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Eric took a slow breath in, shoved his wallet into his pocket, and walked over to where Hannah still sat across the room, typing on her phone.
“Hello, ma’am, I’m the Uber you ordered.”
“But I haven’t...” Hannah glanced up from her phone, her brows pinched in confusion. “Oh, hey.”
“I hear your ride ditched you using the old ‘my boyfriend is injured’ excuse.” His attempt at humor was met with a wan smile. “Can I take you home?”
She hesitated, indecision blatant in her gaze.
“I’d really feel much better if you’d let me. You hear those stories about sketchy or fake Uber drivers and stuff.”
Her lips twitched. “Okay, sure. Thanks, Eric. I appreciate it. I’m ready to go whenever you are.”
He pulled out his keys and shrugged. “It’s not a problem. I was just heading out myself.”
A few minutes later, they were outside in the crisp autumn evening. It wasn’t too late, but being November, it was dark already.
The trees were half-emptied of their foliage, with the straggly limbs silhouetted in the streetlamps. Beneath their feet, the leaves that had fallen crunched softly.
This was, hands down, his favorite time of year. Not too hot, not too cold. And so much color and change.
A few minutes later, they were in his sedan, heading toward her place. She’d given him the basic idea of where she lived—it was only about ten minutes from the bar.
He gripped the wheel as his mind went a mile a minute. There were a dozen things he wanted to say to her, most probably completely inappropriate, given who she was. He struggled for something safe.
“How’s teaching?”
“It’s good. I love it.” Her reply was almost too quick, like she’d been thrilled for the safe conversation topic too. “I’ve been getting ready for parent-teacher conferences next week.”
“Ah, I remember those.” He grinned, memories floating through his mind. “My parents were never super happy when they left one.”
Her gaze swung to him in surprise. “Did you struggle in school?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking. I was more of a troublemaker. I was advanced but under-stimulated in the small town in Ohio where we lived. They didn’t have a lot of options for kids like me.”
“Ah, you were one of those. Well, it looks like you turned out all right.” Her eyes glinted with amusement. “So, did your parents move out here from Ohio?”
“Yeah, when I was six.” He shrugged. “My parents ended up moving back to Ohio when I started college. I fly out there a couple times of year and they occasionally make it this way, but they’re not big on traveling. Total homebodies who realized they prefer things quiet and rural.”
“Can’t say I blame them.”
And really, neither could he. Seattle was nowhere near rural. Even in the just under ten years he’d been here, the development and cost of living had gone through the roof.
Century-old apartment buildings still lingered throughout the city, but tall and shiny, brand-spanking-new apartments and condos had been built around them. If there was a patch of land that could become housing, trees that could be cut down, it was happening.
Which managed to be both a little sad and exhilarating in his eyes.
It was just the result of a region that had grown quickly with the influx of people moving to the area for tech jobs. Pushing up the demand for housing and the cost of it.
While it was definitely his dream, home ownership was still a few years away, at least for him.
It was so damn pricey and saving up for that down payment was no small feat.
“I’m the apartment building up here on the left.”
He blinked, realizing how quickly the drive had gone.
The building she referenced was boxy, sleek, and shiny black. New, just like the rest.
