Great!

I wash my hands then attempt to dust myself off, getting the worst of it before washing my hands again and leaving the bathroom. When I get back to the booth Alec looks up at me from his plate that is already half eaten. I slide into my seat.

“I got locked in the bathroom.”

“I was wondering where you were. I was about to send a search party.” He laughs.

My throat prickles with annoyance because he obviously didn’t care enough about me being gone to send someone to make sure I was okay, or even come looking for me himself.

“This isn’t going to work.” I mutter to my self and turn to grab my cell phone along with my bag then jerk my head around when his hand grabs my upper arm.

“I didn’t mean anything by that. I was just joking.”

“I know.” I pull my arm back then dig into my bag for some cash, finding two twenty-dollar bills. I place them on the table with him watching, then start to scoot out of the booth.

“You’re leaving?”

“Does it even matter if I’m here?”

“Of course it does.”

“Alec, we hardly see each other, and when we do, you’re normally distracted by work or talking about it.”

“My job...”

“Is important–believe me, I know.” I tell him gently because I don’t want to end things on a bad note. I mean he is a nice guy, he’s just not the guy for me. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.” I get up and then, without sparing him another glance, I walk through the restaurant to the front door and out.

Thankfully I drove myself, since he was coming to dinner straight from work, so I head for my car that I parked in the lot just down the street. When I get behind the wheel, I ignore the excessive pings from texts Alec is sending, turn on my engine, then back out of my parking spot. After I turn out of the lot, I hear the rumble of a motorcycle engine and on instinct I check my mirrors. With my heart in my throat, I watch as a black Harley, with it’s driver matching the bike in a black jacket and helmet, cut off the SUV that was behind me. With their shield down I can’t see their face, but I can tell the man driving is not a small guy. Still, no matter how big he is, riding a bike can be dangerous, and I’m half-tempted to yell out my window that he should be more careful.

I keep an eye on him in my rearview as I drive toward my condo, but when I’m halfway there, I spot the sign for a liquor store and decide at the last minute to stop and get a bottle of wine, so I’ll have it for the bath I plan on taking as soon as I get home. I turn into the lot, noticing the motorcycle pass, then search for a place to park.