| September 25 | Monday |

The sound of the alarm pulled me out of my slumber as I felt Megan stir next to me. It didn't occur until after I regained my head that I didn't have to go in to the shop today.

Wait. I didn't have to get up. I could sleep in.

I smiled as I leaned over and dropped my arm around Megan, preventing her from getting up.

"I have an idea," I mumbled.

She rolled over. "What's that?"

"I say we stay in bed and celebrate my new found freedom."

I heard her release a small giggle. "Oh that's right, you get to sleep in." She paused. "Must be nice."

"You can too," I persuaded.

"I cannot."

"Why?" I whined.

"Because..." She kissed my head. "I have class. And I can't miss my test."

"Fine," I caved. "But what am I gonna do all day?"

I watched her pace around the bed. "Oh well, you can do the grocery shopping... and the bathrooms need to be cleaned."

"That doesn't sound fun."

"Cause it isn't."

I groaned in response.

"If you love me you'll do it," she teased.

I just gave her a fake smile as she disappeared into the bathroom.

From now on my Monday's would be pretty open since Jinx was closed. Knowing this excited me.

Since I was wide awake I felt the need to get up and head to the kitchen. I brewed coffee and made some eggs and toast while Megan got dressed. When she walked out she had a smile on her face.

"I could get used to this," she beamed. "You're like my little house wife."

"Go away."

"I'll go to work and make all the money while you stay home, cook and raise the kids," she joked. "Doesn't that sound great?"

"Yeah if it were the fifties," I jabbed.

Megan giggled to herself across the table.

When she left I cleaned up the kitchen and dressed for the day. It was weird knowing I had nowhere specific to be considering for an entire year that hadn't been the case.

So I did what I usually did when I was bored and called Blair.

"Sam what the hell are you calling me at eight in the morning for?" she groaned.

"You have class today?" I wondered.

"Not until two? Why?"

"Wanna come grocery shopping with me?"

"You're joking right?"

I rolled my eyes. "I am not."

"I am not going grocery-"

"Alright I'm on my way. Be ready in five."

"Samantha Carson-!"

I hung up and laughed to myself. It was rare that I got to hang out with Blair nowadays since she was always busy, but now that I had more free time during that day maybe that could change.

* * *

"I hate you," Blair stated.

"No you don't," I claimed.

"Yes. Yes I do."

"What the hell are pastured eggs?"

Blair laughed. "Eggs that are pastured."

I looked at her. "I'm serious."

"You better be glad I came along."

I sighed. "Why is this list so specific?"

Blair grabbed a carton of eggs and set it in the basket. "Megan's a very specific person."

"Eggs are eggs. Pastured or not."

"That's not true."

I pushed the cart. "Whatever."

"So how did the rest of the weekend go at Jinx?" she asked through stifled laughter. "Did you bust your ass again?"

"It went great." I inspected the list in my hands. "And no, I did not bust my ass again."

"So what's in store for this weekend?"

"I think Jas and I will be on our own this time."

"Oh that'll be interesting."

I rolled my eyes.

"Speaking of Jas," Blair started. "Isn't that her?"

I looked up and saw Jas coming up to us with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey counterpart," she greeted. "Hey Blair."

"How you feelin' after last night?" I wondered. "Think we can handle this weekend alone?"

She nodded. "I think so. I feel more comfortable when we're together, but I know that privilege is limited."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do without you," I joked. "I suck at schmoozing."

"You suck?! I broke two glasses trying to make drinks."

I found myself laughing as Jas moved in closer and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"But I've learned a lot thanks to you," she complimented. "And Danna of course."

"No problem," I responded. "And I think I'm picking up on your people-skills."

"Lord knows you need to," Blair joked.

I jabbed her in the ribs.

Then Jas's phone rang, cutting our conversation short.

She checked it. "I should take this, it's my mom. I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded. "Sure thing."

Blair and I walked away and I could feel tension bubbling. What I didn't understand was why.

"You know that chick totally likes you, right?" Blair said.

"What? No she doesn't," I denied. "You're just as bad as Megan."

"Dude, I'm just letting you know what I see."

"And what do you see?"

"I see that she's definitely into you. The way she smiles at you and holds eye contact," Blair assessed. "And if Megan said the same thing then it's two against one."

"Well it doesn't matter if she likes me or not because I have a girlfriend," I finished.

Blair grabbed a loaf of bread. "It better not matter."

I stopped the cart. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I trust your judgement, but I don't trust hers."

"Don't be like that," I demanded. "I mean I have to be around her. So don't make it weird."

"It won't get weird if she stays in her lane," Blair said.

"And she will."

"Whatever you say."

* * *

After shopping I dropped Blair off and headed home to unload groceries and clean the bathrooms. I thought a lot about what she had said about Jas and the possibility of her being interested in me, but I didn't see it.

Jas was just friendly. And I believed she had enough respect for me and herself not to act on her feelings even if she did like me. That thought alone eased the tension of the situation.

After chores I decided to surprise Megan during her lunch break and made my way to campus.

I found her in the resource center where she worked, sitting there playing on the computer. I casually leaned on the desk and made my presence known.

"Excuse me, but I was just looking for my wonderful girlfriend who is supposedly off for lunch..."

"I can't believe you actually came all the way here," she beamed.

"It's like, five minutes from home," I teased.

"Still..." She stood and joined me on the other side of the desk. "I'm delightfully surprised."

I smiled. "Ready? I'm starving."

"Oh yeah," she said before addressing her coworkers. "I'll be back in time for my shift."

Then we left the resource building.

"So, how was grocery shopping?" she asked.

"Easy since I forced Blair to come along," I informed. "That grocery list was awfully specific."

She chuckled next to me. "Yeah it was."

"You did that on purpose didn't you?"

"Did what?"

"Intentionally made it specific."

"I always specify what kind of milk we need," she lied. "I forget sometimes."

"Megan Jeanne."

She stopped walking. "What did I tell you about using my middle name?"

"Not to."

"And yet, you still do."

"I don't know why you have such a problem with it," I wondered. "Jeanne is a pretty name."

"Stop it," she demanded.

"We can name our kid Jeanne."

"We are not."

"It's unisex!"

"Fine!" she caved. "The list was specific for a reason."

"Because it was your master plan to make me go all along, wasn't it?"

"Well of course it was!"

"I know your weakness." I couldn't help but grin.

"I don't call you Samantha!"

"Yes you do!" I countered. "Besides, I don't have a huge problem with it anymore anyway."

We walked into a café and took a seat.

"So," Megan started again. "What's the plan for Jinx this week? Does Danna trust you and Jas enough to hand over the reins?"

I nodded. "I think so. I'm nervous but I think Jas and I will be okay."

"So it'll just be you and her?" Megan wondered.

"And the bartenders, obviously."

"I bet she'll like that."

I leaned forward. "Who?"

"Jas."

"What do you mean?"

Megan just glanced up from her menu. "Oh please, you know what I mean."

Of course I knew what she meant but I didn't want to entertain it considering I didn't think it was a big deal.

"Well sure she'll like it," I played dumb. "Danna won't be around to make her nervous."

"You're not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be."

She leaned forward on the table. "She likes you and I don't like her."

"She doesn't like me like that Megan," I ordered. "She's just a friendly person."

"And the sky's only blue when it's not cloudy."

I rolled my eyes. "You and Blair are delusional."

"Wait. Blair said the same thing?"

I hesitated. "Well, yeah but-"

"But I'm delusional?"

I sighed. "I just don't see it."

"Of course you don't," she said. "It took you months to realize how much I liked you."

"To be fair, you weren't very explicit."

"I mean I don't care if she does..." She leaned back into her chair.

"Are you sure?" I wondered.

She hesitated. "Yeah."

I tilted my head. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you. I just don't trust everyone else."

"As long as you trust me that's all that matters," I finished. "But for the record, Jas doesn't like me."

"She better not."

The rest of lunch was peaceful now that Jas was out of conversation but the thought of it bothering Megan bothered me. Was I not seeing something? Or was Megan just being overly-protective? It wasn't often that she acted like that, so there had to be a reason.

But I just decided to push it to the back of my mind, at least for now.

* * *

"I'm glad Danna is giving us at least another week to work together," Jas confessed.

I helped stock the bar. "Yeah well, you know if you ever need help I don't live far."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Jas and I had come in early to stock and practice a bit since Jas still didn't feel comfortable behind the bar. And me being the great coworker I was, offered to help her. Not to mention how she was helping me get comfortable on the floor. We both seemed to need a skill the other had.

"So on a serious note, how are you so good behind the bar already if you've never worked in one?" she wondered.

I smiled. "I spent a lot of time in Jinx when I was living in Baldwin."

"Danna let you even though you were underage?"

"Well yeah," I said. "She was good friends with my brother and she liked me even more."

"I can see why," she teased.

"Oh yeah?"

"It's your modesty."

I laughed.

She stocked more beer. "Why'd you hang out in the bars so much?"

I tilted my head with thought. "Uh well, I was a year older than the rest of my grade and I didn't particularly like any of them. The bar was kind of a getaway from the high school scene."

"You were held back?"

"Yeah."

"So you haven't been out of high school that long."

At this I felt a little exposed. "Y-Yeah, just a little over a year."

For just a moment did I think she was curious about me and Megan's relationship. Even to this day not many people knew Megan had been my teacher, and I wanted to keep it that way. At least for as long as possible.

"I just can't really believe you're only twenty-one," she finished. "You just seem more mature."

I laughed off my nerves. "I did a lot of growing up after high school, trust me."

"Well I bet you had to after moving in with Megan," she stated.

"Yeah it was a big jump."

Oh God, change the subject already.

"So..." She paused and looked at me. "Did you two meet while you were still in high school?"

Something in me froze and Jas could see it, but it only confused her.

"We did," I answered.

That's when Sara and Quinton walked through the back, ending the conversation.

"I have an idea," Sara exclaimed with a smile. "Karaoke night."

Jas diverted her attention from me and to her coworker. "I like that, actually."

"You think Danna would dig it?" Sara asked.

"I'll call her and let you know what she says," I answered. "But I think she'd like it."

"And we could have like, a competition or whatever!"

"Prizes!"

"Free tab!"

I let Sara and Jas get hyped about karaoke night while I disappeared outside to call Danna. My heart was still beating out of my chest after the almost-confession from the conversation earlier. Where would it have gone if Sara and Quinton wouldn't have walked in?

And how long before more people started to realize the truth about me and Megan's relationship?

* * *

"Sam I need your help!" Jas called from the storage unit.

"Comin'," I claimed.

I hadn't expected Wednesday night to be this busy, but apparently there had been some event at Mizzou and a lot of the kids had wanted to come here after. I wasn't complaining though. I had already made almost a hundred in tips.

"I need you to bring two more cases like this," Jas ordered, squeezing past me.

In all actuality, I felt like I could handle a shift on my own but Danna demanded otherwise. Said we still needed to work as a unit before she let Jas and I go on our own. I didn't have a problem with it, but I knew the tension between Jas and Megan continued to grow.

I gripped a case in each hand and hauled them up to the bar, setting them near Jas as she stocked the fridge.

"Where's Quinton?" I asked Sara.

"Last I saw him he was hangin' out in the corner booth," she said.

I took a deep breath and made my way around the bar and found him in the booth with some guy. I crossed my arms and caught his attention.

"I was just getting his order-"

"And you needed to sit to do that?" I fumed.

"Well no-"

"Get back behind the bar," I demanded. "We're busy."

"Yes ma'am," he answered with a sigh.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't call me ma'am."

We made a bee-line towards the bar as I saw Jas talking to a customer and looking distraught. Then she gave me a 'help me' glance.

I leaned in next to the customer and addresses him. "Are we having trouble here?"

"Yes..." he slurred. "We are."

"He just walked over from AJ's," she stated. "Apparently, they cut him off."

"And for good reason," I finished.

"Just gimme a beer!" he nearly shouted.

Jas sighed. "Look sir, you're already too drunk. I can't serve you alcohol, but I can grab you a coffee."

"Screw your coffee!"

"Either you take the coffee or you get the hell out," I demanded.

He just looked at Jas. "But if I were one of your people you wouldn't hesitate to serve me."

At this Jas's eyes widened. Was this dude serious?

"What did you say?" I asked. My hand balled into a fist.

He faced me. "You heard me."

I was aware we had gained the attention of more people now, but the anger was bubbling. I needed this dude out of here.

"Get the hell out of this bar," I ordered. "I won't ask you again."

"Oh what," he stood. "You defending your girlfriend? Jesus, dating a girl is one thing. But a black girl?"

That did it.

I grabbed him by his collar and threw him away from me. It didn't take much since he probably weighed just a bit more than I did. For a little man he sure had a big mouth.

He looked up from the floor in horror.

"Don't you ever come here again," I spit.

It didn't take long before a few other guys surrounded me to make sure this loser didn't try anything. We watched as he picked himself up from the floor and left.

Quinton patted my back. "Nice job."

"He's lucky that's all I did," I said.

With that I made my way behind the bar and pulled Jas off to the side.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She just nodded but I could tell that had hurt her.

"Come see." I pulled her to the back storage and closed the door. "Now tell me the truth."

She took a deep breath. "I'll be okay. I just need a few minutes."

I nodded. "Alright."

I turned to leave but she called me back.

"Sam."

My eyes met hers.

She pulled me into a hug and at first I hesitated to reciprocate, then realized I needed to be a friend and not a coworker right now.

"Thank you," she said.

I pulled back and gave her a smile. "No problem."

And before I knew it her lips were on mine and everything Megan had said came flooding back.

Looks like she was right after all.