Red Roses & Red Flags [ONC 2023]

Chapter 4

 There were two more red flags before we left the restaurant. These two made me question how much of a good guy Wilder was; however, like always, I excused them as him being confident. I was attracted to confidence.

The first one happened when Wilder ordered another beer. I had barely touched mine. People entered the restaurant, and the only waiter scrambled to get everyone a table and take their order. I was talking about a new game my company was developing, but Wilder was not looking at me. His eyes were locked on the waiter. He drummed his fingers on the table. I let my story trail off as he was clearly not paying attention.

Why did I have to be so dull?

"Hey, man!" Wilder yelled at the waiter. Annoyance was heavy in his voice. "What do I have to do to get service? I ordered a beer like ten minutes ago."

Red flag number thirteen: he was rude to the restaurant staff.

I dropped the fry I was holding onto. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I had to fight the urge to bury my face in my hands when other patrons stared at us in shock. Did he seriously just do that? I pushed my beer across the table. The glass clanged against his plate, gaining his attention.

"Have mine," I offered. "I'm not thirsty."

"I'm so sorry." The waiter tugged at the collar of his stained T-shirt. "I'll go get it now."

"Thank you," Wilder said.

The sarcasm in his voice did not go unnoticed.

I sucked in my bottom lip as I watched the waiter rush off. Wilder took his hat off momentarily to run his fingers through his hair. My appetite was gone as my stomach twisted in a knot. The odd person was giving us a weird look. When the waiter returned, he did not look at either Wilder or me.

Wilder smiled after he took a sip of his drink. My appetite was gone as nausea sat heavy in my gut.

"Do you usually do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Talk to workers like that."

"What are you talking about?"

"You were kind of rude."

Wilder scoffed and shook his head.

"It wasn't rude," he said.

"It was a bit rude," I said.

"You're being crazy."

Red flag number fourteen: he calls you crazy.

Was I overreacting? I would never talk to anyone in that tone, but I was also a push-over. Maybe I needed more confidence in myself.

I pushed my plate, half full of fries, over to Wilder. He raised a brow as he looked down at the food.

"I'm not hungry," I said. "You can have them."

Wilder picked up a fry and took a bite. His staring at me with his intense blue eyes did not help with the uncomfortable feeling in my body. He was so gorgeous. Why was he spending time with me? Boys asking me on a date as a teenager definitely scarred me because I was expecting him to start laughing and leave the table at any moment.

"You really should eat," he said.

I bit my lip to prevent a goofy smile from crossing my face. He may have shown me some toxic traits, but could be sweet? He wanted to see me eating and being healthy. Maybe he did care about me.

"I ate before I left the house," I lied.

"I hope," Wilder said. "The night isn't over yet."

He did not want the night to end either. Was he enjoying spending time with me? He must be. He would have left and returned to the Hallowe'en party if he did not like me.

"What do you have planned?" I asked.

"I was thinking we could go to my place and watch a movie," he said. "See where the night takes us."

He ended his sentence with a wink. I tried my best not to gasp. Reading between the lines, I knew what he meant. Anytime a man mentions watching a movie, it always translates into we are going to have sex.

Did I want to sleep with him? I barely knew Wilder, but I was attracted to him. When would I get this opportunity again? I have had one-night stands before, so what was one more?

"We should probably get the bill," I said.

Wilder smiled and nodded before waving the waiter down. My thighs clenched, and I could already feel myself growing wet from arousal. He had shown me fourteen red flags, but I always found that toxic men were the best in bed. Would Wilder continue this trend?

I could not wait to find out.