3. Are You Like FamousSomething

3

ARE YOU LIKE FAMOUS OR SOMETHING

HO HEY, THE LUMINEERS

Alex

“Good morning, sunshine…or, should I say, elfie?” I ask as soon as I see her move and open her eyes. I know I scared her when she jolts at the sound of my voice, but I figured it would be best to just get it out of the way.

“Who the fuck are you?!” she shouts. “It’s not even morning!” She sits up and drops my hoodie onto the ground.

“Your guardian angel, apparently,” I reply, bending forward and picking up my jacket from the ground. “You fell asleep and it didn’t seem safe to leave you here by yourself. I saw you while walking back to my truck, but now that you’re awake, have a good night.” I get up to leave, but before heading to my SUV, I add, “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Shit, I’m sorry. You didn’t have to keep watch. I can’t believe I fell asleep. What the hell?” she questions, still groggy from sleep and frantically looking for the snowflake pillow that I can see now is a purse.

She grabs the purse, opens it, and gets her phone out, checking it and letting out a curse. “Sorry; thank you for keeping an eye on me, but I’m good now.” She stands up, shaking her dress out and stepping closer to me.

She offers me her small hand so I can shake it. I notice immediately how much I tower over her and that she’s even prettier up close. Her long lashes kiss her cheeks, her skin a beautiful contrast with her dark hair and her freckles. And her body…her damn perfect body. All soft, sexy, and feminine curves. And when her eyes lock on mine, the sensation coursing through our fingertips intensifies. I pull my hand away and grunt.

“I’m glad you’re good. I hope you make it to wherever you’re going to dressed like that safely,” I say. I was trying to go for flirty and fun but it came out snarky as fuck.

“What? You’ve never seen holiday glee in human form before? That’s sad, even for a grump,” she sasses back.

“A grump? I’m not a grump. You’re the grump, flipping me off when you stole my parking spot.”

She gasps loudly, holding her hands together over her chest and dropping her mouth. “Your parking spot?! I was already there, and my blinker was on, and—wait, are you stalking me?”

I can’t help but roll my eyes. “I was there first and, no, I’m not stalking you. It’s hard to miss someone dressed like Cindy Lou Who on a Friday night,” I tease. Fuck, why am I arguing with this girl instead of asking her out? “A cute Cindy Lou Who,” I add, trying to smooth over this increasingly worse moment.

She rolls her eyes and folds her arms over her chest. “I was going to a party, hence the outfit, but now I just look ridiculous, I guess.”

“Cute. You looked cute even when you stole my parking spot,” I explain, winking at her and stretching my hand in front of her again. “Hi, I’m Alex, nice to meet you.”

“Livie,” she replies, shaking my hand softly.

“You hungry, Livie? I saw you didn’t stay for your dinner date long earlier.”

“So, you are stalking me,” she teases with a smile. The air around us is crisp and her arms break out in goosebumps. This time I offer my hoodie to her, holding between us in a silent gesture.

“I’m harmless, I promise. You were sitting across from my table back there—”I point to the restaurant—"and I saw how quickly you left, so unless you went to eat somewhere else, I bet you’re starving.”

I can see hesitation shifting in her eyes. “Are you asking me to go eat with you?”

I grin and reply, “I am.” She looks at me, her gaze searching my eyes with her hands on hips. Her body language shows how confident she is in her own skin but her eyes are telling a different story. To her, I’m just a giant asshole creepy stalker. If she was my sister—if I had a sister—I wouldn’t want her to go anywhere with me. “Listen, this was a bad idea. You don’t know me, and for all you know I could be a serial killer, so just forget it.”

“Well, are you?” she asks, and when I raise my eyebrows, she continues, “A serial killer?”

I grunt and pinch the bridge of my nose, shaking my head.

“Okay, how about this?” Livie continues. “We do dinner, but I pick the place and I’ll drive myself. When the dinner’s over, I go my way and you go yours. Deal?” Her lip curls in a questioning smirk as she waits for my reply.

“Say where.”

She tells me the name of the restaurant—Yummy’s, a mom-and-pop burger shack down the road. We hop into our vehicles and park one behind the other on a quiet side street near the diner. I wait for her to step out of her car and lock it before I fall into step behind her, keeping my distance so she doesn’t assume I’m trying anything funny. Amelia Island has a small-town feel, despite the tourists. There are a lot of empty side streets that only locals know about, but we just met—I don’t want to spook the girl.

I text my mom to let her know I won’t be home early tonight before putting my phone back in my pocket. I might be thirty years old but I’ve lived with my mom since my injury, so even though I’m an adult, she still worries if I don’t let her know where I am. As we reach the front, I pull open the glass door, letting Livie walk inside first and she whispers a soft thanks.

The bright white lights in the restaurant combined with the checkered floor scream retro diner. Livie hits the bell on the red countertop and we wait as we browse the menu lit-up above the register. This place is known for its burgers and milkshakes, and I can go for both of those. Good to know that this is where her mind went when I asked if she was hungry.

“Welcome to Yummy's. Can I have a name for your order?” the purple-haired cashier asks.

“Livie. Can I have a double cheeseburger with sweet potato fries, add salt and Yummy’s sauce on the side, please?” she orders without hesitation. Her confidence in knowing what she wants is hot as fuck, too. I already knew she was confident—the outfit, the way she sassed back when I mentioned the parking spot and the way she ended her date back at her restaurant—this was just the icing on the cake.

“You got it. Anything to drink?”

“Cookies and cream milkshake and a cup of water, please. Thank you.” Livie reaches for her tiny purse but I quickly reach over her to hand the cashier my card.

“On me,” I whisper to Livie, squeezing her shoulder softly and stepping next to her so I can put in my order.

“And for you, sir?” she asks, taking my card.

“Let me get a Reuben and a slaw dog. Tater tots, and a root beer.” The cashier finishes inputting the order on her computer and then taps my card on the reader.

“Here you go. Take this number to any table and your food will be right up,” she says.

“After you,” I tell Livie, turning my body so I’m right behind her. And being the forward asshole I am, I put my hand on her lower back and guide her toward the sitting area.

She walks to a booth in the back corner, far away from the entrance and the rest of the people here. It’s late but in December—when everyone’s trying to buy presents, spend time with family, and do things out and about—the night’s still young.

“You didn’t have to pay,” Livie protests, sliding into the booth.

“I asked you to come eat with me. I did need to pay. It also was not a problem at all.”

“So, tell me, Alex. What brings you out on this busy December night, and why are you free so at this hour?” Livie asks, laying her elbows on the table and leaning closer while resting her hands under her chin .

“Dinner with my friends and, to be honest, I’m always free. I don’t do much anymore.”

“And why is that?” she asks with surprise in her eyes.

I smirk. “Why do you look surprised? Maybe I’m a loner and you were the only person who took the bait.”

“Nah, looking like that—”she says waving her hand like she’s roving my body“—and with the smooth talk I don’t think it’s hard for you to spend time with anyone. On top of that, you appear to be a gentleman. So, what’s the real reason?”

“How do you know I’m a gentleman, Livie?”

“Opening doors, hand on my lower back, paying for dinner, and watching over a total stranger as she sleeps on a bench in the dark? All gentlemanly things if you ask me.”

“It’s called the bare minimum, but sure, I guess I am. My mama raised me right.”

Livie opens her mouth like she’s ready to say something else but the waitress brings us our drinks. She grabs a straw from the table, unwraps it in one quick swoop and puts it in her milkshake. She closes her eyes, takes a long sip, and moans. I look at her full mouth as it’s wrapped about the straw and all my blood goes south, even as I try to keep it from happening.

“She sure did. You’re dodging the question though.” She’s all business, like she didn’t just look like the sexiest thing on earth while sipping on her drink.

“I don’t get out for many reasons. Maybe I’ll tell you about them next time. But I’ll give you one now if you answer a question for me.” I sip on my root beer, letting the bubbles fizzle and tickle my throat before asking, “Why did you abandon your date back there?”

She flashes me a giant smile and says, “Easy and simple. It was a date set up by my mother, and that guy has the personality of ?ame. He also ordered me a salad for dinner, after I’d just gotten off of a long day of work and had to deal with the parking nightmare that is this town. I couldn’t take it. Your mama raised you to be a gentleman, mine raised me to give pleasantries, and today I’m out of them.”

“Fair. Also, what’s a yamay? Is that what you said?”

“Hahahaha, kinda,” she answers. “?ame is like a potato without flavor.”

I choke, trying not to spit out my drink at that description. After I swallow, I laugh. A deep laugh that registers between a cough and a cry. I don’t remember the last time something made me laugh like this.

“It’s the truth. Just another Chad, Brad, or Kyle that my mother tried to pair me with so I don’t lose on my fertile years,” Livie explains, adding air quotes to the last two words. “Sorry, natural over-sharer. Your turn.”

I shake my head, still laughing a bit. “Don’t be sorry at all. I’m sorry you were set up with someone like that; sounds to me like you need more personality.”

“Than a root vegetable? Yes, please. I rather pluck my eyelashes out one at a time than deal with that for hours. My mother, on the other hand, doesn’t get that. Still over-sharing here. I’ll shut up now.”

“Don’t,” I chuckle. “I could listen to you talk all night.” I wait a few seconds in silence before looking her in the eyes, deciding to go for it. “I don’t go out much because my life came to a standstill three years ago. It’s only recently that I’ve been able to go anywhere without help. And let’s just say… my reputation is a disaster and trying to fix it is not as easy as it seems. Everything I do gets picked apart by the media, so now I don’t do anything at all.” I usually don’t have to talk about my career with women because they hunt me down for who I am . Alex Haddock, the ex-quarterback legend, not Alex the man.

“What are you, like, famous or something?” she asks, turning her face to the waitress as she brings us our food, dropping our plates in front of us and making the silence stretch longer. I hate this question almost as much as I hate getting recognized on the streets. There’s never a good way to explain who I am, and even years after setting foot on that stadium for the last time, it doesn’t get any better.

“Or something,” I mutter.

“Mysterious. Well, enjoy your food.” Livie grabs her cheeseburger and takes a big bite. She closes her eyes and moans again. She clearly enjoys food, and I like that. I really like that. Girls tend to be nervous while eating in front of a man. They’re worried about looking a certain way or not ordering what they truly want in fear of what men might think. I, for one, don’t give a shit. I’d much rather be on a date with someone who is trying to have a good time and be themselves than someone who is trying to impress me.

“You too,” I reply, trying not to think about how I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed an easy conversation with a girl while sharing a good dinner.