Secret Cravings(7)
On the Tuesday after he’d met Nichole and Luke at Silver Lace, he ran up the steps to his apartment and right into Nichole. The shorts and T-shirt she was wearing looked cute, and his body took notice. Joey drooled beside her, drawing Bryan’s attention with soft woofs.
After Bryan had given Joey a pat on the head, his gaze swung to Nichole’s. They stared at each other for a long moment. He didn’t know what to say. The attraction was there, and he wouldn’t mind getting to know her. Maybe he was moving too fast.
“Hi,” Nichole said.
“Hi.”
Nichole looked away, disappointment evident on her face. She started moving and he knew he had to act.
“Hey, listen. I’m really bad at this and I know you’re busy working. Would you like to get something to eat at some point? You know, together?”
“Wow, you are bad. Was that you asking me out on a date?”
Heat crept up his neck, and he looked away, embarrassed by his stupidity. He’d made a fool of himself—no way would she ever want to see him. Luke was the type of guy who drew her interest, not him.
She reached out and touched his face. “Hey, I think it’s sweet that you suck at picking up girls. You want to go grab a cup of coffee now?”
“I can’t, I have to start work. I have a call in about twenty minutes.”
“Oh.”
“Tomorrow, I’m free. Can you get here earlier?” He checked his phone for the time. It was almost nine. “Like, eight?”
“Sure. I’ll see you then.”
“Great.”
Work flew by, and a bubble of excitement grew in Bryan’s chest as the day turned to night. It was the first night he’d felt even close to chipper as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
Bryan woke way too early—close to four—and his mind raced as he thought about Michael and what he’d be doing today. He got up and dressed, then headed out for a walk. Depression had done a number on him after Stephanie had left. Maybe spending some time with Nichole would help.
On his way back to his apartment, when he was still about a block away, he ran into her. “Hey, Nichole. I’m glad you showed up.”
“I’m a little early.” She had on a pair of jeans and a white shirt. She looked totally hot.
“It’s okay. Want to grab something at the diner across the street?” His nerves were getting the better of him. If he wanted to make her feel ill at ease, all he had to do was keep acting the way he was right now. God, I’m such a dork.
He held open the door for her and led her into the retro Fifties eatery. He hadn’t been here in a few months, but the place never changed. He grabbed a seat and tapped his fingers on the table, his gaze catching Nichole’s, then flitting away. Cool topics filtered through his thoughts, but he didn’t have the concentration to speak about any of them. Her beautiful eyes were making him hot and bothered.
“I’m sorry, I’m just nervous. I haven’t been out in a while, and the truth is, I’m just not that good at impressing women on first dates…or second dates.”
“What about third dates?”
“I don’t know. I usually scare women off by then.” He laughed with her and the ice was broken. Throughout breakfast, they talked about nothing important, but he felt better than he had in ages.
“I’d like to see you again. Well, that is, if you want to. We could…I don’t know, maybe do something.” Bryan stumbled through the words, his face heating with each syllable.
“Wow, you do suck at talking to girls.”
Bryan was making a fool of himself and he wished he could stop, but he didn’t know how, and, after what his ex had put him through, any confidence he’d had around women had died. Then there was part of him that wished she were Luke. If he were truthful with himself, he would admit that he wanted to date guys instead. Hell, he’d probably suck at that too. “Yeah, it really is a me thing. So can you do breakfast again on Thursday?”
“Sure, I would love to.”
Bryan didn’t even try to kiss her as they left the diner. They were just friends right now. Maybe they could be more, but he didn’t want to chance it until he felt that they could withstand the pressure.
* * * *
On Thursday they met again, and talked about nothing in particular. Bryan felt like a dork throughout most of the meal, and he wondered what he was doing. Maybe dating men would be easier. The reluctance to push forward could stem from his past failures, but something told him it was more than that. When they parted company Nichole lifted up and kissed his cheek, and he felt almost nothing. She took his number and said she would call on Sunday.