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This was her moment to say no, she didn’t feel anything. To say that he was just like any other guy she’d met at a bar, but he’d know she was lying. There was something between them. Something she wished she could explain. It would make it a lot easier to kick him out right now.
She shrugged, unable to say it verbally because then it would be out in the universe.
Pete stared at her long and hard, and she knew he saw the truth of it. His lips turned down and his teeth pinned down his bottom lip. She felt him almost silently asking her, “You’re really not going to see what we could be?”
The image of Sarah flying into the parking lot of the diner came to her again. She must be tracking him somehow to know where they were. Bea didn’t want that drama in her life. As attracted as she was to Pete, she couldn’t willingly invite that into her life. Not to mention if Sarah was still so attached to Pete, Bea would probably become just as attached, and then what would happen to her after he broke her heart? What if he changed his mind and decided Sarah was the one he wanted?
“Then can we at least be friends?”
Her gaze flew up to meet his, surprised by his request. How was she going to be friends with him when all she wanted was to have sex with him?
“Get to know me better. Find out that you can trust me.”
Her forehead crinkled. She didn’t understand why this was so important to him, but she did enjoy his company. Friends wasn’t a horrible thing. From what she’d gathered from the conversations they’d had, he seemed like he wanted to see the world and didn’t want to stay in one place for too long. He loved snowboarding and was trying to get to every big ski resort he could.
Nia’s head popped out of the kitchen behind Pete. So, she had been eavesdropping the entire time. Great. Her eyes went wide, and she gestured that Bea should say yes.
What did she have to lose? He’d probably be gone soon, and Bea would never see him again anyway. “Sure.”
He smiled and grabbed the plastic bag, pulling it toward him. “Do you have any syrup?”
She stared at him as though he was one zoo animal humping another one. She finally asked the question that had been bothering her. “How did you find me?”
“It’s a small town. Jared is a friend.”
Jared? Bea tried to figure out if that name was familiar, then it came to her. “My Uber driver?”
Pete sheepishly smiled and nodded, opening up the container of pancakes. He probably hoped the distraction of the fluffy goodness would override the revelation of Jared’s invasion of privacy.
Bea went to the kitchen to grab the syrup. She didn’t know how she’d push away her sexual feelings toward Pete in order to be just his friend, but that he’d gone to this much trouble to apologize to her meant something in her book.
One year later…
Bea was at the end of the bar, where most of her Friday nights were now spent. Usually, Pete served, and she would sit there with the small group of friends that congregated there every Friday night.But Pete had tonight off, and they were celebrating Nia’s engagement to Trek. Turned out Pete and Bea were both wrong. Trek was head over heels in love with Nia and had popped the question the night before, and Nia had ecstatically accepted.
Bea had watched them fall more and more in love for the past year. Trek had even asked Bea to go with him to pick out the ring. She couldn’t believe that this guy who had been such a womanizer had changed all because of one girl. Of course, her best friend was awesome, and he would’ve been crazy not to see that the day Nia came into his life had been the best day of his, but it went against everything Bea believed. Trek had changed all because of Nia. As hard as she tried, Bea couldn’t wrap her head around the idea.
Tonight, they were celebrating. Trek was already drunk but kept pestering Dimitri for more shots. And Trek didn’t take all the shots on his own. He ordered for everyone. Trek wasn’t only celebrating his new wife-to-be tonight. After Bea had gotten to know him, she had agreed to send his band’s music to her well-known music producer uncle. He had got it into the right hands, and Trek’s band had signed with a label a month ago. They were moving to Los Angeles, and Trek was taking Nia with him. Which left Bea without a roommate, but thankfully Pete was moving in.
She and Pete had remained friends throughout the past year, and although there were a few times Bea had thought it might lead to more, she couldn’t pull the trigger. Pete was an intricate part of her life now, and if something went bad, she didn’t know what would happen. Would she be Sarah, driving erratically into a diner parking lot, baseball bat in hand to do damage to his SUV? Plus, now he was going to be her roommate, so they definitely couldn’t cross the line.
“Let’s go, Bea, drink the shot.” Trek put his arm around her shoulders. “I owe you the world.”
Bea shook her head. She was surprised by how fond she was of Trek now. He treated Nia like a princess, and Bea had witnessed him deny girl after girl since they’d gotten together, telling them all that he was taken. She knew Nia would be in good hands with him.
“I’ve drank enough,” Bea said loudly because she was already buzzed.
“You’re getting drunk with me.”
“Hate to break it to you, but you’re already drunk,” Bea said into his ear.
“Because life is good.” He grabbed Nia. “I got my girl. I got my band. We got FUCKING SIGNED!”
He pulled Nia onto the dance floor, and Bea was thankful she didn’t have to drink another shot. Pete tugged on Bea’s arm, and she fell down next to him in the booth. His eyes were glassy, and he had on his goofy drunk smile.
“Hey, roomie,” he said and put his arm around her. “Let’s toast.” He pushed a shot glass her way and lifted his.
She raised the glass and clinked Pete’s, but she didn’t drink the shot. Instead, she placed it back on the table.
