Page 62 of Starting Back
“I’m a vascular technician. I work in a doctor’s office and one day per month in the ER.”
“Technology is great, isn’t it?” He smiled at me over the edge of his menu. It was a blow-off, but I didn’t ask for any details of his job either because I was, most likely, equally as uninterested.
“The drinks look pretty good.”
“Yes!” I sank a little in my seat when his head popped up at my boisterous reply. “I’ve heard the drinks are good, and I peeked at the menu online this afternoon.”
“Excuse me,” the waitress said, holding what looked like two margarita glasses on a tray. “The gentleman over at the bar sent these.” She set down the frozen drinks as Edwin and I looked them over with the same puzzled gaze. “I’ll be right back to take your order.”
I craned my neck to the bar, and my heart dropped into my stomach when Leo waved at me.
“If you’ll excuse me, I want to thank my friend for our drinks.” I plastered on a smile as I stood and stalked toward the bar.
“I thought you’d take a sip before getting up to thank me,” Leo said before taking a pull from his beer bottle, holding his eyes on mine as he smirked around the top.
“Thank you, but don’t you think sending a woman drinks while she’s on a date is kind of a ballsy move? And what are you doing here?”
“One of the guys at the firehouse invited a few of us out for his birthday,” he said, motioning behind him to the two joined tables. “Those of us who had the night off. I came up to the bar to start a tab and spotted you.” He shrugged. “Just as miserable as you were when I first saw you by the pool a few months ago.”
“I’m not miserable. It’s the first time we’ve been out together, so it’s awkward like all first dates are. Although you probably just turned that up a notch.”
“Was it ever awkward with us?”
The smile curving his mouth faded, his brazen gaze now sad as his eyes met mine.
“Aside from how I stammered all over the place when I first tried to speak to you, no, I guess not.”
He nodded, a tiny smile pulling at his lips as he spun his stool toward me.
“You were cute. Beautiful. Never awkward.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to cool off from the rush of heat over my skin.
“But that doesn’t matter. Different time and place.”
He stood and took a step toward me. I hadn’t realized how close I was standing to Leo until he didn’t need to eat up much space between us to close the distance.
“I’m the same guy as I was then. Maybe with a little more of my shit together than I had when we met, but I want the same things now. How about you?”
I swallowed, my mouth parched from our proximity and the palpable need in his voice.
I wanted all the same things too, but I didn’t know how we could get that magic back. It already wasn’t the same, and I hated to tarnish the memories any more than they already were.
My reaction to him was identical to when he stumbled into the ultrasound room at the hospital.
Instead of leaping into his arms like I’d been dreaming of all this time, I was still running away.
“Kristina, sorry to interrupt.”
I cleared my throat and backed away from Leo when I heard Edwin’s voice behind me.
“The waitress came back twice to take our order, and it’s getting busy.”
“Sure, sorry.” I pressed my hand to my forehead, so embarrassed and out of sorts I had trouble making eye contact. “I was just thanking my friend for the drinks he sent over.”
“Oh, thanks, man. I’ve never had a lemonade margarita before, but it’s not bad.”
I shut my eyes and held in a groan. Leo was pulling out the big guns tonight.
