Shifting Lines

by Abigail Lee

  “I don’t think I’m dressed up enough for this place.” I looked across the table.

  “You look beautiful.” He reached over and grabbed my hand.

  I smiled as I took in the man before me. He was wearing dark jeans and a black button up shirt that covered every tattoo that I realized I was starting to really like. His short hair was gelled and styled as if he had been in a hurry. He was watching me with those deep green eyes that seemed to peer into the deepest part of me—where I never even let Chris get to. What was this man doing to me? I barely knew him, yet I felt closer to him than anyone else in my life.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked after the waiter poured water into both of our glasses.

  “Honestly?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “Isn’t that how this works?” he challenged.

  I thought about that for a second before answering. “Okay. I was thinking I hardly know you, but for some reason I feel like I’ve known you my entire life.”

  He watched me for a moment before responding. “I feel the same way. You’ve changed my entire view on life, and I don’t even know how old you are. Or your last name.”

  “I’m twenty-three.” I smiled and raised my eyebrows. “My full name is Riley Nicole Scott.”

  “Luke Ryan Green.”

  “What else?” I asked after the waiter left a basket of bread and took our order.

  “Everything,” he answered.

  “Hmmm, okay,” I started. “I’ll go, then you go.”

  “That works.”

  “I grew up about an hour from here in a small town. I’m still close to my parents, who are still married, and I was prom queen.”

  He smiled when I stopped talking. “Okay, I grew up a few minutes from the bar. My parents divorced when I was in middle school, and I lived with my dad growing up. My mom lives in New York now, but we’re still close. I wasn’t prom queen.”

  I laughed as he finished and thought of what else to say. “I’m an only child.”

  “I have two sisters. Mel, who you met, and Jill. She lives in Dallas.”

  “Mel is an accountant?” I asked.

  “How’d you know that?” He narrowed his eyes and smiled.

  “We talked while you were in the office the other night.”

  “I thought you didn’t remember anything?”

  “Bits and pieces have come back to me.” I shrugged. “I don’t remember asking to come up to your apartment, but I do remember everything I talked to her about.”

  “She likes to talk,” he said before taking a drink of water.

  I laughed when the food came and ended that part of the conversation. We began eating the steak and chicken we had ordered.

  “I dated Chris for three years,” I shared as we finished a piece of chocolate cake. “I honestly can’t even tell you why. The smartest decision I ever made was leaving him a few weeks ago. I’m not surprised he showed up today, but I would be surprised if he ever shows up again.”

  “Three years?” He let that sink in for a few minutes before continuing. “I’ve never had a relationship that lasted more than a week. I’ve never wanted one before I met you.”

  It was my turn to sit back and let some information sink in. I was surprised that he was so honest with me, but I appreciated every word he said. It reassured me that the man sitting before me was in this for the same reasons I was.

  We fell into a routine over the next few weeks. Luke didn’t go to work until the afternoon so we would spend the weeknights at my apartment and the weekends at his. I wasn’t sure how we fell into the idea that we needed to spend every night together, but I didn’t question it. I liked sleeping next to him and waking up with him there. I usually left in the mornings before he even woke up, but I liked knowing that he was in my bed. And that he wanted to be there.

  I worked at my internship on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Luke’s bar was on my way home. I would stop by and work on some homework or catch up on work research while he worked in his office. We had officially been together for a little over a month and the idea that this guy was mine was one that I had accepted and decided to own. Every time he looked at me or stole a kiss, I fell more and more for my tattooed man.

  “Hey, baby.” He leaned down over the couch and kissed my lips. “I need to go up front and check on the bar. Do you need anything?”

  “No, thanks. I’m good.” I smiled up at him and ran my hand through his short hair.

  “Okay, I’ll be back in a bit.”.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right here.”

  He walked out of the door, and I continued typing a paper that was due at the end of the week. It was Wednesday night, and I only had two classes the next day. I loved that I took so many classes in my previous semesters that my final semester of senior year was almost too easy to believe. I had been typing my paper for over an hour when I heard the door open again. I expected to see Luke when a tall redhead with an extremely short black skirt walked in.

  “Oh, sorry,” she said when she noticed me on the couch. “I was looking for Luke.”

  “I think he’s up front somewhere.” I looked her up and down wondering who she was.

  “Oh.” She looked down at her phone before turning her focus back to me. “It is Wednesday, right?”

  “Yeah, did you guys have a meeting or something? I can go find him if you want.”

  “No.” She laughed and shook her head. “I wouldn’t call it a meeting. He’s been flaky the last few weeks, too. I was just hoping he would be here tonight. Thanks, hon.”

  She walked out the door leaving a million questions lingering in the room. Was this a girl he normally hooked up with? Did they meet every Wednesday? Did they only stop a few weeks ago? When he met me… That made me feel a little better until I looked at the couch I was sitting on and immediately stood and started gathering my stuff. Are you kidding me? Did he hook up back here with whoever he wanted? I knew the answer before I even thought about it too long, but I still didn’t want to know the truth. I was about to open the door when Mel walked into the room.

  “I knew you’d be leaving.” She looked angry. “What’d that bitch say?”

  “Who?” I asked, trying to play dumb.

  “That red-headed bitch who just walked out of here.” She stared at me. “He would flip his shit if he knew she was back here.”

  “Who was she?” I asked only halfway wanting the answer.

  “A part of his past,” she answered looking me in the eye. “A past he never wants a part of again.”

  “How do you know that?” I didn’t believe her.

  She let out a long breath before answering. “I know you’re about to leave, and to be honest, it’s what you should do. But he loves you. He has never looked at anyone or talked about anyone the way he does you. And you can bet your ass he has never stayed the night with or let any other girl into his apartment besides you.”

  “It’s just a lot to take in, you know?” I lifted my shoulders a little before they sagged in defeat. “I just need a little time to think about some things.”

  “Do you love him?” She stared me in the eyes. “No bullshit. Just be honest.”

  I nodded my head and attempted to smile.

  “Okay, I’ll let you leave then, but at least text him and let him know that you left.” She sighed before opening the door and motioning me out. “He’s worth loving, sis. Just have some faith in him.”

  I slipped out of the bar unnoticed and made it back to my apartment before I sent a text.

  Not feeling well so I went home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

  After I shut the front door to my apartment, I saw Hannah and Trey sitting on our couch watching a movie.

  “Oh, no.” She jumped up as soon as she saw me. “What happened?”

  “What makes you think something happened?” I asked as she wrapped her arms around me.

  “Because I can see your face,” she answered before letting me fall onto the recliner.

  �
��I don’t know.” I looked at Trey, wishing he wasn’t there.

  “Ignore him.” She knew what I was thinking.

  I looked back at her and sunk further into the cushions. “I was in his office and a girl came looking for him. A hot girl, I might add. And I’m pretty sure it was his old Wednesday night hook up. She acted real casual about it. Like she showed up, they would do whatever, then she would leave. She didn’t even act jealous that I was sitting in her spot on her night.”

  Hannah turned to Trey and slapped him on the shoulder. “What’s that about?”

  “I thought I wasn’t in this conversation.” He rubbed his arms and scowled at her.

  “You are now,” she demanded. “Now spill it. Is he a douchebag or not?”

  He let out a frustrated breath before he spoke up. “You don’t think you’re the first girl he’s ever been with, right?”

  I shook my head.

  “Okay, well, you’re not. But you are the first girl he’s ever cared enough about to actually give this relationship thing a shot with. You need to think about that before you freak out over everyone he’s ever had a past with.”

  “Did he have a different girl every night of the week?” I asked in a state of shock.

  “What if he did?” He shrugged. “That’s not who he is now, so you need to quit being a girl and analyzing everything that was in the past.”

  “I don’t know if I like that answer,” Hannah spoke up from beside him.

  “You shouldn’t ask a question if you don’t want the answer.” He shrugged then quickly ducked when she tried to slap him again.

  I stood up and made my way to my room. I just wanted my pillow against my head and a few hours to think by myself. My phone was still in my purse when I pulled the soft covers up to my chin, and I could hear it vibrating as I drifted off to sleep.

  Something wasn’t right. I stared at the text on my phone and wondered what in the hell happened that made her leave.

  “There you are,” a voice that I didn’t want to hear called out.

  “Fuck off, Lindy,” I growled without turning around. “I thought I made it clear that our arrangement was over.”

  “I thought you were kidding.” She laughed. “What’s gotten into you?”

  She watched me for a few seconds before answering her own question. “She’s what’s gotten into you, isn’t she? You finally fell for someone.”

  “How do you know there’s a she at all?” I growled over the music. She was starting to piss me off.

  “We had a nice chat.” She smirked. “I’ll see you soon. I doubt she’ll stick around once she learns all about you.”

  I watched as she turned and walked away and wondered if she was right. How could someone like Riley love someone like me? I was typing out a text before I even knew what I wanted to say. I couldn’t leave here now and go to her. There was a new beer rep here, and they were introducing their new line of flavored beer tonight.

  “What was Lindy doing here?” Adam was at my side and tilting back a beer.

  “What do you think she was doing here?” I pushed the door open to my office, and Adam followed me inside.

  “You aren’t done with that?” He was eying me, waiting for my answer.

  “Yes, I’ve been done with her since I met Riley. Even before we started dating.” I let out a long puff of air and fell onto the couch. “She just doesn’t seem to understand that.”

  He sat next to me in silence and continued taking drinks of his beer.

  “Riley was here, but she left. Lindy made it seem like she talked to her.” I watched my phone, only to see no reply. Each second that passed, my body tensed up more and more. I just wanted to get to her.

  “Relax.” Adam’s comment made me question whether I was saying my thoughts out loud. “You guys will be fine.”

  I wanted to believe him but couldn’t shake the feeling that she left and was sitting home now rethinking this entire situation with me. I had at least three more hours before I could leave and see her. My finger selected her name on my phone and pressed call before I could even think about it. Three rings and then voicemail.

  “Fuck.” I threw my phone down onto the couch and ran my hands over my face. “She’s not going to answer the damn phone.”

  “Just go over there,” he said from his side of the couch.

  “I have to stay until we close.” I picked up my phone and looked for the text that hadn’t come through. “Mel isn’t working tonight, and we have a new beer rep out there.”

  “I never thought I’d see the day.” Adam was laughing now.

  “What in the hell are you talking about now?” I growled.

  “Luke Green is in love.” He slapped my shoulder and squeezed. “Congrats, man. At least you picked a good one.”

  “Shut the fuck up.” I knew he was right but refused to admit it until I knew how she felt. There was no way she felt the same way that I did.

  “Oh, yeah, definitely in love.” He stood and started for the door. “Don’t break her heart because then I’d have to kick your ass. Then she’d fall in love with me, and that would be devastating. I can’t miss out on all of the free beer you provide.”

  I reached for anything to throw at him, but he was already out the door. What an ass. Selecting her name on my phone one more time, I pressed the phone against my ear and listened to ringing until it went to voicemail.

  Fuck. It was going to be a long three hours.

  My head was foggy, but I could hear the faint sound of a motorcycle driving by my apartment. Then a door slammed and not long after arms were draped over my side and a hard body was pressed against mine.

  “Goodnight, baby,” Luke whispered. “Sweet dreams.”

  In my half-asleep state, I snuggled deeper into his arms and fell back asleep.

  I faintly heard my alarm go off and rolled out of bed. I looked to see Luke still asleep and smiled at the sight. I was scared to death at how much I loved him. Terrified that he didn’t feel even close to the same way.

  Hannah and I walked in silence to our first class. She knew when to let me have my space and that I would eventually open up when I was ready. By the time we were walking to our second and final class of the day, I was ready to cry to my best friend.

  “I’m in love with him.” I felt the first tear slip out.

  “I know.” She smiled.

  “What if he doesn’t feel the same way?” I ducked my head as the tears began to fall.

  “What if he does?”

  “Ugh, I need you to be miserable and negative with me right now,” I cried.

  “Sorry, but I think he loves you, too.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and turned to the building that led to our classroom.

  “What if that’s not enough? You should have seen this girl.” I shook off her arm and stopped walking.

  “You’re one of the most beautiful people I know,” she stated matter-of-fact. “He came to you last night as soon as he was done with work. He’s probably still asleep in your bed right now.”

  “Do you really think he loves me?” I asked as I wiped the tears from my face.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “I do.”

  “This is all happening too fast. There’s no way he feels the same way as I do.”

  “Who says?” She rolled her eyes and began pulling me toward the classroom again. “You need to start believing what a catch everyone else already knows you are. He would be lucky to end up with someone like you.”

  “Thanks, Han.” I leaned my head against her shoulder as we walked to our desks and took our seats.

  On Thursdays, we were done with class before lunch. I knew he would be at my apartment when we got back and for now I was deciding to forget about what happened last night. I had a past, too, that he ran fist first into the day after we first got together. He didn’t seem fazed or threatened at all by it. I could suck it up now and not make a big deal of this.

  I smiled when I walked in my room and found him sitting
up in my bed, checking email on my iPad.

  “Hey.” I dropped my bag on the floor and shut the door.

  “Hey.” He looked up and flashed me a grin that made my heart melt.

  “I wondered if you were awake yet.” I kicked my shoes off and climbed on top of him on the bed.

  “Are you feeling better?” He pulled on my thighs, bringing me right on top of his hips. “I was worried last night when I read your text and then you didn’t answer your phone.”

  “Sorry about that.” I leaned my forehead against his. “It was just a headache.”

  He moved backward and tilted my chin up, forcing me to look him in the eye. “You sure you’re okay? Why didn’t you find me in the bar before you left?”

  I took a deep breath and felt the tears fill my eyes. This was exactly what I didn’t want to happen, but with my emotions on high alert it was a given that I was going to cry in front of him sometime soon. Apparently, I wasn’t going to let this thing go like I had decided two minutes ago. I tried to move out of his grip but that only made him tighten his arms.

  “Baby, talk to me.” He watched me as I let the war rage on in my head.

  Screw it. Honesty was the only way a relationship like ours was ever going to work.

  “A girl came into the office looking for you last night.” I looked back into his eyes. “She was gorgeous with red hair and was ready for some one-on-one time with you. I was just sitting there, and she walked in asking for you.”

  “Was she rude to you?” He looked angry.

  “No.” I let out a small laugh. “She was actually really nice. The whole situation caught me off-guard and then my mind took off from there. I came home so I could be alone and think about everything.”

  “So what did you decide after you had time to think?” Now he looked nervous.

  “I think it made me realize how much I really like you. I mean, I knew that I liked you, but we haven’t dated that long. So when all of that happened, I was jealous and angry and sad and a million other things. It made me see things a little clearer, and I freaked out.”

  “Why?”