Just Human (9 page)

He looks shy all of a sudden. “I’d really like to eat here.”

“You want me to cook for you?”

“No, I want to eat in your restaurant.” He smiles. “I really want to see what you’ve achieved…” He still looks uncertain, why? “…I just feel like I should take you out and treat you, it feels wrong.”

Ego! Of course! “Don’t be ridiculous, we can eat here. I’ll give you a very reasonable rate.”

He laughs. Recovering his confidence, he moves towards me and kisses me deeply, his fingers in my hair.

“I’m going to go and get changed, can you give me thirty minutes?” He turns and walks into the bedroom to get dressed.

“Sure,” I say, rubbing my hair with my towel. I really want to tell him to bring all his things back with him, but I know I’ll sound desperate and a little nuts. I’ll just see what happens.

He finishes putting on his shoes and leans over to kiss me goodbye.

“I won’t be long.”

“At the bottom of the stairs, take the right-hand door. Then you won’t have to do the walk of shame through the diner,” I smirk. “Come back that way too, I’ll buzz you in.”

He throws me a charming smile and leaves.

I collapse onto the bed, almost hyperventilating. Gathering my thoughts, I grab my phone and text Max: ‘MEETING!’

I let the phone drop and seconds later I hear Max bounding the stairs two at a time.

“Where is he?” he asks as he enters, anxious that he’s intruding.

“Gone to get changed.”

“So?”

I launch into the whole story as fast as I can and he’s dizzy by the end. He hugs me excitedly.

“So when do I get to meet him?”

“Tonight, he wants to sample my wares.”

“Sounds like he already has!”

I narrow my eyes. “I didn’t call you up here for this, I need your help. What do I wear?” Max smiles as if I’ve answered his prayers.

Twenty minutes later, I’m wearing a black maxi dress and leopard-print cardigan. My hair is loose and I’m wearing a slightly exaggerated version of my already quite over the top smoky eye make-up. I apply red lipstick and he hands me my red ballet pumps. I’m deliberately not over dressed, this is carefully considered (by Max not me) so as to appear relaxed in his company, but also alluring, without being slutty. I push up my cardigan sleeves slightly as I’m flushed from the stress and I add two or three bangles. I’m ready.

I shoo Max away, thanking him. I promise we’ll be down soon and he’s gone, leaving me to stress.

The buzzer goes.

“Hello?”

“Hey beautiful,” Danny says smoothly. The sound of his voice sends a jolt through me even though I know it’s going to be him. I take a deep breath and then hold down the door release.

I stand at the top of the stairs as he comes through the door and I think we each gasp at the sight of the other. Breathe.

He’s dressed in jeans, a pale blue shirt, and a navy jacket. He looks fresh and gorgeous. I can smell his aftershave already and it leaves me weak. I make my way down to his outstretched hand; he greedily drinks me in as I move. This whole situation is so highly charged. I feel embarrassed about taking it out into my diner. I reach the last step and put my hand in his. He kisses it.

“You look fabulous.”

“Why thank you, so do you.”

We stand for a moment staring at each other. Then I realise that we’re going to eat and I’m really not hungry. I don’t think I can sit and eat a meal right now.

“Can I give you the tour?”

He smiles widely. “Yes please.” He turns and holds open the door for me.

We slide into the back of the diner. I pause, nervously. He slips his hand in mine and I feel myself relax.

I take him into the kitchen first, because it is closest. He shakes hands with Jake and the other guys as I introduce him. He chats warmly with Jake about football (the American one, which isn’t football at all), apparently both support the same team. I don’t care. I watch him because it’s the most I’ve heard him say in twelve years. I feel inadequate because we haven’t spoken at length about anything yet, but I snap out of it as their conversation drifts to me.

“She’s done really well for herself,” Danny says to Jake as he slips one arm around my waist and gestures at the surroundings.

“She sure has,” Jake agrees, smiling. He shakes a pan of chips.

“It was good to meet you,” Danny says, seeing that we’re keeping him from his work.

I show him the rest of the kitchen and we head out to the front. He sits on a stool at the counter while I talk him through the soda bar. I tell him all about how we transformed the place. All the things I’ve collected and from where. I walk back around to him and stop in front of him. He’s smiling in wonder. I turn and point to a sign on the wall. It’s the word Lucky lit up in blue. As I do, he wraps his arms around my waist.

“That sign came from a bar in Venice Beach. I was out visiting Grace a couple of years ago and this lovely bar on the beach was closing. It was this local institution. When I told the guy all about this place, he gave it to me.”

“I remember that place, we used to go there sometimes.” Danny shakes his head, obviously processing the fact that we might have crossed paths sooner.

“Shall I show you the bar, or do you want to eat first?”

“Bar.”

I lead him out of the front door and over to the entrance between the buildings. I could have gone through the back, but I want him to have the full tour. Pausing, I introduce him to the doormen. They look slightly uncomfortable.

“I won’t be any trouble tonight, I promise!” I wink. They laugh nervously and this makes me laugh.

As I lead Danny into the garden, he eyes me quizzically.

“I got a bit drunk, the other day…very out of character,” I laugh.

We step into the bar and immediately I relax. It’s busy for a Thursday thanks to our new live music. That’s why we need the doormen on a school night. The hum fills the air between us. Hopefully, in here we can talk without the silence being a problem. Although later, we may have to shout.

“Wow!” says Danny, taking in his surroundings.

I beam, he’s really impressed. I watch him glance around with his mouth open. I don’t think you can really see it from the street, but the bar is easily twice the size of the diner. It’s darker in here and although the Americana theme runs through, it’s more focused on music, art, tattoos, that kind of thing. Not so much of the cheerful Coca-Cola-ness of the diner. Max waves from behind the bar and makes his way towards us.

“Here comes Max.”

“Max?”

“Best friend,” I reply and he smiles and nods just as Max arrives before us.

“Danny, this is Max, my best friend and right-hand man.” I smile, as I introduce the two most important men in my life to each other.

“Max,” Danny says warmly, offering his hand to shake.

Max takes his hand, but pulls him into a hug.

“Great to finally meet you. What would you like to drink?”

Danny and I look at each other.

“Surprise me,” he says. “Where are the restrooms?”

I point him in the right direction and, as he walks away, Max hugs me too and spins me round.

“He is
hot
!” he mouths and leaves his mouth hanging open to make his point.

“Alright, calm down, you’ll have a heart attack!”

“No, but I mean he’s gorgeous.”

“Well eyes off Mr.” I take his left hand and hold it up, pointing at his wedding ring.

“No, don’t worry, he’s all yours. Charlie is coming down later to get a look at him, we can both lust from a safe distance!” He flicks his eyebrows up.

“Knowing you two, it’ll be an inappropriate distance.”

“No promises,” he says in my ear, just as Danny returns. “Well, let’s get you two a drink.” He says and returns to his position behind the bar.

Danny and I take the two stools to the side of the bar and sit half facing Max and half facing each other.

Without consulting us again, Max mixes us two Caipirinhas, which he knows I love, and gives us a moment.

“Cheers!” Danny says as he holds his drink up to clink with mine. We both take a sip and he seems happy with the choice.

“Do you want to eat?” I ask, still not sure I do.

“Can’t we stay here for a while?”

“We can eat here, we do these sharing platters. Like menu samplers, do you fancy that?” He nods, smiling. “Do you mind what we get?” I ask, sliding off my stool. He shakes his head, still smiling and not taking his eyes off me. Tearing myself away from his gaze, I pop into the kitchen and catch the eye of Ray who works in the bar kitchen.

“Can you ask Jake to do me a sharer for two? Make it Mexican, loads of salsa and guacamole, he knows what I like.” He nods and disappears off to the diner and I return to the bar to find Danny and Max in conversation. Hmm should I worry about this? I join them.

“So how long have you two known each other?” Danny asks.

“Since about two months after you left,” Max replies. I wince at the bluntness of his response.

“A long time then,” muses Danny. He seemed to take it well. Max serves a customer and Danny asks quietly, “So did you two ever…?”

“Max is married.”

“But before that?”

“To a man!” I add with a smile. Men have to assume there’s something more between Max and I; it’s always been the same. Max doesn’t wear his sexuality on his sleeve unless you have a well-trained eye and I’ve never met a guy that hasn’t questioned us. In fact, I don’t always think they believe me when I do explain. Ex-boyfriends included. I steel myself for this to be a problem.

“Oh!” he glances back at Max and then smiles. Hmm, he was almost jealous, but I think it won’t be an issue. It makes me feel warm inside.

“You’ll meet Charlie later, he’s coming to look at you!”

He wrinkles his nose. “Am I that interesting?”

I laugh. “Not much happens around here.”

Max returns, “So how long are you here for?”

Oh my God, straight in with the questions! I want to disappear into the floor, but I know he’s done it for m
y benefit.

“Well I have no firm plans.” Danny glances cautiously at me. “But I would like to think at least a couple of weeks, maybe more…I have an open-ended ticket.” He looks like a deer in the headlights, but he has revealed more of his intentions to Max than he did to me.

“Don’t you have to have a return date for immigration?” Don’t hold back Max! I shoot him a look, which he ignores.

“Dual citizenship,” Danny responds. “My father is British.”

“Oh okay, so you could live here if you wanted?”

“Okay, that’s enough questions for you,” I say as brightly as I can manage, whilst assuring Max with my stare that I will do him harm if he doesn’t back off. Max laughs and winks, then turns and goes back to work.

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine, he’s just looking out for you,” he says, seeing the humour. He places his hand just above my knee and leaves it there, causing me to take a deep, shaky breath. I need to get control over this, I’m not sure I like this weak side of me. I feel like a teenager and I’ve come a long way since then. No man gets me in a spin. I must keep control.

Our food arrives and we chat easily about work and our families. He’s shocked to hear about my dad, but then in someways he isn't that surprised. I don't let it turn our conversation somber though. I tell him all about this place and how Max helped me get it off the ground. The conversation turns to relationships and I discover that he’s only had two serious girlfriends since us, but he’s been single for a couple of years. I expect he’s had a few casual girlfriends too, but I won’t ask him. I admit that I’m just out of a relationship and fill him in on the circumstances that led to its demise. He frowns when I tell him how I found them together. But I explain that it made me realise he wasn’t that important to me.

We talk about the old days and reminisce about all the films I made him watch. He tells me that he gets a lot of stick for his knowledge of ‘chick movies’. Max has kept the drinks coming, we’ve tried a few different ones and I’m starting to feel a little tipsy. It’s been great to sit with him and learn about his life since me. It sounds like he’s been happy.

Charlie joins us for a drink and he and Danny hit it off. It turns out they do quite similar jobs. Looking at us from the outside, we’re odd matches. Max and I look like we fit each other, our styles are similar, but Danny and Charlie both have a more wholesome image. I still can’t get used to having him here in my world, having been the stuff of legends for so long.

Danny offers to pay for dinner but I refuse flat out. The music starts up so we fall quiet, the band is great and a few people are dancing, but we sit and watch. Dancing feels too intimate at the moment, I’m not comfortable enough in his presence yet. He obviously feels the same, as he doesn't suggest it. His hand strokes my leg for a while and then as the song finishes we both clap.

He leans into my ear during the lull between songs and whispers, “Can I stay?”

I smile and nod, relieved that I wasn’t the one who had to ask. We watch another couple of songs and then his hand slips into mine and I know it’s time to go.

We finish our drinks and say goodnight to Max and Charlie. Then I lead him through the back into the garden and across to the back entrance of the diner. As we cross the garden, he stops me and pulls me close.

“This…” he waves his hand, “is incredible! I’m so in awe of you.” He plants a small kiss on my lips. I scoff as if he’s being over the top. “Seriously, I can’t get over it, you are so incredible, so strong and sexy.” He smiles softly.

“Stop it,” I blush.

“No,” he whispers as he slides his fingers into my hair and leans to kiss me deeply.

I’m suddenly aware that I’m once again snogging a guy in the garden. The doormen are going to have kittens. I know it’s the first time in my life this has happened twice in one week, but I still feel like a harlot. I break away and take his hand, pulling him into the diner and punch in my code.

Upstairs, he presses me into the back of the door as I close it and pushes himself against me, groping my breasts through my dress. He moans as his lips find mine, and the need I feel is mirrored in him as we lose ourselves in each other. The kiss is urgent and hurried; he hitches up my knee and grinds himself against me. I gasp, trying to gulp down some air, the intensity taking me by surprise. We pause, breathless and stand for a moment with our foreheads touching. A silent, mutual agreement that we should enjoy each other passes between us and the whole tempo changes to a slow, deliberate pace. My eyes are closed and when I open them, he’s staring at me intently. Smiling, he takes my hand and leads me to the bedroom.