Page 57 of Deep Down
He hadn’t expected to be nervous, but he was. Alex wasn’t sure if it was because he was meeting someone new or if it was because he was opening a door that he wasn’t sure he wanted open. The idea of giving up on Craig didn’t sit well with him, but how could he argue with the request of the actual person involved?
A knock at his door had him plucking a light blue shirt from the hanger and slipping it on as he strode towards it.
“Don’t you scrub up smart? Although I would recommend buttoning it. If it was me, I’d be all for the open shirt look, but I’m not sure Crush would be happy with it.” Casey smirked, obviously pleased with his remark.
“Hardy-har-har.” Alex finished buttoning his short, then scraped his fingers through his hair, trying to tame some of the strands. “Let me fetch my wallet, and I’ll be ready.”
His stomach rebelled against the knowledge he was one step closer to shutting out a part of his life. A headache formed, and Alex, once again, contemplated cancelling.
“Come on, slow coach. Time waits for no man.”
Alex closed his eyes, shook his head and exhaled heavily. He straightened his posture, shoved his things in his pocket and strode towards his potential future.
****
Entering Crush, Alex quickly found relief in the masses. If the date went south, he could easily get lost amongst the sea of people, and it also gave him something to study if there was ever an awkward silence. He enjoyed people watching.
“There they are!” Casey called over the noise. Casey grasped Alex’s hand and dragged him forward. Alex wasn’t sure if Casey wanted to make sure they weren’t separated or if he wanted to make sure Alex didn’t leave. Either way, it was effective.
“Hi, Marcus.” Casey’s tone had Alex glancing over at him, and he saw a red splash of colour high on Casey’s cheeks. Interesting. Alex took in Marcus, who appeared a likely contender for a wrestling match with all the muscles he was sporting. Marcus seemed to have jet black hair, although, in the dim light of the bar, it might not be true, and a full beard and moustache to match. His eyes were sparkling as they openly gawked at Casey. Alex smiled. He knew the result of tonight for those two, at least. Which made him remember the reason for his being there, and he swung his attention to Marcus’ companion.
A less muscly, but no less large, man sat on the opposite side of the table from Marcus. Heath had short hair, not a buzz cut but close, which appeared to be auburn, although it could be light brown, Alex wasn’t sure. He had a long nose which flared at the nostrils and thin lips, which should have seemed severe but, for some reason, didn’t. What had Alex staring was the vast array of freckles covering the guy’s face and neck, making Alex lean towards the auburn hair colour again.
“Alex, this is Heath.” Marcus’s introduction had Alex blushing with mortification at being caught staring.
“Nice to meet you, Alex.” Heath extended a hand in his direction, a couple of beaded bracelets sitting snugly against his wrist bone as he slid his hand into Alex’s.
“You, too.”
“Have a seat.” Heath slid further across the booth seat to allow Alex space to sit, and if he wasn’t mistaken, to avoid touching without conscious effort. He found the thoughtfulness appealing.
“Thanks.” Alex sat, leaving a gap, but not enough to be on the edge of the seat. He felt comfortable enough not to worry about Heath having wandering hands.
“Marcus didn’t know much about you; therefore, I was unable to prepare something witty and exciting to talk about relating to your job.” Heath’s deadpan delivery had Alex chuckling. This date might not be as bad as he’d been expecting.
“We’re both in the same boat.” Alex smiled in Heath’s direction.
“Okay, question time. What do you do, Alex?” Heath cocked his head to the side, scanning Alex head to waist with a frown. “I think you’re a sales manager.”
Alex frowned and scrutinised his choice of clothing. “You get that vibe from where?”
Heath rolled his lips inwards. “Okay, not a sales manager. A mechanic?” He chuckled at Alex’s expression while grimacing. “Sorry. Tell you what, put me out of my misery.”
“I’m a doctor.” Alex grinned at Heath’s antics, thoroughly entertained.
Heath’s eyes lit up. “Seriously?” Alex nodded warily. Hopefully, Heath was not an ambulance chaser. “I’m a vet! I know it’s not exactly the same thing, but…” he trailed off with a smile.
“Large animals or small?” Alex asked, getting back to their conversation after Marcus had requested their drink order.
“Small usually, although there are some dogs around here which would give a horse a run for their money.”
“Favourite animal?” Alex was enjoying himself and wanted the conversation to keep going.
“Um…hedgehog.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, they’re cute. What’s your favourite animal?”
