10. - – Marcus
CHAPTER TEN
-
MARCUS
I’ve been staring at my closet for the past ten minutes trying to figure out what I am going to wear tonight, like a teenager trying to impress his first crush. I’m being ridiculous. But it’s been three days since she kissed me, and she hasn’t messaged me once.
Did she regret the kiss? Did I push her too far when it started? Did I fuck this all up before we even began?
But she hasn’t canceled either. Which means I’ll get to see the strong, beautiful, kind, and resilient woman I'm quickly falling for.
My palms become sweaty at the thought of being alone together in such an intimate setting. I can’t fuck this up. I won't.
I settle on blue jeans and a black button-up. It’s simple. It doesn’t scream super serious date. It screams casual. Hopefully.
I breathe deep and slow as I head to her house, an address that’s been burned into my brain. She’s waiting on the porch when I arrive, purse slung over her arm and a warm, tan sweater draped over her shoulders. She chose casual too. Thank God.
“Wait there,” I tell her when we get to the restaurant, then get out and rush around to her door. I want to be a gentleman. I want to open her door for her.
I open it for her and help her down from the truck. When our skin touches, a bolt of electricity runs up my arm. Her warm brown eyes with the sunshine swirls shine in the moonlight, and she gives me a small smile. “Thank you.”
Closing and locking my truck bed would be easier if I let her hand go, but I hold on to it tighter.
I don’t want to let her go just yet. When we’re seated in a quiet corner all to ourselves, I offer her the seat with a view of the entire restaurant.
She sits and sets her purse next to her on the bench as the waitress comes to order our drinks.
Once she leaves, I clear my throat. “You look…” Don’t say too much. Don’t overwhelm her. “Really beautiful.”
Her cheeks flush a soft pink as she dips her head. “Thank you. You look really handsome yourself.”
The waitress returns with menus, and Sarah sets hers in front of her face like a shield. I pick mine up, pretending to look it over, but really, I watch her.
The way her hands tremble as she flips through the pages. The way she tucks her hair behind her ear when she catches me watching her.
She’s mesmerizing, and I don’t think she realizes it.
Once our order is placed and the food comes out, she takes tiny bites as she steals glances at me. I keep quiet, cutting into my steak, and let the moment settle. There’s no need to speak right now. I’m happy with just being in the same space as her.
She places her fork down and leans on the table. “Did you have to work today?”
I swallow my bite and nod.
“How was it?”
I chuckle, thinking back to all the calls we answered today. “Well, no one decided to throw a toaster at their spouse today, so better than yesterday.” That poor guy is going to have a knot on his head for a while.
Her eyes widen. “Is that a normal thing that happens?”
“More often than you’d think.”
She laughs. It’s soft, but it makes my chest tighten, and our eyes lock.
“Can I get you guys anything else?” the waitress’s voice comes from my right, breaking the tension.
Sarah shakes her head, and I do the same.
When the server leaves us alone, we continue our date.
She tells me about therapy and all of her favorite foods, including the fact that she likes cheese on her bacon…
Which is just insane. She tells me about how she sleeps with a purple night light that puts stars on the ceiling, so when she wakes up from her nightmares, she isn’t so disoriented.
I tell her a little bit about my job. What my day-to-day looks like and how sometimes it’s hard to sleep after a long shift.
She just… listens. And I can’t remember the last time I had someone who actually cared what I had to say.
“I ate so many donuts just to prove a point, I nearly barfed,” I say, finishing the story of how I nearly ate all twelve donuts just so the guys at work didn’t get any.
She laughs and reaches out, her hand covering mine on the table. She freezes, but she doesn’t move away. “Sorry,” she whispers before she can take her hand away. I catch her fingers gently.
“Don’t be.”
I smile at her awkwardness. “You okay?”
She swallows her mouthful of food and nods. “Yeah, sorry, I just haven’t done something like this in a long time.”
“What? Dinner?”
She chuckles. “Dinner with someone who looks at me like you do.”
“How do I look at you?”
“Like you want me,” she whispers.
My body jolts. I lean my forearms on the table and stare into her eyes. “Sarah,” I say low. “I do want you. I’m trying very hard not to make that obvious.”
Her gaze dropped to my mouth. “You’re not doing a very good job at it.”