Chapter Eighteen
Riley
Another Friday night, another day of avoiding the men at work. It felt worse now that there was something going on between Silas and me. Every time I smiled at a man, I would feel like I was cheating on him. Which was ridiculous, of course, because the two of us weren’t even going out. I had no idea what we were, but there had been no mention of us dating. I knew he liked me, and I definitely liked him, but neither of us felt sure what we wanted to do with those emotions. Living together certainly made it more complicated, and I had been very clear that I didn’t want things to get messy between us. It hadn’t stopped us from sleeping with each other again, but I was glad to see that we weren’t awkward with one another. We just got along too well for things to feel strange.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
I blinked and realized that the man in front of me was talking to me. I had been staring into space without even realizing it. I chuckled and shook my head.
“Sorry, I was a million miles away there. Uh, can I get you something to drink?”
He smiled. A nice-looking man, with bright blue eyes and a dimpled smile that I was sure got him far in life. I met a lot of men in my line of work, a lot of very charming men who all seemed to have a certain something similar about them. They were used to getting their own way, just with a smile or a few choice words. They knew how to work women. These men always found me a challenge, but after a while, they gave up on me. They liked that I was hard to get, but when their charm failed to work they simply moved onto the next women. I was sure that this man was just like one of the many.
“No, I’m good, thank you. I just wanted to come up and introduce myself. My name is Christopher, by the way.” Another smile, another dimple showing. He looked at me in a way that I could imagine looking at so many other girls before. He had mastered this look. The look that would make most girls think he only had eyes for them. I’d seen it too often though. I could see right through it now.
“It’s nice to meet you, Christopher. I’m Riley.” I had to still be polite. I might not want to flirt with him, but I couldn’t be mean to him.
“Riley. Nice name. Pretty. I’ve come here a few times, and this is the first time that I’ve plucked up the courage to come and talk to you.”
I laughed. “Why would you need courage to talk to me? Anyway, I’m the waitress; you should’ve just asked for a drink.”
“You’re just very pretty, Riley. And you’re different from the other girls here. You don’t flirt with any of the guys. I’m very aware that the waitresses here flirt to get more tips. I mean, it’s pretty obvious. And I guess I don’t blame them. And yet, you’re the only one that doesn’t do it. And yes, I have been watching you. I’ve noticed that you are more closed off than the other girls. Makes me wonder about you.”
I looked quizzically at this blue-eyed man who seemed to have assessed me so well. It made me feel strange knowing that I was being watched at work. Like I was on display.
“Uh, yeah,” I said. “I guess I just don’t like flirting with men for money. Like you say, there’s nothing wrong with it. They’re only doing their job, and I can’t fault them for doing it well. Maybe I’m just not cut out for a place like this.”
“You don’t enjoy it?” he asked.
I shook my head. “It’s not that. It’s a cool place. But I just . . . don’t think it’s for me. Uh, I better not let my boss hear me say that. And, to be honest, I better get back to my work. If you need a drink, just give me a shout,” I said. It wasn’t entirely true. I didn’t really enjoy it, but I couldn’t tell him that. If word got out to my boss that I was walking around telling people that I didn’t like my job he wouldn’t be very happy.
“Can’t you talk for even just a little bit?” he asked. “I mean, it took a lot for me to come up and talk to you. You have to at least admire the fact that I got out of my comfort zone and came to talk to you. You don’t even have to flirt with me if you don’t want to. I can do all the flirting for the two of us.”
I laughed despite myself. I had no doubt in my mind that he didn’t need courage to talk to me. I could see that he wasn’t nervous at all. “You’re very nice, but I really do have to get back to my job. But thank you for the nice compliments.”
This went back and forth for a while longer, and the longer he tried to insist that I talk to him, the more annoyed that I became. He was a nice guy, but I really had no intention of flirting, and I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t get the hint. When I finally got away, I saw Paisley chuckling at me.
“What was that all about?” she asked as I walked up to her.
I rolled my eyes. “Ah, just some guy wanting to talk. The usual. These guys are so frustrating. Why do they always have to flirt with the waitress? There are so many other girls here that they can talk to.”
She looked at him again and looked back at me. “He’s gorgeous! I bet you he wanted to do more than talk to you.”
I laughed and blushed a little despite myself. “Who knows? I’m not interested, anyway.”
“And why is that? Is it because you have a thing for your housemate?” she teased.
“Silas?” I said a little too loudly and quickly lowered my voice. “No. I don’t have a thing for him.”
“Oh, come on, don’t lie. I saw the way you were looking at him the last time that he was here. And he was looking at you in the same way. He was totally ignoring all my flirting. The guy had eyes only for you. And look how nervous you get when I even just mention his name. You do realize that I’m your best friend and that I know more about you than you think? The guy likes you a lot, Riley.”
I smiled at the thought. I hadn’t told Paisley how jealous I had been that night and how annoyed I had been when I had seen her flirting with him.
“Nah, there’s nothing going on between the two of us anyway. He’s just my friend. We get along very well.”
“Well, that’s no joke. I know the two of you get along well.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean you haven’t been around as much as before. I hardly see you anymore.”
“What? I see you all the time!” I said.
“At work doesn’t count! We just don’t spend as much time together as we used to. Anyway, I’m not complaining. I know you like the guy. But I do miss you sometimes too.”
“Sorry, Pais!” I said. “It’s not because of Silas though. I’ve been putting a lot more effort into my drawings and my writing lately.” It wasn’t a lie, but it also wasn’t entirely the truth. I had actually spent a lot of time with Silas since he moved in, and I had seen Paisley less because of it. I felt terrible now.
“You have? That’s great news. I always thought you were too talented for this place. You must show me what you’ve done.”
“I’ll show you soon. It’s early days still, but I’m getting there, and I’m really enjoying it. I don’t know why I left it for so long. But you’re definitely right about us not spending enough time together. I would love to change that. Let’s make a plan to do something soon. Just us two.”
“I like the way you think. Uh oh, the blue-eyed boy is looking your way. Should I go and distract him for you?”
I chuckled. “Please!” I had absolutely no problems with her flirting with Christopher. She could flirt with him as much as she wanted to as far as I was concerned.
The rest of the night went by quickly, and after Paisley had flirted with Christopher, he actually left me alone. Seemed he didn’t mind the waitresses flirting with him at all. Once we were clearing up, I heard our boss complaining about how one of the live acts canceled on him for the following night.
“It’s so frustrating when the bands do this to me. I had the whole thing planned for tomorrow night, and there’s no way that I can get someone else on such short notice. I’ve been calling around, but nobody is available.”
I immediately thought about Silas and quickly walked forward to tell him.
“My housemate is a singer and a guitar player, and he’s really good. I’m sure I can get him to play tomorrow night.”
“Who is he?”
“Uh, Silas Aarons. He plays country music.”
“Country, huh? That’s different. But is he any good? And I don’t just want you to tell me that he’s good because he’s your friend. I need to know the truth.”
“I can vouch for him. Honestly, he’s fantastic,” I said with confidence.
“Okay, then. He better be good, Riley.”
As I walked out, Paisley came running out to me.
“Have you heard him sing?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I wasn’t just making that up. He’s excellent.”
“He better be. Your job is on the line if he’s not.”
I smiled. “That’s how confident I am.”
I felt so excited as I made my way home. But the moment I opened the door, I realized that I hadn’t even asked Silas whether or not he was free. If he said no, then I was going to be in even more trouble with my boss. Silas was sitting in the living room watching a movie when I walked in.
“Hey, you,” he said, and he paused the movie to smile up at me. “Good night?”
“It was okay. Much of the same. Uh, I have something to ask you. I just hope you’re not mad at me. Please just hear me out.”
He frowned. “Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you? What’s going on?”
I sat down and looked nervously at him. “Well, the thing is, there was a live band set to play at my work tomorrow night. They canceled at the last minute, and my boss couldn’t find anyone to take their place. He called around but said it was so last minute and nobody was free. So, uh, I sort of volunteered for you to play instead.”
He stared at me in surprise. “Are you serious? And your boss said yes to that? He actually said that I could play at his pub?”
“Uh yeah. He said it would be fine,” I didn’t want him to know how skeptical my boss really was at the thought of hiring someone he didn’t know. I didn’t want to put any added pressure on Silas. “So, you’re not mad at me? I thought you’d be upset that I just volunteered you without asking you.”
“Riley! This is amazing news. Of course I’m not mad. It probably doesn’t look great that I’m the only person available on such short notice, but it’s the truth of the matter, and there’s no point denying it. You do realize that’s the biggest venue I would’ve ever played at? I know it’s not really that big or anything, but it’s a far cry from the small dives I’ve been playing in recently. It’s probably not a massive deal for most people, but it’s a huge deal for me. I can’t tell you how happy I am to at least be given this opportunity.” He couldn’t stop smiling, and it felt so good to know that I was the one that had put that smile on his face.
“I’m so relieved. I was so worried you would be mad that I did that. Also, my boss said that if he’s happy with you, he’ll pay you a thousand bucks for the night. And I promise you that I’ll hold him to that. I may not like him all that much, but he’s good when it comes to payment.”
“A thousand dollars? The last place didn’t even give me fifty. I would’ve been happy to play for free. But, uh, don’t tell him that, of course. A thousand dollars is a lot better than nothing.”
“I take it this is all good news, then?” I said.
“This is incredible news. Will you be there?”
I grinned and nodded. “Of course I will be there. Trust me; I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Silas. It’s the one time I actually want to be at work.”
He high-fived the air, and I chuckled. Then he stood up, walked over to me and planted a kiss on my mouth. A slow, lingering kiss that immediately set my heart racing. I felt disappointed when he walked back to where he was sitting.
“You’re amazing, Riley,” he said and smiled at me.
And just like that, I knew that I liked him far more than I was telling myself. I knew that I could easily allow myself to fall for him. But he was sitting away from me now, not kissing me anymore. What did that mean? Did I like him more than he liked me?
“So, what are we watching?” I said and turned toward the TV. I was going to have to put my wall up a little, just in case he didn’t really feel anything for me. I didn’t want to lose him as a housemate, and I also didn’t want to lose him as a friend.