“Yep. Please follow me.”
I place my hand at the small of Kelsey’s back as we follow the kid. He shows us to a corner booth and sets the menus down, leaving us alone. Kelsey scoots inside the booth and I scoot in right next to her.
“It’s smells so good in here,” she says.
“Yeah, I’m starving,” I reply, opening a menu. “Are you going to order the four cheese stuffed ravioli in Alfredo sauce?”
She smiles at me, nods, and looks back to her menu. “I can’t believe you remember that. I was impressed enough that you remembered my favorite restaurant.”
“I probably remember a lot more than you think.”
“Hmm, okay, name three things,” she challenges me in a flirty tone.
“Only three?”
“Yep.” She wiggles three fingers in the air.
“Alright, I remember how every Fourth of July you were crazy into those red, white, blue firecracker popsicles. I swear you ate one every day for a month every summer.”
She laughs but nods.
“When Sara’s parents would throw her birthday barbeque, you spent more time helping her mother make sure everything was ready than hanging out with your girlfriends. Making other people happy made you happy. You’ve always been selfless like that and it’s a beautiful trait to have.”
Her eyes meet mine, but she doesn’t say anything.
“And I also remember when I kissed you behind Sara’s house that day—from that moment on I knew you would always be special to me.”
A gloss takes over her golden eyes, causing them to shine bright. She leans over and gently presses her lips to mine.
The waiter clears his throat and Kelsey pulls away. She blushes but doesn’t try to hide it the way she does every other time it happens. He takes our drink order, leaving us alone again, and like love-struck fools, we just smile at each other.
I’m nailing this date thing. Being with Kelsey is so easy and if I can get her to smile that way every time she sees me, I’ll be one happy man.
Kelsey
Our date is going amazingly. The food was great, but the company is the best I could’ve asked for. We finished eating about an hour ago, but we’ve been sitting here talking about the things we’ve missed over the years.
I told him about my parents and their dream to travel. I told him about my little brother who left the day after he graduated and who I’ve only spoken with on the phone since that day. I told him about school and all the pointless details that got me to where I am now. I don’t tell him about my ex, because during those summers Ethan visited, Tyler was his friend. I don’t want to ruin things if they still are. Still, I feel as though we’re far enough into the conversation I can ask him the one question I’ve been dying to know.
“Your dad owns a lot of his own businesses, so why did you come to the BA instead of working for him?”
Ethan plays with the fork still left on the table as he debates his answer.
“He never offered me a spot to work with him.” His voice is low, and from the way his face wrinkles as he says it, I can tell it’s something that bothers him. “I thought if I could come here and things went…as planned, he would be proud and maybe change his mind.”
His last words hit close to home. I know I’m an accounting major only to get my father’s attention, but I’m not letting that take over. I’m still writing and I’m applying for jobs that involve writing. But something in his voice alarms me. Like he’s letting his father decide how things will turn out for him instead of making that decision on his own.
“Have you talked to him about it?” I ask, hesitantly.
“No. Have you talked to your dad about what bothers you?”
I shake my head. “We may not see eye to eye and he isn’t very active in my life, but I know he loves me and one day things will be different.”
“Yeah, I don’t think my dad will ever change. My mom’s been trying to change him for years and the man won’t budge. He’s got a one-track mind. His way or no way.”
My heart breaks a little seeing this vulnerable side to Ethan. I want to change the subject because I don’t like him being upset, but I want him to know he can talk to me about these sort of things.
“Maybe—”
“How about we talk about something else?” he says in a much cheerier tone. “My family drama isn’t going to ruin the rest of the night.”
“Okay, but you can always—”
“I know,” he cuts me off and kisses my temple. “And thank you, but another night would be better.”
After Ethan pays the bill, he slowly laces his fingers with mine as I rise from my seat and in that moment the very person I wanted to avoid tonight walks past our table. Tyler. He stops in front of us, shock written all over his face. His eyes bounce back and forth between us.
“Ethan, I thought you were going to hit me up when you had a night off.” Tyler offers his hand and Ethan accepts it with a quick, firm shake that makes Tyler cringe. “We could grab a drink now; my dad would probably enjoy catching up with you too.”
“I’d love that,” Officer Maron says, walking up behind Tyler. “Kelsey, it’s great to see you again.”
“Whoa, man, strong grip,” Tyler says, prying his hand away from Ethan. I hadn’t even realized they were still shaking hands. Weird.
“We were just leaving,” Ethan says. “Maybe next time.”
He rushes us to his bike, giving me my helmet before putting his on, too, and quickly pulls out the parking lot heading for home. Our date just went from good to bad in seconds, and now Tyler’s responsible for ruining something else that I wanted.
Ethan pulls the bike into his driveway and just sits there. The September air is growing colder and Ethan probably won’t be able to ride his bike much longer. His mood has taken a complete 180 since we left the restaurant, and after Logan told me how much this bike means to Ethan, I sit on the back, not rushing him.
“I’m sorry about that. I wanted to beat his face in, no questions asked.” He lets out a breath. “Logan told me what Tyler did and with who … I swear I didn’t know, and if I had I would have never shown up with her. I swear.”
“Ethan, stop, everything is fine.” I lift my leg over the bike, handing him my helmet so I can stand and face him. “Everyone makes mistakes—it’s how you handle them that defines who you are. Besides, we weren’t dating then, so I don’t really have a reason to be mad.”
“Still, I should have just asked why you couldn’t be with me before you caved and told me. It was a dick move.”
“Yeah, but at least you know it, and if Tyler hadn’t cheated on me, I wouldn’t be here right now, with you,” I flirt with him, noting the exact moment he relaxes. “So technically, we should thank Tyler for getting us here.”
He kicks the stand on the bike as he gets up. The look in his eyes twists my stomach as I lean forward over the bike. His lips press against mine.
“Did you say we were dating now?” he asks, pulling away only until the words are out. He kisses me again, but before I can answer, the sound of screeching tires skidding to a stop makes me jump back.
A truck the exact image of Ethan’s, only black, parks in front of his house. The dome light comes on at the same time Ethan whispers “fuck” behind me. I watch as the light fades and the driver’s door closes after someone gets out. Then a man, probably a few years older than Ethan, steps around the truck.
“Baby brother.” The man smiles coyly. “Looks like I’m crashing with you for a few days.”
Ethan groans and rubs his hands over his face. That’s not the reaction I would have if my brother showed up. I’d be thrilled and even hug him. Ethan might not be a hugging person, but he sure doesn’t look happy.
“Hey there,” the blonde man says to me. He reaches his hand out. “I’m Lance.”
I shake his hand. “Hi.”
He chuckles. “And you are?”