Chapter 14
The following day
"Then we left our seats along with everyone else in the stadium," I said to Grace.
"But they were all going to the exits, and we headed downstairs in an elevator.
Hang on. Zoey, come hear this so I don't have to tell you again later.
" A lot of my friends went to the early service on Sunday morning.
Grace and I had been together, volunteering in the children's department, and we were just catching up with Zoey on the way out.
"I was just telling Grace about going to the baseball game with EJ last night. Vinny and Wyatt would have died."
"You guys hung out last night, too? You and EJ?" Zoey asked, making a face like that was a significant piece of information.
"No, we're just friends," I assured her.
"But it was really cool what we got to do.
He knows all those baseball players, and after the game, we got to go downstairs in the hallways with the locker rooms and everything.
I didn't go inside the locker room, but it was all part of the players' and coaches' area.
I shook hands with about five or six different players and coaches, and they were all really happy to see EJ.
He's popular with baseball players, and we were just chillin' down there.
One of them told EJ he was looking good, and EJ ended up telling him about me doing the haircut.
I gave him my card. I'm pretty sure he'll call. "
"You're going to cut a professional baseball player's hair?" Grace asked.
"Well, she's already cut EJ's hair," Zoey said. "Did you kiss him?" Zoey added, unable to help herself.
"No," I said, wishing it weren't true.
"But if anybody would make you rethink your dating policy, it would be him, though, right?" she asked.
"Yeah, no. I'm not thinking about that right now."
"But you spent the last two nights together?"
"We hung out, yes."
"Didn't he try to kiss you?"
"No."
"Not even after the game last night?" Zoey asked. "That would have been a freebie after letting you meet a whole baseball team."
"Zoey!" Grace said.
"No, we're just spending time together this weekend as friends," I clarified, trying to seem happy about it even though I didn't want that anymore.
"That's a bummer because you look good together," Zoey said. Grace elbowed her. "What? They're actually a cute couple."
"You keep pushing her about this guy, and you know she's been through a lot," Grace said. "She said she doesn’t want a boyfriend, and that's okay."
"Yeah, I'm, we're just spending time together as friends."
"Does Gabe know?" Grace asked. They both knew Gabe because he went to our church. He was the one who had gotten me to go there. He volunteered as a greeter. He was around the church a lot and popular with everyone.
"That I'm friends with EJ? Yeah, why?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. I know he's protective of you. I wondered if he said anything about it."
"No. He met EJ last time he was here, but he hasn't even seen him this time."
"Is he gone now? Back in Chicago?"
"No, he leaves in the morning. We're spending today together. I'm meeting him when I leave here."
Zoey bumped Grace's shoulder.
"Why didn't he come to church with you?" Grace asked. "Does he not like church?"
"No, I'm sure he would like it. I just didn't think of asking him.
I knew I'd be working in the back. I told him I was coming here and that I would meet him after.
I didn't even think about it. Okay, I guess I'm going so I can call EJ now," I said.
I hugged each of them. "I won't see you next weekend, but I'll be back the following. "
"Oh, that's right. Have fun in Italy," Zoey said.
"Keep us posted, and take pictures on your trip," Grace said. "And tell Gabe I want to go to Italy next time."
"I'll tell him," I said, hugging her. I hugged Zoey as well, and then I said quick hellos and goodbyes to a few other people before leaving the church.
I called EJ when I was on my way home, and he met me there. It was only 10am, but I had been up since six-thirty, so it felt later than that.
I was missing him. We had spent two amazing evenings together, and it seemed horrible and unfair that today was his last day.
I was nervous and had butterflies in my stomach as I approached my house.
I knew he had beaten me there because I could see his Tahoe parked on the street when I drove that way.
In my head, I knew that Christian had ruined me from wanting any sort of relationship with a man moving forward. But my heart was denying that. I kept catching myself thinking that things could work out with me and EJ.
My weakness, I feared, was a direct result of the fact that he had not kissed me or so much as laid a finger on me for two days. I was aching for him physically and also having to pretend that I didn't care because I wasn't supposed to care.
"Hey there, Eee-gh," I said, blurring the two letters together. His handsomeness caught me by surprise every time. Who else could make jeans and a t-shirt look like this?
"Hey, Savannah. How was church?"
"It was great. I should've invited you. I'm sorry I didn't. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I was thinking you wouldn't wanna get up that early."
"No, it's okay, I didn't want to intrude. I know you have a routine."
"I would have wanted you to come," I said. "I just didn't think about it. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I got some work done and worked out while I went to my own church."
"Where?" I said.
"In my earphones," he said.
"What'd you listen to?"
"Uh, it was about Jesus's first miracle. The wedding."
"Oh, wow, you really did go to church. You should've come with me," I said, shaking my head and feeling bad.
I turned and started walking up the sidewalk with him. I would have loved for him to come with me this morning, but maybe it worked out that I forgot to ask him because it made me seem more nonchalant than I felt. I basically wanted to cry from relief now that he was next to me, which was so weird.
"What did you decide you want to do today?" I asked.
The night before, we had talked about going for a walk together, and I had given him a choice of walking in the city or walking in nature.
"Nature," he said. "As long as I'm dressed okay for it."
"You are," I said, glancing at him. He was in jeans and a t-shirt with a baseball cap tennis shoes. It all fit him like a glove, and I had to look away so that I didn't notice his masculine appearance. It was better if I didn't take in the looks of his body or the way his muscles moved.
"I don't need gear?"
"No, I’m the one who needs to change," I said, since I had on a dress.
"I like your dress," he said.
I glanced at him. "Thank you."
We walked to my apartment through the stairway inside the salon, and EJ asked me a few questions about the business side of things, like profit margin on products and services. He was smart, and I could see how he and his brother were making such a success of their gym.
EJ waited in my living room while I changed, and when I came out, he asked me some things about my mosaics. We left while we were still talking about that, and the conversation naturally switched to other things as we were driving.
I set the map to take us to a trailhead I knew about for an easy but scenic hike that would take us about three hours.
I had done this trail with my friends before, and I knew it well.
It wasn't a very long or difficult hike, but I would take along some supplies just in case.
I knew there was a small convenience store nearby where we could pick up some snacks and water.
I brought a backpack with me, and I would stash everything in there to have with us on the trail.
EJ was athletic and irresistible, and taking him on a picturesque hike where he parkoured on rocks and was friendly and wonderful with passersby was probably not the wisest thing to do on my end.
I knew he was a rare catch already, and seeing him in action on a hike with a beautiful natural background was a lot to behold.
I got through it by not looking at him much.
I did glance over, but I had to look at him a minimum amount of times—less than I wanted to.
We made it to the lookout at the top of a hill, and we stopped to eat a snack, talking the whole time.
Even then, I hardly looked at him. It was nice to have the scenery to distract me.
EJ was not pushing any flirting or physical attention.
We were talking and being friends, and that really shouldn't have felt so heartbreaking.
I was a good actress, though, and I didn't break character or tell him the truth about my feelings.
This weekend would be over soon, and my feelings would likely change. Feelings were good at that, after all.
It had taken us the better part of an hour to drive home from the hike.
It was mid-afternoon by the time we got back to my place, and we were both hungry.
We ordered take-out and ate it while watching The Goonies.
We talked some more while a reality cooking show was on in the background.
I learned a lot about him and his life and business.
I asked him questions about it before, but we talked so thoroughly that day that I had a good feel for his mindset and his daily routine.
He told me some about his family. He couldn't help it because he was close to them, it came across in his stories. But I never prompted the conversation about them or asked specific questions. I felt too vulnerable when I started talking about his family.
We talked until midnight. I knew it was midnight because his watch beeped and he glanced at it. He took a deep breath. "I'd better head out," he said. "My flight's at seven, and I'm going straight to the gym when I land. And you… you're going to Italy tomorrow."
"I'm not leaving at seven, though," I said. "I'm sorry I kept you so late." I wasn't sorry, but it was the nice thing to say. I was sorry he would be tired. That was true. But I was happy about the day we shared and upset that it was over.
I knew he was going to kiss me.
We had shared so much, gotten so close, and had so much fun that I figured there was just no way he wouldn't do it.
He stared at me with a smile. "Don't be sorry.
I had fun tonight. I'm only leaving now because I know I have to.
" He stood and stretched. I watched as he put on his shoes.
"I hope your trip is amazing," he said. "Try to fit in everything you can, even if you don't feel like it. You'll be glad when you get back."
"Yeah, I know," I said.
Then he hugged me.
He gave me a tight, meaningful squeeze.
And that was it.
"Thank you for coming here this weekend," I said, dying inside when he broke away.
"Thank you for having me," he answered, his deep voice sounding sincere. "Sleep well. Let me know how your trip went."
He waved at me and walked out of my apartment. There was no walking him to his truck or sappy goodbyes.
And there certainly wasn't a kiss.
My mouth had been ready, expecting it to happen. I had sucked on a mint every hour since ten o'clock. Our conversation was so earnest that I thought for sure it would happen by the end of the night. But he told me to let him know how my trip went, and then he walked out.
It was horrible.