26. Ember

26

EMBER

" C an I get you started with drinks?" the server asked.

Through the restaurant's windows, I could see the last of December's snow melting on the sidewalks.

To my complete surprise and delight, Orion had invited me on a double date of sorts with his “best friend,” Colton. He mumbled something about business, but it felt like he wasn’t trying as hard to veil this outing as a purely professional matter, and I wondered what that meant for us.

"Martini, extra dirty," said Colton's date, Jessica, barely glancing up from her phone. She was a cardiac surgeon with perfect hair and an impeccable blazer that probably cost more than my rent. I couldn't decide if I liked her or if she intimidated me too much to form an opinion.

"Just water," Orion said. Of course. Heaven forbid he lose even an ounce of control.

Colton ordered a beer, then looked at me expectantly. He was very handsome, but had a much more easy-going and relaxed atmosphere than Orion, who always looked like he was preparing to execute a few dozen prisoners.

"Wine," I said. "Red. Dealer's choice."

"Lightweight," Colton teased, though his eyes twinkled with amusement. He was nothing like I'd expected Orion's best friend to be. Where Orion was all rigid control, Colton had an easy confidence that made everyone around him relax. "One glass of wine at dinner and she'll be calling our boy here 'daddy' again."

I nearly choked. "He told you about that?"

"No," Colton grinned. "But you just did."

Orion's lips twitched as he studied his menu. "I like him for a reason."

"I'm starting to see why," I muttered, hiding behind my own menu while trying not to think about that night at his mom's. Or how his eyes had darkened when I'd called him daddy. Or how much I wanted to see that look again.

"So," Jessica said, finally putting her phone away. "How exactly did you two meet? Orion's usually allergic to office romance from what Colton tells me."

"Oh, we're not..." I started.

"It's complicated," Orion finished.

Colton and Jessica exchanged knowing looks.

"Ember used to deliver hate mail to him," Colton offered helpfully. "Now she just drives him crazy in other ways. From the sounds of it, Orion is hardly even getting hate notes anymore. When he does, the CEO of the company has personally been delivering them because Orion resorted to bribing everybody she sends his way."

"Those notes were pretty creative," I said, trying to keep things light. "My favorite was the one about his tie collection being alphabetized by shade. Or maybe the terminator sex dream, actually."

"It's not alphabetized," Orion said stiffly. "It's organized by color value and occasion."

The three of us stared at him.

"That was a joke," he added.

"Was it though?" Colton asked.

"I've seen his closet," I said. "It definitely wasn't a joke."

Jessica's perfectly shaped eyebrows rose. "You've been in his bedroom?"

"No!" I said quickly. "Not his current closet, I mean. I saw his childhood closet, which is still organized like he had it as a kid with small suits, ties, and slacks. His mom was showing me baby pictures and his old room was?—"

"You showed her the hula hoop photos?" Colton interrupted, delighted. "Remmy said you threatened to disown her if she ever mentioned those."

"I did no such thing. I simply suggested that certain childhood activities were better left in the past. And I showed her nothing. That was my meddling mother and little sister."

"He was apparently quite talented with that hula-hoop," I stage-whispered to Jessica. "Could keep it going for hours."

A surprised chuckle escaped Orion. The sound did something warm and fluttery to my chest.

"Good to know he has that kind of stamina," Jessica said with a wink.

I felt my cheeks heat as the server returned with our drinks. Orion's thigh pressed against mine under the table, and I wasn't sure if it was accidental or deliberate. Either way, it was distracting.

"Speaking of stamina," Colton said, "remember that time in college when?—"

"No college stories," Orion cut in.

"But they're the best stories!"

"I want to hear college stories," I said, leaning forward eagerly.

"You really don't," Orion said, but his voice held an unfamiliar note of warmth.

The conversation flowed easily after that, helped along by Colton's natural charm and Jessica's surprisingly sharp wit. I learned that Orion and Colton had been roommates, that Orion had briefly considered becoming an architect before a particular business professor changed his plans entirely. I also learned that he’d once gotten so drunk he tried to organize a stranger's garage at 3 AM.

"He just couldn't help himself," Colton said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "The poor woman found him categorizing her holiday decorations by season and size."

"It was inefficiently stored," Orion muttered, but I caught him fighting a smile.

I liked this version of him—slightly softer around the edges, actually capable of laughing at himself. It made me want things I shouldn't want. Made me imagine a future where we could have this all the time.

But that future would require honesty. And the time to be honest and come clean had come and gone weeks ago. Every day that passed without me telling the truth turned what might have been a forgivable offense into something more. It felt like rot that was spreading between us, even though Orion didn’t know it was there. When I came clean, he’d look back at all these moments and find them colored black at the edges—tainted by what I hadn’t said.

"Earth to Ember," Colton said, snapping his fingers. "You went somewhere else for a minute there."

"Sorry," I said quickly. "Just thinking about... work stuff."

"Always working," Jessica sighed. "You two are perfect for each other."

I felt Orion's eyes on me but couldn't bring myself to meet them. Instead, I excused myself to the bathroom, needing a moment to breathe.

I was fixing my lipstick when Jessica appeared beside me.

"He likes you," she said, touching up her own already-perfect makeup. "I've known Orion for years. Colton and I have dated off and on, and I’ve seen Orion at various points along his journey to full work robot. I’ve never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you.”

"It's not that simple," I said.

"It never is." She capped her lipstick and turned to me. "But sometimes the complicated things are worth figuring out."

I thought about that as we walked back to the table. Orion stood automatically when we approached—of course he did—and pulled out my chair. As I sat, his fingers brushed my shoulder, sending electricity down my spine.

"Everything okay?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, not trusting my voice. Because the truth was, everything wasn't okay. I was falling for him—had already fallen for him—and I had no idea how to stop it.

Or if I even wanted to.