Chapter Eight
Malcolm
Sometimes, I really wished I had friends outside of my colleagues at the library. I loved the people I worked with, and it wasn’t uncommon for me to meet a fellow librarian for lunch or a movie. But when it came down to stuff like picking out an outfit for a date, I felt like I was at a bit of a loss.
That’s how I ended up standing on the street outside my apartment, worrying about whether I should have picked a different sweater for the evening and using my phone to check my hair for the tenth time.
Gunner was fifteen minutes late, which shouldn’t have surprised me. But the second I heard the rumble of a truck, coughing its way down the street, I knew it was him. The vehicle was a big old beater, with dents on the side and a front bumper that looked like it had been reattached. But when he pulled up in front of me and reached across to throw the door open, I practically swooned right there.
“What are you staring at?” he asked. “Get in.”
Gunner was wearing that black leather jacket he liked. Worn over a gray T-shirt and a pair of black jeans, it gave him a dashing quality that I hadn’t picked up on the first time we met. I crawled into the passenger seat, the smell of gasoline filling my nose, and he immediately kicked the truck into gear.
“Thanks for picking me up,” I said hesitantly. Gunner hadn’t given me any indication what we were going to do on this date, insisting it was more fun to be surprised, and as he started to steer away from my apartment, a new wave of anxiety rose up.
Four-star restaurants? Contemporary dance? Museum openings? I knew the ins and outs of dates like that, from the casual conversation over appetizers to the polite kiss on the cheek at the end of the night. Chugging along the streets of Seattle in a truck that felt like it might collapse into pieces, however, left me totally clueless.
Gunner turned, glancing at me out of the side of his eye. “A cutie like you? I’d drive across town any day.”
Swoon.
“Anyway,” Gunner continued, “we just finished up a major demolition project. I have a few days off and plenty of time to kill. Might as well get up to trouble, right?”
I didn’t ask what trouble meant in this instance. “I’ve got a few days off, too.”
“Well then, glad we don’t have to be in any hurry.”
I swallowed my discomfort, tracing my fingers along the worn interior of the vehicle. “How was the demolition job?”
Gunner shrugged, then flipped on the radio, some classic rock playing quietly through the static in the background. “It was fine. Nothing too big. We even finished early yesterday. Gave me and the other guys a little time to hang out and shoot the shit on the boss’s dime, you know?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I love the team I work with. We don’t get a lot of time to hang out at work, but a few of my coworkers have become my best friends here in Seattle.” I opened my mouth to tell him about Linda and the trips we took every season to the botanical gardens but managed to stop myself just in time. Even though Gunner seemed to like how nerdy I was, mentioning my passion for gardening didn’t seem like the right first date move.
“Yeah, my crew at work hits up the bar together sometimes when we clock off. I usually don’t join, though. Once I’m out for the day, I’m out.”
Gunner steered the truck up the hill, and I realized we were heading toward Lake Washington on the edge of the city. I racked my brain, trying to remember what was over on that side of town. Maybe a cool restaurant I didn’t know about? Or a bar Gunner liked?
He glanced me out the corner of his eye, smiling. “You worried over there?”
“What? No, why do you ask?”
He laughed. “You’re frowning and staring out the window. Don’t worry about it, Malcolm. I’m not going to take you to some roadhouse.”
I swallowed. “Where are you taking me then?”
As I asked, we rolled to the top of another hill, and I saw the lake stretching out in the distance. I could see the tops of the buildings from the other side, but mainly, I just noticed the crystal water, calm while the sun began to set.
“Just the lake, Malcolm. No big thing,” he answered. “How’s that sound?”
I smiled. “I love the lake,” I said. “It’s my favorite part of the city.”
“Look at that. Me too. We got more in common than you think.”
Gunner parked the truck on the street. When we hopped out, he lit a cigarette, spinning the lighter in his hand for a minute. I felt nervous and tingly all over, but unlike last time, I wasn’t obsessed with whether or not he liked me. He was so cocky and self-assured. It just seemed obvious he didn’t do a damn thing unless he wanted to do it.
Walking to the lake, I started to really believe that he wanted me. Usually, dates were such formal affairs, you barely got around to knowing each other, at least not in any real way. But chilling together at the lake seemed easy, natural. It seemed fun, even.
If he’d just put that nasty cigarette out, the night would practically be perfect.
