Page 26 of Yours, Unexpectedly

Instead, I reply with, “No, I won’t be bringing a date. Sorry to disappoint. Again.”

“Well I’ll tell your mother to put you down for a plus one anyway; find someone. You have a few weeks to figure it out. Make sure she’s something nice for me to look at.”

God, he’s such a sick fuck. I grit my teeth. “I’m not bringing some woman around for you to objectify. You are married. To my mother.”

“Your mother is a bitch and you know it.”

“Okay, I’m done with this conversation.”

As I go to hang up the phone, I hear him mutter, “A complete fuck up in every way.”

I was wrong. Talking to Erik made things much worse.

My mood has not improved by the next night, so I decide to head down to Louie’s for a tea before bed. I used to frequent Louie’s in college for a much different purpose, but since moving into the apartment building upstairs with Gabe a year and a half ago, I have started going down there on nights when I need to get away from my thoughts.

Louie, the bar’s namesake, noticed me sitting here nursing room temp water one night and offered to make me tea instead. We hit it off and I’ve been sitting at his bar on lonely nights ever since.

I quickly exit the apartment building and scurry next door to Louie’s. I didn’t grab my jacket because I knew I would barely be outside but damn, it’s fucking freezing out here.

Swinging the door open, I rush in and do a double take at the head of curly brunette hair at the opposite end of the bar. Louie is pouring her a cup of tea and my body has decided that we are no longer moving from this spot. Might as well pitch a tent and live here now.

Fuck, she’s beautiful. And I miss having her attention on me. The way her eyes dance when she’s about to throw a verbal shot. Her lips—God, her lips—as they curl into a scowl when she’s flustered. Okay, now I’m pitching a different kind of tent.

Bex hasn’t noticed me yet, but now Louie has. He raises a weathered hand to wave me over and I have the sudden urge to duck. Instead, I begin walking toward Louie and the woman of my dreams.

“Anders, over here. We have a new addition to our tea party. This is Bex. She was just telling me about her boy troubles; maybe you can help. I’m too old for this,” he mutters.

At this, Bex’s head snaps up to Louie, eyes wide and pleading. He remains blissfully oblivious, turning around to grab another mug for my tea. It would be hilarious if it weren’t for the fact that I know she’s mad at me. This seems like the perfect opportunity to break the ice a bit, so I plop down on the barstool next to Bex and bump her shoulder.

“Boy troubles, huh?”

I suddenly understand the phrase “If looks could kill.”

Before Bex answers, Louie cuts in with, “Yup. Some dickhead is always flirting with her but then tells her he doesn’t even see her as a friend. I told her that he probably means he sees her as more than a friend, but these college boys are idiots who don’t know how to communicate with a doorknob, let alone a woman.”

The entire time Louie has been talking, Bex has been sinking lower and lower in her chair, angling her face so that her curls fall around it and block my view of her eyes.

“I, too, am a college boy who doesn’t know how to communicate with a doorknob, let alone a woman.”

Louie slides my tea over to me. “I know. That’s why I thought maybe you could talk to her. Give her some real world insight. I’m going to go check a few things in the back.” He turns to Bex and sees the panicked state she has worked herself into. “Don’t worry darlin’. Anders is a stand up guy, he’ll help you out.” With that, he pushes through the back door to the storage room.

“I would ask what dick I need to hunt down for some quality time with my fist, but I don’t think I could figure out how to punch myself properly.”

The smallest of tilts begins at the corner of her mouth. I’ll take it.

“Bex, look at me,” I plead, turning toward her.

She just shakes her head and continues to sink further into her chair, which shouldn’t be possible at this point.

All on its own, my hand reaches for her. My mind shouts Dangerous! but my hand doesn’t seem to care.

I brush away some of the chaos framing her face and try to tuck a few curls behind her ear. Fuck they’re silky. And they have a mind of their own, immediately bouncing from behind her ear and framing her face again. I barely resist the urge to twirl a curl around my finger, reaching for her chin instead. Cupping it firmly, I turn her face and lean in closer. Her eyes flutter shut but she allows me to angle her face to me.

“I will get on my knees and beg you to look at me, but I’d rather be somewhere a little more private for that. Don’t make me become an exhibitionist,” I whisper conspiratorially.

The mouth tilt is back at that.

I lean a little closer. “I’d do it though. For you.”

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