Secrets & Lies

9| Just Friends

I continued to pace nervously outside of the Italian restaurant known as Vincenzo's while I waited for Logan. He wasn't late. I was early.

While I was getting ready in my hotel room earlier, I told myself over and over again that this wasn't a date. It was just two friends catching up over dinner and drinks. That's it. Logan and I were just friends. 

Yeah, right. What was the definition of denial, again?

Logan and I both might not be able to admit it out loud to each other, but this definitely seemed like a date. Not only did I pick a low-lit restaurant with candles on the table and a dress code, but I spent one hour trying to decide on what to fucking wear.

I decided on black dress pants with my pinstripe dress shirt. I had the sleeves rolled halfway up my forearms. I was wearing dress shoes. For fuck's sake, I even styled my hair. I could make all the fucking excuses I wanted to, but there was no denying it anymore. Not to myself, at least. It was a date. At the very least, I wanted it to be a date. How fucked up was I? I had a girlfriend and Logan had a fucking fiancée.

I lit a cigarette and inhaled deep.

"I thought you quit."

I turned to the right and my mouth dropped when I saw Logan walking towards me. My eyes rolled over his outfit and forming words seemed impossible. He was wearing a pair of black dress pants like me, but he also had on a dark blue dress shirt and that fucking leather jacket.

"Guess old habits die hard," I quipped. Yeah, like sneaking around with your male lover.

A corner of his mouth lifted in a smile when he came to a stop in front of me. There was something different in his eyes tonight. Something exciting and hopeful. It gave me the courage to say what I was really thinking.

"You look fucking good."

Logan chuckled and glanced down at his outfit. "Thanks."

Was he...blushing?

He cleared his throat and met my stare. "You clean up nicely yourself."

I threw out my cigarette and gestured to the entrance of the restaurant. "Shall we?"

Logan glanced to the entrance and breathed a heavy sigh. "Yeah, we should get inside."

I let out a low whistle once we got inside the restaurant. I knew it was on the fancy side when I looked at the pictures online, but I had no idea it was this fancy. Everyone was dressed in noticeably expensive clothes and jewelry. Even though I craved to take Logan to the nearest sports bar and get a burger and a beer, I wasn't going anywhere. I wanted to be here with Logan. The truth was, we've never been to a place like this. We've never done anything like this before.

This was definitely crossing into new territory. It terrified me. But at the same time, it felt...right. At least tonight it did.

The host brought us to our table which, to my surprise, turned out to be an alcove. It had a high back that kept others from seeing us.  Clearly one of the perks of this being a high class place.

One other little quirk was the way the alcoves were designed. Logan and I had no choice but to sit next to each other. Once we sat down, our thighs brushed against each other and it sent a chill down my spine.

Logan's eyes roamed over the restaurant. "This is very..."

When Logan didn't elaborate, I asked, "Schmaltzy?"

We both laughed at that before Logan opened his menu. "Yeah, I guess."

While he looked over the starters, I glanced over the drink options. "So, what kind of drinking night is it going to be?" I teased.