Page 84 of Change My Mind
She squeezed my arm again. “Well, you can talk to me if you need to. I have to go to Pilates. I will get you there one of these days.”
She pointed at me teasingly as she slid down off her stool. I smiled.
“I’m sure you will one day. Please don’t say yes to the fish man. Think of his three kids,”I teased.
“I won’t say yes tothisfish man. I’ll be seeing you at the Engagement-ween party, right?”
I nodded. “Enjoy Pilates.”
“Have a good service.”
Steffy leaned over the bar and brushed a kiss on my cheek, and then she was gone.
Fifty-Two
ADDIE
Josh hadn’t stopped smiling since he swung by my office door to pick me up for our date.
He also had not stopped staring at me. He stared while we were pressed together like sardines on the tube. I could somehow feel that he was looking at me as we walked side by side to get from the station to the restaurant. He openly leered at me in the lift to get to the right floor.
And as we stepped into the restaurant that he had chosen, he stared at me with that too-wide smile, waiting for my reaction.
I knew where we were.
It was one of those skyline restaurants that bragged about havingthe best view of London.
And it did have one of the better ones.
I had seen it all before. Last month, Eli suggested we have a night out before I started my new job, and recommended this place. Lucy immediately agreed because she wanted to get a proper feel for the interiors, as she thought it might help herget ideas for her most recent project. Becky was never one to turn down a night out anymore, as her house was almost always empty, and once the twins said yes, the rest of the dominoes fell.
So, we came here. We filled an entire booth. We laughed a lot. We drank some interesting cocktails, both good and bad. We lucked out because we came on the last perfect summer’s day we had and got to watch the most breathtaking sunset take place across London.
We also ate some subpar food, and when we got home, Eli made late-night French toast that I would quite happily marry.
But Josh was clearly expecting a reaction from me, so I tried to convey wonder on my face.
His smile got even wider, so I must have achieved it.
He held my chair out for me when we got to our table, and as he settled in opposite me, his eyes roamed over my body. Again.
“I love this dress,” he said.
“Thanks. It’s literally just a piece of material.” I shrugged. Despite what the magazines had told me growing up, I didn’t usually have much cause to take an outfit from day to evening. However, this was one of the few items of clothing I owned that was casual enough to prevent a student asking me if I had some kind of plans later because I looked nicer than usual, yet also dressy enough that it could be worn on a first date.
“It’s a great piece of material. Although it’s a bit ruined by that hair tie on your arm,” he said. I think he was trying to make a joke, but it sounded more like he was telling me off.
My hand automatically went to the silk scrunchie settled on my bicep. “That’s where my scrunchies live unless they are in my hair, and as you can see, my hair is down.” I flicked my braids over myshoulder.
“No, I noticed. I just know some girls don’t want their outfits ruined by hair ties.”
“I really don’t think about it that much.”
I pulled it off my arm anyway.
“How long does that take to do?” Josh gestured at my hair.
“These took six hours. Done in two sessions.” A session that included a conversation that made me think this date was a good idea.
