“Not long enough, if you ask me.” Aaron’s face, one that usually remained expressionless, opened up. His body seemed to loosen up as he faced the other man. “How are you, TJ?” I could hear the warmth in his voice. The familiarity.
“I’ve never been better,” TJ—according to what Aaron had called him—nodded. “Happy to be back, believe it or not. Damn, I never thought I’d miss the city.”
A chuckle left me at the exchange, as I was engrossed by this wholly new and different Aaron in front of me. One who was relaxed—just enough to almost smile—and joked—barely—with who I assumed was an old friend.
“But—oh, I see your lonely ass has company tonight. Hi.” TJ straightened, a toothy grin taking over his face. He was probably around Aaron’s age, give or take. His frame was just as wide and almost as tall. His brown eyes took me in with an interest that caught me by surprise. I didn’t think it was interest in me, nope. He seemed to mirror my own fascination with Aaron having someone by his side. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Big A? Where are your manners?” He elbowed Aaron in the ribs.
Aaron didn’t even flinch at the friendly shove, remaining the immovable wall that he usually was; he was Big A after all, a nickname I’d make sure to query about later. Those lips that I had seen pouting just a few minutes ago opened, but they did too late.
“Fine. I can introduce myself to the lady,” Aaron’s friend said, not giving him a chance to do so himself. He stretched out his hand. “Tyrod James. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
I heard a noise coming from Aaron. Something very close to his earlier snort.
“TJ for those lucky enough to call me a friend.” His grin widened.
Taking his hand, I shook it with a light laugh. “It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Catalina Martín, but please, call me Lina.”
TJ’s warm palm held my hand, head slanted. “And what brings you here, Lina?”
I shot Aaron a quick glance, hesitating as to what to say. Then, my gaze returned to TJ, who waited for an answer that should have come far more easily than this.
Smiling awkwardly and not having any idea what to say, I gave Aaron another sideways glance and opened my mouth. “I … erm—”
Aaron intervened. Finally. “TJ and I were teammates in Seattle.” He turned toward his friend. “Catalina is here with me tonight.”
TJ’s eyes stayed on me as he still waited in silence, clearly wanting me to elaborate on Aaron’s introduction. All right, the whole Catalina is with me was vague and redundant, but I could definitely go with that.
I cleared my throat. “Yes, we came here together, Aaron and I.” I waved my hand between us. “He … picked me up and then drove us here. In his car. Together.” I nodded my head, seeing TJ’s eyes light up with amusement, which made me uncomfortable. Which, in turn, made me itch to fill in the silence. “I have a driver’s license. But New York’s traffic is scary. So, I have never dared driving in the city myself.” Unnecessary, Lina. What am I doing? “So … it’s a really good thing Aaron picked me up. He doesn’t look like he’s scared of the traffic. Actually, it’s him who can be a little scary sometimes.” I chuckled, but it died off quickly. “Not that I’m scared of him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten in his car.” Shut up, Lina. Shut. Up. I felt Aaron’s laser eyes boring holes into my profile. TJ’s too, but in a much less hostile way and a much more absorbed one. “So, yeah, long story short, we came here together.”
Cringing internally, I reminded myself that this was what I deserved for lying in the first place.
Aaron’s friend chuckled, bringing both his hands to the pockets of his maroon tuxedo. TJ’s eyes jumped between us, his gaze bouncing a couple of times from Aaron to me and then right back. Whatever he found, it was enough for him to nod his head with something that looked a lot like trouble.
“Hmm,” TJ hummed, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, Aaron can be a scary motherfucker.” He winked. “Me, on the other hand? Just charm.”
“I can tell.” I smiled, just glad TJ had taken over.
“As I’m sure you already know, there is a bachelor auction going on tonight, and not only am I a bachelor myself”—TJ held both hands up, mischief written all over his face. Then, he peered at Aaron, as did I, and found him shooting daggers at him—“but I have also signed up for the auction. And while I’m sure I’ll be expensive, I can promise you, I am worth your—”
“TJ,” Aaron cut off his friend. “That won’t be necessary.”
Aaron’s body somehow shifted closer to me, my shoulder almost brushing his arm. That kernel that had been planted back in my apartment—that awareness of Aaron’s body, the way his proximity was really hard to ignore all of a sudden—sprouted.
I looked up at Aaron, finding his eyes already on me as his head leaned down.
“You can stop pitching yourself,” he told his friend as his gaze snared mine. Then, I felt the ghost of a touch on the small of my back. Or so I thought because it was gone far too quickly to be sure it had been real. “Catalina is bidding on me tonight.”
I blinked. Trapped by Aaron’s eyes and how close his words had fallen, almost gracing the skin of my left temple.
“You seem very sure of that,” I heard TJ say, my eyes still locked with Aaron’s. “At least for someone who sounded more like her driver than her date.”
Aaron tore his gaze off me, landing on his friend. And I did the same.
Something passed between the two men, and for a heartbeat, I felt like I should intervene.
Then, TJ threw back his head and laughed, breaking whatever tension had seemed to take shape around us. “I’m just joking, Big A.” Another cackle. “You should see your face. For a second there, I thought you were actually going to tackle me to the floor or something. Yo
u know that’s not my style. I’d never go after a friend’s girl.”