by Shae Scott
“So…you’re here with your clients?” he asked, looking around to see who I was with.
“Yes, they are at a table over there,” I nodded across the room. I was getting us some drinks. We are waiting on a table.”
He nodded. “We were just finishing up here,” he said. “We’re about to head over to a bar on 53rd. Maybe you could come by after you finish with your meeting,” he suggested, his gaze once again demanding my full attention.
My head spun. The past five minutes had thrown me for a loop. None of it felt real. Here I am, working on this big account and now all of a sudden Owen is standing in front of me after nearly ten years and he’s asking me to meet up with him later. I could hardly even form a sentence.
“Um…yeah,” I stumbled out. I shook my head and tried to shake the fuzzy from my brain.
He smiled down at me. “I’d love to catch up.” His eyes held a mischievous look in them, one that made a shiver run through me.
“Me too,” I managed, returning his smile and for a moment it felt as if the whole world had stopped.
I still had a slight fog about me as I returned to the clients at the table. I managed a smile as I set down the drinks and took my seat. I needed to focus and get through this meeting. It was important. But damn, all I could think about were those eyes, that body. Owen. Here. And I was going to see him soon. Just the thought made my heart speed up. I was sure anyone looking at me could see how flustered I was.
“Okay, where were we?” I smiled over to Mr. Campbell. I could do this.
I pulled up to the address that Owen had given me. It looked like a nice bar, with its sleek exterior, and dark windows that kept the secrets of the patrons playing inside. I took a deep breath and tried to give myself a pep talk. Why was I so nervous? Oh, yeah, because the man was hot as hell. Those eyes…if I had thought they were easy to fall into before, I was mistaken…they were nothing but trouble, smoldering, confident and full of promise. This pep talk wasn’t going as I’d hoped. I was just creating new nerves by thinking about him.
Never, in a million years, would I have expected to see him here. I was just getting used to talking to him online, or text, or occasional phone call. I needed to take this slowly. This was not part of my plan. Ha. Like I had a plan. I tried to remind myself that this was just Owen. We talked all the time. He knew me. Things with us had always been easy. This was just drinks. Drinks with Owen. Tall, sexy, grown up Owen who radiated pure sex. Or maybe it was just me. Maybe I was still caught up in the image I had carried with me all of these years. Or maybe it was just the sweet way he was getting to know me over these past couple of months. It was hard to reconcile the sweet person on the other end of my email chats, who wanted to know my favorite color and what was on my bucket list, with the handsome man who had stood in front of me a couple of hours ago. It just didn’t feel real.
Okay. I couldn’t sit in the car forever. I had to go in. I shot him a quick text telling him I was here and on my way in and moved to the entrance. I stepped into the dim foyer, thumping music assaulting me instantly. There were lights pulsing and the air seemed to vibrate with energy. I passed the door man my ID and was about to hand over my cover when I saw a figure emerge from the shadows.
“I got this,” Owen smiled as he handed some bills to the bouncer. “Hi,” he smiled down at me and held out his hand. I took it and he pulled me deeper into the club. “I’m glad that you’re here,” he said leaning down so I could hear him. His breath was warm against my skin. I shivered. As we walked I took in my surroundings. The whole scene was a bit overwhelming.
“It’s loud,” I said absently as I looked around. I heard him chuckle as he guided me along with a strong hand at my lower back.
“Don’t worry; we have a room in the back. It’s quieter.”
“Okay,” I smiled. He took me into what looked to be a VIP section. It was quieter in here, the music muffled. There were tables scattered about, but surprisingly the room was fairly empty. I could see a big table in the back, filled with a group of rambunctious guys. “Is that your crew?” I asked smiling.
He laughed. “Yeah, they are feeling pretty good. We’ll say hi and maybe grab another table,” he offered. We made our way over to the tables and judging from the bottles scattered along the surface, they were having a great time. There were six of them, all about Owen’s age, well dressed and well groomed. They looked fun.
Owen left his hand on my back as he introduced me to his friends, it felt protective. “Hey, Guys. This is my long lost friend, Ally. Be nice to her. She’s special,” he warned. But his eyes were playful as he glanced back down at me.
“Hey, Ally!!! Join us. You can tell us all stories about this fucker. I know you’ve got to have dirt on him.” I smiled at the sandy haired man, leaning back in his chair and ruffling his hair in a carefree kind of way.
“I don’t think so,” Owen laughed. “I’m not letting her anywhere near you Neanderthals. We’re gonna find our own table. I don’t trust any of you where she is concerned,” he said taking my hand. I’m pretty sure he was only half joking. He led us to a table near one of the windows. You could see the people passing on the street outside and even in this loud club, it felt kind of private.
A waitress appeared almost instantly and took my order. I ordered a beer and settled back into my seat. The booth seats had high backs and were covered in soft leather. The lights were dim, but cast a soft glow all around us. I shrugged off my jacket and put it beside me. I caught a glance at Owen who seemed to be studying me. I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, and I hoped he couldn’t see through me. His features were so familiar. The line of his jaw, the deep blue of his eyes, the way his lip lifted to the left side when he smiled just a little. I knew it all. But, there was something new about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I assumed it was just the fact that he was now a man. There weren’t many traces of the boy I knew. He had more of an edge to him now. It was there in the hard lines and the air of responsibility, or maybe it was control. I’m not sure, but the difference felt acute and it warred with the feel of familiar that I had being near him. It made for a very odd sensation.
“You’re quiet,” he said. I smiled. He always did that. He didn’t often give me much of a break. He just put it out there. I both loved and hated that.
“I guess I’m a little nervous. It’s a bit surreal to be sitting here with you,” I admitted. I wouldn’t let my gaze drop, even though looking him in the eye made my heart race.
“I make you nervous? That’s new,” he said, taking a draw from his bottle of Sam Adams. I was rescued momentarily as the waitress set down my drink.
“It’s just the situation. I mean, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other,” I pointed out. I felt my face flush as I thought about the last time we’d spent time together. I wondered if he was thinking about it too. I thought I saw something flash across his eyes, but it was gone before I could identify it.
“Well, I’m glad fate brought you here tonight,” he said simply. I felt a jolt as he reached across the table and covered my hand with his. His smile was genuine and it danced in his eyes. I was pretty sure if he were a Disney character that there would have been a full out twinkle star beside him.
“I am too. It’s really good to see you,” I agreed.
“So tell me about your meeting. Did it go well?” he asked. He leaned back into his seat and I could think a little clearer now that he wasn’t touching me.
“It did. I’ve been working on this deal for awhile. I’ve worked on other projects with them, but now they are starting a new company and I really want to sign them on with our agency. It would be a really big get. I feel like we are getting close,” I said.
“That’s great. I hope you get it,” he said. And with that, we moved into easier conversation. The nervousness began to fade away and I found myself in comfortable territory.
We talked about random subjects, everything from where we’d traveled to arguing abo
ut trivial things like the relevance of Airheads in the taffy family, a discussion that had me full out laughing. It felt like before, the random turning into full on deep conversation. No matter the subject matter, with him, it was always interesting. It was just one more reminder of how much I had missed him, missed us.
It was nearly 3 hours later; the guys at the table had given up over an hour ago and stumbled back to the hotel. They seemed like a good group. I liked seeing him like this. When we were growing up he’d always told me how his goal was to get out of town and make something of himself. He wanted to do big things and prove something to his family. Honestly, I think it was more about proving something to himself. But I was glad to see that he had done it. I’d had no doubt that he would. He was just that determined and focused.
“I think they are about to shut it down,” Owen said, glancing around the room. The waitress had done last call awhile ago and the lights were slowly starting to come up.
“Yeah, I think they are going to kick us out,” I laughed. I reached for my coat and began to shrug it on. “This was fun. A nice surprise,” I smiled across the table at him. He smiled back, giving me his megawatt smile. It made me laugh.
“What?” he asked laughing.
“I just haven’t seen that big grin in a long time,” I laughed making it to my feet. He raised his eyebrow at me and grunted.
“Yeah, well, I don’t have occasion to use it all that much,” he said. He took my hand in his and started to lead me to the door. The feel of his hand in mine brought back the jolt and butterflies that I had managed to shed during our conversation. Now I was right back to frazzled mess.
“Where are you parked?” he asked, looking down at me. I pointed to where my rental sat beneath a streetlight. We walked towards it and I felt growing disappointment at the fact that we would be going our separate ways. Now that I’d seen him face to face I hated the fact that he no longer lived in the same city as me. It had been a nice buffer when we were just chatting and emailing, but now…now that I remembered what it was like to be around him, the idea of him living hours away just made me sad.
We’d reached my car, but I still hadn’t made a move to leave. “I really don’t want you to walk away and me not see you again,” he said, his voice a little gravelly.
“I talk to you all the time,” I smiled, leaning back against the car. I was feeling lightheaded from the beer and a little heady from his proximity. I couldn’t deny the pull that I felt with him. It made everything feel a little off kilter and yet completely steady all at once. I was having a hard time taking the boy I knew and the man in front of me and reconciling the two.
“Yeah, but I like seeing you while we’re talking. I’ve missed this,” he smiled.
“I like seeing you, too,” I admitted. His eyes were hypnotic and I know I could easily get lost in them. I’d always known it was dangerous to get lost in those eyes. But now, after all of this time, things were different. We weren’t kids anymore. Looking at the man in front of me and the reaction my body was having to him was enough proof of that. This man was more than I could handle. I was pretty sure of it. Still, there was that pull.
“Good,” he said leaning in a little closer. I felt my breath catch wondering if maybe he was going to kiss me. He seemed to be wondering the same thing as question and indecision danced across his features. I was sure he was about to close the distance, but then he moved back. I felt real disappointment at the loss of proximity.
We were quiet again, neither of us wanting to end the moment. I couldn’t help but study him. I began to catalog each of his features. I wanted to be able to amend my mental picture of him from this point forward. Just in case. It felt like he was about to walk away from me again and I couldn’t help but want to find a way to stall him.
“Look, I know it’s late and that you have an early flight in the morning, but if you want to hang out longer…” He was looking at me and at that moment I saw a hint of the boy I used to know. I bit my lip to keep from looking overly anxious by blurting out, YES. “I’d invite you over to the hotel, but I’m sharing a suite with a bunch of smelly dudes,” he said.
“You could come back with me.” The words were out before I’d had time to think them through. Had I really just invited Owen to my room at two in the morning? If I didn’t have such a history with him, I’d probably feel a little cheap. But honestly, I just wasn’t ready to let this night end.
He smiled and I couldn’t help but swoon at his little smirk. I’d seen it many times, but having its full power unleashed on me was new.
“I’d like that,” he said, taking a step closer.
“Okay then, let’s go,” I managed.
Chapter Nine
Owen didn’t have a car. He’d ridden over with the guys and had planned on taking a cab home. He climbed in with me and we headed to my hotel. Neither of us said much on the drive. Maybe he, like me, was wondering if this was a good idea. I kind of hated myself for feeling so much angst at this situation. But he made me feel 17 again and I felt way out of my league with the whole situation.
The valet took the car and we headed towards the elevators. We made small talk as we waited. I kind of wanted to go hide under a rock. I was suddenly very nervous. Maybe it was the silence or the small confined elevator, but by the time we actually reached my room I was a hot mess on the inside. I really hoped he couldn’t tell. Honestly, it kind of seemed like he was in the same boat. He was distracted, looking around the room, eyes pausing on the bed before taking a seat on the sofa. I let out a breath and headed to the mini fridge.
“Drink?” I asked pulling two tumblers off of the shelf.
“Please.” He leaned back into the couch and made himself comfortable. He crossed one leg over his knee and watched me as I made us each a drink. I made mine a little stronger. I kicked off my heels and moved over to join him on the sofa. “Thanks,” he smiled, taking a sip, his eyes still on my face.
“Stop looking at me like that,” I blurted. He laughed. Loudly.
“How am I looking at you?” he asked.
I sighed. “I don’t know…like you read my mind or something.”
“I can’t. But now I wish that I could,” he smiled. I shook my head and settled into the corner of the couch and pulled a pillow onto my lap and faced him.
“You’re nervous again.” It wasn’t a question. The fact that he wasn’t afraid to point out my nerves frustrated me. Couldn’t he just let me pretend I was hiding it?
“I know. It’s not really nerves as much as it is just when I think about the situation I can barely believe that we are here right now,” I admitted.
“You mean, here in this room?” he asked. The way he said it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. For some reason it felt intimate.
“No,” I lied. “I mean, it’s odd for me. Sometimes when I look at you I see the old Owen. Then, you are someone completely new. It’s strange to fit both of you together.” I wondered if I was making any sense.
He smiled. “Still the same Owen for the most part,” he said. He looked so relaxed, so comfortable that I began to feel my own guard slipping.
“Yeah,” I agreed quietly.
“I feel the same way, ya know. I mean as much as you are my Ally from before, you’re different. You have life under your belt now. It’s made you more…” He let the sentence fall, unable to pinpoint the words. I was still stuck on my Ally.
“More?” I urged him on, curious as to how he saw me now.
He took a sip of his drink and held my gaze over the rim of the glass. It was a look with so many layers, yet I couldn’t grasp a single one long enough to make sense of it. “Just more,” he finally said.
“So tell me more about Chicago,” I said, changing the subject. He shifted in his seat a little.
“Chicago. It’s windy,” he smiled.
“You mentioned that. How did you end up there?” I asked relaxing into the pillows behind me.
Owen shrugged. “Work. Af
ter school I got an internship with the company. I ended up working under Max, the owner, and he kind of took me under his wing. He taught me the business from the ground up. He’s given me so many opportunities and now I’m looking at becoming a VP in the near future,” he said.
I smiled. “It’s nice seeing you so successful. All of those times that you vowed to leave town and make things happen…you did it. I always knew that you would,” I admitted.
He chuckled. “I don’t know. I just wanted to prove myself, you know? You know how it was. I think everyone thought I’d just end up like my dad. I didn’t want that to happen,” he said.
“No one thought that. It was just pressure you put on yourself. I’ve always believed in you,” I said. I cringed a little at myself, wondering if I was sounding too much like a sappy cheerleader. But it was true. I had always known that Owen was going to go places. He had a drive like nobody else that I’d ever known. He was determined to not be like his father, but it was his own vision that he was trying to escape. He thought he was destined to be a screw up so he was constantly fighting against it. But I don’t think anyone thought he was going to head down that path.
“Either way, it pushed me. And I’m happy where I’ve ended up. It feels good to have done well.” He looked a little sheepish having just praised himself. “That sounded kind of arrogant didn’t it?” he laughed shyly.
“No. You’ve worked hard, you should own that,” I said.
“That’s why I love talking to you. I don’t have to worry that the shit I say is going to come out wrong. You never judge me, Ally.” I loved to hear him say my name.
“I know where you come from,” I offered. He smiled.
“You want another drink?” I asked noticing his was empty.
“Sure,” he handed me the glass. I got up to fill our glasses and ended up just bringing the bottle back with me.