Kacie joked a bit about my time obsession but misread it as my hormones calling out to my fiancé. I laughed, and played along but only because it was much better than the reality. Stefan had talked about coming around, but maybe I read way too much into it. Not that I didn't believe he enjoyed being here, or that he didn't plan on returning. But he was the Harrison of Harrison Towers, his time was precious. It was unrealistic to expect anything more.
My last client of the morning was gone and I was officially supposed to be on a lunch break. Instead I sunk down into Tyler's chair, while he played with my hair and tried to cheer up my bummer mood. He finally gave up and walked off to get something to drink. A dazed fog filled my mind, and when someone's hands rest on top of my shoulders, I nearly jumped through the roof. Gasping to catch my breath I heard Stefan's familiar snicker. I whipped my head, around and smacked my hand across his chest.
Stefan laughed harder and stroked my hair gently. It was such a normal gesture of comfort that it took me a minute to realize what he was doing.
"I almost forgot how jumpy you can get."
"Please, feel free to forget again."
His pearly white smile made something deep in my core spark to life. It was difficult to explain, but it felt as though a switch had been flipped. Now that smile didn't just warm my heart but made my knees weak. I was utterly mystified by the instinctual reaction.
"Oh, I wouldn't dare forget something like that now."
I rolled my eyes, deciding to test my balance getting back onto my feet. A momentary wobble quickly vanished, and I was back to normal. "What are you doing here?"
His finger pointed at Tyler's station counter where two brown bags rest. I had no idea what it was, but they smelt absolutely heavenly. "Brought some lunch, if you have time."
"How did you know this was my lunch break?" I raised my eyebrow and stared him down attempting to add a little intimidation. Determination to find out exactly what Stefan knew about my life had set in within the first ten minutes of opening my eyes this morning.
His smirk grew as he fully understood what I was up to. "I actually had no idea, but this is mine and I didn't feel like spending any more time in the office. Figured I'd pick up some food and see if my darling friend was hungry."
"You didn't want to spend more time there? Are you implying that your work ran into the early morning hours?"
If he didn't log off for the night as promised I was going to catch him. It wasn't a life or death matter, but the teasing nature of our conversation was making it impossible to back down.
Stefan leaned in, leaving just a few inches in between us. The overwhelming response my body had at the sudden closeness set my nerves on high alert. The subtle hints of cologne tickled my nose. The warmth radiating from him circled around me in a delicious haze.
"11:59." I stared at him blankly for a few seconds. I had almost forgotten the question I asked as chills raced around every inch of my body.
Struggling to fight the pull of overpowering emotions, our conversation came back to me. "A minute before? That's impressive."
"Does that mean I earned your company for an hour to eat lunch?"
My lips twitched up at the corners. "It is the least I could do. You did much better than I anticipated."
"Being able to surprise people is one of my favorite things."
"Well, then you get a gold star for the day." Neither of us had attempted to put space in between our growing closeness. My back, up against the chair, and Stefan's arm holding it steady leaning in, was an unmistakably intimate position. It hadn't occurred to me that this increasingly intimate conversation was taking place on the salon floor.
"I'll start a collection." Stefan winked before backing away, apparently sensing my immediate discomfort being around this many people. "Want to eat in here, or outside?"
"The break room will work just fine, if that's alright with you?"
He nodded. "Lead the way, pretty girl." There was no need to tell me twice, escaping the watchful eyes of all who knew me became top priority. Well, right behind purposely avoiding Kacie's reaction. Sure, everything between us had been cleared but defending Stefan's position of friendship would be much more challenging if we continued responding to each other in this way.
Tyler was the other person with a lunch break at the same time, and I knew he planned to eat out. The break room kept our visit from being smack in the center of prying eyes, but public enough to be acceptable for a couple of friends.