Page 37 of Ten Rules for Faking It
“Your ex was an idiot.” He stepped away again.
She didn’t know what to say, so she got in her car, waved once more, and drove home.
She thought of phoning Stacey on the way home, but she wasn’t ready to break down the evening just yet. The nervous energy that had fueled her through the evening began to dissipate, and by the time she arrived home, she wanted pajamas and a glass of wine. She’d earned them.
It wasn’t until she was heading up her walkway that she saw Chris. He was sitting on the top of the four stairs that led up to the entrance. He’d clearly run his hands through his dark hair several times. He wore a pair of jeans and an NYU sweater that was tattered at the sleeves. Well-worn sweaters were the best, and his looked like an old favorite. Chris’s gaze roamed down once, back up, stopped at her eyes. Everly’s heart stuttered. What was he doing here?
“Hey,” he said.
Her words got caught in her throat while her fingers tap, tap, tapped against her purse. Taking a deep breath, Everly sat beside him, her thigh touching his. Her fingers shook. She pressed them to her legs.
Act normal. Like, other people’s normal.“Hey.”
They sat there, the stars and nearly full moon above them, breathing in the crisp air, saying nothing. The moment couldn’t last. The best ones never could. Everly knew that. This newthingbetween them couldn’t become something more. She knew that, too. But it was the best moment of her night.
[13]
Chris had no right to be there. None. Yet sitting with her in the quiet of night, the stars peeking at them from behind pockets of clouds, Chris didn’t want to be anywhere else. There were a lot of things he wanted, though, and he’d learned early on in life that if he had an end goal, frivolous desires did nothing but get in the way. Knowing that didn’t push him to leave. It was too rare, in his life, to be exactly where he wanted to be. The thought made him frown, so he pushed it away.
Turning his head, stopping himself from breathing her in—or, worse, leaning into her—he asked, “How was the date?”
Her smile flipped the want switch inside of him up to full blast. “It was actually really good. I had fun.”
Not the answer he’d expected. His stomach reacted like she’d punched him.You want this for her.He’d come here to let her talk it out, to support her, to be there for her even though she would never ask. He wasn’t one of herpeople.Okay, he wasn’t Stacey. He was invested, though, and there was nothing wrong with letting her know he had her back. They could be friends in addition to coworkers.
Happiness shone in her eyes, and she didn’t look tense. He hadn’t considered that—her having fun.This is a good thing. Damn good. Might speed up the whole process and make the ratings soar.He pictured the headlines:RADIO SHOW PRODUCERFINDS LOVE IN ROUND ONE.His heart slipped like a lead weight down to his stomach.
Everly’s accelerated breathing brought him back to the moment. Their faces had moved closer, and she was looking at his lips, which made him look at hers, and that want twisted hard into outright desire.Friends. You want to be friends with this woman.
“Did he kiss you?”
She sucked in a breath.
Chris stood up. “Sorry. None of my business.” Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he tried to come up with an excuse for being there on her doorstep.Like a teenager with an unrequited crush.Pathetic. He really needed to get his head on right, and standing on Everly’s walkway wasn’t doing it.
Everly stood up and walked to him, looking up at him with a new curiosity he absolutely could not explore. She opened her mouth to speak, and his heart glitched. Short-circuited.
“I just… I don’t know why. I was curious. Sorry. I was worried about you and thought I’d drop by. I hope that’s okay?”You should babble more, man. Sound more incoherent.
“Of course it is. It’s nice that you did. You’re welcome to anytime. Especially if you bring treats.”
An open invitation. He wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse. Now what? “Listeners will be curious about how it went. No pressure, but the sooner you get your date recap on Facebook, the happier they’ll be.” Falling back on work conversation was always his go-to. “I’m glad it went well, but you’ve still got another date this week, so no falling in love after one pasta dinner.”
Whatever he thought he saw in her gaze seconds earlier shuttered. She brought her hands together, twisting them in a rubbing motion. He’d made her nervous, put her on edge. He hated that. Chris reached out to touch her shoulder, but she stepped back.
“I’ll get the post done tonight. I wanted to ask…” She trailed off, inhaled deeply, let it out slowly.
Anything.His heart puffed up. “What?” Did his voice crack? Jesus. He really was reverting to a teenager.
“Did you ask the restaurant to put us somewhere removed from the crowd?”
Chris shoved a hand through his hair and looked up at the moon, then down at the ground. “I just thought it’d make things easier on you.”
She nodded, giving nothing away. “It did. Thank you.”
She turned and went into her building. Didn’t even say good night. Chris stood there and watched her go, a little piece of him waiting to see if she’d turn back. She didn’t. Then he went home. He had work to do. It was a success; things were good.This is exactly what you wanted.
He avoided Everly most of the next day, which was cowardly but necessary. Her Facebook recap was charming, and even though he’d made sure to schedule his meetings off-site for her in-office hours, he’d still tuned in to the show. Sitting in his car, between appointments, he listened to the end of Stacey’s playlist.
