“Hey,” he said, lifting his chin just slightly. His eyes found me immediately, blue and clear, like an open sky.
“Hey,” I replied, silently praying my voice stayed exactly where I wanted it. Calm. Unbothered. Normal.
“You’re beautiful,” Austin said as he stepped closer, his hand already moving toward my waist. I sucked in a quiet breath through my nose, fighting the instinct to turn my head away. To hide whatever reaction I knew was written all over my face. But I remembered his words at the waterfall. About not shutting down. About letting him see me. So I didn’t move. His hand settled at my waist. And just like that, his smile disappeared.
“So,” he said slowly, his gaze dropping to my shirt. His voice had changed. It was no longer warm or sweet. It was low. Tight. “This outfit isn’t just a one time thing, huh?”
“Nope,” I shrugged, glancing down at the tiny red top myself. “It’s the uniform for the wait staff.”
“I see,” he said, nodding once. His jaw tightened. I could see it clearly now.
“What?” I tilted my head at him. “You don’t like it?”
Before he could answer, Levi’s voice cut in from behind him. “Oh, he likes it.”
I tore my eyes away from Austin, finally noticing Cherry and Levi standing a few feet back. It struck me then just how completely I’d zeroed in on Austin. I hadn’t heard them come in. Hadn’t heard Cherry speak. Hadn’t even registered Levi’s presence at all.
“So then?” I laughed, shaking my head like I could reset the moment.
“He knows it makes all our pervy customers think about fucking you,” Cherry said casually, like she was commenting on the weather. And now that I think about it, she probably wasn’t wrong.
Austin let out a low chuckle, the sound vibrating through his chest as he shook his head. His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me into his space without hesitation. I went willingly. “She’s not wrong,” he said.
“If it makes you feel any better,” I shrugged, “the men who come here are so gross they’d probably think the same thing even if I wore a snowsuit.”
“It doesn’t,” Austin replied immediately. His mouth stayed in a frown for only a second longer before his smile returned, but the tension beneath it didn’t disappear entirely. “I didn’t think I’d see you tonight,” he said quietly, the words brushing my skin like a secret. “I can’t thank Cherry enough for the call.”
“You could’ve called yourself,” I reminded him.
“I’m trying not to seem too desperate for you, Yellow,” he murmured, his voice slipping straight into my ear.
“I don’t know if that’s working,” I teased, hoping he knew I was joking. Austin didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who was ever desperate for anyone.
“Do you want us to leave you two here,” Levi called from behind us, “or are you coming?” Cherry’s giggle followed immediately.
“I wouldn’t mind having you all to myself,” Austin said, never taking his eyes off me.
“Oh, we’re not alone,” I replied. “Greg’s here.”
“Who’s Greg?” Austin asked, his brows pulling together.
“The guy who makes her wear that uniform,” Cherry chimed in helpfully, because of course she did.
Austin’s eyes narrowed as the words landed. I felt him straighten beside me, his gaze finally leaving my face as he scanned the restaurant behind me. “Makes you?” he asked.
I let out an amused sigh and reached for the hand still resting on my waist, lacing my fingers through his instead. “Come on.”
I followed Cherry and Levi out into the night, watching them from the corner of my eye. They weren’t touching. They weren’t even standing close. And yet something unmistakable stretched between them, tugging them together with shared glances and smiles that came from the same place. Austin’s car waited at the curb. He didn’t hesitate before opening the passenger door for me, smiling like he was holding onto a secret as I climbed inside. Behind us, Cherry and Levi spoke in hushed voices as they slid into the back seat. I thought about how different this was from the last time we’d all been together. Back then, Levi had carried Cherry in while she was barely conscious. Now she was giggling at him like he was the funniest person alive.
“So,” Austin said, pulling me from my thoughts. “Since we came to the rescue tonight, do you have anything in mind?”
“Oh, you didn’t rescue anyone except Cherry and her delusional ideas,” I said lightly. But Austin was already smiling at me like he knew the truth. And maybe he did. “I actually know a place,” I said.
Austin looked surprised. He cocked his head, his smile pulling wide as the corners of his eyes crinkled. “Oh, you know a place?” he repeated, like the idea amused him more than it should have.
“Yeah,” I laughed, unable to help myself. His energy was contagious. “I know a place.”
“Well, if Yellow knows a place, then Yellow knows a place,” Austin said decisively, already shifting the car into drive. “And that’s where we’re going.”
