Chapter 7: Clumsy
466 Words
Chapter 7: Clumsy
I looked down at my cellphone and saw that almost a half hour had ticked by. “I’m sorry to cut this short, Dugan, but I have to get to class.”
“Not a problem,” he said.
When I stood, my left thigh met the edge of the table and rocked it. Black coffee rolled out of both mugs, pooling around their bases. “s**t. I’m clumsy most of the time. Forgive me.”
He grabbed napkins off the coffee bar and rushed to clean up the mess.
Frazzled, I said, “I’m really sorry. Shame on me.”
He chuckled. “You’re overreacting. It’s just a little spill. Don’t worry about it. Trust me, I’ve been through worse.” The mess became cleaned up in a matter of seconds. He tossed the napkins away and dried off his hands with a fresh one. “I rather like clumsy guys, Paul.”
“You’re flirting with me,” I said.
“I could be.”
“Oh, you are.”
He moved up to me, reached out for one of my hands, and shook it. “I feel like we know each other a lot already.”
“You know more about me than I know about you, thanks to Faye.”
He grinned. “You’re right. Don’t come down on her, though. Faye is a very nice woman.”
He pulled me against his frame with his free hand and collapsed my upper chest against his. Our arms snugged together between our frames. The hug felt warm and tender, but not as close as I would have liked it to be.
When he released me, he said, “I hope that wasn’t too forward.”
“Sometimes being forward isn’t a bad thing, Dugan. Good things can come out of forward.”
“I like your way of thinking, Paul. Nicely said.”
I thought he was going to lean into me for a kiss, but that didn’t happen. Some men like to wait for such deeds. Rather, he released me.
“When can I see you again?”
I joked, “I’m sure Faye can tell you that.”
He laughed. “Seriously. We should have a drink together sometime. What do you say?”
“I say you’re ten times smarter than me, you have more money, and I’m beneath you. A drink together is out of the question.”
He waved a finger at me. “Don’t cut yourself short. Literature professors with handsome green eyes are my weakness.”
I pushed in my chair like a gentleman and replied, “Let me think about it, Mr. Brae.”
“I’m a patient man.” He handed over one of his business cards.
The card reflected a silver and white hue with streaks of black. It resembled a shiny diamond. I tucked the card away.
“Faye knows how to get a hold of me if you want to reach out to me.”
He chuckled yet again. “You like to play hard to get, don’t you?”
“Whatever you want to call it.”
“I like games, Paul. This won’t be the last time we see each other.”
I doubted that, but didn’t say so. I apologized for my clumsiness with the coffee spills and said, “Until next time, Mr. Brae.”
“I can hardly wait, Mr. Avery.” He had a twinkle in his eyes for me and kept on smiling during my leaving.
- Writer
