Riley scoffed and covered her face with her hand, trying to ignore the warmth rushing to her cheeks. "You're impossible."
Ethan only chuckled before the waiter arrived with their drinks.
He took a sip of his coffee, and Riley picked up her glass of lemonade, sipping it while trying not to make eye contact with him.
Dinner was relaxed, different from the formal air of the restaurant.
They spoke about their work, Riley telling him about the intricacies of land asurent that she had been so focused on earlier.
She even teased him about his poor spray-painting skills, to which he only raised an eyebrow.
"I got better at it," he defended.
"After, what, twenty tries?" she grinned.
Ethan huffed, taking another sip of his drink. "Alright, I'll admit I'm not an artist. But you weren't exactly a star student either. You almost tripped over one of the markers."
"That was one ti," she shot back. "And that's because soone distracted ."
"Oh? Who was that?" he asked, leaning in with an amused smirk.
Riley hesitated, then looked away. "I dunno. So guy. Kind of annoying. Think his na was Ethan?"
Ethan let out a short laugh. "Sounds like a cool guy."
Riley shook her head, but she was smiling as she picked up her fork.
She took her first bite of the dish she had ordered, her eyes widening in delight.
"This is good," she mumbled, savoring the taste.
Ethan watched her reaction with amusent. "Told you. Cafés are nice and all, but sotis you gotta treat yourself."
"I'll give you that," she admitted. "But I still say we should go sowhere smaller next ti."
Ethan smirked. "Next ti, huh?"
Riley froze, her fork hovering midair.
She realized what she had just said, and her cheeks ward as she quickly averted her gaze.
"You know what I an," she muttered.
Ethan chuckled but let it slide. They finished their al, and when the bill ca, Riley instinctively reached for her purse, fishing out her credit card.
Ethan, who had anticipated this, was faster. He handed his card to the waiter before she could get a word in.
"Ethan," she said, frowning.
"Riley," he replied, mimicking her tone with a teasing grin.
She sighed. "At least let pay for my half."
"I already swiped my card. Too late."
She narrowed her eyes. "Ethan…"
"Riley…" he said again, his voice dripping with amusent.
Riley let out an exasperated sigh. "You can't keep doing this every ti."
"Why not?" He leaned back in his chair. "I've got money, and I like spending it on good company."
Riley exhaled through her nose, shaking her head but smiling despite herself. "Fine. But I'm paying next ti."
Ethan raised his glass. "We'll see."
They left the restaurant shortly after.
As they stepped out of the restaurant, the crisp night air greeted them, carrying the faint scent of rain on the horizon.
The streets had quieted down, the once-busy sidewalks now mostly empty save for a few late-night wanderers.
The warm glow of the streetlights cast long shadows, and Riley, feeling pleasantly full and a little drowsy, stretched her arms above her head and let out a soft yawn.
Ethan, who had been adjusting the cuff of his sleeve, glanced at her and smirked. "Tired already? It's not even that late."
Riley shot him a half-hearted glare. "Excuse , but so of us actually did hard labor today."
Ethan chuckled. "Oh, right. Forgot you were in the 'trenches' while I was just lifting 'three things.'"
She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the amused smile tugging at her lips.
They walked toward his car, offering a casual nod to the security guards stationed outside the restaurant.
"Goodnight," Riley said to them politely, and Ethan gave them a small wave before unlocking the car.
She slid into the passenger seat, sighing as she leaned back.
"I might actually fall asleep on the way ho," she admitted, rubbing her eyes.
Ethan raised an eyebrow as he buckled his seatbelt. "And here I was, thinking you had endless energy."
"Yeah, well, even I have my limits," she murmured, already adjusting the seat to get comfortable.
Ethan started the car, the soft hum of the engine breaking the silence of the night.
He pulled out onto the road, the headlights illuminating the path ahead as they drove through the dimly lit streets.
For a while, neither of them spoke. Riley was leaning her head against the window, her eyes fluttering shut every so often, and Ethan glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
He wasn't sure if she was actually asleep or just on the verge of it, but either way, he kept the music low and the ride as smooth as possible.
"You always take taxis ho?" he asked after a few minutes.
Riley stirred slightly, opening one eye. "Huh?"
"Earlier, you said you usually take a taxi after crossing the street near the site," Ethan reminded her.
"Oh. Yeah," she said, sitting up a little. "It's just easier that way. I don't live too far, so I never really saw the need to drive."
Ethan humd in response. He supposed that made sense, though he still found it surprising that she hadn't ntioned owning a car.
Given how independent she was, he would have expected her to have one.
"Besides," she added, "I kind of like the quiet ti. Gives a chance to clear my head."
Ethan smirked. "And yet, you were completely distracted today."
Riley groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Are you really never going to let that go?"
"Nope," he said, popping the 'p.'
She let out a dramatic sigh. "You're insufferable."
"And yet, here you are, in my car, on the way back from a dinner you invited to."
She peeked at him through her fingers. "I regret everything."
Ethan laughed, shaking his head as they neared her apartnt complex.
The drive had been shorter than he expected, but it was nice — comfortable, even.
When he pulled up in front of her building, he turned off the engine and looked over at her.
"Alright, sleepyhead. You're ho."
Riley blinked at the building, clearly not eager to get out just yet.
She shifted in her seat, stretching her arms again before unbuckling her seatbelt.
"Thanks for the ride," she said, her voice softer now.
Ethan nodded. "No problem."
She reached for the door handle but hesitated for a brief second before turning back to him.
"You, um… you don't have to, but do you want to co up for a bit? Just so I can at least properly say goodnight before passing out?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)