Page 124 of Indescribable
I don’t like the look of pity that crosses his face so I quickly change the subject.
“I’m graduating from University of Chicago in a few months.”
His expression clears, and I can tell he knows exactly what I’m doing. “Oh yeah? What degree?”
One I won’t be able to use.“Counseling psychology.”
“Is that to become a therapist?”
“Yeah.” That would be my dream, but I’ll be told otherwise. “What about you?”
“Just graduated with a business degree from University of Tennessee. Right now I’m working for my step-dad’s company.”
“And that is?”
“A furniture company.”
“Nice. You enjoy it?”
“It’s probably not what I want to do forever, but it’s a good place to work for now.”
I drink the last of my wine, and our waitress comes over, asking if we want another. We both say yes and she lets us know she’ll be right back with it.
For the next few minutes, we give each other basic information about ourselves. Our favorite food, color, animal, vacation, movies, shows, music… nothing deep but helps me relax. We learn we have a lot in common, which shouldn’t surprise me but it does. Maybe because my entire life I’ve lied about those answers because I had to play the part. But with Cash/Danny, I know I can be myself. When I tell him that “Ace Ventura Pet Detective” is my favorite movie, he doesn’t make fun of me. He starts quoting lines and doing the best Jim Carrey impression I’ve ever seen. My favorite vacation? One that I just went on. Because I did whatIwanted to do. I wasn’t under a microscope the entire time.
“What were you doing here in New York?”
“Business,” he tells me. “For Stone, that’s my stepdad. I had meetings with a new supplier and then with some prospective buyers. The furniture he builds is primarily custom.” Cash/Dannyreaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, scrolling a bit then turns it to me. “Like this. He does amazing work.”
I gasp, taking the phone from his hand. Our fingers graze one another’s and when our eyes connect, I know he feels the same thing I do. Clearing my throat, I agree with him. “I’ll say. This is incredible. It’s all custom?”
“Most of it, yeah. He has a line of pieces that are more, standard, I guess you could say, but they’re still more unique than what you’d find in a typical furniture store.”
I hand him the phone back and sit back in my seat, taking a sip out of my new glass of wine the waitress delivered. Cash does the same with his beer. Our eyes, though, never stray from keeping contact. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him if I wanted to. Which I don’t.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?” His words are bold and I love it.
“I do now.”
His head turns to the side a little. “Don’t tell me no one has told you you’re beautiful before.”
“They’ve said it, but never meant it the way you did just now.”
Beneath the table, his foot brushes against mine. I lean forward and slide my hand across the table. His fingers touch mine, linking our pinkies together.
Trying to flirt with him without being obvious is taking a lot of my energy. I take a sip of my wine and he winks and that’s when I basically die inside, my lady bits clenching.
While finishing our drinks, we continue to talk. With every word out of his mouth, the weight of what’s at home for me feels heavier and heavier.
He’s agoodguy.
A family guy.
Someone who I can tell has your back without question.
The way he speaks of his family, his life back in Tennessee, it’s what I have dreamed of my entire life.
Small town life seems so… easy. I’m sure living in a small town isn’t perfect, but living in a city where I feel shackled to a life I don’t want isn’t easy, either.