His kindness, openness, and honesty. The way he looks into your eyes when he speaks and makes sure he hears every word you say before forming a reply that isn’t just slop, but serious and thoughtful.
It’s his soft, guiding touches when the floor is slippery and the guarding the bathroom door to wait while I collect myself because he knows that if he doesn’t, I’ll hide away in here until the place closes. It’s unhealthy to put him beneath the light I should be shining on potential boyfriends. We’re best friends, and that won’t ever change.
That’s all we’re supposed to be.
16
A few kidseye me curiously as I pace outside the washroom, no doubt wondering why the hell a guy who’s wearing sunglasses indoors looks like he’s a second away from busting in the door instead of walking in.
I’ve lost control of the calm demeanour I came here with. Each time I reach up to scratch my neck, I know I look antsy, drawing suspicious glances. I can’t help it. Not when I know Aubrey’s hiding away, clearly upset. My gut pangs, and I glare at the door, debating for the fifteenth time whether it’s worth it to barge in.
That’s the last thing she wants.
Frowning, I scrape my brain for any hint as to what I’ve done wrong here. Everything seemed to be going fine on this date, but then I looked behind me and checked for her the same way I had been for the last hour, only to realize she wasn’t there. Panic shot through me like lightning before I wiggled my fingers out of Callie’s and slipped through the crowd back the way we came.
It could come off as extreme protectiveness, but it’s not that. Not completely. Aubrey isn’t the type of woman who shows her emotions freely, so when I called and I heard the crack in hervoice that she was trying to hide? Yeah, there wasn’t a chance I was going to overlook that.
So, here I am, prowling the hallway in front of the women’s washroom while people pass me and gawk like they don’t know whether to call security or come over to ask if I’m okay.
The watch on my wrist feels heavier than normal when I glance at the face, noting the time. It’s only been ten minutes, but that’s still too long. Until I see her face to face and can figure out what’s wrong, I won’t be able to relax.
I tap my foot on the ground as another two minutes pass. “Screw it.”
Without giving myself a second to talk myself out of this, I reach for the door and give the handle a push at the same time someone pulls it from the other side. I lean back out of the way when the woman jolts forward, eyes widening. Bright, red-rimmed blue eyes, to be exact.
“What are you doing?” Aubrey rambles, stomping out of the bathroom.
We both stumble away from the door and into one of the many shadows in the hallway. Without my pacing, nobody gives us a second look as they pass. My relief is short-lived when I stare back into her heavy, sad gaze, feeling the way my heart immediately gives a sharp twist.
I reach for her without a second thought and pull her into my arms. She goes still, tensing for a beat before relaxing and bringing her hands to rest cautiously at my low back, like she isn’t sure if she should reciprocate or not. Her hair tickles my jaw as I press it to her head and inhale, calming my frantic pulse.
She presses her face into my shoulder and keeps the thoughts running rampant in her mind to herself. I want to hear every single one of them. I’m one hitched breath away from demanding she tells me what I want to hear, but I hold her for asecond longer instead, hoping like hell I’m able to make her feel better.
The air is chilled when she pulls back. I frown at the sudden emptiness it sweeps in with it.
“You’re a mother hen, Finn,” she says flippantly, fidgeting with her hair.
“So be it. That doesn’t make me any less worried.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s written in a dating handbook that you’re not supposed to ditch a girl in order to go linger outside of a washroom for your best friend.”
I shake that off, my frown deepening. “Did something happen? Is Lydia okay?”
“Nothing happened. Work’s fine. I just wasn’t feeling well and needed a minute.”
“You’re lying to me.”
Her features tighten, and I watch as she closes off her gaze, lining it with the armour she doesn’t go anywhere without. “Let it go. You have a date to finish, and I haven’t learned anything yet.”
“The date is over. We’re leaving.”
She gawks at me like I’ve just grown a second head. “No, it isn’t. We’re here for a reason.”
“And that reason’s not important to me right now.”
“Finn.”
I shake my head. “Callie’s already gone.”
