“Were you fine talking to other guys because you thought this wasn’t a real relationship?”
Well, it wasn’t. Was it?
“Zack…” I deflated. This situation was unraveling quicker than I could fix it. “This is real for me. Almost, at least. I’ll explain everything after this. But please. Trust me."
“Okay." He sighed, then shook out his shoulders. “Let’s get this over with.” He rubbed his ear and marched back to the table. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault that guy’s a jerk.” Shelby glared at the exit and crossed her arms. It was weird. Normally, she was so bubbly. Not that it was all she was allowed to be, but this energy was uncomfortable to say the least.
Harvey nudged her. “Everybody’s fine.”
“Yep.” I sat amid the awkward tension.
Zack could barely look at me, but the rest of his coworkers stared plenty. The bartender reenacted our recent ‘scene’ to our waitress. This was going to be the longest double date in history.
Zack rubbed his neck. “I’m going to be honest. I normally throw people out for fights, even if they didn’t start them.”
Yeah, but he also gave them rides home and lent them jackets. Of course, my situation might’ve been an exception.
Harvey nodded. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”
“Do you mind if I take a rain check? You two can stay and enjoy the pretzel bites,” Zack said.
Shelby sat up. “We can go with you. We’ll be your backup in case that guy comes around again.”
At that, he finally cracked a smile. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay. Nic will be with me.” He nudged me with his elbow.
I looped my arm through his and nodded. I was with him. As long as I could be.
Of course, that wasn’t too long in a literal sense, considering we drove separately, but once we got to my place and he fell into step beside me, I assured myself this would be easy.
“Do you want anything to drink?” I asked him, peeling off my coat.
“No thanks. I’d rather get right to the explanation.”
“Oh, okay.” I hung my jacket, then hurried to sit next to him on the couch.
He didn’t even take his coat off. Maybe he planned on leaving no matter what I said.
We faced each other, our knees touching, and my heart fluttered against my ribcage.
This wasn’t a big deal. It didn’t have to be.
He laid a hand on my back, his warmth seeping into my spine. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head. “Yeah. Sorry, I don’t tell many people about this, so it takes a second to come up with the best way to say it. I didn’t think to tell you earlier because we weren’t actually going to be dating. But then we became friends, and now, maybe we’re becoming…”
“More.” He said it like a fact, like he was so sure we could be together. Hopefully, he’d feel that way after I explained.
I rubbed the hem of my shirt to wipe my sweaty palms. “Will you try to keep an open mind?”
He eased onto the cushions and unzipped his coat. “I’m listening.”
Okay, that almost put me at ease.
I got out my phone and tapped it against my thigh. “So, when I was just starting out, I discovered this casting call for foot models.”
He nodded. “Shoes and stuff.”
