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“I guess that’s why I left the Roadbar in a sense. I loved it there, and I loved working with everyone, but I was there when it all fell apart for my family. Working with Willow has helped me connect with my craft.”
“Like making up for lost time,” he added.
“Exactly. I’m just glad the worst of it is behind me now.”
Noah smiled. “That’s a good way of looking at it.”
As we walked through the park and continued to talk, that familiar warmth of meeting someone new surrounded me.
It made me think about how tumultuous it had been to meet Griffin. I greeted him the day he moved in, but he wasn’t the chattiest person. He seemed more determined to get his things inside the house and settle down than to hold a conversation with me.
From there, it only got worse with our bickering.
It was almost funny to look back on, even if I had been so beyond annoyed with him. We got past that and managed to find ourselves in even stranger circumstances.
Even as Noah started talking more about his family, I realized I wasn’t listening at all. I was too busy thinking about Griffin again.
I couldn’t understand why it was so easy for him to enter my mind again, and to take up that precious thinking space. How easily my stomach did flips just from that alone.
Noah was nice to talk to, but as we went, I couldn’t ignore that lack of spark I felt towards him. He was friendly and kind, but I didn’t see it going any farther than that.
It felt like nothing but pent-up tension and sparks with Griffin, and that weighed heavily on my shoulders. I didn’t even want to admit it, but it was true.
He made me curious and knew exactly how to push my buttons. Beyond that, he knew how to make me long for more of him.
By the time we looped around the whole park, our cups were empty, and Noah put an arm out for me.
“I should head back to work, but thanks for joining me,” he said, pulling me in for a side hug.
It was a casual gesture that I didn’t mind, and I smiled at him. Not thinking much of it, I pulled back once it was done. “Thanks for the coffee. It was nice.”
“Of course. Is there any chance we could do this again?”
“We can work out a time.”
“Perfect,” he said, heading back toward the way we came from with a wave. “See you around.”
On the way home, I felt refreshed from our conversations and found myself thinking about him.
Noah was cute and we got along well, but I didn’t feel like my heart was in the right place to see him as more than a friend. Cora had been pushing for me to get closer to him, but I just didn’t see it in the cards for me.
From his persistence, I could tell he wanted more and was likely searching for a relationship that I wasn’t prepared to offer. With Griffin and that situation scrambling my thoughts, I wouldn’t be present enough to give him what he wanted.
I was at a crossroads with my next-door neighbor, and he was slowly pulling me in his direction, even if it wasn’t the wisest choice.
Griffin was unlike anyone else I had ever known, and I’d be foolish not to think about how I felt around him, or how it was electrifying every time we touched.
After that night at the Roadbar, things had been so different between us. I couldn’t forget about how he held me, how his hands roamed my body, and the way he kissed me. It was so passionate, and something in me wanted to relive that moment.
I never thought I’d find myself thinking about him so much, but I was beginning to realize he had some sort of effect on me. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
But the moment I approached my house and found Griffin standing out front, it almost felt meant to be.
When he noticed me coming, he perked up, and that slight acknowledgment was enough to fill my stomach with butterflies.
No matter how much I tried to deny it before, I found him intriguing and even looked forward to our interactions.
Chapter 19 - Griffin
