The Exception(49)

Simon tossed his napkin onto the table. “I’m going to run to the men’s room real fast, if that’s okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” I was relieved that he needed to get up.

Simon got up and walked to the front of the restaurant and I relaxed back into my chair, watching the sweat drip down my water glass. My chest felt heavy and I knew it was going to be a really long night.

I sat for a long time, replaying Simon’s words, trying to figure out what was going on. Something wasn’t right, but I wasn’t sure what. Baffled, I grabbed my phone from my purse and turned it back on. I saw a text from Kari and a voicemail from Cane.

Ignoring the voicemail, I opened my texts.

Kari: Hey! Where are you tonight!? I want to watch Sons of Anarchy! Charlie Hun-yum, baby!

Me: I’m out for a little while. Definitely having a movie night when I get back!

Kari: What are you doing?

I shoved my phone back in my purse, ignoring the last question.

I would so rather be home right now with Kari and a bunch of rowdy motorcycle men than in this restaurant, apparently alone. But alone is better than having Simon across from me.

“Is everything all right?” Jennifer asked, setting down our plates.

“Yes, thank you.” I looked at her face. She had wide, friendly brown eyes and freckles. She seemed like the type of girl that I would be friends with. I half wished that I knew her and could ask her to tell Simon I had an emergency and had to leave.

“If you need anything else, please just let me know.”

I need a lot of things, but nothing that can be fixed by the mark of a waitress’s pen.

I watched her walk away before turning my attention to the delicious looking entrée in front of me.

“Hey! Sorry about that,” Simon said with a spring in his step. He pulled his chair out and sat down. “This looks really good.”

“Yeah, it does,” I said, watching him suspiciously. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is great,” he said, smiling and digging into his food with a vigor he didn’t seem to have before. His pupils were dilated and something just seemed strange about him.

We ate quietly for the most part, Simon talking pretty much nonstop. I was having a little trouble following along from topic to topic. My appetite had vanished, so I pushed my fish around on my plate, breaking it into tiny pieces and mixing it in with the vegetables. Simon rambled on and on and I tuned him out.

“Fuck!” Simon snapped. I jumped in my seat at his exclamation. “I dropped my fork on the floor.”

His reaction seemed a little much in light of the situation and I watched him closely. There was a small sheen of sweat across his forehead and his eyes were darting around the room.

“I’m sure we can get you another one,” I offered, looking around for the waitress. I sat my fork down, my hand shaking slightly.

“I’m done with this anyway.” He flashed me a wicked grin and I tensed. “Are you finished?”

I nodded slowly, feeling my senses go on alert.

“Can I get the ticket, please?” Simon asked Jennifer as she walked by.

“Thank you for dinner tonight. It was very nice.” I quickly grabbed my purse off of the chair next to me, ready to get out of there; I had never been happier to see a date end in my life. I just wanted to go home.

Jennifer returned with the check and Simon paid the bill. He escorted me out of the restaurant, the warm air hitting us in the face as we stepped outside. Despite the temperature, I wrapped my arms across my chest and picked up the pace towards my car.

The parking lot was busy near the entrance to the restaurant, but as we neared the back, it became almost vacant. The sky was pitch black, not a star in sight.

Simon walked beside me, not saying anything until we reached my door.

“So, do you want to follow me back to my place?” He placed his hand on my lower back and I instinctively pulled away.

“You know, Simon, Kari sent me a text and needs me to come home. So I think I’ll pass.” I hit the unlock feature and grabbed the handle.

“Excuse me?” he asked, wedging himself between me and the door.

I took a step back. “I need to get home. So, if you’ll move, I’ll be on my way.” I mustered all of the courage I could find within me and looked him directly in the eye, trying to portray strength even though I felt weak.

“Your sister needs you an awful lot,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s the thing about having a sister,” I said, taking another step back. “You have to be there for them whenever they need you.”

“So, maybe another time?”

“Sure.” I opened the door, hoping he would take the bait of an empty promise. I started to step in and he grabbed my arm.