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The first time they sleep together, it is half drunk in the back of his truck in the parking lot of a seedy dive bar.
If Joel is being honest, he doesn’t expect her to text him at the number he gives her on a crumpled, tequila-stained napkin. So when he gets a text two days later, asking if he wants to grab dinner at the taco shack a few blocks from the bar, he’s pleasantly shocked.
It’s blisteringly hot, the August heat in Texas sweltering, so Joel settles for a short sleeved sky blue button down and a pair of jeans. Sarah’s old enough now to stay home alone without a babysitter for a few hours, so he orders a pizza for her and instructs her not to open the door for anyone, and to keep her cellphone on.
“Go have fun on your date, Dad,” Sarah tells him with an affectionate eye roll, nearly shoving him out the door. Nerves line his stomach, but pleasantly, and he drives for the taco stand, parking in the back lot and opening his phone.
b there in 4 mins
He smiles at the teenaged-style text, shoving his phone in his back pocket as he climbs out of his truck, heading for the stand. The line is relatively short, so Joel is able to order for them both- a collection of pork tacos, a few taquitos, and a buffalo chicken quesadilla for them to split- along with a couple of Mexican beers.
Joel’s just settling at a table to wait for the food, cracking open the beers, when she appears.
Tess Servopoulos had caught his eye in the dingy little bar because she was unlike anyone he’d ever seen before. Absolutely schooling everyone at the pool table, she’d racked up a decent amount of money when Joel had stepped up to the plate. Tess had sized him up, an interested gleam in her eyes, and they’d started their game.
It had been close, but Joel had just barely squeaked out a win, sinking in the eight ball, and Tess had conceded with a bow and a sly little grin. He’d bought her a beer, she had countered with tequila shots, and easy conversation had let to her in his lap in the back of his truck.
Today, she’s dressed in a thin cotton sundress; it’s red and vibrant, tied in a bow between her breasts and lifting them high, the thin straps highlighting her elegant shoulders. Her auburn hair, gleaming in the sun, is tied back in a low bun, showcasing the long line of her neck, and there’s a thin golden chain around her neck, a small sapphire dangling against the sunkissed skin of her chest.
She’s beautiful, plain and simple, and Joel’s heart stutters in his chest at the sight of her, smiling at him as she makes her way through the slowly gathering crowd.
“Sorry I’m late, work kept me,” she apologizes, and Joel shakes his head, sliding the beer across the picnic table to her as she settles down on the bench, fingers wrapping around the neck of the cold bottle.
“Red looks good on you,” he comments, meaning it, and a soft flush colors her cheeks as she takes a sip of her beer.
“You clean up pretty nice yourself, cowboy,” she replies as she sets the bottle back down, eyes lingering on the width of his shoulders.
“Ordered us some food, should be ready in ‘bout ten minutes,” Joel tells her, and Tess’s eyes widen in delight. “Hope you brought your appetite.”
“I’ll eat you under the table, Joel Miller,” Tess smirks around the lip of her beer bottle, and amusement swirls through Joel’s chest as he sips at his own drink, the alcohol loosening his limbs.
When their food is ready Tess joins him to grab it; they spread it out on the table, and Tess is nearly salivating at the sight of it all. They split the quesadilla first, Tess dunking hers in a mildly insane amount of ranch dressing while Joel smothered his in more hot sauce.
“You like these things spicy, hm?” Tess lifts an eyebrow, amused, and Joel swipes a bit of ranch dressing off her chin, watching her cheeks flush at the touch.
“Nothin’ wrong with a little heat,” he answers, and Tess’s eyes drop to his mouth as his thumb lingers on her skin. They pull apart at the sound of a child’s screeching laughter, clearing their throats, and each pick up a pulled pork taco, with pico de gallo and cilantro.
“These are heavenly,” Tess sighs, content, and licks juice off her fingers. She picks up a taquito, crunching on it, and hums. “I fuckin’ love this place.”
Joel chuckles, crunching on his own taquito, and watches her glow in the sunshine.