“Okay, but we’ll probably be fine. Tim got this for me, and it’s me, with all my info, but it just makes me one year older.”
He looked impressed, in spite of the mention of Tim’s name. “How’d he do that?”
“We have a bunch of friends who are really good with computers and making things look real. C’mon, I go to a school where there are lots of really smart people.”
“Well, great. Let’s go have a drink and maybe I can get you to drink a little too much,” he said with a leer.
“You think that’s what you need? For me to have a little liquid relaxation?”
“Might make you a tad less perceptive to all my wily schemes,” he said with a smile.
“Ha. You wish,” I said.
“I do indeed.”
I laughed. While he made the place presentable again, I went to the bathroom to see what I could do about the late in the day date look. I had some makeup with me, so was able to do a few repairs. It didn’t really matter though. In looking in the mirror, what I noticed most was that I looked happy. I felt a pang for Rick and shoved it away. Time for that later.
I was happy. Being with Seth made me happy, but there was more to it.
I stopped the internal dialogue right there. I didn’t do this in order to find something else to beat myself up over. I was learning. Learning was a good thing, as was learning from your mistakes. I left it there, fluffed my hair, and went out to find Seth.
“Hey, you look great,” he said, meeting me in the foyer with my coat. “We can drive up there if you like. It’s gotten pretty cold.”
“Only if you drive again. I can’t make sense of the streets around here!”
He laughed. “You’re just trying to get me to drive the lime again, aren’t you?”
I snuggled into him when he drew me close. “If you only knew how few people got to drive my lime, you’d be honored. Not making fun.”
He held the door open for me and we walked to the car. He held the car door open as well, closing it carefully behind me. I loved how well-mannered he was.
Once he got in, I asked, “Do you go to this place a lot?”
He nodded. “We do. It’s casual, and Seamus is funny, and the food and beer are good.”
I took a breath before my next question. “Will you mind if I don’t drink?”
He looked away from the road. “Is everything okay?”
“I still need to get back to Danni’s, and that way, I can make sure you get home, too.” There was no good way to say that all my fuck-ups came from times I drank, and I didn’t want him to be one of them.
“Oh, well, okay. Great. Do you mind if I drink?”
“I met you drinking, Seth.”
“I know, but just checking.” He stopped as he maneuvered my car into a space on a tight traffic circle.
“No, but you ought to be aware that I will not carry your ass if you can’t stand.”
He gave me a scornful look as he got out of the car. I got out and he met me around the front. “I don’t get that drunk.”
“Okay. Then we’re good.”
He took my hand and led me to what I thought of as classic guy bar—all dark, with wood trim, and gold edging, heavy silver, and white tablecloths. Apparently there was also a restaurant on the main floor. He nodded at a waiter who was clearing off a table, and we went straight up a set of stairs just beyond the front door. Once on the second floor, I could see this was the bar area. It was lighter, not so much dark wood, but warm and comfortable.
No one was playing, although a guitar was propped next to a stool on a small stage.
“Seth!” Will stood up from a table on the other side of the room, and a chorus of greetings came from the people—mostly guys—sitting there. I spotted Danni sitting next to Will.
We made our way over. There were two open chairs across from them, and Danni gestured at them as we got closer.
“What have you been doing all day?” She asked, as Seth spoke with Will and a number of the other guys.
“Hanging out, eating too much, and talking.”
“That’s it?” Her voice came out as a hiss. “Good for you for the self-control! He’s hot, Tib!”
“Shhh,” I said, although I nodded. “I know.”
She leaned in close to me so we could talk. “Will says he’s never seen Seth like this, and that Seth is a little weird.”
“I like weird. He’s really nice, Dan.”
“What do you think of Will?”
I looked up at him. He was still talking with Seth, and his face was animated and cheerful. He glanced down, first at Danni, then me, and smiled before returning to his conversation.
“He seems nice. He also seems to like you.”
“I really like him.” Danni giggled. “I have a good feeling about this.” She said that a lot, but this time, I had to agree with her. I couldn’t see someone like Seth being close friends with an asshole.
But what did I know? The little inner voice piped up. God, I hated that inner voice. It often seemed more snide than helpful.
Conversation came to a halt as the crowd began to cheer. A small dark haired man with a mustache and beard came out and picked up the guitar. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but once he started playing, I was captivated.
There wasn’t much time or room to talk with Seth. Seamus kept the crowd going, laughing and telling jokes in between singing. Seth got up to get another beer, and when he came back, he also brought a small glass of something dark
“Here. Try this.”
“Not drinking, remember?”
“I’m sorry—I forgot the whole no drinking thing. This is the best scotch whiskey you’ll ever have. Laphroaig. Some like it neat, but I like it on the rocks. I wanted to share.” He pulled the glass over towards him.
I took the glass from in front of him and took a sip of it. Surprisingly, it was good. ”You’re right, it is good. Maybe another time.”
He laughed over the music, and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “All part of the plan to get you liquored up. Too bad you’re on to me. What sucks even more is how sexy you look drinking my whiskey and I can’t do anything about it.”
I laughed and snuggled into him. He felt fantastic. The whiskey was a warmth that went through me even with one little sip.
All too soon, he was done for the night. Seth turned to me.
“So, do you have to go?”
I didn’t want to, but I nodded. “I do. I really need to get some sleep. We have to drive back to school tomorrow.” I looked over at Danni. She and Will were sitting with their heads close together, talking.
“Can I meet you for brunch tomorrow before you go?”
“Hang on.” I leaned across the table and got Danni’s attention. “Hey! Come up for air!”
She looked at me and dismissively waved a hand. “What?”
“What time are we leaving tomorrow?”
“I don’t know. One or two, maybe?”
“Great. Then Will I would love to take you ladies to brunch,” Seth interrupted. “Wouldn’t we, Will?”
Will nodded, and met Danni’s eye. “Would you like to?”
“When and where?” Danni asked the two of them with a laugh.
“Carrol’s Creek. Eleven. It’s the best brunch around,” Seth said immediately. I felt like perhaps he’d had this in mind before now.
“We’re there. But we should be getting back, Tib.”
Neither Danni nor I really wanted to leave. It didn’t do to look too eager, so we all stood, getting our coats and stuff together.
“Can I ride home with you?” Danni asked. That was odd. Normally, she’d want to be with Will, but…
“Sure. Um, I need to take Seth back,” I said.
Will solved that problem for me. “We can walk back, Tibby. The gate’s close to here.”
I turned to Danni. “Can you get me out of here? This place is crazy.”
She laughed and nodded, and we made our way downstairs. Out front, the t
roop of guys that had been sitting at our table moved up the sidewalk, stopping at the corner. They were waiting for Will and Seth.
Seth gathered me close. “I had a great time today. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.” He leaned down and his lips were on mine. I could taste the beer and the whiskey on him. It tasted great.
Oh my lord. As before, my entire body felt like it was going up in flames. The boy could kiss! I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him back enthusiastically.
Suddenly, he let me go. “It’s hard to keep myself under control with you.” His voice was hoarse.
I got it. “Well, good thing we both have a veneer of civilization,” I tried to lighten the moment. If we’d been alone, I couldn’t guarantee I would have stopped then. In spite of all my concerns and warnings to myself. I got the impression he was struggling with the same kind of feelings.
“C’mon Seth,” Will called. Apparently he and Danni had already said their good-byes. She was smiling at us, and with a last peck on the lips, Seth smiled that wonderful smile at me and loped off to join Will and the other guys. They turned the corner in a herd, a cheerful mutter coming from them.
Danni threaded her arm through mine. “Well, c’mon. Let’s go. You have a lot to spill.”
“And you don’t?” I asked. “You look really happy.”
She was glowing. “He is really nice, and he’s not a jerk. He didn’t kiss me like you two were kissing!” Was that condemnation I heard in her voice?
“It’s weird. I don’t normally get all physical with a guy when we first meet, but I can’t seem to stop wanting to kiss him,” I confessed, hoping to soften condemnation if there was any.
“No, you usually don’t. Is this like a rebound or something?”
Shit. I’d forgotten totally about Tim. Not hard as to me, he was six years in the past. But to Danni, I’d broken up with him this morning. No wonder she thought this was a rebound.
I had another flash of insight. That was when I started fooling around with guys a lot and being kind of slutty. After Tim broke my heart and did a major mind fuck on me. Before that, I had a lot of barriers. The hurt I let him cause me also led me to drop nearly all of them. If I recalled correctly, that was when Danni and I had stopped being such good friends. I’d slept with, on a whim, a guy one of her friends liked and was sort of dating. It had been the last straw.
I hadn’t known about the friend, but that didn’t matter. She’d been concerned over my behavior since Tim and I broke up.
I squeezed her hand. “I know it seems sudden, but I should have ended it with Tim a while ago. Even without the fact that he was cheating,” I said. “We were just growing apart, and I didn’t realize it. When I met Seth, I suddenly saw all the things that were missing with Tim. And then my suspicions recently.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I could have done a little detective work for you,” Danni said as we got into my car.
“I didn’t want to think about it. It felt really embarrassing to think that he was fooling around.”
She leaned over and gave me a one-armed hug. “It’s not your fault that you trusted him! That’s what you’re supposed to do.”
“I know, but I still feel stupid.”
“Well, you’re not. He’s a jerk. But you don’t think Seth is just a rebound kind of thing?”
I shook my head, turning up the heater. “No. He’s special. I could feel it when I met him. Spending the day with him today just reinforced that, you know?”
“I’m glad for you, Tibby. I really am. I’m still stuck on the fact that Tim was actually cheating. He seemed like such a nice guy!” She shook her head in wonder.
“He was. I’m betting this wasn’t the first time. I don’t know why he had to cheat. All he had to do was break up with me. I think he liked the thrill.” I didn’t think that, I knew it. He’d screamed it at me when we were fighting in my other life. That Ms. Thing had been exciting, and willing to do new things, unlike boring-ass old me.
The thought made my blood boil. I took a deep breath, because now, that wasn’t going to be my future. Even if I didn’t stay here, I was changing. That would change my life regardless of where I was.
“I’m glad you know now, rather than letting this go on. Oh my god!” Her hand flew to her mouth.
“What?” I resisted the urge to slam on the brakes.
“You need to go get tested, Tib! Who knows what he’s been sleeping with?”
“Oh, I planned on it.”
“Enough about that asshole. Tell me all about Seth.”
Where did I start? I talked the rest of the ride home, trying to tell her things that didn’t give me away as a different Tibby, things I knew she’d enjoy hearing. Like his sense of humor, the nice place that we hung out in, the fact that he was coming down to Tech next weekend.
“What? He’s already coming to see you? Where is he going to sleep?” Danni always got to the pertinent issues.
“He can stay with me, but we’re not sleeping together. Don’t get me wrong, it’s gonna be really hard. I mean, look at him! He’s gorgeous, and he’s got that smile, he’s funny, and nice, I laugh with him, and he can kiss like crazy…” My voice trailed off as I realized I was smiling thinking about all these aspects of Seth.
Danni laughed. “Girl, you have it bad! But I’m happy for you. This way, you’re not moping or wondering what you did wrong with loser. Much better this way.”
Amazing how she picked up on exactly what I did do the last time around. “I feel good, Dan. Like this is the way I’m supposed to be going.”
“No, it’s not, honey.”
“What?”
“You need to turn around. We went the wrong way.”
We both burst into laughter. We’d been so busy talking that she’d forgotten to tell me when to turn, and I’d forgotten to ask.
We made it back to her house, and tried to come in quietly. Thankfully, her parents were asleep or pretending to be.
“I still don’t have anything to wear tomorrow,” I said, as we got into bed.
“Just wear what you’re comfortable in. I’ve seen how he looks at you. He won’t care if you’re dancing around in a paper bag.”
“He’d probably like it,” I said darkly, imagining how he could tear such a thing right off me.
That sent us off into peals of laughter, and we finally smothered it and settled in.
I couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The next morning, we both raced around trying to get ready. Danni’s mom, hearing where the guys wanted to eat, had been impressed. “They must like you. That’s a nice place for a second date.”
“Yes, but is the food good?” Danni asked her mom.
“Yes, it is. You’ll like it,” she smiled at her daughter. “It’s one of the nicer brunches around.”
That just put the pressure on more, and we barely made it out of the house in time to get there. This time, Danni drove my car, as she knew the way. She also had the proper respect for my girl. We pulled into the parking lot.
“I don’t see them,” I said.
“They won’t stand us up,” she replied. “They’re probably inside.”
They weren’t. As soon as we got of the car, they both emerged from a car a few rows over from us.
Seth greeted me with a big hug. I couldn’t see how Will and Danni said hello, but I could hear the tone in her voice behind me. She was happy.
“Let’s go! I’m starving,” Seth said, keeping an arm around me.
Danni’s mom had been right. The food was amazing, and like yesterday, I ate more than I should have.
During brunch, I watched Will. I wanted him to be nice to Danni. If he wasn’t going to be a keeper, I wanted him to be nice while he was with her. What I saw was that he liked her, although he wasn’t as open as Seth. Seth actually sat next to me and held my hand under the table most of the meal.
I could tell Danni really liked Will, too. I sent a silent plea out into th
e universe for Danni to not get hurt. Knowing what I did about her, and what I knew now, she needed a nice guy. For all her confidence, she hid a massive amount of insecurity.
All too soon, we were finished with the meal.
The guys paid, and we were all outside again. I didn’t want this to end.
“I’ll see you next weekend,” Seth said into my ear. Like when we’d met, he took me in his arms and wrapped me up again. I felt safe and cared for.
“Absolutely. I can’t wait to see you,” I said.
He leaned down and kissed me. Maybe he was feeling shy, maybe it was because we were in broad daylight, but it wasn’t the socks-falling-off passionate kiss from last night.
Not that I was complaining! It was different, full of care and concern.
“A week is going to seem too long,” he whispered. “Call me when you get home, okay? So I know you made it?”
“Okay.”
“And so I can practice my wiles on you a little more,” he added. That brief flash of insecurity moved across his face. I wasn’t sure if I’d actually seen it, because his eyes were warm as he looked at me.
Danni and I got into my car, and I waved as we pulled out of the parking lot. He and Will stood there until we turned the corner and couldn’t see them.
I sighed and leaned back in the seat.
“I know. They are both just awesome, aren’t they?” Danni asked. Her face had a dreamy expression.
“Yes. I’m so glad you asked me to come home with you.”
“You mean forced you? And who wouldn’t be, meeting someone like Seth?” Danni’s tone was teasing.
“That’s part of it. But if I had stayed home, I wouldn’t have known about Tim, for who knows how long. I wouldn’t have gotten to hang out with you, my bestie, and if I wasn’t with you, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to dump Tim.” I smiled at her. I didn’t want her to think I was only glad for the guy factor. I also wanted to make sure I didn’t lose her as a friend again. I wanted her to know what I thought of her.
Danni’s face softened. “I’m glad you’re here, too. It’s been a great weekend, hasn’t it?”
Three Wishes: Time Traveler Romance (Heart Of The Djinn Book 1) Page 11