“Sprite,” she said, giving the now scowling waitress a big smile.
The waitress jotted it down, took a moment to smile at Zach, and then turned and made her way over to the bar.
Not sure what had happened, Zach scooted into the seat until he was a foot away from Danielle.
“Wow,” Danielle said as she reached out to fiddle with the napkins in front of her.
Zach turned to focus on her. “What?”
Danielle’s gaze was trained on the table. “Nothing. Just, a lot has changed since I saw you last. I mean, bouncers let you walk into a crowded bar. Waitresses look like they’re about to claw my eyes out because you brought me here.” She peeked over at him. He wished he could read what she was thinking.
She sighed and shrugged. “You’re not the Zach I remember.”
Now it was his turn to study her. “What does that mean? I’m still Zach.”
She scoffed. “Yeah, right,” she whispered.
He reached out to get her to look at him, but then stopped when she pulled away before he made contact. Why was she acting like this?
“Come on, Dani. That Zach was young. Stupid.”
She met his gaze. Her eyebrows rose as she looked at him. He knew, from that one look, that she understood what he was hinting to. That kiss. His attempt to confess his feelings for her. All of it had been a stupid, grief-motivated mistake.
He cleared his throat as emotions rose up inside of him. How could he get her to see? Get her to forgive him?
He leaned closer to her and smiled. “We were friends once. Don’t you think we could do that again?”
She looked carefully at him, her brows drawn together. He could see the internal tug inside of her. He took some hope in that.
After holding his gaze for a moment longer, she let out her breath as she shook her head. “I don’t think so, Zach. Too much has happened. I…can’t do that again.” She rubbed her face withher hands just as the waitress dropped off their drinks—and her number written on a napkin.
Danielle laughed when she saw how not discreet the waitress had been when she handed the number over.
“See? I don’t fit in this world,” Danielle said, waving toward the napkin.
How could he get her to understand that this wasn’t his world? Sure it was great, but he missed having something real. And from what he could remember, Danielle was real. Besides, it wasn’t like he was asking for her date him, he just wanted to be friends.
“But—”
“There you are!” Jonathan’s voice sounded as he clapped Zach on the shoulder.
Startled, Zach turned to see his best friend standing next to the table with a huge grin on his face.
“Hey, man,” Zach said, turning back to Danielle who was no longer looking at him. Instead, she was studying her phone.
Frustrated, he turned back to Jonathan. There was no way this was the end of their conversation. He knew her a lot better than she seemed to think he did. She was pulling away to protect herself and he was going to show her that he wasn’t going to hurt her. He couldn’t.
Jonathan slid onto the booth next to Zach. “Hey, I’m Jonathan,” he said, as he leaned over the table and extended his hand toward Danielle.
Danielle glanced up and then nodded as she shook it. “I know. Steelers.”
Jonathan winked at her as he sat back in the booth. He glanced over at Zach with an approving look. “I like her. She knows her football. Where did you find her?” he asked as he waved down the waitress and ordered a beer.
Heat pricked at the back of Zach’s neck as he glanced over at Danielle, and then back to Jonathan. “We’ve…” How did he define their relationship?
“We grew up together and just happened to run into each other again. One of those funny, random moments.” Her expression had changed to a relaxed one as she focused on Jonathan.
It made Zach angry that she could look so relaxed when she talked to Jonathan and yet with him, it was coated in pain and memories.
