“Connor?” Alyssa lifted an eyebrow and motioned to the empty space beside me. “Sit down. You’re making all of us nervous here.”
I scooted over, and Connor slipped in right beside me. He was like a heater. His closeness radiated warmth, and the warmth spread all through my body. I couldn’t look at him, so I sipped my bottle. I stared at my chipped nail polish. I stared at the lines on the table. I stared at everything, except for him.
They talked about work and about Helen—a coworker of ours I hadn’t met yet—and all I could do was sit there and listen and notice every single quality in Connor. The way he laughed in a deep baritone, that oh-so masculine intonation of his voice, the beer that he was drinking, the way his fingers tapped on the table. His woodsy scent of either his aftershave or his shower gel was so enticing that it had me leaning over, wanting to sniff him.
And all of a sudden, I turned mute, too shy to speak, too shy to do anything other than steal glances his way.
I was acutely aware of his thigh brushing next to mine, and I could not breathe. And it felt like the bar had turned into a sauna. I pulled all my hair to the side, trying to give my neck some air to cool down.
The only thing that broke me from my thoughts was him reaching for my sketchbook.
“Did you draw this?” His voice was full of wonder but then also full of shock.
I placed my hand on top of the sketchbook, as if to block him from seeing anything further.
Before I could even say a word, Casey piped up for me, “Yes, she drew it. We were imagining our very own Colby’s candy bar. Charlie is multitalented. Not only is she Superwoman, who can fix computers, but she is also a talented artist.” She embarrassed me further and flipped to the next page. “There’s more here. Charlie, show them your drawings.”
My ears turned unbelievably hot—super hot, as though someone were lighting a torch against my lobes.
“It’s nothing. It’s nothing really. Just a hobby.” As soon as the words left my mouth, acid burned the back of my throat. Because wasn’t that what my mother always said—that it was just a hobby? I hated that word—hobby. As though I didn’t have passion for it, as though I did it just to pass time, as though it didn’t burn inside of me and I didn’t have this need to wake up and draw every day to express my artistic ability. As though everyone could do what I could do. “It’s just something I do in my spare time.”
“You have talent. Accept it.” Alyssa tipped back her wineglass and lightly slapped the table with one palm. “Don’t be shy. You have to show your abilities off, not dim them.”
I didn’t fight it any further because she was right. I needed to own it, so I lifted my fingers from the pages.
Immediately, Connor reached for my sketchpad. He opened it and flipped through the pages, slowly taking in each individual sketch of art.
He didn’t say a word. Not a single word. And his silence was deafening.
I watched his reaction. The widening of his eyes, the way his mouth slipped ajar, the way his finger ran down the paper in appreciation.
Kyle pointed at me. “Charlie, what the hell are you doing, fixing computers?”
The whole table laughed—well, everyone, except for Connor, who just simply stared at the sketches.
“That’s exactly what we were trying to tell her,” Casey said.
Kyle bumped his shoulder against Casey and then smiled. A dimple popped on one of his cheeks. “See, Pigtails, I told you. We don’t disagree about everything.”
She scowled and lifted her nose, bumping her shoulder against his. “Just stop talking.”
“Why does he call you Pigtails?” I asked.
“We went to grade school together … well, high school too. She wore the same pigtails to school every day.”
Ah, now, I got it. The way he teased her reminded me of little boys teasing girls because they had a crush on them.
“Shut up.” Casey pushed at his shoulder, but he didn’t budge. “Get out of my booth!”
I’d have to ask Alyssa about this later. Casey seemed to be the type that was slow to anger, and he wasn’t even doing anything annoying other than just being there.
“You’ve got pure talent, Charlie. Absolute pure talent.” Connor’s words were soft, but they seared through me. There was no humor in his tone or his features.
He’d said it just like my dad had said it years ago. Dad would repeat it over and over and over again.
“Charlie, there are few people who can do what you can do. Not everyone can sing. They can be trained to sing, but some are born with a voice to sing. God gave you this gift. You were born to share your art with the world.”
“Thanks.” I took a sip of my beer, letting the cold liquid cool the warmth inside of me.
I averted my gaze because looking at the beauty of this man made my body heat tick up in temperature.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hungry.” Kyle raised a hand, waving over a waitress, and ordered a bunch of appetizers for the table.
“You didn’t even ask what we wanted to order,” Casey snapped, her voice harsh.
She was like Jekyll and Hyde in one person, and the flip of her switch was this Kyle guy.
“I ordered you chicken strips without the breading. I thought you’d like that.”
“Who eats chicken strips without the breading?” She leaned into him, eyebrows scrunched, her lips pursed, and an absolute scowl taking over her features.
“Well, you know, with your condition and all, you should monitor your carbs.”
It was like watching an old married couple on TV argue. It was quite comical. I bit my tongue to prevent laughter from seeping through my lips.
“I have diabetes, and it is controlled. I eat normal food, you know.”
“Chicken is normal food.”
Alyssa leaned over, so she could look at them both. “Do I really need to sit in between you guys? Can you behave for the next few hours?”
“Can’t you see it’s him?” She poked her finger into Kyle’s shoulder, and he jumped.
“You’re hurting my feelings, Casey.” And when she went in to poke him again, Kyle grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. “Seriously, I’m just looking out for you.”
She shoved at his shoulder and pushed him so hard that he slipped out of the booth. “Get out. I’m playing pool while we wait for food. I can’t sit here by you because you are so annoying.”
Instead of getting back into the seat, he followed her to the pool tables. “I challenge you to a match. If I win, you eat my chicken with no breading, and if you win, I won’t say a single word throughout dinner.”
“You not talking? Impossible.” Her smile turned glorious. “Fine, I might be little, but I can play pool.”
“I can’t miss this.” Alyssa slid out of the booth and headed to the pool table at the far end of the bar.
And then there were two.
“Are they always like that?” I gripped my bottle a little tighter, focusing on my friends on the opposite side of the room. Having Connor this close to me made my pulse tick up in tempo and the inside of my palms sweat.
When I lifted my head, Connor was staring directly at me, and I immediately slid my stare back to the trio at the pool table.