“I wish I could, but I can’t.” I was getting really tired of hearing him say that over and over, but it wasn’t going to change anytime soon.
“Okay. Okay. Just . . . just be careful and I’ll see you later. Bye.” I didn’t wait for him to say anything. I needed to get off the phone before I said something that I couldn’t take back. I wrote a smiley face on a sticky note and put it on top of some files and went to drop them off on his desk without saying a word. I hoped he wasn’t mad at me, but I could only take so much.
~*~*~
“I want to take you out somewhere,” he said that night as we lay in bed. We’d pushed aside the unpleasantness of earlier. I’d spent the day completely stressed out that he wasn’t there, and wondering where the hell he was and what he could possibly be doing and if maybe I should fire him, and then that would solve everything. But then I knew it wouldn’t, so I resigned myself to doing nothing again.
“Where?” We’d never actually gone out just the two of us, other than the Museum day. I think both of us were worried about being seen together. I didn’t seem to be the only paranoid one on that front.
“I don’t know. Don’t care, really. Just want to go somewhere with you on my arm so everyone will see my girl.” Aw, well that was just adorable. I wanted people to see me with him, too.
“How about dinner? I know that sounds so typical, but it would be fun with you. And the movies? We could sit in the back and mock whatever it was.” This was one of our favorite things to do together now when we found a crappy movie on television. Mock the crap out of it.
“Perfect. How did you know that was exactly what I would pick?”
“I’m psychotic,” I said with a serious face.
“I think you mean psychic, Sunshine.”
“Yeah, that too.” He just shook his head at me. Hey, he was the one who wanted to be seen in public with me. You could dress me up but you couldn’t take me out.
“So when is this going to occur?” I asked as he rested his head on my stomach. He didn’t seem to mind that it wasn’t exactly flat. Probably was more comfortable on his head that way.
“How about tomorrow night?”
“You’re not going to be disappearing again, are you?” I didn’t mean to say it, but it came out anyway.
“No,” he said, kissing my belly button. “I think the disappearing is going to be slowing down. Hopefully. I have my fingers crossed.”
This was news to me, but good news.
“Will you tell me what it was? Someday?” I asked.
He let out a breath.
“Maybe someday.” That wasn’t enough of an answer, but I’d have to take it.
Thirty
“How about here?” Lucah and I stopped outside of another restaurant. We’d decided that we wouldn’t pick a place beforehand, because it was more fun to walk around and then decide together. More spontaneous, too. I had a few favorite places, but I wanted to try something new.
The restaurant was lit with a soft glow, and all the walls were brick. It looked semi-Italian and cozy.
“Perfect,” I said as he opened the door and I walked through. We were seated in a corner booth, and it was kind of quiet, which was great. Soft music played through hidden speakers, and I was reminded of the spaghetti scene in Lady and the Tramp. I bet if I asked him, Lucah would reenact it with me, but I wasn’t going to ask him to. That would be silly.
“I would pull your chair out for you, but seeing as how it’s a booth, I can’t really do that. But I would. If I could.”
“You’re forgiven,” I said, reaching across the table and patting his arm.
The waiter came and we ordered garlic knots for an appetizer and a pizza with the works, and a bottle of cheap red wine.
“Shit,” he said.
“What?” He looked like he was reaching for something under the table.
“You’re too far away for me to grope. I was hoping to feel you up during dinner, but I can’t reach.” Something touched my knee, but couldn’t go much further.
“Stop that. You don’t have to grope me in public,” I hissed at him.