She’s wearing another short skirt that shows off a tantalizing amount of long leg and a pale pink sweater that hugs her curves. Curves that she willingly stroked her hands over at my command last night.
That’s not a thought I need in my head right now. I came when she did over the phone, but then I had to rub another one out before I was finally able to fall asleep last night.
I blink back to awareness when she shifts on her chair, alternately glancing around the crowded shop before staring down at her phone. Even from this distance, I can see a mixture of anxiety and excitement swimming around in her green eyes. No matter how much I try to convince myself she’ll be all right with the truth, deep down I know that’s a lie. There’s an excellent chance she’ll wring my neck when she realizes I was the one on the phone with her last night.
Unsure what to do, I suck my lip ring into my mouth before flipping it back and forth with my tongue. The way I see it, there are only two options. One, I walk away and never talk to her again. Or two, I man up and tell her the truth. Those are the only ways this can play out. My head spins with indecision as I stare through the window and weigh my choices.
The urge to bolt is what finally prods me into movement. I have to at least try and explain how an innocent text snowballed out of control before I could put a stop to it.
It’s not like I deliberately set out to deceive her.
All right, so maybe I did keep texting her, knowing that she thought I was someone else, but it hadn’t been with malicious intent. She has to understand that, right?
Ever since I first laid eyes on Brooke, she’s made me feel things I wanted to ignore, and for a long time, I was able to put my friendship first and do that. This past couple of weeks have only intensified those feelings, forcing me to realize that I couldn’t ignore them anymore. I don’t want to lose what I’ve only just found.
We’ve spent so much time talking and texting, getting to know each other on a deeper level. When it comes down to it, I’m the guy she’s gotten to know. And like. Even if she doesn’t realize it yet.
What I have to do is plead my case and hope she understands.
Before I can chicken out, I spin around and grab the handle of the door, forcing my feet over the threshold before cutting a direct path to her. It’s only when I reach the tiny table that I stutter to a hesitant halt. When my shadow falls over her, she lifts her head and meets my gaze. The hopeful light in her wide eyes dims when she discovers me standing next to her.
If I were in need of further proof that I’m the last person on the face of this Earth she’d hoped to see, this confirms it. “Oh. Hi, Crosby.”
All of the carefully compiled explanations arranged in my brain evaporate as she shifts, attempting to look past me as if I’m blocking her view.
Instead of taking off, the way every instinct inside is screaming for me to do, I force the words through stiff lips. “Hey. What are you up to?”
Her distracted attention flits to me briefly before sliding away.
“Umm,” she cranes her neck as the chime over the glass door trills and someone steps inside the shop, “meeting up with a friend.”
“Oh, yeah?” Tell her. Tell her right now before this goes any further. “Anyone I know?”
Fuck.
What the hell am I doing?
No, seriously.
That would have been the perfect segue way to say—yeah, I’m Chris, I’m that friend.
Instead, I keep the words buried deep inside. How can I tell her the truth when it’s obvious from the barely concealed disinterest on her face that I’m the last person she wants to have a conversation with? I think if she could shoo me away from the table without being overtly rude, she’d do it in a heartbeat.
“I’m not sure,” she finally admits as a hint of color touches her cheeks. “It’s kind of a blind date.”
Say the words.
Do it.
Stop being such a pussy.
“Huh.” My hand rises to stroke my jaw. “Interesting.”
It’s official—I’m a pussy.
She jerks her shoulders. When the door opens for a second time, she perks up and peeks around me.
All right, I can still change the trajectory of this conversation.
It’s now or never.
I clear my throat, fully prepared to blurt out the truth. “Listen, I—”
“I think my date just walked in.” She swiftly rises to her feet. “Can we talk another time?”
“Huh?” My brows slam together as I swing around and scan the nearby area until my gaze lands on a tall blond dude who is now staring at Brooke with a smile on his face.