"Cobb Salad? Seriously?" Vinny yelled, throwing his hands up the instant the timer went off. "Who gets dermatologist and Cobb Salad in the same turn? I don’t even know what Cobb Salad is!"
"The Real Australians for the win!" Grace announced. "Are you sure you guys aren't cheating?"
"I think they are," Emma said, squinting at us playfully.
"I promise!" I said. I turned to stare at EJ, and our eyes locked. "We did not cheat, did we?"
"No," he said, answering me and not looking away.
"Tell them."
"We didn’t cheat," he said. "We dusted you guys off fair and square." EJ had been joking around some while we were playing the game, but it was the first bit of smack talk, and everyone loved it and made noises in response to his statement.
I glanced downward. The eye contact and the joking around with my friends… it all felt very couple-ish. We had not made any sort of physical contact, but I knew my friends were watching us. The longer we were there, the more I could see them starting to assume that something was happening between us.
"Does anyone want to catch a late feature after this?" Wyatt asked.
"I'll go to a movie," Zoey said.
Chapter 13
I had to work the following morning, but I couldn’t let the evening end. Every time EJ came to Pittsburgh, I had this feeling that it was the last time I'd see him. I knew he was planning on staying the weekend, but I already felt like it was going too fast.
That being said, we decided to seize the day and go to the late feature with my friends even though I had to work the following day. I had a few one-on-one conversations with people behind EJ's back during the evening, and all of them loved EJ and wanted to know if I was going to start dating him.
He and I had been an amazing team, but there had been no physical contact or outward flirting in front of my friends. They all knew where I stood with men, so I got by with assuring them there was nothing between us and that we were just old childhood friends. Even still, they were all really impressed that I brought over someone so famous, and everyone was doing their best to be cool and funny in front of him.
I wanted so badly to reach over and hold his hand during the movie. It would have been easy enough to "accidentally" touch him. But my friends were there, and the space between us in those movie theater chairs seemed like a gigantic chasm. I just couldn't reach over and make contact without myfriends noticing. I knew I probably shouldn't do it at all. But I wanted to. It was wonderful having him there.
It was a good evening, and I hated it to end, but it was after midnight when we got back to my place, and I knew I had to get some rest. EJ got out of his truck when he parked in front of the salon. "I'm not coming in," he clarified, coming around to meet me on the sidewalk. "I just wanted to walk you to your door."
I smiled at him, wondering where he got the energy to hustle. I was feeling dazed and out of it. I had a long day of work, followed by the surprise visit, game night, and then the movie. We walked along the path and toward the outside staircase on the side of the house.
"I don't feel like I can fall asleep right this second, but I know I need to," I said to him.
"I know," he said. "You do need rest. Do you want to hang out after work tomorrow?"
I gave him a grin. "I thought we were. I thought that was the plan."
"Yes. Definitely," he said. "What time?"
"I get off at three if you want to come by then."
"Okay. I'll be here," he said. "Bye, Savannah. Thanks for tonight."
Before I knew what was happening, EJ picked up my hand, gave the back side of it a quick kiss, and put it down again. He didn't even hesitate or try to do anything else.
"Oh, okay, bye," I said, a wave of disappointment washing over me.
He was already turning to walk away, and he looked over his shoulder. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."
I waved and smiled at him, and he took off. All I could see was his athletic backside as he walked away.What had just happened?I couldn’t help but feel rejected. I thought I was the one who had the walls up. I thought for sure he would be standing at my door right now giving me the 'for old times' sake' routine. But no. He had walked me to the stairs and said goodnight. He left with no hesitation. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had done something wrong.
I went to bed that night overthinking everything. Maybe he just didn't kiss me because he assumed I didn't want to be kissed. I had told him that, after all. I was happy EJ was still in town, though, and I couldn’t wait to see him the following day.
My morning was booked. I wasn't supposed to work this Saturday, and the rest of the stylists had a wedding party booked from eight to noon. My clients came in one after another, and we worked around the chaos of having a bride and all of her bridesmaids in the salon. It was loud and great, and my customers were part of the action all morning. For lunch, I ate a bite of some two-day-old pasta salad that I had gotten at a deli.
One of my afternoon appointments had some cookies with her, and she gave me one of them. I ate half of it at 2pm, and the next thing I knew, it was three and I was finishing up with my last appointment. I finished a little early, thinking EJ would be waiting for me, but he wasn't. I told Bree to send him to me when he got there, and I went back to my station to clean.
