26. Adam
Adam
S ince Emily texted, I’ve been obsessively checking the door for her arrival while also still doing my job. I shouldn’t be nervous. She’s been here before. Knowing her a little better makes this thing between us a little more real. Add in the fact that she’s decided to cross the line she drew and my nerves have skyrocketed.
While it is in fact spring break, it’s still been slow here. Ohio doesn’t tend to bring people out of hibernation until late April, so my restaurant has time to breathe before the seasonal rush begins.
Movement from the corner of my eye brings my attention to the door. And there she is. I had no clue what Emily was up to tonight when she decided to text me. But if it brings her and I one step closer to whatever it is we’re aiming for, I won’t question it.
Her eyes scan the bar until she finds me at a table off to the side. A small smile graces her face and I get up from where I’m seated to go greet her.
I’ve now seen her teacher attire and her lounge attire. But this outfit is one I think might be my favorite and what I least expected her to wear. Loose dark wash ripped jeans that look like they’re well-loved, an oversized off-the-shoulder maroon sweater, and worn-in moto boots adorn her feet.
Emily’s smile gets bigger when I get closer. And I swear she takes my breath away.
Thankfully, the band finishes the first half of their set, so we don’t have to shout to greet each other. We stand in front of each other in the low light bar, taking each other in like it’s the first time we’re seeing each other.
“Hi, beautiful,” are the first words out of my mouth.
The blush that covers her cheeks at my greeting has my smile not stopping.
Emily returns my greeting with a simple, “Hi.”
“Do you want a drink?”
“Just water. That’d be great.”
My hand goes to the small of her back as I lead us to the bar. I get Matt’s attention and ask him for two waters with lemon. Emily’s body leans into mine and my hand slides further around her waist. My thumb instinctively rubs small circles right above the top of her jeans and I feel, rather than hear, the hitch in her breath.
I lean down to where my mouth is right at her ear and inhale the soft vanilla scent that seems to hit me right where it’s intended. “So no more line?”
“None,” Emily confirms for me.
Our waters are set down in front of us and I don’t miss the look Matt sends me. I’ve done well in evading everyone’s questions regarding my love life. But I know when our next staff meeting happens that will be the topic of choice.
With our waters in hand, I led Emily back to the table I was sitting at when she walked in. It’s a circular two-seater meant for intimate conversations. We’re close enough but not in each other's lap.
When we’re seated, I watch Emily survey the space. And it gives me more time to take her in as well. Her hair falls in loose waves down her back and she doesn’t have a stitch of makeup on. If I remember the other times I’ve seen her she wasn't wearing any makeup then either.
Emily is a natural beauty with her soft features and maybe that’s what caught my eye in the first place. But it was when she opened her mouth and spoke. The melodic sound of her voice, falling from her bee-stung lips, washed over me and sent my thoughts to less than innocent.
“You’re staring.” She notes, having caught me.
My gaze slams up to her eyes to see her still perusing the space, but I see the lift in her cheeks.
“You’re the best view in this place,” I admit with zero shame.
Her gaze falls to me and I wait for her to break our staredown, but she holds strong.
She leans forward on the table and I match her position leaving very little space between us. “So the line I drew is gone and you up your flirt?”
“I have to make sure you don’t regret wiping the line away. I’ll also pull out all of my best dad jokes to remind you I’m funny.”
A soft snort leaves her. “Good to know the charm will never end.”
“Never.” I declare.
Her eyes fall to my neck where I’m sure some of my tattoos are peeking out. But I can’t help but tease her. “Are you checking me out?”
Emily’s eyes slam up to mine. “Your ego is insane. I’m looking at your tattoos.”
Bingo. “I can always take my shirt off so you can get a closer look.”
“Adam!” She looks around as if anyone else is around us. There isn’t. My staff knows not to seat anyone around my table. They know I like the solitude when I’m out on the floor.
“That’s a yes to taking my shirt off or a no to taking my shirt off? The choice is up to you.” My megawatt smile has Emily’s matching mine.
“If I wanted to see a Chippendale show I would’ve just skipped coming here,” Emily says with the straightest face.
I’m momentarily taken aback and speechless that she can dish it back out.
“You should see your face.” She says through a small laugh.
The band coming back on the stage for the second half of their set halts my reply. They’re a local band that started playing here about a year after I opened. They told me they have no plans of going big and that they just like playing. So I said that they have a spot here anytime they want.
Emily scoots her chair closer to me. I like to think it’s so she has a better view of the band. But the other part of me hopes that it’s so she can be closer to me.
“What’s your favorite tattoo?” She asks when she leans into me. Her voice sends shockwaves through my body.
I have to shake myself out of the not-so-G-rated thoughts and focus on the question she asked me. Holding out my arm, I pull up my shirt sleeve and show her a few dates I had permanently inked on my body.
“These.”
Her finger traces the numbers and that small bit of contact has my heart racing for the finish line. “What do the numbers represent?”
“The top one is Dylan’s birthday. And the bottom two are the birthdates of my parents.”
They’re the three most important people in my life. So deciding to ink my skin with numbers, wasn’t a tough decision. If I had siblings and Dylan wasn’t an only child, my forearm would be a database of my loved ones' numbers.
But with his Mom abandoning him and no siblings, I fear I’m doing exactly that.
“What’s that face?” Emily asks, pulling me from the insecure thoughts running through my mind.
“What face?”
“The face you made after telling me about your tattoos? Did I overstep?” Her voice takes on a bit of panic. Panic that is completely not needed.
My hand falls to the back of her chair and I lean in to speak in her ear. My lips brush the shell of her ear and I have to fight the shiver that wracks itself through my body. “No, you didn’t Em. I was just wallowing in insecure thoughts that had nothing to do with my tattoos. But please, continue to step on me all you want.”
I’m close enough that I can hear her laughter over the band. And I’ve decided that, along with my son’s laughter, it’s now my second favorite sound in the world.
We stay close like this. Talking into each other's ears as the band continues to play. We learn each other's favorite colors, phobias, and dislikes. Emily playfully teases me while I continue to make her laugh uncontrollably. After our first tearful greeting, I vow to make her laugh for as long as I can. But all too soon, the night starts to come to an end.
“I should go.” Emily mournfully says after looking at her watch for the time.
As much as I don’t want her to, I have closing responsibilities to attend to. And I need to check in for the night to make sure Dylan is okay at camp.
Nodding, I get up and hold my hand out for her. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
I’m grateful for the time Emily and I got to spend together. But it still didn’t feel like enough. It’s like I’ve barely scratched the surface with her. But I’ll continue to eat up every crumb she gives me.
“You’re such a gentleman,” Emily teases when we’re in the parking garage. She swings our hands back and forth. As serious as she’s been, I’m beginning to see that she has a playful side to her. Lights on a small SUV go off and her steps slow down. “This is me.”
“I’m glad you came here tonight,” I admit. Can she tell I’m nervous? I don’t want to push her, but she makes me twitchy.
“Adam?”
“Yeah?” My voice comes out high-pitched. Why does it come out high-pitched?
She moves until the tips of our shoes are touching. “You can kiss me.”
“Yeah?” I don’t know why that’s the only thing I can say.
“I think I broke you.”
I tell myself to pull it together and that I’m better than this. “You didn’t. Are you sure? Because I think one taste of you will have me hooked.”
“Positive.” She says as she rises on her toes and presses her lips to mine.
It takes a moment for my brain to catch up. My hand slides up her arm and I feel the shiver work through her body. My other hand slides down her back and lands on her lower back, anchoring her to me.
Once my nerves subside, I take over the kiss and my tongue teases the seam of her lips. When she opens up to me, our tongues dance together and the softest moan escapes her throat. If her laughter is one of my favorite sounds, this moan became a close contender. Her arms fall over my shoulder and her hands tangle in the hair at the nape of my neck. Light pulls of my hair send a jolt straight to my cock and a groan climbs up my throat.
This kiss is months in the making. Gaining Emily’s trust and her slowly knocking down her walls was what we needed to move forward.
I peek an eye open and walk us back towards her SUV. Pushing her up against her car and deepening the kiss. The way her body moves as my thigh maneuvers between her legs. The sounds she makes as our tongues tangle is a sound I want on repeat.
Breaking the kiss, I trail my lips down her neck. Sucking on the spot between her neck and shoulder.
“Oh, that feels too good.”
My lips move up her neck and I pull her earlobe between my teeth.
“Oh god, Adam.”
Her pants and moans drive me forward until she gently pushes me back by my shoulders. I take in her swollen lips and beard rash on her neck. Her chest heaves as she catches her breath. Emily’s eyes are wild from our kiss. I want to dive into them and never come out.
“I’m glad your nerves are gone.” Emily says while still holding me at a distance by my shoulders.
I can’t stop myself from wrapping my hands around her wrists. “Totally gone.”
“As much as I want to stay here and make out with you in a parking garage,” she looks down at her watch checking the time again. “I really have to get home and you have to close up your restaurant.”
Logically I know what she’s saying makes sense. But tonight was huge for us.
“I wanna cook you breakfast.” I blurt out.
Her eyebrows scrunch up. “What about Dylan?”
I love that she’s concerned for him. “He’s at a baseball camp for the rest of the week.”
The color drains from her face. I’m not sure what I said, but I wanna know. Emily blinks and the look is gone. “Breakfast is good.”
“Okay.” I draw out the word so as not to push her. Maybe tomorrow I will. “I’ll text you in the morning.”
She opens the door to her car and gets in. Once it’s started, she rolls the window down and leans on the edge. “Thank you for tonight. I had fun.”
“Just wait until my world-famous pancakes,” I state and lean my arms on the roof of her car.
“What makes them world-famous?”
Leaning down, I press a quick kiss to her lips. Even though everything in me wants to lean in further. “You’ll just have to wait until the morning to find out. Get home safe.”
I step back from her car and watch as she puts the gear in drive. “Bye, Adam.”
“Bye, Emily.”
I watch as she drives out of the parking garage and I follow the path back to my restaurant. The band should be wrapping up the last of their set. When I walk back in, Matt is standing behind the bar with his arms crossed.
“What?” I pointedly ask, knowing his answer will be in regards to Emily.
“Don’t what me. You had a girl here. You never have a girl here.”
“What are you, five? And she’s not a girl, she’s a woman.”
He holds his hands up in surrender. “I’m just saying, boss man. I’ve never seen you like that. It’s a good look on you.”
Shaking my head, I wave him off and head down to my office. If I want to attempt to get out of here before midnight I need to tackle my latest to-do list.
But as soon as I’m at my desk, my mind flits back to Emily and her reaction to me talking about Dylan and baseball camp. Against my better judgment, I pull up my internet browser and type her name in.
I don’t find anything too alarming from a simple search. Just a few articles on her playing the violin, which surprises me as she’s never brought it up. I scroll some more until I see a linked article with the headline ‘Fatal Car Crash Claims Two’. And against all common sense, I click on the link.
When the article loads, my heart drops.
I wake up the next morning with conflicting feelings. Emily will probably never want to talk to me when she finds out I looked her up. It’s just wanting a quicker peak behind the curtain of the woman I’m completely infatuated with, won out over logic and morals.
My phone chimes with a text. Reaching over to my bedside table, I see a text and picture from Sandra, one of the team Moms from Dylan’s team.
Sandra: The boys are having a blast.
Me: He’ll never want to come home. I’m glad he’s enjoying himself.
On days when I feel like I’m lacking as a Dad, it brings me joy when I see my son having fun with his friends. He may not have a sibling but I do what I can to make sure he’s fulfilled in that area of his life. Once summer hits, our days will be filled with cookouts, baseball games, and trips to the amusement park. Hopefully, with the addition of Emily, as she’ll no longer be my son’s teacher.
My thoughts go back to the article I read and back to the first night she came to my bar. It all makes so much sense. However, I can’t particularly know what things set her off. It’s the knowledge that anything can set her off and send her back in time that terrifies me.
Heaving myself out of bed I head to the bathroom and go about getting ready. Without Dylan here the house is eerily quiet. He’s not quite at the age where he’s asking for a pet, so I don’t have a furry companion to keep me company.
When I’m dressed and feel more human I walk back into my bedroom and pick up my phone to text Emily.
Me: Ready for some pancakes?