Six Days: Book One in the SIX Series (18 page)

           
“Actually today was really nice, thank you. You obviously
can’t drive. Do you want to just stay up late watching movies? You can sleep on
the couch,” I suggested.

           
Steve smiled in agreement, and I was grateful for the
company.

           
We both fell asleep in the living room while watching a
movie, and I had to admit it was nice to have someone there. I was used to
being on my own. I mean even with Grant, he started making a habit out of not
coming home those last few weeks, so I was at least used to waking up alone. I
definitely preferred the company though. Although no matter how nice Steve was
I still dreamed about Griffin, wishing he was the one staying the
night.

           
Steve woke up first and gently touched my hair. I smiled
as my eyes opened to him. He had to get to work, so we made a quick breakfast
together, easily conversing about movies and recent books he had read. He was
definitely a fun person to hang out with and I felt as though he genuinely
enjoyed my company as well, rather than only hanging around with me out of
pity. We didn’t even talk about Griffin that morning, which was nice in a way.
It made it easier for me to think about other things.

After
Steve left for work, I took a long walk around downtown. There were so many
cute shops, cafes, and a few art galleries. It was a pretty trendy place and I
was surprised I hadn’t spent much time there yet, aside from some of our nights
out together with the group. The walk felt refreshing, although the silence
around me felt loud. Even with cars passing by, dogs barking, people chatting,
I still felt isolated. I wished Griffin had been there with me, strolling
around, looking for something fun to do. Although if he was with me, I imagined
we would already be doing something fun. Or better yet maybe even staying in
altogether, which was probably even a better idea with him. I quickly pushed
those thoughts out of my head, wanting to just move on from it. I had to accept
that what happened had happened, and that the last night we had together may
have been the end of it. There was no use pining over those thoughts now.
  

           
The next few days I spent most of my time at the bakery.
I didn’t necessarily have much actual work to do, but I just tried to stay
busy. It was nice to have some downtime there, working on my decorating skills.
I must say, I had improved quite a bit over the past few weeks. Mallory had
returned from her parents place, and she could lift my spirits better than
anyone. We really had fun together, and she at least made me feel like the world
was normal again. We spent some more time with Megan and Steve as well
throughout the week, and I was thankful to have such good friends. My thoughts
still drifted to Griffin, wishing he was out with us, sitting by me, laughing
with me. But I also felt angry too, angry that he disappeared from my every
day. It just didn’t seem fair. But then again, most things in my life didn’t
work out the way I wanted anyway, so I suppose I felt some numbness to it as
well.

 
          
Thursday
night we all went out dancing, which was Megan’s idea of course. She loved
getting all dressed up and heading out around town. Given the attention she got
while we were out. I suppose it made sense to me, although I wondered if she
ever got tired of it. While at the nightclub that night, I was once again
impressed with how well Steve and Johnny could move. The other girls around
them seemed to notice too, constantly coming up to them, flirting. I was amused
to see the other girls trying to talk to Steve and Johnny. It was quite
interesting to watch. Mallory and I giggled at their attempts, standing just
far enough back to give them some space but close enough where we could hear
their conversations. Both Johnny and Steve were extremely handsome so it made
sense. But after just a few minutes of conversation, they blew off the girls’
advances and didn’t seem all that interested. For some reason the thought of
Steve turning down all of these other pretty girls made me smile, though I
wasn’t sure why I cared. I suppose as a friend I should have been more
encouraging of him to find a girl. But somehow, selfishly I guess, I liked him
single. I doubt he would have been staying overnight at my house to keep me
company otherwise, even though it was a completely innocent gesture.

           
Megan on the other hand seemed interested in everyone. It
didn’t exactly surprise me, though I wondered how that camping dare was working
out for her. Sure, she had a full year to complete the dare. But she wasn’t
making it easy on herself, especially if she had any plans to finish that dare
anytime soon. Every guy in the room watched her, and given how short her
sparkly miniskirt was, I didn’t blame them. She really was a pretty girl, her
long dark hair swaying as she danced. I wasn’t sure she would make it through
this night alone, not with the way she was giggling, laughing, and flirting
with anyone who offered to buy her a drink. It looked so effortless on her
part, yet something about her seemed very calculated as well. I envied her for
how carefree she seemed, as if there was nothing in the world that could
possibly bother her.

The
biggest surprise of the night was Mallory. She actually met a guy.
A very handsome guy, but also a very forward one.
He
instantly begged her to go out to dinner with him the following night, and he
had his hands all over her on the dance floor every time I looked. She looked
giddy about it, but something about him didn’t sit right. He was handsome,
sure, but I don’t know. He just seemed a little aggressive with her, like a
salesman who won’t take no for an answer. She seemed happy though, enjoying his
hands on her, so I wasn’t sure she wanted to be rescued from him. I still kept
a close eye on her just to make sure she didn’t disappear anywhere. Something
about him made me nervous.

           
A couple guys had tried talking to me throughout the
night, but I wasn’t interested. I probably should have been flattered that
anyone even noticed me, especially with Megan in the room, but I was more
annoyed by it than anything. It was so nice just to be out with my friends,
feeling less alone than I had a few days ago. I clearly wasn’t looking for
anything. My body felt numb to their advances. Griffin still weighed on my
mind, and I wondered what kind of guy would be enough to make me drop my
thoughts about him. It seemed like an impossible task.

We
stayed out until almost two a.m., dancing, laughing, and having a good time. I
was genuinely comforted by this group of people I had so randomly found on my
search for a new life. They were fun and seemed readily available to take my
mind off anything bothering me. Mallory had completely opened up her life to
me, helping me learn the ins and outs of her business. The others accepted me
into their group so quickly just on the assumption that if Mallory liked me, I
must be okay. I was surprised that I adapted so well to this group of already
close friends. I never really imagined I could become close with so many people
so quickly. It was certainly a sign of progress for me, which seemed good.
   

           
We finally made our way out of the nightclub, and Mallory
gushed about the guy she met. Apparently his name was Dillon.

           
“Damn he was handsome. Don’t you think Addie? Did you see
how good of a dancer he was? He is amazing,” Mallory said blissfully. She spoke
as if what had happened on the dance floor could be considered even remotely
romantic. It looked more to me like he was just taking advantage of her. Either
that or he was searching her thoroughly for loose change in her absent pockets.

           
“Mal, that guy’s middle name has to be ‘date rape,’ he
was all over you. Don’t you think he was a little aggressive?” Steve chimed in,
putting his arm around her shoulders as we walked outside to get a cab.

           
“I know
,
he was a little much.
But he seemed nice, and did I mention how good he looked?” Mallory continued,
obviously a little tipsy. “I still want to go out to dinner with him tomorrow
night. Is that a terrible decision? He did seem a little aggressive, but oh, he
was so good looking.”

           
“That’s what it takes to get a girl these days? You just paw
all over them and they swoon?” Steve asked sarcastically. “To think I’ve been
doing it wrong all this time. Something about him seemed a little creepy,
didn’t it?” Steve replied, looking to me for confirmation.

           
“I’ll tell you what Mal, how about Steve and I at least
go to the restaurant for dinner too, and we’ll just sit on the opposite side of
the room. That guy was clearly blitzed tonight, so he’ll never recognize us
anyway. Then we can have a sign. Like you can pull on your left ear or
something, and then we’ll know to intervene in case things get weird or
uncomfortable,” I suggested.

           
“Addie, that’s genius! What do you think, Steve? Will you
go?” Mallory asked, laughing.

           
“Of course Mal, I would love to save you from date rape
if necessary,” Steve responded, flagging down a cab. “You women are crazy.”

           
The next morning Mallory and I worked hard at the bakery,
despite feeling a little sluggish when we first arrived. Sure enough around
noon, Dillon called Mallory to make plans for dinner that night. She squealed
once she got off the phone, giving me the details. We had already talked that
morning that it would be a good idea for her to just drive herself to the
restaurant to meet him. It would be better for her not to tell him where she lived.
That way if he turned into a stage
five clinger
and
she wasn’t interested, he at least wouldn’t be able to show up at the bakery on
a whim. I assured her that Steve and I would arrive shortly after, just to keep
an eye on her until she was sure this was a good decision.

           
After work Mallory and I got ready at her place. The
restaurant was on the fancy side, so Mallory picked out a cream colored
ruffle-bottomed dress for her and a black A-line dress for me. We curled our
hair and did our make-up,
joking
it was like we were
getting ready for prom, though I never exactly experienced anything even
similar to a prom at the boarding school.

           
Steve pulled up on time and we followed Mallory to the
restaurant. We sat in the car for a few minutes in the parking lot while she
went in so it wouldn’t seem like we had all arrived together.

           
“You really look pretty tonight Addie,” Steve said while
we sat in his SUV. Steve looked quite handsome himself actually, wearing dark
pants and a trendy slim fit blazer.
 

           
“Thank you,” I replied, sounding a little bashful. “I
really hope this goes well tonight. Mallory was really looking forward to
seeing this guy, despite having a weird feeling about him.”

           
Six or seven minutes later we walked into the restaurant.
Steve quietly mentioned something to the hostess about where he wanted to sit,
lying that it was our anniversary and that the particular table he requested
had some significance to us. She obliged, sitting us at a small table on the
raised tier of the restaurant. We had a perfect view of Mallory and her date,
without it being so obvious that we planned to stare at them most of the night.

“Very
clever,” I whispered to Steve as we sat down.

           
Steve and I ordered dinner and had casual conversation as
we waited for our food. Mallory looked happy, laughing a lot and blushing as
Dillon spoke to her.

           
“Really Addie, you do look amazing tonight,” Steve said
again, sipping on his cocktail. “Sometimes this whole thing really pisses me
off.”

           
“Thank you, I think? What do you mean?” I asked
,
a little confused at what he was getting at.

           
“This whole thing with Griffin.
I mean the jail thing, obviously, but the whole thing entirely,” he said,
sounding frustrated. “I should probably stop talking I guess,” his voice
trailed off.

           
“What do you mean? Explain it to me, what’s going on?” I
asked again.

           
“Sorry, I guess I’m
more mad
at
myself than anything. I knew I shouldn’t have given him your name out of the
box," he said, looking up at me sincerely.
 
"I guess I just didn’t realize I could dare you to go out with me.
I don’t know
,
I’m just mad at myself for not keeping
your name when I drew it, that's all."

           
“You drew my name?” I asked, surprised.

           
“Yes. I mulled it over, a lot, but I was nervous. I just
didn’t know what to pick for you. I barely knew you, so it kind of freaked me
out. So when Griffin begged me to switch names with him, I thought I was
getting off easy. I guess I just didn’t realize what he had in mind for you,
that’s
all,” Steve said, looking genuine and vulnerable.
“Forget about it Addie, I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. I don’t mean
anything by it. I guess I’m just trying to say that I don’t know what’s going
to happen with this Griffin situation, but I’m here for you, and I care about
you. Nothing more,” Steve said, taking another drink.

           
“I had no idea. I thought Griffin just randomly drew my
name. He never said anything,” I said quietly, looking over at Mallory to make
sure things looked like they were going okay.

           
“All part of the master plan, I guess,” Steve said under
his breath. “Look, I shouldn’t have said anything. I don’t want to make this
weird. I have just been feeling almost guilty about it. Like if I had kept your
name in the first place, everything would have happened differently and maybe
you wouldn’t feel hurt from everything that’s happened, if that makes sense,”
Steve continued, shaking his head. “Sorry, I know we’re just here for Mallory
and this is nothing more than that. I’m sorry for blurting all that out. It’s
just been bothering me, thinking if I had done one thing different then maybe
you wouldn’t be hurt from this situation with Griffin.
Anyway,
I‘m done talking about it.
I just felt like I had to get that off my
chest.”

           
“You can always tell me what you’re thinking, Steve. I’ve
really enjoyed hanging out with you. You’ve been a nice distraction,” I said,
touching his hand. “I just… I’m just out of
sorts
right know. I don’t know what to think about anything.”

           
“That’s okay Addie. Don’t even think about it, everything
I’m saying. Let’s just have fun tonight. That’s why we’re here, right? It is
our anniversary and all,” Steve said, his mouth forming into a big smile.

           
I nodded, smiling, glancing over at Mallory again. She
had ordered a glass of wine, which seemed to suggest she felt comfortable with
this guy. As the waiter set down our plates, I noticed Mallory had gotten up
from the table. She headed towards the bathroom.

           
“Oh, she’s up. I’m going to meet her in the bathroom to
get the rundown. I’ll be right back,” I said, quickly standing up and making my
way to the back of the restaurant.

           
“Addie, you are never going to believe this, but he is
amazing,” Mallory said excitedly as soon as I opened the restroom door.
“Doesn’t he look incredible in that suit? I’m so sorry for making you guys
follow me here tonight, I don’t know what I was so nervous about. He’s just so
good looking and funny, it gives me a pit in my stomach, but I realize now it’s
in a good way.”

           
Mallory and I fixed our make-up in the mirror.

           
“Are you going home after this, or do I have to worry
about you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

           
“He wants to go check out this indie band at Pete’s
Tavern tonight. He can take me anywhere he wants, Addie. I’ll be fine, trust
me,” she said with a mischievous grin. We opened the bathroom door and I waited
just a minute before walking out after her.

           
“So,” I said, returning to the table. “It appears our
services are no longer needed.” I sat down and Steve smiled.

           
“Really?
Date rape Dillon is Mr.
Right all of a sudden? You women are insane,” he said, shaking his head. “How
am I supposed to find someone if you crazy women always go for the overly
handsome fashion forward groping types? He’s wearing an expensive suit for
Pete’s sake. Sounds overrated,” he said, taking a bite of food. I laughed.

           
“As if you’re not one of the overly handsome fashion
types yourself, look at that blazer,” I replied teasingly. “You just couldn’t
seal the deal with Meg and you’ve been hopeless ever since,” I said, trying to
lighten the mood. Steve smiled.

           
The rest of the meal we joked about Mallory’s date and
speculated on the romantic situations of the other couples in the restaurant.
Conversation flowed easily, and I was relieved at how comfortable I was with
him. We finished our meal and watched as Mallory and Dillon left the
restaurant. Mallory shot me a wide grin before walking out, which was
comforting.

           
“Are you sure you don’t want to meet up with Johnny and
his new ‘friend’ tonight?” Steve asked, exaggerating the word
friend
.
“She’s a little out there. I think he might need a third judge of character.”

           
“Thanks, but I’m exhausted after last night. It’s been a
long week,” I said as we exited the restaurant. “Besides, I don’t really want
to drink tonight, just so I can be around if Mallory needs me. I still wouldn’t
be surprised if I got a late night call tonight to pick her up outside of some
seedy apartment complex. You never know,” I said smiling at him as we climbed
in the SUV.

           
The drive back to my place was quiet and my mind
wandered. As Steve pulled into my apartment lot, I unfastened my seatbelt and
he did the same.

“You
don’t have to walk me in, I’ll be fine. The door is right there,” I said,
pointing to the door about thirty feet away from the car, as if he didn’t
already know. He continued to climb out of the driver’s side.

           
“But honey, it’s our anniversary. The least I can do is
be a gentleman and make sure you get in safe,” he responded, playfully picking
me up and throwing me over his shoulder. I laughed and kicked, trying to get
him to put me down. He tickled my side and I laughed loud, glad it was early
enough in the evening so that I wouldn’t wake any of my neighbors.

           
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt anything,” a deep
voice said, stepping in front of us.

           
“Griffin,” Steve uttered.