Chapter 7

The bells above the shop door jingled and I internally groaned. I hated the nights the store was open late. We had another forty minutes to go before I could lock the doors, so of course a customer had to come in. "Just one second," I said, mumbling because of the pin I was holding between my lips. I secured the suit in place and was about to turn around, when the person spoke.

"Take your time, Evian."

I knew that voice. Had only heard it on three occasions, but for some reason, had committed it to memory. Sure enough, when I turned around, I was met with brown eyes I hadn't seen in weeks. Brown eyes I felt like I knew better now that we texted each other every single day.

"What are you doing here?" Damn, well, I could've worded that a little better. Based on the way he slightly flinched, that wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting from me. "Sorry, what I meant to say is… Well, if it isn't Enzo…or should I say…Was Enzo even here?" I whisper-yelled that last part, staring at him skeptically until his face finally broke into a gorgeous smile.

No. Not gorgeous. He was absolutely not gorgeous. Okay, he was so hot I almost got second-degree burns from being this close to him, but I'd done a pretty good job convincing myself I wasn't looking for anything and texting him was just something friends did. With him standing in front of me, my attraction to him refused to buy into that lie.

"You're not gonna let me live that down, huh?" He gripped the back of his neck, looking at me with a bashful smile that was absolutely not adorable.

"Depends. Never letting you live it down implies that this isn't a one-time visit. Considering I had no idea you were coming to begin with, who knows?" I took a few steps closer to him, annoyed with myself for the way his delicious, woodsy cologne was affecting me.

"Shit. This is weird, right? I made it weird. I can go." He hiked his thumb over his shoulder toward the door, but something in his eyes—eyes that sat above dark circles that weren't there a couple of weeks ago—said he really didn't want to leave.

I crossed my arms over my chest, tilting my head to the side. "Enzo, we just texted each other a couple of hours ago. It'll only be weird if you turn around and leave me here wondering what the heck just happened."

He blew out a long breath that puffed his cheeks, looked through the glass door to the parking lot, dropped his gaze to the floor, and then seemed to make a decision that had him rolling his shoulders back and straightening his spine. He gripped the back of his neck nervously again, then said, "I was wondering if you'd want to go get a drink. If you have time to do that. What am I saying? Of course you don't have time. You're clearly working. Forget I?—"

"Enzo!" I said through a laugh. "Breathe."

He scoffed. "Why is it that people think they need to remind me lately to do something that our bodies literally can't live without? Do people really go around and just forget to breathe?" He looked to his right, as if someone were standing there, and said in a higher voice, "Did you hear what happened to Johnny?" Then he looked to his left, having a conversation with himself. "No, what happened?" he said in another exaggerated voice. He looked back to his right. "He dropped dead yesterday." Enzo threw a hand over his heart and gasped dramatically. "No! But he was so young!" He shifted his weight, answering himself again. "Yep. Just forgot to breathe. Right there in the middle of the frozen food section. Just"—he sucked in a breath and held it for a couple of seconds then dramatically let it go—"forgot to breathe."

I rolled my lips in, trying not to laugh, but the second his eyes met mine, I lost it…and so did he. "Oh my god with the whole…whatever that was." I waved my hand at him, still laughing. "He just"—I sucked in a breath and held it, crossing my eyes while mimicking him, then let it go—"in the frozen food section." I sighed, calming my laughter. "Thank you for that. I needed that laugh."

He sighed, calming himself back down but still chuckling. "Glad I could be of service." Pausing, he seemed to get nervous again. "So, what do you say? You know, about going to get a drink with me?"

I smirked, my eyes tilting up the closer I got to his taller frame. I wasn't outdoorsy by any means—unless lying on the beach counted—but there was something about Enzo's strong limbs that made me want to climb him like a tree. Raising a brow, I let my eyes scan him up and down, studying him for a second, imagining the possibilities before I came to my senses. This man had the potential to make me forget all common sense. It was a pretty safe bet I'd be the one scraping my dignity and broken heart off the floor if I let his gorgeous brown eyes interrupt my life only to have them—and his fine ass—leave on a plane back to California, whenever that was. "Are you asking me on a date? Because I'm not really looking for anything right now."

"Date? Who said anything about a date?" He genuinely looked confused, and quite frankly, a little freaked out which confused the hell out of me.

Bracing my hands on my hips, I cocked my foot out to the side, feeling slightly embarrassed. "You showed up at my job out of nowhere and asked me to get a drink. I'm not crazy for thinking you could mean a date."

His cheeks flushed red and that adorable, bashful smile returned. "Well shit. I guess you're right. I'm not looking for a date, though, so you don't have anything to worry about. I just…well I came back to Coral Pointe a week ago?—"

"A week ago? Enzo, you better not have been eating pancakes in Coral fucking Pointe this morning when you texted me!"

He held his hand up, shaking his head emphatically. "I wasn't. I—I'm staying there for a few months, trying to figure out… Shit, I'm fucking this up." He blew out a cheek-puffing exhale, drawing me back to the bags marring his beautiful skin under the haunted look in his eyes. "I just kind of needed…"

I was still slightly annoyed that I was just now finding out that he was in the state—and still feeling slightly stupid for the date thing—but it was clear something had happened. "A friend?"

He sighed in relief. "Yeah. That."

I looked over my shoulder toward the back of the store. It was technically my night to close, and I'd already asked my dad to cover for me one night the week before. It didn't seem right to ask again so soon, but I didn't want Enzo to walk out that door thinking he truly had no one to turn to.

"Can you hang around for a while? Lloyd, aka my dad, is leaving in a few minutes, so I have to close, but if you can give me about forty minutes, I'd be up for a drink."

The tension in his bigger frame visibly released, seemingly relieved that I didn't say no. "I can do that. Is there a Target near here? I need a few things anyway."

I didn't expect the wave of relief that washed over me, hearing he was going to come back. Of course, there was still a chance he'd change his mind and bail. I sure as hell wasn't going to hold my breath, but I couldn't deny I was hopeful he would follow through. "It's about a mile up the road."

I was pleasantly surprised to find out Enzo was a man of his word. Texting someone about random, inconsequential topics was one thing. Showing up when he said he would revealed more about the man than what his favorite season was.

He was the kind of guy I could so easily fall for. Luckily, Enzo said he was only back for a few months. As far as I was concerned, that meant this—whatever this was—had a deadline. What kind of businessman would I be if I didn't know how to keep a deadline?

"All set?" He shoved his hands in the pockets of his worn jeans and rocked back on his heels.

I slid the strap of my crossbody bag over my head, pulling the store keys out of the front pocket to lock the door. "Yep."

Murphy's Steakhouse sat across the parking lot from Skinner's. Considering it was so close, it was a place my dad and I ordered lunch from at least once a week. I also met my friends there for lunch or dinner a few times a month. It wasn't unusual to see familiar faces at the bar or eating a meal.

When he'd suggested the steakhouse, it hadn't crossed my mind that I would most likely run into someone who would get the wrong idea. Namely, one guy in particular.

None of those things were enough to ditch Enzo when he looked so defeated. Honestly, it always felt like I was the one who needed advice in my small group of friends. Granted, I'd been through some shit in the last three years. The fact that Enzo had come to me, that our texting had made him comfortable with me, even after the short time since we'd met, meant a lot to me. Probably more than he even knew.

"Hey, Evian. You want your usual booth?" Libby asked, picking up two menus.

"You know me so well, sweets." As we both followed her to the table I looked over at Enzo. "I know you said drinks, but I haven't had dinner yet."

"I didn't even consider that. It's no problem. I ate not that long ago, but I never say no to food." Again with the sheepish smile. This guy had no idea how adorable he was, but I had to keep reminding myself that I shouldn't be noticing it.

Libby glanced at me over her shoulder and smiled, her eyes flicking to Enzo in curiosity and then back to me. "Reed's got your table tonight." Because of course he would. Why wouldn't the adorkable guy I had a small crush on be working tonight? She put the menus down on the table, giving us both a smile before walking away.

We awkwardly sat across from each other, making the fact that we were more used to talking through typed messages than in front of each other as hard to ignore as a disco ball in a library.

"So…" he said nervously, shifting his weight on the booth seat.

"So…" I repeated. I was knocking this conversation out of the park. I snorted and he looked at me in confusion. "We rock at this. I bet you're rethinking your decision to hang out with me. You wanna go to our cars and we can text instead?"

He laughed softly, leaning his tan forearms dusted with dark hair on the table, staring down at his clasped hands. "No. Honestly, it's easier knowing we're on level ground rather than trying to insert myself into a conversation between my cousin and his friends."

Something about that didn't sit right with me. "Why? Are they a bunch of assholes?"

His gaze shot up to mine. "No, they're great. It's just…" He shrugged one shoulder. "It's one thing being a third wheel, but it's a big group of people. Happily…in love…couples."

I held up my hand. "Ah. Say no more. So you like them, but you don't really know them"—I pointed a finger at him and gave him a stern look—"yet. You don't know them that well yet. I say give them a chance. I get what you're saying, though. It's hard getting to know people when you feel like the odd man out." A break-up could explain the sadness in his eyes. Maybe that was what he was running away from?

He exhaled and his shoulders relaxed some. "Exactly." He ran his finger over a line in the wood of the table. "One of them, Noah—the guy whose house I'm renting—just texted me and invited me to his birthday dinner at a Thai place in Randall Beach. I know they're really trying to make me feel included." He shrugged, looking down at that pattern in the wood. I took a really good look at him, unable to ignore the pain I swore creased his brow. I knew sad eyes when I saw them, and Enzo's eyes made me want to grab a box of tissues and listen to Adele as I rocked in a corner.

After a few seconds, he continued. "I think I'm still trying to figure out how I ended up back here in the first place. Deciding to put my life in California on hold happened kind of suddenly." He clearly had a lot on his mind, but he wasn't ready to talk about it. I got that on a level that would probably surprise him. There were so many times I wanted to talk about my mom with my dad, but I had no idea how to start a conversation that I knew would upset him.

I tried to think of something brilliant to say that would make this guy relax a little. I wasn't even sure he realized how much his eyes said what he obviously couldn't. He was hurting, but he sure as hell wasn't going to pour his heart out in the middle of a restaurant.

Reed came over, placing glasses of water down before getting ready to take our orders. It was the distraction I needed not to put my foot in my mouth with the gorgeous guy sitting across from me. "Hey there, Evian. I didn't expect to see you here tonight." Reed's pale skin flushed so easily when he was flustered that I'd made it my mission to summon that pink blush to his cheeks every chance I got. Man, the guy looked delicious, and even better, he was my age and lived in the same town as me.

Leaning my elbow on the table, I propped my chin in my hand and looked up at him, batting my eyelashes and pushing my bottom lip out in a pout. "You weren't working the last few times I've been in, Reedy or Not. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've been avoiding me."

"I-I wouldn't do that." I internally pumped my fist in the air when Reed's entire face flushed a light pink. His eyes flicked to Enzo, back to me, and then nervously focused on the tablet in his hand.

"You'd better not." I smirked, loving the twitch of his full lips as he smiled while still looking at the screen. "That would make me sad."

As gorgeous as Reed was, his timid demeanor didn't scream, I'll bend you over the nearest surface and fuck you until you forget your name. Instead, it was more like, I'll gently lay you on the bed and have missionary-style coitus with you. I rolled my lips in, trying not to laugh at the image my creative brain had conjured.

Still, the guy was a sweetheart and he was so fun to flirt with. And who knew? I could be wrong. There could be a wild man under all that boy-next-door charm. A guy who knew how to manhandle me in the best possible way…even though he was smaller than me. A man could dream, right? One thing I was pretty sure of was that he wasn't the type of guy who couldn't keep his dick in his pants. That was number one on my list of must-haves when it came to dating again. No lying, cheating, selfish assholes. Was that too much to ask?

Enzo cleared his throat, jarring me out of my Reed-induced fantasies, and gave me a strange look. "Are you ready to order?"

I met his eyes, watched his skin flush with color, but he held my gaze instead of shying away from it. And there was the difference between the two men. Enzo's blush didn't say he wanted to have his wicked way with me, but it also didn't shout that he was intimidated by me. No, his hesitant yet no bullshit demeanor said, I may not know what to do with you, but I'm gonna rock your fucking world while I figure it out.

"I can come back if you're not ready." Until Reed spoke, I'd forgotten he was even there.

I shifted on the booth seat, resisting the urge to adjust myself. "Um…right. I'm ready. I'll have the salmon Caesar salad and a sauvignon blanc." I gently drummed my fingertips on Reed's forearm, waiting for him to meet my eyes before smiling suggestively. "You know which one I like, Reedy."

Reed's mouth twisted to the side in a small smile. "Yeah, I know."

There was a second of silence, broken by Enzo's deep voice. "And I'll have an order of fries a Modelo." He plucked the menus off the table and handed them to Reed with an amused look in his eyes. "I think that's all for now. Thanks."

"You got it." Reed took the menus and glanced nervously at me one more time.

"Thanks, Reedy or Not," I singsonged as I watched the adorable guy scurry back to the kitchen then turned my attention back to Enzo, rearing back when I caught his expression.

His eyebrows rose and a laugh bubbled up, followed by an amused, "Whoa."

"What?" I asked defensively.

"Who was that guy?"

Had he lost his damn mind somewhere between the door and the booth? "Reed. Weren't you paying attention?"

"Oh, I was paying attention, but I didn't mean him." He nudged his chin in the direction of the kitchen. "I meant who was the guy I just met." He waved his hand at me. "Mister…I don't know…Flirty Pants with the pouty lips and the fluttering eyelashes. Did you really just call him ‘Reedy or Not'?"

"Did you really just call me Mr. Flirty Pants with fluttering eyelashes?"

He shrugged a shoulder and leaned back in the booth, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. "If the flutter fits."

I don't know what it was about this man, but we both looked at each other and burst out laughing. Through my giggling hiccups, I whined, "Don't make fun of me. I hear it from my friends enough."

"So you know it's a thing then?" He shook his head at me, amusement flickering in his eyes, then pinged me in the forehead with his balled-up straw wrapper.

"Did you just…?" I picked up the white lump and threw it back at him, laughing as he batted it away and it landed in his water glass.

He sighed as he calmed down, tapping his fingers on the table. "Thanks for this. I don't know what it is about you, but you're easy to be around. I don't have many people in my life I can say that about."

"I don't either. I mean, I have my three best friends, and they're amazing, but that's it. Three people I can truly be myself with. I like being able to joke around with you." Shit, now it was my turn to blush. "Not that we know each other that well, but…"

"No, I get it. I think the only person who knows everything about me is my cousin, Burke. He's the only one I feel comfortable enough to let my guard down with."

Silence blanketed the booth as I searched for something else to say. Unexpectedly, what I came up with was, "I think it's a nervous habit."

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "What is?"

"Mr. Flirty Pants. Or, as my friends like to call him…" I raised my voice a bit, facetiously saying, "Evian, Like the Water," and tacking on an eye roll for good measure. When he looked at me in confusion, I sighed and ripped the paper rolled around the silverware, just so I didn't have to meet his eyes. "I think… It's a possibility that…" I blew out a breath. "I think sometimes when I'm crushing on someone, I try too hard. You know, fake it 'til ya make it? If I pretend I have a shit ton of confidence, maybe I'll actually find some freaking confidence. And I have never said that out loud until right now."

He huffed. "I'm honored."

"You should be," I teased back.

Enzo nodded his head in understanding. "So you like that guy." I had to be imagining the disappointment in his tone.

"Kind of? I guess?" I honestly wasn't even sure. I mean, Reed was adorable, but could he be the guy I needed him to be? It seemed doubtful.

Enzo's hand tilted up. "Wait, here he comes."

Reed set our drinks down and quickly said, "I'll be right back with your food," before he was off to the kitchen again. He was back in less than a minute, setting fries down in front of Enzo, then set my salad in front of me. "Can I get either of you anything else?"

"Uh…" Well, fuck. I didn't know how to talk to the guy now that Enzo had seen right through me. Talk about feeling exposed.

When I couldn't come up with anything better than that, Enzo smiled up at Reed. "I think we're good for now. Thanks."

"Sure thing." Reed gave me a weird look and headed back to the kitchen.

Enzo's eyes widened. "Wow, you weren't kidding. Mr. Flirty Pants left the building."

I groaned, hanging my head back. "What's it gonna take for you to stop calling me that?"

He thought for a second, then said, "I'll stop if you stop calling me Was Enzo Even Here?"

I reached my hand across the table. "Deal."

Enzo shook my hand, his firm grip holding mine a little longer than necessary. "Deal."

Something unexplainable passed between us as his warm hand continued to hold mine. An understanding, maybe? Whatever it was eased my mind and gave me permission to just be me.

We fell into easy conversation after that. Instead of talking about things neither one of us were ready to unload, we fell back on the same topics we'd texted about…movies, favorite foods… He told me about the trouble he'd gotten into with his cousins when they were younger. I told him about how I met Stacey, Lucas, and Topher, and the shenanigans we'd gotten into.

Neither one of us realized it had gotten so late until Reed set our check down on the table. Luckily, I didn't have an early start in the morning. I assumed he didn't, being that he was technically on vacation.

I quickly grabbed the check before he had a chance to. "I can get it," I said at the same time he blurted, "It's on me," making us both laugh.

He shifted his weight to one side and reached for his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. "I'm the one who asked you to go for a drink with me. I can get it."

My hand shot across the table and snatched the check before he had a chance to. "Yeah, a drink. I'm the one who ordered dinner. I've got this one." I immediately cursed the malfunction of my brain-to-mouth filter, too late to retract the implication of what I'd just said. Would there be a next time considering I hadn't even known there'd be a this time?

Thankfully, Enzo didn't hesitate. "Fine. But I'm getting the next one." His smile was all I needed to release the breath I was holding. Maybe there were some people who had to be reminded to breathe after all.

We slid out of the booth, walking side-by-side out the door and into the parking lot. I pointed over to the back corner. "I'm parked over there."

Surprising me, he shoved his hands in his pockets and started to walk toward my car. It's not a date. Don't go getting all pumped for a goodnight kiss. Friends. We were friends. And there was a high probability that one of us was straight.

Spoiler alert: it wasn't me.

When we reached my car, he looked nervous again, gripping the back of his neck—which I noticed was a nervous habit of his. He still met my eyes, though, and fuck if it wasn't a turn on.

"Any chance you'd want to go to that dinner with me?" The hand that was on his neck shot out in front of him. "Not as a date." This guy and his damned shy smiles were going to be the death of me. "I think we already established where we both stand on that."

Had we though? Because I was still dying to know if those strong legs of his stood on the I like dick side of the line or on…you know…the other side that didn't benefit me in any way whatsoever. Technically, he could be someone who straddled that line and—fuck. Stop thinking about his dick, Evian! Jesus, if he only knew where my mind had just gone, he'd snatch that invitation back so fast.

Thank fuck, my brain came back online before he could read my dirty, one-track mind that led straight to his— "The birthday dinner? For your cousin's friend?"

"I made it weird again, didn't I?" He scrunched up his nose. "Sorry."

I pressed a finger to his deliciously muscular—I'm only human!—chest. "It's only gonna be weird if you keep saying it's weird, Enzo… What's your last name again?"

His broad shoulders shook as he laughed, a dark brow raised in amusement. "Russo. Enzo Russo. Now you can lecture me properly."

"Thank you." I gave a curt nod, reluctantly dropping my hand from his chest, and finished my earlier reprimand. "Stop saying it's weird, Enzo Russo. And, yes, I'll go with you to the birthday dinner. What should I get him?"

He looked taken aback. "What? Nothing. You're coming as my guest. You don't even know the guy. Hell, I barely know the guy, but I do know he wouldn't want you to go out of your way. He's honestly one of the nicest people I've ever met."

"Gift card, it is." I punctuated that with another curt nod.

He pushed his mouth to the side in a smirk. "You're going to do it no matter how much I argue, aren't you?"

I patted his chest this time. "See, you already know me so well. This is gonna be a great friendship." Enzo didn't answer but, instead, locked eyes on me that seemed more black than brown in the dim light of the parking light. If this were a movie, he'd lean in right about now, or I'd push up on my toes and we'd share a kiss that would make the world melt away. Unfortunately, his eyes flicked down toward the hand I still had on his chest. Yanking it away, I tried to act like the awkward moment didn't happen, even though I could still feel the residual warmth of his body on my fingertips.

His piercing eyes lifted until they landed on mine. "I think it will be." What will be? Jesus, what the fuck were we even talking about? He blinked a few times, his Adam's apple bobbing with a hard swallow, but then he seemed to snap out of it. "I'll text you the info."

There was no turning back now, even if I had a sneaking suspicion I was in for more than I bargained for.