Page 25 of Say Yes

15

CASEY

When Philip touched me,I shivered, and goosebumps rose on my flesh. My body heated, and I could feel the flush in my cheeks at my boldness. But, everything I said was true. It wasn’t just the description that was my type. It was Philip himself. When his friend first pulled me toward him, I’d gotten clammy and even a little light-headed. But, when I’d glanced at Philip and saw the expression on his face, I knew he was a millisecond away from intervening. As much as I appreciated it, I knew I needed to take care of myself. And it wasn’t like his friend was hurting me. There were going to be a lifetime of situations in which a random person might accidentally touch me in passing: shaking hands, jostling as we pass, anything really. It was about time I got used to it.

Thankfully, we were soon interrupted by Sully.

“Hey lovebirds. Are you ready to order yet?” He was clearly nonplussed by Philip’s earlier gruffness and obvious irritation as he grabbed a nearby chair, turning it before straddling it.

I hastily picked up the menu and began scanning it. Philip spoke first. “Give me the cheeseburger and fries. And a Corona with lime.”

“And for the lovely lady?” Sully still oozed charm, even if it didn’t really affect me.

“I’ll try your Reuben special, please. Just a water to drink for me.”

“Coming right up.” He turned and whistled at a waitress nearby. “Tabby, my dear, can you give this order to the kitchen for me. Tell them they’re friends of mine.”

He handed the slip of paper he’d written our order on over to her before he turned his attention back to us.

“So, Casey, why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself? First thing being what you’re doing with this knucklehead right here. I mean, look at him. I don’t think he’s cut his hair since the Marine Corps. In fact, he has better hair than most of the women I’ve dated. They’ve even told me how jealous they are of Philip’s hair here.” Sully nonchalantly rested his forearms on the back of the chair, but I could tell he was studying me.

There really wasn’t much to tell considering the life I’ve led. “Well, I’m a business major, and I work in financial planning. Other than that, I lead a pretty boring life as Philip can attest to.”

Sully seemed a little taken aback by my short and abrupt history. But really, what was I going to tell him? I was an agoraphobic hermit who only recently began venturing outside my four walls, but only because of Philip. I was who I was, and I made no apologies for that.

He recovered quickly. “Well, I’m glad you came here to break up the monotony. You’re welcome any time. And, if you ever need me to kick this jarhead’s ass or put him in his place, you just give me a call.”

Sully winked as he rose from his chair. “I’ll leave you two alone, but I’ll check in and make sure you don’t need anything. Casey, it was a pleasure. I hope to see more of you in the future.”

Now that he was gone, nervousness returned because Philip and I were alone once again. I wasn’t sure how to act around him now that I’d basically told him I was into him. Where did that leave us? I didn’t want things to get awkward between us. I needed to stop overthinking things, that’s for sure. I knew better than anyone that there were no assurances in life. If you didn’t like the life you had, you did what you could to change it.

“I don’t think you lead a boring life.” Philip’s words broke through my reverie.

“Oh, I don’t know. You know as well as I do that I don’t get out much.”

He shrugged. “That doesn’t mean it’s boring. You work hard at both your job and school. I know Josie and Miles enjoy your company. You have a friend who visits you often, and you make him laugh with your wicked sense of humor. I know for a fact he doesn’t think you, or your life, are boring at all.”

Tears of joy filled my eyes, and love filled my heart. “That’s the nicest thing you could have said to me. Thank you, Philip.”

“Well, shit, I didn’t mean to make you cry.” he said, clearly distressed by my tears.

“They’re happy tears. Swear.” I hastily wiped them away.

The waitress chose that moment to bring our food to us.

Throughout the meal, Philip and I talked, laughed, and settled into our usual routine. But now, I looked at him a little differently. My eyes studied his face a little more closely. I watched how his lips moved when he spoke and wondered what they would feel like on my body. His beard tickled my chin, but then my mind drifted to imagining the sensation on other parts of my body.

“Are you okay?” Philip asked.

“Hmmm?” I replied, distractedly. I shook myself and focused on him. “I’m sorry, what?”

His smile was smug. “You were staring. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” I said breezily even though I was hiding my mortification at being caught.

We stared at each other for another minute before he returned to eating. I breathed a sigh of relief. As I started eating, I looked around Sully’s and realized that while we’d been sitting here, more people had entered, and it was becoming slightly more crowded. I took a quick peek at my phone and realized how close to the supper hour it was. I expected that on most evenings this place was packed. I tried to measure my bites and not start rushing in order to get out of here quickly. I’m not sure how well I succeeded, because I could feel Philip’s gaze on me.

I finished eating before he did. I picked a spot on the wall and began my breathing techniques I’d learned in therapy. Slow inhale through my nose and even longer exhale through my mouth. I counted to ten. Three times. From my periphery, I saw Philip lean my way and then back upright. A stack of bills landed on the table and then his hand grasped mine, causing me to jump.

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