7. ~ James ~
CHAPTER 7
~ James ~
I checked my phone again for a text from Char, barely refraining from sending her another. She was always amped about milkshakes, so why was she ghosting me? Something was definitely wrong.
I popped onto the various apps where we were friends, checking their maps, disappointed to see she was good about her privacy, and hadn’t allowed her current location to be shared. Maybe I could convince her, for safety reasons, that she should always share her location with me.
Yeah, and come off as a stalker.
I’d been playing the long game, understanding instinctively that she could be easily spooked. She was strong, smart, fun and outgoing, but when it came to love, there was a big hurt hiding behind her sunny smile. Who had hurt her? She didn’t talk about her past much, and I wondered if she suffered through a broken engagement, horrible breakup, or been cheated on.
Whatever it was, I vowed to never be a repeat. And so we’d slowly become friends, and I’d let her learn to trust me. Trust was huge for her, something not freely given, and every time she let me in a bit further, I felt like I’d won a massive prize.
But, we were in the friend zone, and I feared that if I made a move that was too fast or direct, I might scare her off. Especially if she didn’t want to move beyond friends. And there were several reasons why she might not want to.
First was smarmy Greg, the museum’s tour guide. He was smooth and flattered Char in a way that often made her blush and run her fingers through her hair. Was she interested or merely flattered? He was always asking Char about her passion—ancient pottery. She gave him interesting tidbits which he then used in his tours, delighting her. I wasn’t the kind of guy who’d knock down another to prove my worthiness to a woman, but Greg sure made me want to.
Second, Char rarely stayed in during the evenings, and always seemed to be on the go. Whereas I didn’t think twice about crashing my parents’ games night with the neighbours. I liked my close-knit family. I also enjoyed adventure, however Char craved it like it was oxygen. Did she see us as too different?
It also didn’t help that she’d never given off the interested vibe until more recently.
But tonight, the way she’d kept touching me, and had that whisper of possible jealousy when she’d asked about my date…
She could be interested. Definitely.
It was time to make a move, but I was nervous. I’d been holding back my attraction for so long, I feared that if she gave even so much as a hint that it was okay, I’d sweep her into my arms and kiss her breathless, confess my love and ask her to move in with me.
A bit much. To say I was way ahead of her was more than an understatement.
Drumming my fingers on the steering wheel, I sat in my car, mindlessly driving, not ready to head home to my lonely basement suite.
I was worried about Char tonight, and wasn’t sure why. She’d seemed nervous and awkward, like something was off kilter in her life and had sent her thoughts elsewhere.
Who did she have looking out for her? Her roommates were busy with their own lives, and it sounded as though her family wasn’t that close. How would anyone know if she was in trouble and needed help? Who would she call? Tamara, for sure. But did she know that I’d also be there, night or day?
My phone vibrated, and I leapt to check the screen at the next red light, the tension draining from my shoulders and neck as I read the message.
Museum Babe (Char)
Hey, sorry about that. Is it 2 late for milkshakes?
Me
Never.
Where R U? Pick U up?
Museum Babe (Char)
Walking north on 10th.
Of course. Why hadn’t I thought of swinging out that way?
Well, because knowing where she’d planned to go was not an invitation to show up there. That would be overeager and send her running.
I already felt like I had no game around this woman, and it made me careful. Maybe too careful. But I’d never had to hold back while pursuing a woman like I did with Char, and it was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.
But she was worth it.
Unable to bury the smile that came with the knowledge that I’d soon be hanging out with her, I headed south past SAIT’s campus, and over the bridge into the downtown’s west end.
Minutes later, I slowed along tenth before spying her walking like she was trying to put distance between her and wherever she’d been. I pulled up alongside her.
She opened the car door and leaned in when I came to a stop. “Hey, cutie! Heading my way?” She fluttered her lashes in what was probably supposed to be flirty. It was adorable and so innocent I wanted to cup her beautiful face and kiss her.
“You bat your eyes at anyone going to Peter’s?”
“Pretty much.” She climbed in, doing up her seatbelt with trembling fingers. She smelled like fresh spring air.
I maneuvered the car through the quiet city streets, driving north, the last of the day’s sunshine long gone from the sky.
“How’s it going?” I tried for casual, reading her for signs on what had happened since I’d seen her last. She seemed her usual upbeat self, but there was a stitch of preoccupation in her expression, and an atypical quiet about her. Plus, there was the whole shaking-hands thing and the speed-walking she’d been doing.
Her voice grew low, like a kid in trouble. “Sorry about your date.” Her eyebrows pitched upward as if she felt personally responsible for the way things hadn’t worked out with me and what’s-her-face.
“It’s fine. Can’t even remember her name.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t choose for your date to get cancelled.”
I shrugged. “Things happen.”
“A timely coincidence?” she muttered under her breath.
“What about you? Your walk-by seemed to take a while.”
Char remained silent, watching the city from the side window. Finally, she shifted, facing me. “Have you ever made a wish and had it come true?”
“Probably.”
“No, for real.”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Think of one.”
I laughed at her intensity. What bone had she locked onto now? I knew she’d gnaw it until she was done, but I had no clue how long that would take, or what this was about. I loved that she kept me on my toes and I could never guess where her busy mind was at. “I’ve wished for a basketball game win.”
She was quiet a second. “That’s not a real wish.”
“You don’t know guys.”
“Do you believe in paranormal…things?”
“Like ghosts?”
“More like magical beings. Like fairy godmothers.” She was eyeing me in a way that suggested my answer was important, and that I should tread carefully. “Like maybe things exist that we can’t see? Ogres? Unicorns? Fairies?”
“My cousin went through a fairy phase. She loved them. She believed they’re real.”
She’d also been six. Char was a few decades beyond that.
She hunched deeper into her seat. “I always thought fairies were winged.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” What on earth had she seen in the past hour and a half and why were we talking about fairies?
She shifted to watch me, face creased with concentration. “Think if they were real, they’d be our size? And have no wings?”
“Dunno. Doesn’t really sound like a fairy.”
“Right?” She pushed back in her seat, head shaking. “People are crazy.”
I chuckled and allowed my imagination to roam. “I think, personally, if all that were real, I’d want to see fire-breathing dragons.”
She watched me from the corner of her eye. “What about a witch or an ogre?”
“Nah, I’d choose to see something awe-inspiring and beautiful.” As I pulled up at a red light, I met her gaze on the last word.