Page 8 of Heartstrings & Hijinks

Gregory

When I arrived at Evan’s apartment building, he was waiting inside the lobby.

I had only just pulled up to the drive when he walked out the door wearing navy slacks with a crisp white dress shirt that looked like it was made of silk rather than basic cotton and a navy jacket.

The suit was tailored to fit his body like it had been made just for him.

My mouth went dry just taking in the look of him. He always was a handsome individual.

Had he put on a special pair of panties to match the suit? Or perhaps a bold red lace to complement the blue of his suit?

I put the car in park, got out, and opened the passenger door for him.

He smiled brightly. There was a hint of shimmer over his eyes, and his lashes were longer and fuller than normal. “Hi,” he said.

“Good evening.”

He got in, and I went around to the driver’s seat, immediately putting the car back into drive and pulling out of the lot.

“So, do I get a clue as to what we’re doing?” he asked.

“Not quite yet. It’s about a twenty-minute drive to get there, and I memorized the directions so you wouldn’t get any hints from the GPS.”

His lips turned down into a pout at that. “Did Greg not warn you? I’m not a huge fan of surprises.”

I chuckled. “I tried not to extract too much information out of him, for fear that I might annoy him with my questions about you.”

“So, you put together this date all on your own? No helpful hints needed?”

“Indeed. I think I know enough about you that I feel pretty confident in putting together a date you’ll enjoy.”

“Including karaoke at the end?”

“Yes, though I can’t promise we’ll be on time. It depends on how quickly you get through our first activity.”

“Oh, there are multiple activities?” he said. His voice had turned flirty, and I caught his smile out of the corner of my eye. Score one for me, we were already having a good time.

“Indeed.”

“You’ve… put a lot of effort into this.”

I snuck a glance in his direction before focusing back on the road.

“Of course. This isn’t just a casual ‘get to know you’ date.

I already know you, Evan. This is so much more than that.

” Perhaps I was coming on too strong, but I thought we’d already established this last weekend. I needed us to be on the same page.

Based on the delightful pink flush to his cheeks and the smile that tugged at his lips, he was.

He settled back into the seat, bit his lip, and didn’t fidget. He almost sat too still, giving me the idea that he might be slightly nervous.

“Not that I really want to bring this up,” I said, “but I suppose it would set me at ease if we talk about it.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

“You’re here because you want to be, right? Because you’re genuinely interested? Not because I’m a VP at the company you work for?”

He shot me an incredulous look. “That’s a bit of an ego-based question, don’t you think? You’re not that important. You’re one of, what, seven VPs?”

“Twelve.”

“Even less rare then.”

I laughed. “Except I’m one of the founding members.”

“You’re not scary, Gregory. It’s just that we’ve never socialized, just the two of us. Usually, Greg is there as a buffer, or we encounter each other at work and make small talk.”

“Indeed,” he said. “Let’s make medium-sized talk, then.”

“Medium-sized talk?”

“Yes. We’ll skip over the weather—that’s boring. We don’t need to talk about work; we both know what’s going on there. But we don’t want to get into the hard conversations just yet. That can wait for dinner. Tell me what books you’re reading.”

“How do you know I like to read?”

“When you were visiting my apartment—”

“You mean crashing there because I was incapacitated enough that I couldn’t make it home?”

“Yes, that time. You looked over my bookshelf with actual interest. You even grabbed a few books and read the blurbs on the back. Plus, you frequently have a Kindle on your desk, which makes me think that perhaps you read on your breaks or whenever you need to unwind.” And just like that I gave away how much I notice about Evan and the fact that I go by his desk quite often.

“Your assumptions are correct. I do enjoy reading. I’m currently rereading most of Stephen King’s books from his early years.”

“Early years? So, like Cujo , Carrie , and The Shining ?”

Evan nodded. “I like to read the books, then watch the movies—make note of the differences.” There went the pink flush to his cheeks again. Fuck, we weren’t going to make it long through this date if he kept looking so delectable.

“That’s always fun.”

“Do you read much horror?”

I shook my head. “Horror is not my favorite. I don’t enjoy paranormals. I can appreciate the talent it takes, but I actually enjoy biographies the most. I’m in the middle of a Civil War diary, actually. It’s the second time I’ve read it.”

“I kind of assumed you liked that kind of thing based on your bookshelf.”

“Yes. I’m afraid my television is also full of documentaries—cliché for a man my age, but it passes the time. Last night, I stayed up too late watching a documentary on World War I.”

“Interesting. Did you learn anything new?”

“Not so much.”

We discussed books for a while longer, Evan giving me details about the things he liked most about Stephen King, while I jumped in with a few history-related topics that I enjoyed.

Then we were pulling into the lot for the Federal Reserve Bank Money Museum. His jaw dropped when he saw the sign, and he looked at me with wide eyes.

“I’ve always wanted to come here. I just never got around to it.”

“Good. I had hoped you hadn’t had the chance to visit.”

“How did you know I wanted to come here?”

I put the car in park, got out, and opened the door for him. “You mentioned it when your brother and I took you to lunch your first week at the firm. You had only been in the city for a few months, and he asked you what sort of sights you wanted to see. This was one of them.”

“That was two years ago, Gregory.”

“Yes, well, I went out on a limb and hoped you hadn’t been here yet.”

“But you remembered I said it. Have you been here?”

I shook my head. “I enjoy museums, but I find that they are most enjoyable when I’m with other people. Otherwise, I’m just a weirdo walking around reading.”

“Thank you,” he said. “This… this is going to be fun.”

I grinned and laced my fingers into his. “Good. I agree.”