Without You: A Friends-to-Lovers Small Town Romance

by Jennifer Van Wyk

  “So don’t take offense if you ghost me all day, right?”

  “Exactly.”

  “All jokes aside, I did have fun last night and I’m glad we finally had the chance to have that date.”

  “Me, too.” She leans into me, and I wrap my arms around her lower back. “We should probably plan on making that a regular thing.”

  “Which part? The dinner or the part after?”

  She pretends to think for a moment. “Both. For sure.”

  “Good we’re on the same page.” I kiss her hard, making sure she feels it the rest of the day.

  “Whew!” She fans herself.

  “Have a nice day, Katie.”

  “You, too, B.”

  I trot down the steps, and leave her to get ready.

  “That was quick,” Chad says, not looking back at me from his work on the new cupboards. “Need some help on building up your stamina?”

  “Jackass,” I mutter, laughing.

  He looks over his shoulder. “Meant it. It’s about time.”

  “Thanks, man. I like her. A lot.”

  “Got that,” he confirms with a nod and turns back to the cupboard he’s prepping to hang. He already installed the lower cupboards.

  “I need to head to the shop. I’ve got another build to start.”

  “That going okay? The first one is out the door now, yeah?”

  “Just yesterday. Guy looked at it the other night, loved it.”

  “Of course he did.”

  “Yup.”

  I let him do his thing and leave him alone while I go to the bathroom to take a shower, wishing that Katie was joining me.

  “Next time,” I say to myself. Hopefully next time will happen soon. Like tonight. Tomorrow night. And all weekend long.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Katie

  “Your next client is here,” Maria, one of the stylists at the salon says, interrupting my precious thirty minutes of a break between clients today.

  “What?” I cry. “I thought I had twenty more minutes.”

  “You do, he knows he’s early and said he’d wait. Unless you want to start earlier.”

  “I need to finish this first.” I point to my Cup O’Noodles. “I’ll be out in ten.”

  “Just to say, I’m super jealous that I’m not a massage therapist right now.”

  I take a bite of noodles and turn my head to the side. “Why’s that?”

  “That guy out there? Your next client?” She fans herself. “Wicked hot.”

  I love when she says wicked, especially in her New England accent. “Wicked hot, huh?”

  “Oh, yeah. Like, this guy should be on magazine covers.”

  Brody’s here? As a client? Hunger forgotten, I set the noodles on the table and wipe my mouth, rushing out of the break room.

  Rounding the corner, I halt in my steps.

  It’s not Brody.

  Uh… so he is stalker?

  Maria runs into my back with an oof then giggles. “Right?” she whispers. “I told you! Can you even?”

  “I can’t.” I swallow hard then turn my head to whisper, “He… he’s my client?” I ask, confirming and grateful that Elijah still hasn’t noticed me. I turn to face her. She’s positively giddy, one step away from dancing on the balls of her feet and clapping excitedly.

  “He is. I’m dying for you. Like… dying. How are you going to rub on him and not… I don’t know, lick him or something? I’m not sure I would be able to resist that!”

  A laugh bursts out of me. “Lick him?”

  “Look at him!”

  “I think I’ll have plenty of time to look at him.”

  “All of him. You should tell him he needs to be naked!” she squeals.

  “Maria!” I hiss. “Shh!”

  “He’s got those wireless earbuds in his ears. He can’t hear us,” she explains.

  “Been staring much?”

  “Uh, yeah! Of course I have been!” she cries unapologetically. She fluffs her hair and gently shoves me aside and approaches Elijah. He looks up at her from his chair. “Elijah?”

  “Yes?”

  “Katie is ready for you,” she says, gesturing to me. I stand like a deer in the headlights, my jaw dropped.

  When our eyes connect, he smiles wide and stands up. In the same ball cap pulled down low, just like he wore the first time I met him, a pair of perfectly faded jeans, and a camel colored canvas jacket, he’s dressed like every other guy in Benton, Tennessee. But something tells me that’s not something he did intentionally. Aside from the fact that his boots and coat look well-worn, the outfit matches the guy. He doesn’t look like he’s playing dress up. I have no idea why I focus on his clothes, call it self-preservation, maybe? Paying attention to the little things in case I need to, I don’t know, file a police report later.

  Wow. I really need to stop listening to so many true crime podcasts. For real. They’re making my imagination run wild.

  “There she is.” He grins, seemingly happy to see me and behind me, Maria whispers, “Wow”.

  “What…” I clear my throat. “What are you doing here?”

  “Came for a massage.”

  “No.”

  He falters. “Yes?”

  “No.”

  “Katie,” Maria chastises. “This is your two o’clock.” She turns to Elijah. “I’m very sorry. I interrupted her lunch and you don’t want to get in the way of this one’s food.”

  He smirks. “See? I told you. I’m a paying customer. Filled out all my paperwork already and everything.”

  I shake my head. “Yeah, still… no.”

  He wiggles his eyebrows and puts his earbuds in their little case, shoving them in his jeans pocket. “I assure you, nothing’s amiss here.”

  I narrow my eyes at him.

  He crosses his arms across his chest.

  I huff.

  He smirks again, thinking he just won.

  “Fine. Let’s go.” Dammit, he was right. He won.

  I storm past him. “Wow. This is relaxing already,” he jokes and Maria giggles.

  I roll my eyes and turn, confirming that he’s following. He’s wearing a very sure-of-himself expression which is so very annoying.

  As soon as we’re in the massage room, I get down to business, behaving like the professional I am. “I didn’t have a chance to look at the schedule to see what kind of massage you scheduled.”

  “Swedish,” he says, beginning to unbutton his shirt after tossing his coat on the chair.

  I shake my hand in front of him. “Oh, no. No, no.” His fingers pause. “You can wait to get undressed until I’m out of the room. Completely out,” I add on. “Are there any particular areas that are aching today?”

  The jerk’s mouth ticks up in a half smile and I can tell he’s resisting the urge to say something different than what comes out of his mouth next. “Shoulders and neck mainly. My lower back usually needs some extra attention, too.”

  “Got it. You mentioned regular massages, when was your last one?”

  “Two weeks ago. That’s my usual, though. I get pretty severe migraines if I don’t keep up with the massages.”

  “Does your regular masseuse do anything with pressure points?”

  “Yeah.”

  “All right. I’ll leave for a few moments and you can go ahead and strip down to just your underwear. Slip between the flannel sheets here. The heated pad is turned on so you shouldn’t be cold. Start face down.”

  He nods his understanding then I slip out of the room, closing the door behind me.

  I speed walk to Maria and tug on her arm, pulling her with me. “Katie! What in the world?” she gripes, shuffling to keep up. I’m sure I look like a lunatic, yanking her around.

  “Shh.” I shush her. “Wait a second.”

  As soon as we’re out of hearing distance of anyone else, I launch in. “Just yesterday that guy in there helped me change a flat tire.”

  “Aww,” she coos, her hand on her heart.<
br />
  “Not aww. Not aww, Maria.” I snap in her face. “Listen to me, okay? Get the stars out of your eyes a second.”

  “Okay, okay. Not aww. But I can’t guarantee not having stars in my eyes because that man is fine.”

  “He kept asking me out but I kept turning him down and then he asked for my number yesterday but said he knew I lived here in Benton but he doesn’t live here he was just passing through so now I’m like what in the heck is he doing here in Benton at this salon to get a massage from me! I think he’s like a stalker or something,” I end my rambling but I’m far from finished.

  Maria presses her lips together to stop from laughing directly in my face. “Stalker?”

  I shush her and continue my rambling. “Shush! You don’t know! It was… weird! He knew I lived here in Benton but I’d never seen him before! Then we ended up having breakfast together.” She raises her eyebrows and I shake my head and hand quickly. “Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter! I mean, he and I ate at a café because that’s where he changed my tire. I had no bars or service and couldn’t reach anyone, then he was there and helped and of course I’m grateful but this is just… I feel like I should be worried. Should I be worried?”

  “Worried about…” she hedges.

  “Is he going to chop me up into little bits and pieces and leave me for dead?”

  “Probably.”

  When she sees my eyes widen in fear she slaps her hand on her forehead. “Of course he isn’t. If you want, I’ll keep an ear out and make sure I don’t hear any screams coming from the room. Well, unless it’s screams of pleasure. Then I’ll just pretend I haven’t heard a thing.”

  “Screams of… pleasure? Maria! I’m with Brody.”

  “Brody… Redding? Are you serious?”

  “Yes.” I smile. Just saying his name and telling someone that I’m with him settles my anxiety. I’m on a roller coaster of emotions here.

  “I hate you right now. First, you have Elijah in there, naked, giving you sex eyes and you also have Brody, the hottest bachelor in Benton, and probably all of Tennessee, in your bed at night? Never mind. I’m not going to save you if I hear screaming,” she harrumphs good naturedly. “In all seriousness, I honestly don’t think you have reason to be worried. Is it a little strange? Yes. But mainly it sounds like homeboy’s got a crush on you and is making a move. Good luck.” She grins, flouncing out of the back room.

  “Wow. Thanks for the help,” I grumble.

  I take in a deep breath and walk to the massage room, knocking lightly.

  “Come in!”

  I peek my head in to make sure he followed instructions and is lying down on the massage table, covered. Once I confirm that it’s safe to enter, I close the door quietly behind me, turn the lights down low, and turn on soft music. I pause before turning on the essential oil diffuser, realizing that everything up to this point could be considered romantic in any other setting. I straighten my shoulders and remember I’m here to do a job and he knows that and turn on the diffuser.

  Folding the top sheet back, I take a deep breath and open the different bottles of oil for him to decide which one he prefers. He chooses the oil with very little scent to it and I begin by pumping a bit of the oil onto my hands, rub them together, stand by his head and place my hands on Elijah’s naked shoulders. He’s been wearing a cap every time I’ve seen him and this is the first time I get a look at his hair. Dirty blond, cut short with a few curls. It’s nice and looks incredibly soft.

  “Tell me if the pressure is too much at any time, okay?”

  “I will.”

  “Good so far?” I ask quietly as I rub over his shoulders, down his back and up again. I continue, pressing my thumbs into the knots in his shoulders and repeat.

  “Definitely,” he moans.

  I’ve been trained not to talk to my clients unless I’m discussing their massage so I focus on my hands, making sure that I’m working his upper back, shoulders, and neck. Aside from when he told me I was giving him the right amount of pressure, he hasn’t said a word. His breathing is smooth and deep and I briefly wonder if he fell asleep. When I shift to his lumbar, though, he’s very obviously awake. I fold over the sheet more to expose the top of his butt cheeks and his head flies up and he turns to look at me.

  I take a quick step back, my hands in the air. “You mentioned having a lot of lower back issues. I don’t have to, though.”

  His eyes are wild and very clearly concerned and there’s no way I want to make him uncomfortable so I take a tentative step forward, shift the sheet so it’s covering his butt once again, and take a step away once more. “This okay? I can work on it this way.”

  “Actually, I don’t need my lower back worked on today.”

  “Oh. Okay? Do you want me to continue?”

  “Yeah. That’s fine. Maybe more on my neck and shoulders?”

  “Sure.” I move to the top of the table once again, bending over him as I work figure-8s and kneading with my thumbs. “What about your legs?”

  “Um, maybe not.”

  “You sure? I can…”

  “Nope. Just neck and shoulders.”

  “This enough pressure? Too much?”

  “Perfect.”

  I rub outward, starting with my thumbs and focusing on the traps and anywhere else I can feel the tension built up.

  “Fuck, that feels good,” he moans.

  I smile to myself and continue working the muscles in his shoulders and concentrating on his lower neck. When I’ve completed the area, I drag my hands down and over all the areas once more, ending by stroking over his skin with my fingertips only.

  Pulling the sheet back over his back, I rub once more. “You can scoot down and roll over.”

  “Nah, I’m okay. You did great.”

  “What? It’s only been thirty minutes, Elijah.”

  “I know. It’s okay.”

  “But…”

  “Katie,” he says, lifting his head again to look at me. “You don’t want me to flip over right now.”

  “What? Of course I…” I drift off when I notice the look on his face. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. Oh.”

  Oh my gosh, I’m mortified. I made him hard. He has an erection on my table because I did something wrong! “I’m so sorry. I told you I was new! I must have hit a trigger point or something.”

  “Katie. It’s not you, I promise. Well, it is, but not because of anything you did wrong. In fact, you did everything very, very right, if you catch my drift.”

  “Huh?” I ask, like a dummy. I’m standing by his head looking down at his body on my massage table going through all the motions to figure out where I went wrong. I’ve only massaged a few guys but this has never happened to me before. Or to them, for that matter.

  “Turn around so I can sit up.”

  He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I spin around so quickly I almost make myself dizzy. I stare at the wall, chewing on my lip and feeling like a major failure.

  “I’m ready.”

  When I turn back around, much slower this time, he’s sitting on the table, his legs hung over the side and the sheet draped over the… disturbance that I caused.

  I can’t even look the guy in the eye, I’m so embarrassed.

  “I’m sorry, Elijah. Please don’t feel obligated to pay for this massage since I messed up so badly. I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Why are you embarrassed?”

  Is he serious? Why wouldn’t I be? I must have rubbed on a pressure point I wasn’t aware of and gave him an erection during his very regular massage!

  To add to my embarrassment, I point. Point! Directly at his erection that he’s doing his best to hide by his arm placement. And I thought I was mortified earlier.

  “Katie. Listen to me and think about this a minute. It wasn’t your fault, okay? That’s all on me. I liked the feeling of your hands on me too much, apparently.”

  “What?” I ask, still confused.

  “Do you really need
me to explain this again because as much as I hate seeing you feel embarrassed, I really hate talking about the fact that just having you rub on me gave me a boner.”

  My eyes widen when I finally clue in. Chalk it up to getting into the zone or professionalism, but the thought that I could give anyone an erection during a massage hadn’t clicked until this very moment. Sure, it was talked about during our classes. It’s not incredibly common but happens to everyone. Guess this means I’m part of the club. Yay.

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah. Oh.”

  I look down at his crotch because I’m human and can’t help myself and I see him shift on the table. My eyes dart up to his when his very noticeable erection bulges beneath the heavy sheet.

  “Look. I apologize for making you uncomfortable and I promise I heard you when you told me that you’re seeing someone. But… I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t at least try. Is it serious?” he asks, hopefully looking for an answer I can’t give him.

  “Yeah. It is.”

  “Damn.”

  I let the silence between us settle for five seconds before I can’t take it anymore. “Elijah. What are you doing here? For real? Did you really come here for a massage hoping to ask me out again?”

  “No. This little instance here just kind of happened so figured I’d throw a Hail Mary and try one more time.”

  “Hail Mary?”

  “Football term. A last ditch effort.”

  “Oh. If that wasn’t planned, what was? I might know you very well, thanks to your incredible conversation skills, but I know enough to know that you’re here for a reason. You seem like the type of guy who plans stuff out.”

  He nods. “Remember how I told you I get regular massages?”

  “I assume this doesn’t happen regularly?”

  His eyes crinkle at the sides and he grins. “Never. You know, I had planned on having this conversation with clothes on but I know you need an explanation as to why I’m here so I’ll just come out with it. I want you to work for me.”

  “Come again?”

  “As a regular masseuse. Go on tour with me, work on the band and me to keep us feeling our best. I don’t think people realize that massages are about more than just something that feels good.”