The soft command purrs over my skin, raising goosebumps along my exposed legs and arms. After a moment's pause, I tuck my notepad and pen away in my apron pocket, watching those stony eyes as they track the movement of my fingers. Reaching behind my back, I untie the knot holding the apron around my waist, my breaths quickening with every passing second.
His gaze is heavy on me as I set the apron on the table and angle myself into the booth seat opposite him. Although he’s done nothing but smile, I can’t help but feel like I’m being measured and weighed with every lingering look; being appraised as cattle before slaughter. My eyes drop to my hands, running my fingers along the seam of my apron. I blow a low breath into my hands and murmur a quiet, “Thank you.” He probably didn’t hear you, idiot. Raising my eyes to his face, I repeat myself, louder, “Thank you—for the other day at the gas station. I said it then, but I wasn’t sure if you heard me or not.”
“I heard you,” he says it quickly, like he has more important things to address, and I suck my lips between my teeth as a light wave of embarrassment tickles my gut. He’s still leaning back in his seat, the tips of one of his sneakers brushing up along my bare ankle making me jump in my seat. “Ember, I like that name.” His fingers drum on the back of his seat, eyes running over me as I fidget, raising a hand to push my hair behind my ear. “It fits you.”
The compliment rolls over me like a storm cloud, buzzing my skin with lightning jolts that warm me from my belly to my limbs. I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks and I look away, my eyes landing on Becca who mouths “who is that?” from by the register. I give her a look that makes her giggle, directing my attention back to the man before me. Stop fidgeting, Ember. I move my hands to my lap to stop myself from touching my apron any more than I already have, hoping he doesn’t notice how uncomfortable I am sitting here. Something about him unnerves me while simultaneously drawing me in. I’m thankful to him for helping me the other day, even if he doesn’t seem to care. I find myself wanting him to know how thankful I am even though I shouldn’t care that much, I don’t know this man. I should have no reason to desire his acceptance or his praise.
But I do.
“What’s yours?” I swallow when his smile widens, fingers pinching together when his toe rubs against my ankle again. I’m guessing it’s not an accident then. “Your name, I mean—” I smile trying to break my rambles, the small twitch of his lips warming my chest. It gives me a small boost of confidence to get the words out correctly this time. “What’s your name?”
“I’ll tell you if you let me bring you home.” Bring me home? To his or mine? My gut flutters with nerves and I must make a face because he laughs, his arms dropping from the back of the seat. “Your home, Ember. Let me take you to your place so you don’t have to ride the bus.”
I can feel the flush rising up my neck and I bite my tongue. Of course, he isn’t asking you to his place, you don’t even know each other. I nod at him, watching as he reaches into his back pocket to pull out cash. He stands and tosses a twenty on the table, using two fingers to gesture for me to get up with him.
I eye the money on the table, pushing up from my seat with my apron in hand. “You didn’t order anything.”
It’s tangible, the weight of his gaze as I look at him, nervously scrunching my toes in my sneakers, and watch his eyes drag up my legs and over my uniform, my skin heated by the time they get to my face. It’s not often I get looked at like that and it does things to me.
It also makes me even more aware of the fact that my hair is undoubtedly a mess, that my nail polish has started to chip, and that I don’t have any makeup on. Crossing my arms over my waist, my pen falls from the apron in my hand and I hurriedly bend to scoop it up, my hair curtaining around my face to hide the blush I know is painting my cheeks. Biting the inside of my lip, I straighten.
“Do you have a coat you want to grab?” He’s smiling at me, the light crinkling around his stormy eyes helping to ease the nerves shaking along my fingers. He seems kind despite his outward cold appearance, genuine even.
“Uh, yea, it’s behind the register. I can grab it on the way out.”
He nods, long fingers coming up to brush my hair behind my ear like I had it earlier. My heart just about beats out of my chest at the gesture, my fingers fisting the apron and pen in my hands to fight the urge to lean into his touch like a love-starved puppy. “Let’s go.”
His hand drops and he turns giving me his back, walking down the row of tables toward the register and door. I quickly shuffle after him, snagging my gray zip-up hoodie from below the register as I watch him open the door. He keeps it open for me, watching me walk past him with an intensity that makes me shudder. I try to play it off as if it were from the cold, hurrying to put my hoodie on, but it’s unnecessary because his attention isn’t on me anymore. He’s pulling his keys from his pocket, eyes on a sleek black car as he walks. It starts up before we get to it, I only know because of the shining headlights in the dark parking lot. I can barely hear the soft quiet purr of the engine as I stand awkwardly by the door that’s opened for me.
I don’t know this man and I’m about to get in his car.
“I don’t know you,” I say mirroring my thoughts, my face finding the man, holding my door for me. It’s cast in shadows, the only light coming from the car’s interior.
His free hand brushes along the outside of my arm, his fingers wrapping around my bicep as he lightly pushes me inside. “Get in the car, Ember, I’m just bringing you home.”
I fight the light touch of his hand, one of my hands landing on the top of the car. “How did you know I took the bus?”
His hand leaves me as he steps away from his door. I watch him round the front of his car and open the door. “I just guessed.” He looks at me over the hood, the bottom of his face illuminating his teeth as he smiles at my discomfort. “You want to know my name or not?”
He’s still smiling when he disappears from sight, dropping into the car and I let out a breath, swallowing past my indecision. Without thinking about it further, I drop into the seat and shut the door.