Alex reaches for my hand, threading our fingers together. “We don’t have to do this. If you’re not comfortable—”
“I’m good.” I squeeze his hand. “Promise.”
He searches my eyes for a beat, then lets go of my hand. “Okay, then let’s do this.”
We throw open our doors at the same time, me hugging my coat around my body, Alex seemingly impervious to the brutal cold, leaving his jacket in the back seat.
Huddled together, we rush onto the sidewalk, then up the steps. The Putt-Putt place looks lively, vibrating with music as we near it. It’s in the Terminal, a place in The Strip District, where I’ve gone with Alex to visit his favorite spot for cheese and cured meat, Pennsylvania Macaroni, and dozens of other specialty-food stores. The Terminal, Alex explained, used to be the place where all the grocers and suppliers docked and unloaded their goods. Now it’s been “revitalized” or, probably more accurately, gentrified, filled with upscale restaurants and vendors that appeal to the twenty- and thirty-somethings who’ve filled the new condos on the other side of it, along the Allegheny River.
When we matched with our dates—Kate, for Alex; Nate, for me—Alex suggested we offer to meet them at the same spot; that way, if I got a bad vibe from the guy, he’d be nearby, ready to whisk me away. I tried to point out that this might harsh the potentiallygoodvibes with Kate, but Alex only waved a hand and said, “If that were to happen, and she couldn’t be cool with my being there for my best friend, then she’s not worth it.”
“Maybe,” I told him, “don’t lead with the fact that your best friend is female. Could be a deal-breaker.”
Alex just frowned and said, “Maybe I should have putthatin my bio, too.”
He turns toward me now as we stand outside the door. I’m shivering from nerves, from the cold. “You sure you want to do this?” he says.
“Yes!” I try to infuse as much enthusiasm as possible in my voice. “It’ll be a good time. We’ll flirt and have fun, play Putt-Putt and maybeputtout, if you know what I mean.”
Alex shakes his head, fighting a smile. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be cracking dumb-dad jokes.”
“You really do not deliver on that front,” I tell him as he opens the door. “I’m just making up where you fall short.”
“My most heartfelt gratitude,” he quips, setting his hand on my back, guiding me in. Just that momentary touch, the heat of his hand seeping through my coat, sends a wave of calm rushing through me.
As soon as we step inside, he drops it. I feel like I’ve been thrown out in the middle of the ocean without a life raft. Which isn’t fair. I encouraged this. Iledus here.
Time to put on my big-girl panties and find a life raft of my own.
Alex leans in as we stand behind a group of people who can’t seem to make up their mind about where they’re going or what they’re doing. “Ted,” he says quietly.
I peer over at him. “Hmm?”
He smiles softly. “You look smokin’. Just so you know.”
Pleasure spills through me. “I was thinking that about you, in the car.”
His smile deepens. He rocks back on his heels. “I thought so.”
I smack his chest. “Smug is not a good look on you.”
“But a sapphire-blue crewneck sweater is, isn’t it?” he teases.
I roll my eyes but can’t help the smile that tugs at my mouth. “Yes, it’s averygood look.”
His smile fades. “Remember what I said—just text if you feel uncomfortable, if you need anything, okay?”
Surrounded by the crowd, hidden from Kate and Nate, who might be here, I clutch his hand with mine and squeeze. “Thanks. You, too, okay? I took, like, two sessions of karate, twenty years ago, and I’m not afraid to use what I know. I will defend your honor, if called upon.”
Alex squeezes my hand hard, then presses a kiss to my hair, the first he ever has. It unravels me.
“Good luck, Ted.”
His hand slips from mine and he wends his way through the crowd.
Nate is a nice guy, if a little handsy. Then again, I did say in my bio that I was here for a good time, not a long time, which Alex warned against, so maybe I’m just getting back from the universe what I put out.
Which, speaking of, as of right now, I donotplan to put out.