes. At the Christmas Eve parade. On the police float.”
“No.” He shakes his head and tightens his grip on the steering wheel. “Not happening.”
“Oh, come on. If you know me like you say you do, then you don’t have anything to worry about, right?” I arch an eyebrow in a challenge.Come on, Luke, take the bait.
His eyes snap to mine, studying me for a moment, before he accepts the challenge. “Fine, you’re on. ButwhenI win, you have to…” He ponders for a moment, causing my grin to grow, because I love a good challenge. I don’t get embarrassed easily, and he knows it. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
“Challenge accepted.” I reach over and take his hand into mine, and his callused fingers are rough against my skin as we shake on it.
“How are we going to settle this?”
I perk up in my seat. “We’re going to play twenty questions.”
“How do I know you won’t cheat?” He raises a brow. “I know how bad you want to see me in those fringe pants again.”
I chuckle, shoving his shoulders lightly. “If you know me like youthinkyou do, you’ll know it’s right.”
“Okay, fine, give me a question.”
I grab my purse and pull out a notebook and pen. I write down our names so I can keep track of our points. “Okay, what’s my go-to song that instantly puts me in a better mood?”
“That’s not fair. You have, like, a thousand playlists depending on what mood you’re in. I could list some songs that are on your happy playlist, but narrowing it down to one isn’t easy.”
I smile, knowing I’ve already stumped him, before giving him my answer. “Yours is ‘Kiss’ by Prince.”
His face falls, and a laugh bursts out of me. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Because anytime it’s playing, you shimmy your hips to the beat and try to sing as high-pitched as you can to the lyrics.”
“Huh.” He pauses to stroke his chin. “Is that why you play it a lot?”
