Chapter 9
Patrick
We got to the bar about five minutes early, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit anxious. I’m not normally like this, but there is something about being around Ellie lately that has me concerned.
I thought we were solid when we were at my house last weekend, but as the week has gone by, Ellie has seemed more and more drained. I guess the good thing about fake dating your barista is that it’s not weird to see them every day, but now I’m worried that this might be too much for her.
Wes sits next to me scrolling through his phone, too oblivious to notice my minor freak out.
While I didn’t want to give him too much information, I did mention that Ellie, my girlfriend, was going to meet us at the bar. It was very out of character for him to not ask a bunch of questions, but he ended up just teasing me over the fact that I was interested in someone.
Wes and I have known each other for years, and in that time, I have never dated someone seriously enough to bring them around. So, it’s surprising that he wasn’t more curious.
The original plan didn’t include driving here with Wes, but he likes to take advantage of what the company is paying for—and his place is on my way home.
One of my favorite things about ERI is that they really show that they care about their employees.
They do a lot of things like this: happy hours, catered lunches, free company merchandise.
And, I’m more than happy to drink a free beer or two on the company dime; although, it has never been mandatory until now.
On top of that, work hasn’t been going very well this week, and Greg just continues to rub me the wrong way.
I might be biased since I’ve seen how he treats women, but he is constantly getting on my nerves.
His attempts at leadership are just trying to micromanage everyone and everything.
He keeps asking to see documents and reports that I doubt he can understand and will be outdated in a couple of days, and when I ask him if he wants me to explain any of it, he brushes me off.
It feels like he’s doing these things to show he’s in charge, but it’s not like everyone doesn’t already know what job position he's in.
It might be his first week in the office, but if he keeps this up, he is not going to last very long.
Since the Hidden Fox Tavern is where most of ERI’s happy hours are held, Wes and I know the layout of the place fairly well. The best seats in the house are the high tops in the back; we chose them so we can people watch throughout the night.
My coworkers spill in slowly and unsurprisingly get into their usual department cliques.
A lot of people would see this as a bad thing, but since the company has expanded, we need more people to do multiple parts of the same job.
It’s natural for people to gather with those that they work with every day, which is why Natalie and Tom stop by our table to chat and take up residence not too far away.
Scanning the area, I see Greg at the bar, setting up the company tab.
It looks like he’s already begun to bother the bartender, and I just think about how unlucky it must feel to be a woman in Greg’s vicinity.
Knowing what I do, if I see him do something out of line, I’ll say something.
But, all he’s done so far is talk to the poor woman, and I can’t get upset about that.
My eyes feel like they're magnetized to the door looking for Ellie. She said she was in the parking lot a couple minutes ago, so it’s odd that she hasn’t made her way inside yet. It’s hard to be patient, knowing that she is so close.
When I turn back to the table, the waitress has already come by with our drinks.
My Yuengling is cold and refreshing, and there is no doubt I am using it to suppress my nerves.
It’s rare that I get nervous anymore, but there’s something about Ellie that makes my palms a little sweaty and my heart beat a little faster.
Maybe I’m just developing high blood pressure at the ripe age of twenty-eight. Yeah, that must be it.
I meticulously angle myself back to look at the door at the same time Ellie struts in, looking confident and put together, and she is absolutely stunning.
Her top is tight, showing off her curves, but she still looks comfortable in what she’s wearing with her jeans a bit loose and a flannel around her waist. She is dressed as the exact opposite to my stuffy work clothes.
I did unbutton the top of my dress shirt before we got here, but it didn’t do too much to help.
Ellie is the picture of cool, and it makes me wonder how I got so lucky just to be seen with her.
Taking another sip of my beer, I attempt to prevent my mouth from drying up, but it seems impossible as she walks up to us.
“Wow, El. You look really nice.” A pink color flushes up her cheeks, and I just love how that happens every time I compliment her.
“Thank you.” A bright smile fills her face causing my heart to skip a beat. “I was planning on wearing a button down and dress pants, but I figured we shouldn’t match the first time I meet all of your coworkers.”
Both Wes and I let out a genuine laugh, and I stand up from my seat to greet her.
Ellie surprises me by pulling me into a hug, and it’s nice that she takes the lead on showing off our relationship.
My arms wrap around her in a way that you would hug your friends or family since we are still new to the PDA.
There’s nothing more I want to do than keep holding her.
She smells sweet and fits so perfectly against me, and when we pull apart, I feel a surprising loss.
Grabbing the back of my chair, I gesture for her to sit. “Uh, you can have my seat. I prefer to stand anyway.”
She climbs up, shifts around to get comfortable, and gives me a cute smile with a note of sass. “And who said chivalry was dead?”
An obviously fake cough from Wes pulls my focus away, and it is clear by the look he’s giving me that he’s upset I haven’t introduced him yet. Just to fuck with him, I consider not introducing him, but I realize that Ellie doesn’t know anyone. And, I want her to feel comfortable.
“Ellie, this is Wes, my coworker.” She gives a small smile as she reaches her hand out to shake his.
Wes holds Ellie’s hand and pulls her in threateningly, and it is already making me regret introducing him. “Actually, I’m his work wife. I would say that you have nothing to worry about, but that would be a lie.”
Not prepared for that comment, Ellie lets out a loud, boisterous laugh, and I try to hide my amusement.
Ellie and Wes instantly hit it off, bonding over their similar sense of humor and love for bar food.
When they agree to split some nachos, Wes offers to pay for it before I tell Ellie that there is a company tab.
She gives Wes a death glare, which breaks them into another bout of laughter.
She fits so seamlessly into our little group, which makes it hurt a little more when I remember it’s all fake.
Even with Ellie sitting on the stool, she is still a solid six inches shorter than me.
As I lean in just to get a little bit closer to her, hints of coffee and something that I can’t quite place surround me.
I find myself entranced as I try to get my thoughts together.
My arm drapes on the back of her chair making sure not to touch her, but she is close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating off of her body.
When Ellie offers to go up to the bar to order the food, I interrupt their conversation. “How about this, I’ll go up and order your nachos and grab Ellie a drink, so she doesn’t die of thirst?”
“Ooo, sounds perfect. If they have any cider on draft, I’ll have that! Also, no tomatoes on the nachos, pleaseeeee.” Ellie’s drawn-out ‘please’ is utterly adorable.
It’s impossible to suppress my smile on the way to the bar until I feel a hand wrap around my wrist.
There’s no point in fighting it since I’m getting pulled to a full table of coworkers, and it only takes a second to realize that it’s Rebecca digging her talons into my arm. I’m kind of impressed by her grip strength, but I already know that I don’t want to be a part of whatever is happening.
“Who is that?” Rebecca states stubbornly, her eyes bouncing over to Ellie and Wes. “Are you seeing someone? You never said you were seeing anyone.”
Around the table, the other ladies from the office look a bit uncomfortable but share kind expressions when we make eye contact.
“Hi, Katie. It’s good to see you.” I smile and look across the table.
“Hi, Janette. I hope you’ve been doing well.
” Finally, I get to Rebecca, who is still attached to my arm for some reason.
“Oh, hello, Rebecca... See. This is how you talk to somebody when greeting them instead of manhandling them and berating them with questions.”
Rebecca rolls her eyes, waiting for a response to her original question, as I jerk myself out of her grasp.
A look over my shoulder shows Elllie and Wes are wrapped up in their own conversation, and I consider making a joke about dating Wes.
It’s a bummer that this isn’t the right crowd for that because it would be hilarious when I tell him about it later.
If I want to use the fake girlfriend cards to my advantage, there needs to be no miscommunication in what I say next. “That would be Ellie, my girlfriend.”
I wish I could say that I wasn’t amused by Rebecca’s reaction, but the gasp that comes out of her mouth makes me want to chuckle.
“How long have you been dating her? How did you meet? What does she do?” She rattles off question after question, and I wish my blank stare was answer enough. In a perfect world, I would walk away. Unfortunately, it’s important to remain amicable, even if Rebecca is being borderline intrusive.
“Listen, Rebecca, I would love to stay here and chat, but I was in the middle of getting my girlfriend a drink. If you want to know more, maybe you should come over and talk to her. Isn’t that the whole point of these community events?”
Without giving her a chance to respond, I make my way over to the bar and place my order, hoping that Rebecca does not take me up on my offer to get to know Ellie more.
My palms are moist as I rub them on my slacks, and I am shaken with nerves at the thought of wanting to kiss Ellie.
We agreed that PDA is okay, but I can’t get myself to make a move—at least not one of this magnitude.
My arm has moved from behind her chair to around her shoulders, and she said that she was okay with the contact.
But, if I’m going to try to kiss her, I need a sign from her.
It feels uncalled for to spring it on her without talking first since that is the opposite of what I promised.
If we’re being honest, this kiss wouldn’t be completely selfish; I’m hoping that showing a little affection will help solidify our ‘relationship’.
Not that I think that anyone suspects the truth, but this would be an easy way to convince everyone, especially Rebecca, that Ellie is the real deal.
It also might be odd to be at a bar with my girlfriend and not kiss her at least once.
My best opportunity comes when Natalie stops by our table again to talk to Wes.
As I glance down at Ellie, she can sense my stare and looks up at me basically glowing. I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol or the close proximity, but her cheeks are the same pretty shade of pink that I love so much. I want to kiss her so bad.
The wave of nervousness hits me again, but this time I don’t let it stop me. Leaning down so close that no one else can hear, I ask in a low whisper, “Would it be okay if I kissed you, Ellie?”
The pink flush darkens, and she stares at me with eyes wide before nodding.
That is all I need. No reason to overthink it.
It’s been a while since I’ve kissed someone, and I don’t want this to be bad for her.
I mean, I’m a good kisser. I just want to make this convincing, but I want Ellie to like it too.
Ugh, I don’t actually know what I am thinking.
All that I do know is that I want to kiss Ellie, and I want to do it right now.
Reaching out to hold her face with one hand, I tilt her chin up with my thumb.
She moves with me—so pliant under my touch, giving me the final go ahead.
Leaning back down, I meet her the rest of the way.
Her lips part ever so slightly as my mouth touches hers, and there is an intensity that I’ve never felt with anyone else.
It was supposed to be a quick kiss, just enough to make it look real, but the way she feels—lips molded perfectly to mine—is making it impossible for me to pull away.
The heat building between us quickly turns into an inferno, and every cell in my body craves more.
I angle her face up to kiss her a little deeper, and the tiniest moan slips from her lips. Fuck, that is the sweetest sound.
It’s almost impossible, but I pull away when I remember where we are.
When I look down at her, she is more flushed than before—now a delicious shade of red. She looks away from me with heavy eyelids and bites her lip, and I would kill to know what is going on in her head right now.
As I’m watching her intently, Wes’ slurred voice cuts in. “Damn, guys. Get a room.”
It doesn’t matter if he is drunk or not, Wes loves to embarrass me whenever he can, but the idea of him embarrassing Ellie hits like an anger I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m not putting up with his bullshit tonight, so I shove him with my elbow and give him a stern look.