Slipperless Series (Book #1)(5)

“Gabe,” I muttered.

“Wooo…” Cheri cooed. “Angelic.”

“You’re going to have to get used to this kind of thing, Fiona.” Ellie added.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You’re gorgeous.” Ellie said. “You know, finally coming out of your shell. Men are going to notice.” She glanced back over and sucked her lower lip in as a flash of lust came to her eyes. “I wish he'd notice me. If you don’t want him, I’d gladly take him off your hands.”

“You guys are being ridiculous, okay?” I groaned, as I shrugged off their comments. “Our conversation was really awkward. And anyway, it doesn’t matter. There’s no way he’d be interested in me.”

Just then, the waitress appeared, providing me with a much needed respite from their relentless grilling. As the girls asked questions about the menu, I peeked over Ellie’s shoulder back in Gabe’s direction only to find him staring straight at me.

What the hell am I doing to myself? This is ridiculous, Fiona. Stop it. Now.

Sinking down into the cool leather of the booth a bit further, I tugged my sweater down over my curves before reaching up to grab my menu. I was being stupid. Now was not the time to lose focus. Not after all the years I’d put in to get to where I was. Tomorrow was too important and this discussion was nothing more than pure silliness.

Wasting time fantasizing about it wouldn’t help me one bit when I interviewed at Hawkins Biotech. It literally was my dream job. Something I’d lusted after ever since I decided what I wanted to do for a career ten years earlier. I've heard that’s what tragedy does to a person. It focuses their priorities in life. I’d never really given the notion too much credence though. It was natural for me to plan, think ahead. You know... budget, calculate, count, save and control.

My friends teased me with comments about having chronic OCD and the like. Frankly, I didn’t understand how anyone got by without discipline in life. Most people could do with a little more organization, structure and control in their lives, not less. But anyway, I’d grown used to the jokes. What stung at first, maybe even hurt, rolled right off me now.

I was in charge and doing exactly what I wanted.

Besides, I wasn’t the girl who got the guy, and a random encounter in a stupid bar wasn’t about to change that fact. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was inexperienced, but one drunken screw in my sophomore year left me with little interest in chasing men around, so I didn’t bother. Of course tonight, the girls weren’t having any of it.

“What did he say to you?” Kelly asked, as eagerness flashed to her features.

Still nursing my soda from earlier, I took a sip of the bubbly citrus drink before placing it back down on the table.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

As I lied, I reached down and flicked at my charm bracelet, spinning the four different-colored gems in order, one after the other.

“Don’t ignore us, Fiona,” Christine warned. “If you do, we're going to go right over to your little archangel’s table and give him your number.”

“No!” I exclaimed with a loud whisper, knowing they’d make good on their promise. I glared at my friends, sending a not-so-subtle warning to them as I moved from one to the next, staring them down.

“Well if you ask me…” Kelly snorted as she dismissed my non-verbal threat. “By the look in his eye, he’d take you to the coat room and try to fuck you right now if he had the chance.”

Reaching my hands up into my hair, I groaned as I leaned forward and propped myself up on the table’s edge with my elbows. Kelly’s comment only made things worse. My suddenly skanky friends began to grunt in agreement with her offensive assertion.

“Yeah he would,” Ellie said with a throaty tone.

“You guys!” I said as I pulled my hands out of my hair and dropped them to the tablecloth, palms flat. “Enough. Now, this is supposed to be a nice quiet evening. Please don't stress me out. You know I won’t be able to sleep. I don’t want to get sick because I’m exhausted.”

“Oh poo,” Ellie groaned.

“Yeah, really Fiona.” Christine added. “You’re never sick. It's all in your head.”

“That’s not true,” I replied, straightening up in the booth. As if they needed a reminder, I rattled off my current string of ailments including my unexplained knee and ankle injuries from last year. Then of course there were my seasonal allergies, a persistent sore throat and the occasional migraine. The fact that I didn’t come from the strongest stock never seemed to be of any importance to them.