22
I walk out of the apartment and trip over a rogue brick from a garden bed, stumbling in Luna’s designer heels, scuffing one slightly. Someone clears their throat. I look up, startled to see Brooks standing in front of me with two takeaway coffees.
“Going somewhere?” he asks, looking me up and down, taking me in. He passes me one of the cups.
“I have an interview.”
“Can I drive you?” he offers casually, taking a sip from his cup as if offering to drive me is an everyday occurrence. I smile and nod, yet again unable to find any words, and step towards him.
“You look beautiful, by the way,” he says coolly.
He places his hand on my back, guiding me to his car, and a flash of him doing the same gesture with Harper pops into my mind.
He opens the door for me, and I slide into the passenger seat.
It’s spotlessly clean, and the blue leather interior looks original.
I can tell Brooks and his mum have taken a lot of pride in this car.
Brooks closes the door and strolls around to the driver’s side.
“Where are we going?” he asks, turning the key in the ignition and bringing the rumbling engine to life. The sudden loud music of a band I’ve never heard makes me jump, and he rushes to turn the volume down.
“Just the factory outlet. Thanks for the ride.”
He puts an arm around the back of the flat bench seat and turns his body to watch through the rear window as he puts the car into reverse.
“Don’t mention it. I can wait for you and bring you home, too, if you want.”
“Do you not have work today?” I ask, keeping my eyes on him, taking in every expression.
I’m not sure who this new version of Brooks is, but an irrational fear of him disappearing before my eyes swarms my senses.
This is all I’ve been able to think about since the day I arrived, but now that it’s happening, I don’t know if I can trust it.
“I took a sick day,” he smiles, with his eyes on the road ahead.
“Hungover?”
“Somewhat, but no. I knew you had the day off, and I was hoping to spend some time with you.”
I force myself to keep a neutral face, trying not to let my excitement betray me.
“You haven’t seemed like you wanted to spend any time with me lately.”
“I’ve been flat out.” His mouth turns into a slight frown, and I try to decide if he’s telling the truth. He didn’t look flat out when he was escorting Harper into his car, or last night when he went out for his birthday without inviting me.
He looks at me for a second, shooting me a wide grin before focusing his attention back on the road, and I attempt to shake the negative thoughts away. I have to let this go, or I’m going to ruin whatever this is. He’s here now, and isn’t that what counts?
We spend the rest of the short car trip making awkward chit-chat, and before I know it, we’re pulling into the parking lot.
He walks me to the clothing store and wishes me luck.
The manager is waiting for me and shows me to the back room.
The interview is over quickly. We click instantly, and I’m offered the job with training to begin on my first shift this Sunday.
I walk out of the store and look for Brooks, but he’s nowhere in sight.
Not sure where I am or where I should look for him, I start to wander around, hoping that he hasn’t left me here.
I imagine him back at his apartment, Harper sitting in his lap, and they’re both laughing at how gullible I am.
Walking past the food court, my feet begin to ache in these shoes.
I spot Brooks sitting at a table, and a wave of relief washes over me.
When I’m only a few steps away, I see that he’s not alone.
Harper is sitting across from him. Taking a deep breath, I continue to walk over and stop at the table. They both look up at me.
“Hey, how did you go?” Brooks asks, with a big smile.
“I got the job.” I look down at Harper, and she’s just as beautiful as she was the last time I saw her. “I’m Abi,” I say, in what I hope comes across as an assertive tone.
“I guessed as much,” Harper replies, watching Brooks with a sour look on her face. She looks at me again, her judgmental eye lingering over my outfit. To my surprise, she nods, her features softening in approval. “Well, my break is over. I'd better get back to it,” she announces, standing to leave.
“You work here?” The thought of running into her every day fills me with dread.
“I’m the assistant manager at Forever New. It was nice to meet you.” She forces a smile before turning her gaze back to Brooks. “Call me later.” She walks away without looking back. A sign of confidence that I wish I didn’t admire. I sit in her seat and look at Brooks, who’s still smiling at me.
“See? She can be nice when she wants to be,” he says mockingly. I place my hands on the table, hoping he reaches out to hold them. “Congratulations on the job. Anything you want to do to celebrate?”
I try to keep my face neutral, but a smile starts to creep in, and I can’t hide how happy he’s made me.
“First, can you take me home so I can change? These shoes are killing me.” I slip the shoes off my feet in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure from my toes.
“Sure thing,” he says with a laugh as he stands, offering his hand to help me up. The second my skin touches his, my body comes alive.
“Take a seat, I’m going to change.” I gesture to the couch as I walk past Brooks and head towards my bedroom.
“Are you sure I can’t help you in there?
” Brooks offers, with a sly grin. A warmth begins to spread up my cheeks.
Without a word, I dart into my room, closing the door before he has a chance to notice.
I change into a long blue dress and slide my feet into my sandals.
I like the way this dress brings out the blue in my eyes, and Luna has told me that it displays my cleavage nicely, which is a bonus.
I open the bedroom door, expecting to see Brooks waiting on the couch, but he’s not there.
The front door is open, so I walk out and find Brooks talking on the phone.
I close the locked door and wait for him to notice me.
He continues to pace around the courtyard as he talks.
When he finally turns in my direction and freezes, a dazzling smile replaces his frustrated expression.
“I gotta go. I’ll pick you up Sunday,” he says as he walks closer and ends the call. “You look amazing.” His eyes instantly fall to my chest.
“What did you want to do?” I ask, trying to play it cool, but the truth is, his eyes on my body make me want to take him back inside and let him throw me down on the bed.
“I have some ideas,” he jokes, taking a step closer, and he places a hand on my waist. My body naturally leans into his, and I have to stop myself from giving in completely.
“I don’t think so. You can’t ignore me, then expect that.” I put my hand on top of his and push it off my hip.
“I know, and I’m sorry. I should have messaged you back. Hell, I should have come to see you the next day.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I’m not used to doing whatever it is that you’re supposed to do when you actually like someone. I’ve never opened up to anyone the way I did with you, and I guess it caught me off guard. I needed some distance.”
“And what did you conclude after all that distance?”
“That I can’t stay away from you.”
My entire body sings out to him while my heart begins to pound in my chest so loudly that I wonder if he can hear it.
“You can’t disappear like that again.”
“I won’t.” He places his hand back on my waist. “Promise.”
His face is so close to mine that our noses brush against one another, and I can smell his sweet breath.
I want to stay firm, but I think we both know that if he disappeared tomorrow, I’d still wait for him.
He gently pushes his lips to mine, my mouth instinctively opening, allowing his tongue to enter.
His other hand rests on the back of my head, lightly gripping my hair.
I place my hands on the sides of his torso, feeling the muscles move underneath his t-shirt.
With his other hand still on my waist, he pulls me closer, pressing his body up against mine.
Our kiss deepens as the familiar surge of tingles rushes through my body.
All too soon, he pulls away, leaving my body screaming for more and rests his forehead against mine.
“I missed this,” he whispers, softly planting a peck on my forehead. He slides his hand from the back of my head, down my arm and takes hold of my hand. I can’t help but smile, happy to have his attention again.
“How about we visit the diner down the road for lunch and then go see a movie?”
“Like a date?” I half-tease, half-desperate for an answer.
“In that dress?” he asks, looking down at my body. A warmth flushes my cheeks. “You better believe this is a date.”
We walk hand in hand to the diner, where he opens the door for me and gestures to the booth in the back. A plump lady in a pink 50s waitress uniform approaches with a notepad and pencil in hand.
“This is Helen. She’s a friend of my uncle’s and makes sure I’m fed most days. Helen, this is Abi.”
“It is so lovely to meet you, dear. I don’t think he’s ever brought a date with him. You must be special,” Helen says, with a smile. “You look after this one, Brooks.” Helen glances down at Brooks through her large-rimmed glasses.
“Yes, ma’am,” he says with a laugh, looking at me, his smile slowly spreading wider, revealing his dimples. I blush again, forcing my eyes away from his to look at the menu.
“Where to next?” Brooks asks as we walk out of the movie theatre, his arm casually draped around me.
“I have plans with Amir tonight.”
“Two dates in one day? You’re popular.”
“It’s hardly a date. Trust me. I’m not his type.”
He looks at me with an eyebrow raised.
“I’ll take your word for it,” he replies, his tone changing, suddenly cold. Even though his arm is still around my shoulders, I feel him pull away slightly.
“We can do something tomorrow if you want,” I suggest, trying to fill in the silence but also desperate not to let this be the end. “What do you think you’ll get up to tonight?”
“I’ll figure something out.” He shrugs.
His sour mood doesn’t change as we walk back to the apartment.
“Text me if you get bored,” Brooks says, giving me a quick peck on my forehead when we’re standing at my front door. He turns to leave. I grab his hand and pull him back towards me.
“I’ll text you,” I promise, bringing my face closer to his. I look up into his eyes, begging him to kiss me. He smiles, rolling his eyes as he brings his lips to mine.
“You better,” he says quietly, bringing the sweetness back into his tone. His hand releases mine, and he walks towards his apartment.
“Did I miss something?” Luna startles me as I enter the apartment. I hadn’t seen her sitting on the window seat.
“We had a date.”
“I’ve been messaging you all day. I wanted to know how the interview went, but I guess you were too busy to reply.”
“I’m sorry. He called me last night, and I didn’t think it would go anywhere, so I didn’t want to bring it up.
Then he surprised me with coffee and asked to spend the day with me.
I wanted to see where it was going before I told you.
” I explain at a rushed pace. “I was embarrassed. He’s been unpredictable and back and forth.
I know you think I should blow him off, but I can’t.
There’s something about him. I don’t want to give up on him yet, and I needed to get some answers before I could trust his feelings for me. ”
“Did you?” she asks. When I look at her blankly, she adds. “Did you get the answers you wanted?”
“Yes.”
“Are you happy?”
“Yes.” I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.
“Then sit and tell me everything.” She smiles, finally, patting the seat beside her. I sit down and catch her up on everything that happened today, detailing how he held me close and kissed me in the theatre.