Page 3 of A Me and Him Thing
I notice a woman sitting at another table staring at us. No, glaring at us. I swear she’s giving me major stink eye.
He’s taken. What a jerk.
“Do you have somewhere to be? Your girlfriend’s not happy with you right now.” Is she waiting for him to return while he flirts with me? Shameless.
He splays his hands. “No girlfriend in sight around here.”
“Is there a girl who would be upset when she hears you say that? That counts.”
“Does it count if I’m upset that shethinksshe’s my girl?”
“No, because you must have done something that made her think it.”
He places his hands in his pockets. “Hmm, good point. I’ll go apologize right away. First, who is she?”
“You don’t know?”
“No clue.” His half smile stays in place while his intense eyes never leave my face.
I glance at the woman who was giving me the stink eye. Her significant other just returned to the table, and he’s helping her stand as she smiles brightly at him.
Oops. Maybe I’m wrong about the man in black.
“Too late. She’s leaving with another man. You’ve been replaced.”
“Lucky escape?”
“Yes,shejust made one.” I scan the room, wondering if there’s another woman waiting somewhere for him. I feel sorry for her, wherever she is.
“Ouch. The knife in my back just twisted.”
That voice of his is killing me. He constantly sounds like he’s whispering in my ear. “Who put it there in the first place? Do I need to get in line?” I turn my head to the side as an uncontrollable sneeze takes me by surprise.Classy, Bree, real classy.
“Shut up,” the man says, smooth as satin.
“Excuse me?”
“It’s tradition in our family. If someone sneezes, we tell them to shut up. It’s how we roll.”
“I don’t roll in that direction,” I tell him firmly.
His demeanor changes slightly as he says, “Please enjoy your choice of dessert. Whatever you’d like. It’s on me. Consider it your due for having to put up withmeand my bad jokes. I hope you’ve enjoyed your time at Exodus this evening.”
He nods and politely takes his leave. He moves to the next table, and still speaking with his smooth voice, says, “Please tell me you’ve loved every moment of your dining experience, or I’ll be mortally wounded.”
Oh.
He works here.
He wasn’t actually trying to flirt with me. He was just being friendly. Dropping by my table to ensure everything was to my liking.
Oops again.
Maybe he should have made his intentions clear from the get-go. Why did he go along with me like that? He seemed to enjoy it too. Now I feel bad for being rude.
I don’t want to go through life feeling bad about my behavior. The thought makes me uncomfortable, like I want to squirm out of my skin. What’s wrong with me? Why isn’t polite my first response to human interaction?
Why can’t Bree the Bad become Bree the Better?
