by M Dauphin
I find myself smiling as I re-read her text. She didn’t play around—that means she’s interested. Hopefully. Hopefully I’m not reading her all wrong.
As soon as I walk out the door my phone rings from my back pocket. I hit end, sending the call to voicemail without thinking twice. I’m not dealing with strung out junkies tonight.
No, tonight is for Nora.
The drive to the pizza place is a short one and by the time I get there the sun’s already starting to set. A late dinner, but being able to spend time with Nora is worth it.
I walk in and grab us a booth towards the back but still visible from the door so she can see me when she comes in. There’s a family finishing up dinner with their kids and a couple at a table near the door, but other than that this place is empty. Good. Less distraction tonight.
I see her open the door, her black hair pulled on top of her head, shorts and a plain t-shirt adorn her beautiful figure, and I smile.
She looks like she scrubbed off her makeup for this too; as if her ‘trying’ to make herself look like she didn’t try is going to turn me off. If anything, the lack of makeup and other materialistic items on her body just make me want her more. She’s a natural beauty who couldn’t look bad if she tried.
She’s going to get me in trouble if I’m not careful.
“Hey.” She smiles, walking over to the table.
“Hi.” I smile. “Thanks for hanging out. I was pretty bored at home.”
She smiles and nods, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously.
“So what’s good here?” I ask, picking up the menu.
“You’ve never been here before?”
“Nope,” I lie. I’ve been here plenty of times but I want to see what she thinks of the place. One little white lie isn’t going to ruin anything.
“Seriously?” She smiles at me, the cutest confused look on her face. “This place is a staple for residents of Lawton! I haven’t even lived here that long and I already know this.” She smiles and laughs and I just shrug.
“Well then what do you suggest?”
Please don’t say the meatballs. Please just get a pizza.
“I mean their meatballs are pretty good,” she hums, perusing the menu.
Of course she did.
“But I think tonight we should stick to pizza.” She smiles at me from behind her menu and I smirk back.
“Not a big balls person, are you?” I ask, making her eyes go wide and face pale in horror.
God she’s easy to get to.
“I mean—I…” she stammers and I laugh.
“It’s okay. I’m not either.” I throw her a wink and we order a pizza and sodas when the waitress comes back.
“So, Nora,” I say, leveling my gaze with hers. “Tell me something about yourself.”
She takes a sip of her water and grins.
“Only if I can ask you something too,” she answers.
“So, like twenty questions?” I raise my eyebrows. This could be fun.
“Yea, kind of. One at a time, until the pizza comes.”
I nod, mulling over the possibility she’ll ask me a question I can’t answer, but I think I’m in the clear. She doesn’t know that much about me to get into the nitty gritty questions.
“Deal. You go first.”
“Oh um,” she trails off and starts stirring her water. “Why’d you leave so fast in Chicago?”
Wow. Starting there huh?
“I see you don’t like to beat around the bush.” I nod, appreciating her even more. I can’t stand when girls hold shit like this in.
“I’m curious. And I don’t like to beat around the bush, no.” She shrugs then chuckles nervously. “So?”
“I mean…” Shit this is harder than I’d thought it’d be and it’s just the first question! “I guess I figured we had our fun and I didn’t want the awkward goodbye and promise to text and all that shit that happens.”
“Yea.” She nods, not meeting my gaze.
“It says nothing about our night together, Nora. That night… fuck that night was amazing.” I chuckle and watch her raise her eyes to me.
“Really?” Her eyes go wide and a smile breaks her features. A grin starts to slip at how damn cute she is but I tamp it down.
“Nope, not your turn, you’ve already asked your one question. My turn.”
“Okay,” she says, then sighs and sits back in the booth to watch me. I’m taking a while, trying to make her think I don’t know what to ask her, but I know exactly what I need her to answer.
“What’s your relationship with Nick?” I lock eyes with her and watch her process the question.
“We’re really skipping the typical ‘get to know you’ bullshit, aren’t we?” She chuckles nervously.
“I think we did that about six months or so ago, Nora.” I wink at her again and watch her blush. “Answer the question.”
She licks her lips and shrugs one shoulder up.
“We have fun. He’s a good guy.”
“So you’re not claiming him as a boyfriend?” I mutter.
“Ha! Not your turn, Max.” She smiles. “How long have you had this business of yours?”
“Three years. So Nick isn’t your boyfriend?”
“No,” she blurts. Nora isn’t happy to have to answer it, but I’m glad she did. It tells me it’s not just me she’s friend-zoning. “No, we’re not an item.” Her eyes finally meet mine and I see the lust swirling in them.
Jesus.
“Good,” I murmur, then take a sip of my soda because if I don’t take a break from talking I’m going to end up putting my foot in my mouth.
“Have you lived here your whole life?” She keeps going with the questions without a break and I have to chuckle.
It’s like nothing rattles her for that long. I mean, I should know with how many times she orgasmed underneath me.
Shit, I can’t think of that right now. Not if I want to leave here without a chubby.
“My entire life, yep. This area at least. I was in the foster system early on but they always kept me around here if they could. Once I did a stint out of state for a few weeks but that ended almost as soon as it began.” Fuckers. I was only ten but I’ll never forget that house.
I don’t talk about myself to people. Not because I don’t want to, but most people I’m around don’t want to talk about me. They just need me for their next fix and couldn’t give two rats’ asses how my childhood was. The way Nora’s looking at me right now makes me want to spill everything to her.
And that’s not a good sign.
“Foster care? What happened to your parents?”
“They died before I could remember. The system was all I knew growing up.”
She’s quiet for a moment, then lets out a light laugh.
“I used two questions in a row. Sorry.”
“I like talking to you. Not many people make me comfortable enough to just spill my deep dark secrets like that. You should feel special.”
“I think it’s your turn to ask something.” She relaxes back in her booth again, tucking a leg under her and shoving her hands between her knees.
“Hmm,” I growl, watching her tits squish together. Shit. “Where do you call home, Nora? I know it’s not Oklahoma.” I smirk and notice something flash across her face, but she masks it quickly. Pain? Sadness? Shit I wish I knew this girl better.
“Chicago.” She nods. “Born and raised.”
“You still have family there?”
“Yea, my parents are still there.” Her voice trails off at the end like she’s thinking about saying more but stops herself. “I’m happy here in Oklahoma. My grandma lives here and has her whole life. I just moved out of her guest house a couple months ago. Ava and I have a place on main.”
“So you left everything you knew, your parents and all your friends, to start over in Oklahoma? Why would you do that?”
“Fresh start, I guess.” She shrugs and takes a sip of her water, draining it, then looks around the room.
“So you’ve seriously never been here before?”
“I may have stretched the truth a bit.” I grin, watching her reaction.
“Why would you do that?”
“I mean, I’ve never sat in here and ate, so I haven’t eaten in here, no. I’ve had their food before though. I gotta say, you chose wise young padawan.”
She laughs and shakes her head.
“You’re one mysterious man, Maxwell Holzer.”
I shrug in response as the waiter sets our pizza on the table. The rest of dinner is small talk and getting to know each other. She’s an only child, majored in business in college. Her grandma and her are super close from the sounds of it and spend at least every Monday night having dinner and gossiping. Nora’s comfortable here, not like at work where she’s in business mode. I guess it’s a good thing, being able to differentiate and relax every now and then. It’s also a good thing she’s comfortable enough around me to relax like this.
It means my plan is working.
“Are we ever going to talk about what happened between us?” she blurts, poking at the pizza on her plate with a fork.
Yes. She’s eating it with a fork.
And she calls me mysterious…
“What do you want to talk about, Nora? About how your pussy was the best I’ve ever tasted? About how fucking you was like heaven? How’s that pink dildo of yours? I hope it’s been getting good use,” I growl low so no one in the room can hear us. Her eyes widen and she looks around the restaurant to see only one waiter standing at the front, cleaning the table. She leans in, and whispers.
“I mean… Do friends talk about that?” She chuckles nervously. “So, I guess you’ve been thinking about it then?”
“Oh I do. All the time.” I smile at her and wink, then shove another piece of pizza in my mouth before I can say anything else. I want to tell her how she’s never going to leave my memory. I want to tell her that no woman will ever match up to the chemistry we had.
But I can’t tell her that. I need to show her.
Her face turns bright red and she takes a deep, shaky breath.
“Me too,” she whispers, taking another bite of food. “Crazy.”
“Yea, crazy,” I mutter, watching her. Her body’s not as relaxed as earlier, she’s clenching her thighs together, her nipples are perky and her face is flushed. If those aren’t telltale signs that she’s turned on, I don’t know what is.
I think my job tonight is done.
“How was last night?” Ava asks from behind her coffee cup.
“Good,” I blurt way too loud. Ava chuckles and walks over to the table where I’ve been crunching numbers for an hour now. The shop doesn’t open for another two hours; we open late on Fridays and stay open later, so I can actually get work done here before having to go in and be distracted by Mr. Beautiful himself.
“Yea? Because I heard your vibe going all night last night,” she says, smirking.
“Gross, Ava!” I swat her away when she starts to tease me.
“What? It’s not my fault the walls are thin. Really, though, that thing’s loud as hell, babe.”
“I know,” I huff. “Sorry.”
“Hey, don’t be. I appreciate a little self love, but I mean… why aren’t you fucking him yet?”
“I can’t! We’re just friends, Ave, that’s it.” I stand and move across the room, going for another cup of coffee. I’d rather not have this conversation with her, but she’s going to push it and I know I’m going to end up being the one in the wrong somehow. What’s so bad about wanting to be friends with a guy?
A very cocky, brilliant, talented male who has been the object of many bean-flicking sessions lately.
Ugh.
“You guys have already fucked!” she declares, cracking out in laughter.
“I know! But that doesn’t mean we should do it again! We’re working together, Ava!”
“And you’d probably get more done once you’ve fucked. Half the days you guys have worked together it’s been ninety percent sexual tension and ten percent real work.” She cocks her eyebrow at me and I pout because I know she has a point.
“I can’t fuck someone I’m working with. Plus, I just don’t think Max and I would be good together,” I lie.
I think we’d be amazing together. At least in bed.
“Don’t rule it out. I see the way he looks at you.” She leaves me to get ready for work, alone in the kitchen with my thoughts. Today’s Friday. One more day then I get a break from him. He’s got some work almost mocked up for us to go over, but he won’t let me see anything until he’s done with the first draft. Something about the creative process he says. I’m just happy that it’s all off my shoulders and I can worry about bringing the boutique new items that will keep bringing people through the doors. Two whole days away from him this weekend should help me get over this little lust fest I’ve been having this week.
And then, there’s a part of me that’s going to miss his daily banter.
Shit this is messed up.
By the time I get into the store, I’m already tired just from the back and forth I’ve been doing in my head. It’s been one week of him being in the friend zone and I’m happy with how strong I’ve held to it. Sure, there’s been flirting, but I haven’t given in to his advances yet so that’s good. Right? Maybe. I know this is probably for the best, but I can’t help but feel like I’ve made the wrong choice. I mean, Nick and I are friends with benefits. Could Max and I be the same?
No. That answer is no.
I let out a heavy sigh after closing the back door behind me. Ava’s down the street grabbing us some coffee and pastries. Fridays at the store are always fun. There’s free treats for shoppers as they peruse the store and I always try to run at least one promo on Friday nights to bring people in between work and dinner plans.
Tonight it’s thirty percent off one item so I’m expecting it to be busy.
There’s a knock on the front door and I glance at the clock. Still fifteen minutes until we open. I just needed to get a few more things stocked before we unlocked those doors, but I guess it can wait.
I walk to the front, the echo of my sandals flopping throughout the store remind me I need to get the music playing. When I reach the black ornate door, solid, shiny and heavy, I take a breath and pull on my ‘store owner’ smile I’ve perfected since we’ve opened.
“Hey, beautiful,” Nick says, smiling. “I brought sustenance.” He holds up a bag from the bagel shop down the street and my stomach screams for it.
“Thanks.” I chuckle, grabbing the bag and heading back to the office. I hear him lock the front door behind him, thankful for the extra ten minutes of quiet.
“Here’s a coffee too. I know today’s going to be long.” He slides the cup across my desk and I smile up at him.
He’s really good to me. I feel guilty I won’t commit to him, but I don’t want to commit to anyone right now and that’s not a bad thing. I shouldn’t feel guilty for it.
“You’re too good to me,” I manage with a mouth full of bagel.
“I try,” he says, shrugging. Nick has definitely proven that he can take care of me. That’s for sure. He’s sweet, he’s not pushy, and he’s pretty. Super pretty. Like, too-much-money pretty, but it’s okay because he’s nice.
Nick’s a nice guy.
“It’s delicious.” I know I’m talking with a full mouth. I realize that’s the first thing my grandma taught me as a kid not to do, but I can’t help it. The clock is ticking until I have to be out on the floor and I really want to finish this thing.
“I’m glad.” He rests one ankle on his knee and leans back in the chair. “So have you had a chance to think about Colorado? It’s beautiful there this time of year.”
I stop chewing and stare at him.
Shit! I knew there was something I needed to do!
“Um,” I mutter as I finish chewing my bite and swallow it down, chasing it with a sip of coffee. “I’m sorry, Ni
ck.” I start to shake my head, a wave of guilt rushing over me. “I can’t leave the shop for that long. Not in the first year. Maybe next summer though, definitely.”
When his face lights up at the mention of a far away ‘date’ I feel like I could shoot myself.
Fuck.
“I mean, it’s just too hard to say now what’s going to be going on next year, but this year just won’t work,” I backpedal.
He nods and stands from his seat and plasters on a smile.
“I understand. It’s okay, Nora. I told you we’d take this at your pace. How about dinner tonight? After the store closes I can pick you up and take you out? I miss you, Nor.”
I smile up at him, a comfort in my otherwise crazy week, and nod.
“Tonight sounds great. I’ll be waiting for it.” I stand and toss my trash in the can as we walk out to the front door. Nick checks the clock on the wall and goes straight for the door, unlocking it then turning back to me.
“Thank you, Nora.”
“For what?” I furrow my brows in confusion.
“Giving me a chance still. I see the way you react to this new guy.” He winks then leans in and kisses me gently on the cheek, leaving me speechless.
“I… Nick, that’s not…”
“I’m not stupid, Nora. He’s been here every day this week and I’m certain he can do what he does here from home just as easy. I’m just glad you’re still giving me a chance. You won’t regret it, trust me.”
He opens the door to leave just as Max and his diesel slow in front of the building before turning on the side street to get to the back parking lot.
“He’s late,” Nick mutters, turning back to give me another smile and nod before walking off to his truck.
Fuck, is whatever’s going on between Max and I really that obvious?
Nothing! Nothing’s going on between Max and I! Shit!
I prop the door open, needing the fresh air inside today to clear my mind. I’ll close it later when it starts to get too hot. The back door buzzer breaks through the silence of the store and I steel myself for the man on the other side of that door.
“Hey.” I smile, not meeting his eyes when I swing the door open.
“Morning, sunshine,” he says, tossing his cigarette on the ground before walking inside, brushing gently past me.