"Okay, Dr. Whittaker," Nate jokes.
"We'll check in with you later. Hope you feel better." Brad ends the call, then pulls into someone's driveway and stops. "What do you think? It's kind of early for dinner. Want to grab a drink somewhere?"
"Sure." I hide my hands under my legs and turn toward the side window, nervously chewing my lip.
"Riley?"
"Yeah?" I say, still turned to the side.
"If you don't want to do this, I can take you home."
Turning back to him, I pause, then say, "It's not that I don't want to go out. I just feel bad that Nate can't go."
"I'm his cousin, so it's kind of like being out with Nate." Brad smiles and I see a hint of Nate in his smile. "And it sounds like he wants you to go out and have fun tonight. So what do you say? Drinks? A movie? What sounds good?"
"It's been a long week. I could use a drink."
"You'll have to suggest a place. I don't know my way around yet."
I give him directions to the local brewhouse that Nate loves. And they have decent food so it's an option for dinner.
"So you're going to med school in the fall?" I ask as we're driving.
"That's the plan."
"What kind of doctor do you want to be?"
"I'm thinking general practitioner. Or I might specialize. Haven't decided yet."
"Where are you going to school?" I ask as he stops at a red light.
"Columbia. My dad went there for law school so I had an in. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would've been accepted. It's a top school. Not sure I belong there." His voice trails off as he says it and he glances down. It's the first time I've seen his confidence slip.
"I'm sure you'll do great."
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he says, his confidence suddenly back. "Why don't we stop talking so much about me and talk about you?"
"There's not much to say."
"I doubt that. I've got all night to find out."
He says it in a flirty way and gives me a flirty smile. This is feeling more and more like a date, especially without Nate here. I kind of want it to be a date, but it can't be.
Brad seems like a great guy and I'm really attracted to him, but he's off limits. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
Chapter Five
Riley
"Would you like to see the dessert menu?" the waitress asks.
Brad and I just finished dinner at the brewery. After an appetizer, a burger, a pile of fries, and three beers, I'm stuffed.
"What do you think?" Brad asks.
"Can't do it," I tell him, pushing my plate away.
"We'll pass on dessert," he tells the waitress.
"No problem." She gives him a smile. "I'll be back with your check."
The waitress has been flirting with Brad since we sat down. I knew it would happen. A guy this hot gets a lot of attention. Even just walking in the bar, girls were staring at him. The white polo he's wearing fits tightly over his muscular chest, drawing attention to his body and making his tan look even more golden brown.
"How about a game of darts?" Brad asks, pointing to the bar. I've been here many times and never even noticed the dart board.
"I don't know how."
"It's easy. I can show you." He gets out of the booth, dropping some money on the table for the check. "Ready?" He offers me his hand.
As we walk to the dart board, Brad keeps hold of my hand. Most guys wouldn't hold on like that, especially since this isn't a date. They'd at least be nervous making such a bold move. But not Brad. He acts like it's completely normal, which makes me think his earlier flirting wasn't really flirting but just his personality.
He goes up to the dartboard. "Red or blue?"
"Blue," I say.
He hands me the blue darts, then takes some steps back. "Over here," he says as he faces the dartboard.
I come up beside him. "Is this where I stand?"
"Move over a little." He puts his arm around me and moves me a few steps to the left. His arm is big and warm and feels good around my shoulders, which are cold from the frigid air conditioning. I should've brought a sweater to put over my tank top. It also would've made me feel more covered up. This tank really shows off my boobs, which is not what I intended to do tonight. Brad's eyes dropped to my cleavage a few times during dinner, which doesn't surprise me. He's a guy and I have bigger than normal boobs that are spilling out of this tank top. It's hard not to look.
"Just aim and throw?" I ask, lifting my dart up.
"Wait. Before you throw it, make sure your arm is straight." He comes up behind me and positions my arm, his warm hands on my cool skin causing me to shiver. "You, okay?" He releases my arm and stands beside me.
"Yeah." I smile. "I'm just really cold and your hands are warm. It made me shiver."
"Sorry. I'm always touching people like that and not even thinking about it. One of my professors said that'll be good for when I'm a doctor, with the whole bedside manner thing, but I always forget other people might not like it."
"I didn't mind. It warmed me up a little. I've been freezing since we got here."
"Why didn't you tell me that sooner? I'll go get my sweatshirt." He pulls his keys from his pocket. "Be right back."
"Brad, no. You don't have to do that. I'll be fine."
"You can't play darts when you're freezing. Your hand will shake. And I don't like you being cold."
While he's gone, I get my phone out and call Nate.
"Riley?" he answers, sounding tired.
"Hey, how are you feeling?"
"A little better, but still throwing up."
"I'm sorry. Can I do anything?"
"No. I just need to ride it out. I should be better by tomorrow."
"You think you'll be able to go to orientation?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. So how's your night? Is Brad treating you okay?"
"He's great. He just went out to the car to get me a sweatshirt. We're at the brewery and it's freezing."
"You always freeze in there. I'm surprised you didn't bring a sweater, like you usually do."
"I forgot it. And we didn't plan to eat here. We were just going to get a beer, then go eat somewhere else."
"And you're still there? It's almost nine."
Is it? I check my phone. Holy crap, it really is almost nine. How did it get to be so late? Brad and I talked all through dinner, and I didn't even notice the time.
"We're playing darts," I say, trying to explain why we've been here for hours.
"I didn't know you played darts."
"I don't, but I'm learning how. Brad is teaching me."
"Huh," Nate says, sounding suspicious. Does he think tonight has become more than a casual dinner with his cousin? I hope not, because that's all this night has been. Sure, Brad made some flirty comments and touched me a few times, but he just explained that he touches everyone. That's just how he is, and I think what I'm assuming are flirty comments are really just how he says things.