“Sure.” I smile and turn to get it. Once back, I set it on his table and start to head inside when he stops me.
“Can you sit?” I look at the back door and then at him. “Just for a minute?” He gives me a look of apology. Brown eyes gleaming. Sexy smile. How can I say no to that?
I walk over and pull out the seat beside him. “Okay. But just for a minute.” I give him a smile and am given one in return. And what a smile. Resting my elbow on the table, I put my chin on my hand. “So. What is the star quarterback doing in this small town playing guitar and singing at an open mic night at Johnny’s?”
He looks uncomfortable as he takes a drink. “Was. Was the star quarterback.” My brows lower in confusion. He had everything. Rich family, popularity, a very promising career. “It’s not what I wanted,” he states as he twists the cap shut. He looks off to the ocean, seeming lost in thought. “I’m not gonna lie. It was fun, at first. Having all the attention when I started out. Football was never as much of a passion for me as it was for my dad. I just liked playing. At first. By junior year, I had no time for myself, no life of my own. Dad became a scowling parent, always upset when a play didn’t go well and said I wasn’t trying hard enough.” He blinks several times and looks back at me, his lips turn up into a smile. “I found some comfort in playing my guitar and started writing down words to tunes that I’d make up. It calmed me, gave me the alone time I craved and gave me some peace.”
I smile back, caught up in his world for a moment. “So, after you graduated you shifted gears, headed here to find the true passion you always wanted.”
He chuckles, looking down at his water then back at me. Such a sexy sound, sending a shiver through me. “Kind of. I came here to get away from all of it. Find out what my passion truly is. I got so sick of all the attention, wanting time for myself for a change, ya know?”
Now I let out a small laugh. “Sort of? The only friends I had were the kind that just wanted to use me. I hated it and felt so alone. But I liked it that way. I didn’t have to worry about anyone hurting me.”
He raises a brow. “And now? You seemed to be in the thick of people here, whether that was your intention or not.” Wow! He’s so perceptive.
“Now.” I smile and shrug my shoulders. “I want to really live, something I feel I haven’t really done. I want to break out of my shell and have fun, be around people and I guess be a little popular?” I look down at my hands, intertwined in my lap, then back up at him. “I’m tired of being alone.”
We talked for the better part of an hour. Trina telling me by her looks, when I’d glance her way, that we were slow enough to keep talking to the gorgeous guy beside me. I’m sure she will badger me for all the juicy news later. When I watched him leave, my heart saddens as he walked down the deck steps and I went back to work. Other than the girls here, he’s been really the only other person I’ve talked to that much. I find it strange, but in a good way, that I want to be friends with him. I mean, really friends, not just someone that will use me and throw me away when it suits them. He makes me feel like he could be a good friend, one that will really care about my feelings. All in less than an hour of talking? Maybe he just has that way about him, but if I don’t take a chance and find out, I’ll never know. I could use a true friend.
The rest of the weekend and into the next week was long. I went to Johnny’s a couple of times but the rest was spent on studying and working. Thanksgiving break was getting closer and so were finals before the end of the semester. I can’t fall behind now. My new routine also consisted of West finding me sitting out on my deck, late at night, when he was running and after reaching the pier, he’d turn to run back and always come to my apartment and hang out for a bit before returning to his. This allowed us ample time to really get to know each other. I’ve never had such a great connection with someone, male or female, and we are quickly becoming good friends. He’s gorgeous, and I won’t deny that my attraction to him is beyond friendship, but for now, I love how close we are becoming and cherish being friends, something I’ve not really had before.
Heidi constantly whines at me to go to Johnny’s on Wednesdays to learn line dancing and then pouts when I tell her I have to study, even though it’s secretly something I’d like to try. Since I’ve been here, I hadn’t really tried to make any friends, always leery of people wanting to use me at their convenience like back in high school. But Heidi, Trina and Shelley are pretty fun to be around, whether at Johnny’s or just at work.