I've walked by it. Multiple times. Deliberately. Trying desperately to get a glimpse of her. But again, not first date talk material. "The logo on your shirts. I kind of assumed, especially when I saw the shop."
"Oh, right. Yes, ‘Not Dead Yet’. Andrea, the owner, has quite a sense of humor. I've been there two years now." She pauses and dips the bread. "My parents think it's a waste of my potential. They wanted me to be ... I don't know, something impressive. Lawyer. Doctor. You know? But I love what I do, and I like the people I work with."
"That's what matters."
She smiles softly. "Most people tell me I should go back to school."
"I'm not most people. Besides, life's too short to do something that doesn't make you happy."
"Is that your life motto?"
"No. I saw that sticker on Roberta's cane."
Emily lets out an unladylike snort, and I chuckle.
Her hand rests beside mine on the tablecloth, a few inches separating us. Throughout the meal, those inches shrink. My pinkie grazes hers at one point. She doesn't pull back, and neither do I.
But even that small contact fries my brain, and my body responds as though it's foreplay.
"Roberta thinks you're terrifying, you know. She crosses herself every time you walk by, even if it's to help her."
"Roberta needs better hobbies."
"Her dog hates you."
"That dog hates everyone, much like your cat."
"Excuse me, Alex, but Croissant just acts like every cat does."
"How do you even sleep beside that? I’d feel like I'd wake up with its claws buried in my cheeks."
She laughs again, and this time she touches my arm briefly. The contact burns through my shirt. "Croissant can be very sweet when he feels like it."
"The scratches on your arm say otherwise."
Emily smiles and traces the rim of her wine glass with a finger. "You know, for someone with a reputation for being terrifying, you're surprisingly ... not terrible at conversation."
"Low bar, but I'll take it. If Roberta finds me terrifying, imagine if I start cracking jokes at her."
"I'm serious. I expected grunts and glaring."
"Night's not over."
She grins. "See? You're pretty funny."
"Please don't tell anyone that. I happen to like my terrifying reputation. It keeps people away."
Halfway through dinner, she admits something that catches me completely off guard. "You know, I have a little confession. I time my morning coffee to see you running."
My face must have shown my surprise because a crimson flush begins to creep along her cheeks and chest.
"God, that sounds creepy when I say it out loud. I just mean ... I know your schedule. It's why I'm on the balcony at exactly 6:15. You always run by at 6:17."
"I extend my route to see you on the balcony.”
Her jaw drops. "Wait. You've been watching me, too?"
"Yeah."
