“You weren’t the one causing a scene in the first place,” Felix countered. “It was those alphas. And, er, me and Sammy.”
I waved it off. It was in the past now. “In any case, I’ll definitely be returning here. If you’d be so kind as to let me know which dates you work, Felix, I would appreciate that.”
There was a beat of silence, which worried me. After all this time, was he going to turn me down? I couldn’t be simply imagining the spark between us, could I? Felix must have felt it too.
But when he spoke again, it was a lowered voice, for my ears only. “I’m free tonight. After my shift.”
I wasn’t sure if I heard him correctly, but as his words settled in me, like silt at the bottom of the ocean, the full effect hit me.
Felix wanted me tonight.
“Are you?” I asked in a murmur, just to make sure his offer was crystal clear.
“Yes.” He hesitated. “But it can’t be at my place. Roommates.”
My heart pounded wildly, like a racehorse released from the gates. “Then I’ll give you my address. I’m not far from here. Maybe you can walk there when your shift is over.” I grinned. “That is, if you’re still interested. No pressure.”
As I stood from the table, River rose with me. He extricated himself from his spot and pressed close to my leg again as I gripped the handle of his harness.
“I’m looking forward to your decision,” I told Felix.
* * *
My skin prickledwith anticipation the entire afternoon.
When I arrived home, I freed River from his harness and opened the backyard door for him to do his business and relax a little, since I didn’t need him to work inside the house. Meanwhile, I showered quickly and spruced up as my heart continued to hammer away.
Today felt like a surreal dream, and regardless if Felix actually showed up or not, I was eager to have some thread of hope to hold on to.
As I toweled off my hair, my mind played back our encounter at the café. His gentle but firm voice, his surprise when I’d praised him, the way he stood up for me, and nearly refused to let me pay for his valuable time . . . all of it vibrated in my mind, almost as if to create a shape of his essence.
It was selfish, but I didn’t want to let him go. There was nothing to do at this point except wait for him to show up or not. But I really wished he would. Mywantwas almost childish. I’d never yearned for something so desperately.
But I would not let my fantasies spiral out of control. This was a man I’d only just met, only spoken to for a few hours. Idle thoughts were fine, but letting him take over my mind was dangerous and would only end in heartbreak.
Just play it cool,I told myself.He might not even come over tonight, and you have to be okay with that. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
I inhaled deeply then exhaled, recalling how I would do the same thing before meeting celebrity clients for the first time. They were people, just like me.
No need to get all worked up about it.
Still, my anxious energy got the best of me and I paced around the front hall. I heard River’s tags jingle as he trotted back inside the house and shook off his fur.
“Finished taking a big dump, are you?” I asked him.
He panted.
When the doorbell rang, I nearly leapt out of my skin. River was trained not to bark at people at the door, but from the sharp jangle of his tags I knew he was alert and ready.
“Hold your horses, there, bud,” I said, not exactly sure if I was saying it to my dog or to myself.
It was always fun answering the door when I had no idea was on the other side. As a safety precaution, I had to ask, “Who is it?”
Still, I tried not to get my hopes up for Felix’s arrival. It might be canvassers or kids selling cookies--the latter of which I’d have some use for if Felixdidn’tshow up. I could easily go through a box of Thin Mints while wallowing in self-pity.
But the voice that returned my greeting on the other side of the door sent shivers through me.
“It’s Felix. From the café.”
