Page 17 of Conquer

“Side effect of the job, huh,” I said.

Adrian looked at me with a knowing expression. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“It comes in handy, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about here,” I said.

He shrugged, and we kept walking.

We didn’t talk more, but that was okay. I could imagine that many other times, with other people, I would have felt awkward or embarrassed and groped for something to fill the late-evening air.

But with him, that wasn’t necessary. There was no need to try to force conversation, no need to do anything but just be.

It was wonderful.

Two blocks into the walk, and this was shaping up to be the best date I’d ever had.

Adrian

“Would you like a margarita?” Sam asked.

“Yes,” I said.

She nodded and then spoke to the waiter to order the drinks.

I sat there, still, feeling like I was outside of myself, not exactly sure what to do because this was such an unusual experience for me.

Unprecedented really.

I was as far out of my comfort zone as I could possibly be, so I was simply following Sam’s lead.

“Do you like Mexican food?” Sam asked once the waiter had left, as she nibbled on a tortilla chip.

“Yes,” I said.

Sam smiled, her lips turning up, her eyes bright.

“I now have a clear objective for this meal, Adrian,” she said.

“What’s that?” I asked, looking at her curiously.

“Before it’s over, I will get you to say a sentence that contains a minimum of three words,” she said.

She laughed, and I allowed myself to smile.

“Sorry. I’m just…nervous,” I said.

It felt odd to confess as much, but it was true.

I was nervous.

Beyond the storm of shit that was swirling around us without Sam even knowing, I was having to contend with this altogether new set of circumstances.

I liked Sam, loved her, as crazy as that sounded.

But I was having to deal with her one-on-one now, having to confront the possibility that she might not like me. Not at all.

Funny how I had never even considered such a thing before, whether someone liked me or not. But her opinion of me mattered. And given my lack of this kind of thing, talking as little as possible seemed like the best bet to make sure I didn’t send her running away screaming.

At least she appeared to be amused by that.