I dip between patrons and the waitstaff until I’m in front of them. “Kai? Why are you ruining my weekly night out with my friends?”
The shock on Xander’s face hits me in the gut. I told him we’d go out tonight to make up for last night. I really tried to get out of it, but my friends kept insisting. It’s not like they’ve never missed a night out. But I get it, there’s been a lot going on with the shop and we all need to decompress.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My brother says before smirking and glancing at Xander. He knew exactly what he was doing.
I can’t say something to him right now. Later, though, he’ll be hearing everything I have to say. He purposefully brought Xander here tonight. Why? I don’t know. But it seems we haven’t been as secretive as we thought.
He taps on the top of the table before standing. “I need to hit the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as my brother vacates his seat, I slide into it. Because he’s an ass, I help myself to some of his fries. When I glance up, Xander’s eyes are on me.
“I thought we were hanging out tonight.” It’s not a question, but an accusation. He’s not wrong to be upset.
“I tried to. We have weekly friend dates. It’s how we hang out outside of work and we’re not allowed to talk about the shop. I did everything I could to get out of tonight, but they wouldn’t have it. I’m so sorry.”
“Honestly, I can understand that. But you could have texted me to let me know.” I grab his beer and take a sip. “I’m not the type of guy to try and pull you away from your friends. It just would have been nice to know we weren’t getting together. Then your brother invited me out, and I thought what the hell, only to see you walk in.”
Damn. I really did hurt his feelings. This is completely new territory for me. Well, relationships in general are new to me. I’ve never had to live my life wondering how it’s going to affect another person. “I really am sorry. My phone died and I didn’t think to charge it until we were leaving the shop.”
I know as soon as the words leave my mouth, it’s not a good enough excuse. I wouldn’t believe it if the shoe was on the other foot.
“I guess your brother brought me here on purpose?” Hurt flashes through his eyes, and I wish we were anywhere else but here.
“Most likely.” I run my hands over my braid. It’s a nervous habit I wish I could stop, but alas it’s here to stay. “I think they may have all been in on it to see if they could confirm that we’re seeing each other because my friends conveniently didn’t have a charger I could use for my phone.”
Xander glances in the direction of the table I left moments ago. “I’d say by the way they are staring in our direction, you’re right.”
“I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” I sigh and grab another fry off my brother’s plate. “There were easier ways they could have asked.”
“Or, we could have been upfront from the beginning.” Xander stares at me, knowing he’s right. This is all my doing because I was too scared to let my friends know that deep down, I might actually want a relationship.
“In hindsight, that may have been the best course of action.” Even now I refuse to fully admit he was right all along. “So, what do we do now?”
“Well, it seems like they know, so we might as well stop hiding. It’ll definitely make being at work easier.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep my eyes off you when we’re in the same room? Or not being able to tell you bye, when we leave? It’s torture.”
Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who feels that deeply. Even the guys that pursued me in college and after only wanted to get in my pants more than I was willing to allow. But that’s not all Xander wants. For whatever reason he actually wants me. My parents don’t even make me feel that I’m wanted. Only that I’m tolerated because I’m their daughter. It’s one of the reasons I never understood how Kai has managed to keep a somewhat positive relationship with them. He is the golden child, though.
“I didn’t realize it was that hard.” Another lie. It’s been difficult for me as well.
“Please, I see the way your eyes linger just a tad too long and you glance around the room to make sure nobody else noticed. Even though it looks like they’ve seen everything,” he reaches across the table and grabs my hand, “look, I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks. I want to be with you. I thought I could handle hiding things at work, but I can’t. And now that everyone knows, we shouldn’t have to. I’m not saying we need to be all over each other like my parents because honestly, that’s a little much for even my tastes. Let’s just go with the flow.”
“I think I can do that.” He titles his head and gives me a look. I’m not sure what that means. “It’s what I can offer right now. Even though I’m a few years older than you, I don’t have a ton of experience with relationships. I haven’t actually been in one since high school, but I’ll try.”
“That’s all I’m asking.” He lifts my hand and kisses the top of my knuckles. It something out of a romance movie, but I can’t deny the butterflies it sends fluttering in my stomach. This is something I can get used to.
Clapping erupts from across the room, louder than the music playing through the speakers, and we look for the source. Our co-workers, including my brother, are grinning as they make their applause. “It’s about damn time,” Kai yells and everyone’s attention turns to us.
“Want to get out of here?” Xander nods toward the door.
“Absolutely.” I can’t keep the grin off my face. This is what it feels like to be happy, and unafraid of showing it.
Xander lets go of my hand, pulls out his wallet, and throws some bills on the table. Probably enough to cover his and my brother’s meal because that’s the type of guy he is.
“We can grab something to eat on the way to your place.”
