Page 80 of Love Resurrected
“You got big plans this weekend?” he asks as he straightens in his chair.
“Not really,” I say. “You?”
“Well,” he starts. “A buddy gave me tickets to one of those mystery dinners for tonight. I asked E, but he doesn’t want to leave Sadie. I thought about asking Nessa, but then I thought maybe you’d like to go with me?” He looks hopeful and scared at the same time. And man, does his delivery ever need work. How can someone so good-looking be so terrible with the opposite sex?
“I’m your third choice?” I smile to show I’m teasing, even though part of me is a little offended.
“You’re my second choice,” he says. “I didn’t ask Nessa.” He throws me a half-smile and winks. It’s the wink that does me in.
“I’ve always wanted to do one of those, it sounds fun. Thank you.” I smile for real this time, hoping for one of his genuine ones in return. The corners of his mouth turn up like he wants to smile, but it’s more of a tight-lipped grin. “What time?”
“It starts at seven, so do you want me to pick you up after work?”
“Um . . .” I’m still a little traumatized by Neil and having no ride of my own. “How about if I meet you here at six thirty, and you can drive us there. Does that work?”
“Perfect,” he says. “I’ve got to go stock supplies, unless you need me for anything specific with this.”
“Do you want me to need you?” I ask, before I realize how it sounds.
His eyes widen.
“I just meant . . . you know how . . . okay, sometimes people say something like that when they want you to pretend to have something for them to do, so they don’t have to do the other thing?”
“Huh?”
“You know, like maybe you wanted me to pretend I need you for something, so you wouldn’t have to stock supplies. Like an, ‘Unless you need me for something, wink wink.’”
“Oh. No, I really do need to stock supplies.”
“Okay. Great.” I stand, feeling uncomfortable. “Well, I’ll see you later then.” I leave from the table and am almost out the door when the toe end of my flip-flop catches the edge of the welcome mat and I fly forward into the front doors.
“Jesus. Tenley, are you okay?” Brad is at my side in a second, checking me over with his left hand while awkwardly patting me with the casted right hand.
“I’m fine. Just tripping over nothing. Happens all the time.” I stand and try to will the blush I feel overtaking my body to stand down. No such luck. “See you later.”
I push my way blindly out the front door and run-walk to the parking lot.
28
Brad
I shower at the station after my shift, dressing in the same jeans I’d had on when I came to work, and a clean button-down that was in my locker. The shirt wears a little tight now around the chest and arms, as do most of my clothes, since I’ve been taking my frustration over life out at the gym. It’s not the nicest thing I own, but it’s also not the Van Halen t-shirt I was wearing when I got here. I’m trying, and hopefully it shows.
I plan to be a pleasant dinner guest, and I will do my best to show Tenley a nice time. After which, she will have nothing but nice things to say about our evening out. We will each go our separate ways, outside of planning the recruitment event, and I’ll get Remi and Ethan to lay off about memoving onfor at least another few months.
That said, I’m steeling myself for this evening. It was much easier to ask her to dinner than I’d expected. However, spending the rest of the afternoon thinking about it has not gone well. It’s amazing how much damage I can do to myself in such a short amount of time. Over the course of the afternoon, I’ve mentally traversed the entire course of a relationship with Tenley from beginning to end.
Now, I’ve somehow soured myself on the entire idea of Tenley. I have to consciously remind myself I like her as a person. I like the idea of being friends with Tenley. The very edge of my brain toys with the idea that maybe she and I can find some happy medium where we friend-date. Like, go out every so often as friends, for dinner or a movie. Something low-key, with no pressure.
I expect the evening will be tolerable, and I’ll be home and in bed before ten o’clock.
What I’m not expecting is the visceral reaction from my body when I see her walking up from the parking lot. She stops midway to finish a phone call, and it’s when she throws her head back and laughs at something the caller says, that I feel my chest tighten and my cock jump. She reminds me of Kat when she does it. That full-throated, devil-may-care laugh that is straight-up endearing and infectious as hell.
I can’t do this.
I turn to walk back into the locker room, unbuttoning my shirt as I go, planning to change back into my t-shirt and leave this clean shirt for another time. I’m not ready. It still feels too much like a betrayal to Kat. Like I’m cheating, plain and simple. Ethan stops me with his hands to my shoulders.
“It’s okay to date,” he says, as though he’s read my mind.
