by Jami Wagner
I kiss her back, grabbing her hips and moving her between me and the counter. I pin her there as I bring our bodies closer together. Her tongue slips into my mouth and she deepens the kiss. At this rate, we’ll never make it to dinner.
“We should probably get going,” she says between kisses, and I regrettably step away. She puts the flowers in water and I take her hand, pulling her next to me as we walk to my bike. “We’re not seriously riding that, are we?” she asks with a panicked look on her face.
“We are. Is this okay?”
“Yeah, I just – I’ve never been on the back of one of these before,” she says and I catch the small blush that fills her cheeks. I hand her a helmet and then help her put it on before doing the same for myself.
“Just hold on tight,” I say as I back the bike out of her driveway.
I made plans for us to go to Italios Pasta House for dinner and then walk downtown and talk. I’m following Sara’s advice to get to know her. It’s a little late, but we’re going to have plenty of time together to make up for that. I haven’t told Kelsey any of this, but I have a feeling she will enjoy it.
“Don’t you want to know where I’m taking you for our date?” I ask.
“Nope. I trust you.” She says it like it’s that simple. If she only knew what I came here to do for my father. I would lose her trust the moment I earned it.
I start the bike, its engine roaring as we pull out of the driveway. The last girl I had on my bike tried to talk the entire time. It was hard to hear her, and by the time we got off she was mad and claimed I was ignoring her. With Kelsey it’s nothing but peaceful. Her arms are wrapped around me and I can feel her chest against my back as she rests against me. Everything with Kelsey is easy and feels perfect.
I pull into the parking lot and hear her clapping behind me. When I glance back she has a giant grin on her face.
“How did you know this was my favorite place?”
I shrug and turn off the engine. “When I would visit in the summers, we always came here for your birthday.”
“You remember that?”
“I remember everything. Even the part where I was only invited because Sara’s mom made her invite me.” I laugh. “But I was happy either way. I got to see you. That was the only reason I kept coming back.”
“Oh,” she says and looks away as her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. She blushes more than anyone I know, but she looks damn adorable every time.
I hold the bike steady as she gets off and then I hold her hand as we walk inside. The smell of pasta and fresh bread fill the restaurant and my stomach growls.
“Two?” the young boy behind the wooden stand asks.
“Yes. It should be under Connelly.” He scans the paper in front of him with his index finger and then taps it against the stand.
“Yep. Please follow me.”
I place my hand at the small of Kelsey’s back as we follow the kid. He shows us to a corner booth and sets the menus down, leaving us alone. Kelsey scoots inside the booth and I scoot in right next to her.
“It’s smells so good in here,” she says.
“Yeah, I’m starving,” I reply, opening a menu. “Are you going to order the four cheese stuffed ravioli in Alfredo sauce?”
She smiles at me, nods, and looks back to her menu. “I can’t believe you remember that. I was impressed enough that you remembered my favorite restaurant.”
“I probably remember a lot more than you think.”
“Hmm, okay, name three things,” she challenges me in a flirty tone.
“Only three?”
“Yep.” She wiggles three fingers in the air.
“Alright, I remember how every Fourth of July you were crazy into those red, white, blue firecracker popsicles. I swear you ate one every day for a month every summer.”
She laughs but nods.
“When Sara’s parents would throw her birthday barbeque, you spent more time helping her mother make sure everything was ready than hanging out with your girlfriends. Making other people happy made you happy. You’ve always been selfless like that and it’s a beautiful trait to have.”
Her eyes meet mine, but she doesn’t say anything.
“And I also remember when I kissed you behind Sara’s house that day—from that moment on I knew you would always be special to me.”
A gloss takes over her golden eyes, causing them to shine bright. She leans over and gently presses her lips to mine.
The waiter clears his throat and Kelsey pulls away. She blushes but doesn’t try to hide it the way she does every other time it happens. He takes our drink order, leaving us alone again, and like love-struck fools, we just smile at each other.
I’m nailing this date thing. Being with Kelsey is so easy and if I can get her to smile that way every time she sees me, I’ll be one happy man.
Kelsey
Our date is going amazingly. The food was great, but the company is the best I could’ve asked for. We finished eating about an hour ago, but we’ve been sitting here talking about the things we’ve missed over the years.
I told him about my parents and their dream to travel. I told him about my little brother who left the day after he graduated and who I’ve only spoken with on the phone since that day. I told him about school and all the pointless details that got me to where I am now. I don’t tell him about my ex, because during those summers Ethan visited, Tyler was his friend. I don’t want to ruin things if they still are. Still, I feel as though we’re far enough into the conversation I can ask him the one question I’ve been dying to know.
“Your dad owns a lot of his own businesses, so why did you come to the BA instead of working for him?”
Ethan plays with the fork still left on the table as he debates his answer.
“He never offered me a spot to work with him.” His voice is low, and from the way his face wrinkles as he says it, I can tell it’s something that bothers him. “I thought if I could come here and things went…as planned, he would be proud and maybe change his mind.”
His last words hit close to home. I know I’m an accounting major only to get my father’s attention, but I’m not letting that take over. I’m still writing and I’m applying for jobs that involve writing. But something in his voice alarms me. Like he’s letting his father decide how things will turn out for him instead of making that decision on his own.
“Have you talked to him about it?” I ask, hesitantly.
“No. Have you talked to your dad about what bothers you?”
I shake my head. “We may not see eye to eye and he isn’t very active in my life, but I know he loves me and one day things will be different.”
“Yeah, I don’t think my dad will ever change. My mom’s been trying to change him for years and the man won’t budge. He’s got a one-track mind. His way or no way.”
My heart breaks a little seeing this vulnerable side to Ethan. I want to change the subject because I don’t like him being upset, but I want him to know he can talk to me about these sort of things.
“Maybe—”
“How about we talk about something else?” he says in a much cheerier tone. “My family drama isn’t going to ruin the rest of the night.”
“Okay, but you can always—”
“I know,” he cuts me off and kisses my temple. “And thank you, but another night would be better.”
After Ethan pays the bill, he slowly laces his fingers with mine as I rise from my seat and in that moment the very person I wanted to avoid tonight walks past our table. Tyler. He stops in front of us, shock written all over his face. His eyes bounce back and forth between us.
“Ethan, I thought you were going to hit me up when you had a night off.” Tyler offers his hand and Ethan accepts it with a quick, firm shake that makes Tyler cringe. “We could grab a drink now; my dad would probably enjoy catching up with you too.”
“I’d love that,” Officer Maron says, walking up behind Tyler. “Kelsey, it’s great to see you agai
n.”
“Whoa, man, strong grip,” Tyler says, prying his hand away from Ethan. I hadn’t even realized they were still shaking hands. Weird.
“We were just leaving,” Ethan says. “Maybe next time.”
He rushes us to his bike, giving me my helmet before putting his on, too, and quickly pulls out the parking lot heading for home. Our date just went from good to bad in seconds, and now Tyler’s responsible for ruining something else that I wanted.
Ethan pulls the bike into his driveway and just sits there. The September air is growing colder and Ethan probably won’t be able to ride his bike much longer. His mood has taken a complete 180 since we left the restaurant, and after Logan told me how much this bike means to Ethan, I sit on the back, not rushing him.
“I’m sorry about that. I wanted to beat his face in, no questions asked.” He lets out a breath. “Logan told me what Tyler did and with who … I swear I didn’t know, and if I had I would have never shown up with her. I swear.”
“Ethan, stop, everything is fine.” I lift my leg over the bike, handing him my helmet so I can stand and face him. “Everyone makes mistakes—it’s how you handle them that defines who you are. Besides, we weren’t dating then, so I don’t really have a reason to be mad.”
“Still, I should have just asked why you couldn’t be with me before you caved and told me. It was a dick move.”
“Yeah, but at least you know it, and if Tyler hadn’t cheated on me, I wouldn’t be here right now, with you,” I flirt with him, noting the exact moment he relaxes. “So technically, we should thank Tyler for getting us here.”
He kicks the stand on the bike as he gets up. The look in his eyes twists my stomach as I lean forward over the bike. His lips press against mine.
“Did you say we were dating now?” he asks, pulling away only until the words are out. He kisses me again, but before I can answer, the sound of screeching tires skidding to a stop makes me jump back.
A truck the exact image of Ethan’s, only black, parks in front of his house. The dome light comes on at the same time Ethan whispers “fuck” behind me. I watch as the light fades and the driver’s door closes after someone gets out. Then a man, probably a few years older than Ethan, steps around the truck.
“Baby brother.” The man smiles coyly. “Looks like I’m crashing with you for a few days.”
Ethan groans and rubs his hands over his face. That’s not the reaction I would have if my brother showed up. I’d be thrilled and even hug him. Ethan might not be a hugging person, but he sure doesn’t look happy.
“Hey there,” the blonde man says to me. He reaches his hand out. “I’m Lance.”
I shake his hand. “Hi.”
He chuckles. “And you are?”
“I’m—”
“Leaving.” Ethan cuts in, walking around his bike to nudge me toward my house. “I’ll call you tomorrow. We can talk about that shift change then.”
What the—?
“Please,” he whispers so only I can hear him. His eyes are pleading as he darts them between me and his brother.
I get that he might not want his family to know he has something going on with me just yet, but it still stings that he is referring to me as just an employee right now. At least he could have told his brother I was a friend or a neighbor. Either way, this reaction is bullshit.
“Yeah, sure thing.” The sentence is nothing but sarcasm, and from the worried expression Ethan just gave me, he knows he just ruined our first date.
I walk away hearing a faint “she’s feisty” from his brother. I’d really like to turn around and flip him the bird, but I can be more mature about this. Instead, with all this run of new emotion I have, I think I’ll work on my essay. The life of a twenty-something girl and her failed attempts to make a relationship work with the same guy might make for interesting story. In fact, since this is going to be a column about my personal life, this would be a great opening piece and might just be the one to win me this job.
Chapter Twenty
Kelsey
I wrote the entire essay in two hours last night. Edited it first thing this morning and now I’m confidently handing it in.
“You’re really going to enter that? I didn’t realize you wanted to be a writer that badly,” Logan comments once I’ve returned to my seat. Professor Frank announced today was an in-class writing day, so everyone is sitting quietly at their seats, scribbling notes. Everyone except Logan because he doesn’t like to write. I glance at his paper, Hangman is all it shows. I laugh to myself, shaking my head.
“Like most of the other people in this class, I happen to enjoy writing.”
“But to do it every day?” He sounds doubtful.
“Twenty-four hours a day,” I assure him. “I’d love it.”
“Okay, why writing? Why not art?”
“Because I suck at art and writing just comes to me. I can have all these conversations in my head and assign them to different characters. I can give them lives I’ll never live. Fancier or maybe more exciting lives. It’s nothing different than a movie. I just leave mine on paper instead of making it into a film.” Not very many people ask me why I write anymore. It’s nice to know some people don’t just think I’m weird.
“So you write about the life you want?”
“No, that would be crazy and in some cases really disturbing.”
“Interesting,” he says, drawing up another hangman game. “So what’s up with you and Ethan?” Now I know why he was acting overly interested—he was building to this.
“Nothing.” I shrug.
“Lies. Come on, tell me.” His voice is nearing the begging side and that’s when it clicks.
“Sara asked you to ask me that, didn’t she?”
“Nope.” He shakes his head. “She did not.”
“Yeah, okay, we’re not really anything. I don’t think Ethan knows what he wants.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Okay everyone! Let’s end class here. If you haven’t turned your entry in for the columnist spot, you have exactly twenty seconds to do so or you’re out.”
I glance around to see who my competition might be, but no one steps up. I saw three other papers on the prof’s desk so I know I’m not alone, and he has more than one class, but the fewer who enter, the better. My paper is going to grab their attention, I just know it.
“Hey.” Logan taps my desk. “Let’s go and you can tell me your Ethan theory.”
I follow him out of the room with the other students.
“He was just acting weird last night after his brother showed up. He couldn’t even introduce me to him.”
Logan nods, pushing to doors open to step outside.
“It’s like one minute he likes me, the next he has no idea. I don’t get it.”
“Well, you better figure it out quick because confused lover boy is standing by your car.”
I stop, looking directly at Ethan. He’s got a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a nervous look on his face. This would be much easier if he could look happy all the time instead of like someone who keeps messing up. Or he could just stop messing up. I stroll toward him, crossing my arms over my chest. Whatever his excuse it this time, it better be good because I swear, one more chance is all this guy is going to get.
Ethan
I fucked up, again. At this point I should stop trying and just leave the girl alone, but I can’t. I’ve never found someone whose opinion meant more to me than my father’s and I’m not about to let her go that easily.
As she hesitantly approaches, I cringe inside at the reminder of how I put us into this spot.
I should have introduced her as my girlfriend. Anything would have been better than placing her into the employee category. I’m an idiot.
“Hey,” I say when she stops in front of me. I’m leaning against the hood of her car. I had this whole speech planned out. One where I confess, again, to what a jackass I am and how I won’t let it happen again. But now I can�
�t think of anything except just being near her.
Her eyebrow rises as she crosses her arms over her books in front of her.
“Do you think we can talk?” I ask. Kelsey huffs and her car chirps behind me once she’s hit the unlock button.
“No, you had time to talk last night, but instead you didn’t. Actually, that’s a lie. You said plenty when you made it clear to your brother that I was just an employee.”
She tries to nudge me away, but I don’t budge.
“I was caught off guard. I didn’t want my family to think I came down here to get managing experience only to start hooking up with someone who works there.”
“Well, you did.”
“Yeah, but not in the way it sounds.”
“That doesn’t even make sense, Ethan. If that’s not what happened between us, then what was it? We hooked up. It was fun. That’s the end of it.”
She jerks her car door hard, smacking me with it. I step back and grab the frame.
“I like you, Kelsey. It was more than just a hookup to me,” I finally admit. I don’t sound very manly, but sometimes the truth isn’t.
Kelsey laughs sarcastically. “Well, I’d hate to see how you treat the girl you fall in love with.”
“Just give me one more chance, Kelsey. I swear to you this time. I will not mess it up.”
“Ethan—”
I don’t let her finish the rejection that is on her lips. Instead, I crash mine against them. Her body freezes for a moment before her mouth responds. I grab the books out of her hand and toss them in the car.
This right here, the passion and the way I care about nothing but her, this is why I can’t stay away and it’s the exact reason why I have to get this right.
“This is your last chance,” she says. “I mean it, Ethan. I’m an idiot to give it to you, so do not make me look like a fool.”
I step back, holding her door until she slides inside her car.
“I won’t, you can trust me.”
Even as I say the words, I know they are just as much to convince myself as they are her. Now all I need to do is find the perfect time to explain further why I’m here and not working for my father.
