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I relaxed a little. I must have imagined him blushing. He was just being normal and trying to have a normal conversation with me.
I was such a spaz…
“Networking event,” I said lamely. “At that monstrosity in the middle of town, theFigure Eight—”
His sand-colored eyes hardened to pyrite.“I designed that building.”
Shit!“Oh, really?! Well, it’s very impressive—”
He burst out laughing. “I’mkidding!God, you should’ve seen your face!”
My shoulders sagged. I didn’t like that kind of humor—the kind where I was the butt of a joke. It felt cheap, somehow.
Sam would never take a cheap shot like that; it was beneath him.
“It was a just a joke,” Noah said, still smiling.
Ugh. Even worse.
“I have to use the restroom,” I said, then mumbled about washing my hands.
“Wait, I didn’t mean to offend you—”
“I’m not offended!” I said brightly with a fake little smile plastered on my face like a bandaid.
“Wait, before you go, what kind of drink do you want—”
“Whisky something!” I said as I whisked out of the booth and made my escape.
I lingered in the bathroom, taking my time washing my hands.
There was something always so sacred about the women’s restroom. It was like time stopped in here. Any woman could come here and take a break from the outside world, at least for a little while.
I hardly recognized my reflection.
The woman in the mirror staring back at me was someone completely different than who I’d shaped myself to be.
She looked confident; flirty; put-together.
But most of all, she looked single.
I wasstillsingle. I could do what I wanted; I didn’t owe Sam anything. And I hadn’t done anything wrong.
…but why did it feel like it?
It was times like this that I was so glad my anxiety didn’t hang around in my head anymore. It was easier to avoid it; easier to escape.
And letting the hot water run over my hands like this was so soothing…
I could do this. I could be polite with Noah, have a nice, normal conversation with him. I could behave like a lady, and respect my date.
Who I was sleeping with. Who I slept with last night, when Noah walked in on us.
But who wasn’t my boyfriend, still.
My expression darkened in the mirror. I wondered if Noah thought about me, naked…
“Having a good time?”
