wrong.
“Where did you come from? I just texted you twenty minutes ago.” I slipped my gun back into its case.
“Lunch?” He completely ignored my question.
I’ll let that slide, too. After all, I did just ignore him. “Sounds good. Em has cheering practice right after school, so she won’t be home until four forty-five today.” I took my half-burnt cig out of the ashtray and closed up the office.
“So, I was thinking. I don’t know a thing about you except that your name is Nathan, you’re twenty-seven, and you have blue eyes.” I chuckled to hide my embarrassment. “I don’t even know where you live, how much time you have left to your visit here, if you have a job. I mean, you know my entire life’s story.” I locked the door and put on my sunglasses.
You could tell he was amused at the onslaught of questions by the way the corner of his lips tightened. “What do you want to know?” He let loose a bright smile that moved his ears it was so big.
“Uhhh, all of it?” I chortled, with a well duhh face.
“I’ll tell you over lunch, all right?” He led me down to the sidewalk and reached around me to put his hand on the small of my back. A quiet gasp escaped my lips when he touched me, and I stepped back a bit.
“You okay?” He looked down at me with those blue eyes.
Holy Moses, if he knew what that did to my insides.
“Yeah, startled me is all. Alone, eight years.”
He put his sunglasses on and his hood up. “Get used to it.” He smirked.
We ended up a block down at a pizzeria. His arm never strayed from my side. When we approached the entrance he held the door for two women walking out. They just stared at him. No, no, they gawked at him, mouths wide-open catching flies. Nathan pointed with his chin signaling for me to go in. As the door closed behind him, I heard them giggling like two giddy schoolgirls still staring through the big front window. A pang of annoyance shot through me, and it was as if he could read my mind.
“Calm down,” he said as put his hands on my shoulders guiding me to the back of the place.
“Jesus Christ, I haven’t been out of the game that long, have I? Like, it’s still not okay to act like that, right?” I furrowed my eyebrows as we sat down.
“I didn’t notice, Jordie. I was too busy enjoying my view.” He moved his eyebrows up and down.
“Shut up.” I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks, amongst other places. How does he do that? I was grateful that our waiter was a man, although he was eyeing Nathan as well. His demeanor was enthusiastic and overly polite when he took our order, far too chipper for a server. Then again, what did I know? I was no cheerleader behind the bar.
“So, what do you want to know about me?” His question dragged me out of my thoughts.
“How much longer will you be here in New York?”
“Eleven more days. I flew in on Friday.”
“Where are you staying?” I immediately shot the next question at him.
“At the Mercer in SoHo.” He cracked his knuckles and rested back in his seat.
Whoa... the Mercer. “Your musician friend must be more popular than you let on if you guys are shacked up at the Mercer.” I gave him a suspicious look.
The waiter came to the table and set our drinks in front of us.
“Thank you,” Nathan said to him and shifted his attention back to me. “Tyler has a following, a loyal following.”
I paused for a moment collecting my thoughts. I found myself getting lost in his lips and his eyes, sometimes even his hands when he spoke.
“What’s his name?”
“Tyler Duncan,” he answered as the waiter returned, bringing our pizza.
“You guys need anything else?” the waiter asked, still pushing hard for that big tip.
Nathan answered no and thanked him, and the guy practically skipped away from our table.
“Next,” Nathan said, slapping his hand on the table.
“Where are you from?”
“Sacramento, California,” he answered, chewing his pizza.
I picked mine up and
“Where did you come from? I just texted you twenty minutes ago.” I slipped my gun back into its case.
“Lunch?” He completely ignored my question.
I’ll let that slide, too. After all, I did just ignore him. “Sounds good. Em has cheering practice right after school, so she won’t be home until four forty-five today.” I took my half-burnt cig out of the ashtray and closed up the office.
“So, I was thinking. I don’t know a thing about you except that your name is Nathan, you’re twenty-seven, and you have blue eyes.” I chuckled to hide my embarrassment. “I don’t even know where you live, how much time you have left to your visit here, if you have a job. I mean, you know my entire life’s story.” I locked the door and put on my sunglasses.
You could tell he was amused at the onslaught of questions by the way the corner of his lips tightened. “What do you want to know?” He let loose a bright smile that moved his ears it was so big.
“Uhhh, all of it?” I chortled, with a well duhh face.
“I’ll tell you over lunch, all right?” He led me down to the sidewalk and reached around me to put his hand on the small of my back. A quiet gasp escaped my lips when he touched me, and I stepped back a bit.
“You okay?” He looked down at me with those blue eyes.
Holy Moses, if he knew what that did to my insides.
“Yeah, startled me is all. Alone, eight years.”
He put his sunglasses on and his hood up. “Get used to it.” He smirked.
We ended up a block down at a pizzeria. His arm never strayed from my side. When we approached the entrance he held the door for two women walking out. They just stared at him. No, no, they gawked at him, mouths wide-open catching flies. Nathan pointed with his chin signaling for me to go in. As the door closed behind him, I heard them giggling like two giddy schoolgirls still staring through the big front window. A pang of annoyance shot through me, and it was as if he could read my mind.
“Calm down,” he said as put his hands on my shoulders guiding me to the back of the place.
“Jesus Christ, I haven’t been out of the game that long, have I? Like, it’s still not okay to act like that, right?” I furrowed my eyebrows as we sat down.
“I didn’t notice, Jordie. I was too busy enjoying my view.” He moved his eyebrows up and down.
“Shut up.” I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks, amongst other places. How does he do that? I was grateful that our waiter was a man, although he was eyeing Nathan as well. His demeanor was enthusiastic and overly polite when he took our order, far too chipper for a server. Then again, what did I know? I was no cheerleader behind the bar.
“So, what do you want to know about me?” His question dragged me out of my thoughts.
“How much longer will you be here in New York?”
“Eleven more days. I flew in on Friday.”
“Where are you staying?” I immediately shot the next question at him.
“At the Mercer in SoHo.” He cracked his knuckles and rested back in his seat.
Whoa... the Mercer. “Your musician friend must be more popular than you let on if you guys are shacked up at the Mercer.” I gave him a suspicious look.
The waiter came to the table and set our drinks in front of us.
“Thank you,” Nathan said to him and shifted his attention back to me. “Tyler has a following, a loyal following.”
I paused for a moment collecting my thoughts. I found myself getting lost in his lips and his eyes, sometimes even his hands when he spoke.
“What’s his name?”
“Tyler Duncan,” he answered as the waiter returned, bringing our pizza.
“You guys need anything else?” the waiter asked, still pushing hard for that big tip.
Nathan answered no and thanked him, and the guy practically skipped away from our table.
“Next,” Nathan said, slapping his hand on the table.
“Where are you from?”
“Sacramento, California,” he answered, chewing his pizza.
I picked mine up and
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