Page 26 of Make No Mistake

He caught me watching him and gave me a broad smile. He was enjoying himself. So he wasn’t freaking out inside about all of these advances in our relationship?

No! Of course not. He was the one completely changing everything we were!

My mind told me to calm down and take a breath, but when I caught Aubrey watching me with those wise eyes, I panicked even more.

“Excuse me!” My outburst surprised me just as much as everyone else at the table. “Sorry, I need to go to the ladies’ room.” At least that came out at an acceptable volume.

“I’ll come too.” I gave Aubrey a look, pleading with her to give me a moment alone, but she wasn’t backing down. In fact, I think there was a challenge in the look she shot back at me.

I slid out behind Jay and sputtered when his hand was suddenly in front of me. I looked up at him and was thrown off, again, by his casual behavior. This might be normal, but it was our normal.

I took his hand and let him help me stand before quickly dropping it and turning in the direction of the restrooms. I didn’t bother checking over my shoulder to see if she was following me. I knew she wouldn’t let me off the hook.

Once the door came into sight, I hurried and threw myself against it. Never had a public sink looked so inviting. I fell against it and ran the cold water over my hands. I’d been clammy since we sat down. I felt like a middle school boy getting nervous about being in the proximity of a member of the opposite sex.

“What’s going on, Mac. I’ve never seen you so skittish.” She was looking at me through the mirror. I met her eyes in the reflection and shook my head.

“Jay’s one of my good friends, Aubrey. I don’t know how to handle this.”

Her face softened just slightly. “This is the closest thing you’ve had to a first real date since Sean. I know that’s got to be hard, but you need to calm yourself. Jay is your friend. You guys are close. This doesn’t have to be awkward.”

She was kind of right. He and I had been friends since we were freshmen, but during the past year we had gotten really close. I should be comfortable with him.

“It’s all just so weird. He put his hand on my leg.”

She sucked in a quick breath. “No!”

I spun to face her and wanted to wipe the obnoxious smirk off her face. “It’s not a joke! I don’t know how to handle this!”

“You had been with Sean just as long as me and Carter. I can’t imagine how it would feel to be touched by someone else. I get that, Mac, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing.”

She stepped forward and put her hands on my shoulders, grounding me.

“Listen to me. This date does not mean you guys need to change what you are. Take it one step at a time. If him touching you makes you uncomfortable, I’ll switch seats with you.”

I watched her for a second, waiting for her to take it back. There was no way we could pull that off. Why would we ever switch spots? Slowly her lip began to quiver, and I knew she was going to lose it. Suddenly we were laughing and hugging each other in the middle of a public restroom.

“Come on, Mac. Jay’s a great guy. Just relax and try to have fun. Nothing else has to happen.”

“Fine.”

“Fine? That’s it?” She turned and held the door open for me.

“I’ll try to enjoy myself. I guess there are worse situations I could be in.”

She followed me out and laughed behind me. “I know several girls that would pay big bucks to be where you are tonight.”

I found Jay amid the crowd and paused. He was handsome, tall, fit, and driven. He was picture perfect, and I knew she was right. I was lucky enough to call him my friend, but the possibility of more was confusing.

“Come on, you can analyze later.” She looped her arm around mine and tugged me in the direction of our table.

“Good news.” Jay was smiling like a kid in a candy store. It was contagious. I smiled back and waited. “They have chocolate cake for dessert.”

“Did you order me some?” I’d heard about their desserts. It was strange for a sushi restaurant, but I think they knew the college crowd needed their sweets.

“Well, I ordered one. That should be fine right?”

I waited for him to break, but he just smiled at me and his eyes were the only things that gave him away. The waiter placed a single slice of chocolate cake that looked absolutely divine right between us. I winked at Jay when he caught me looking.