Six Days: Book One in the SIX Series (13 page)

           
“Not in my world,” I said shaking my head. “But I hope it
does,
somewhere.”

           
We finally pulled into my apartment complex, and I was
sad our afternoon had come to an end.

“You’re
still planning on meeting us out tonight, right?” I asked.

           
“Of course.
I’m not sure what
time I’ll be there, but I promise I’ll come out. I’m looking forward to it,
Addie,” he said casually, staring right at me. After the discussion we just
had, I couldn’t help but stare at his lips. I quickly pushed the thought out of
my mind, opening up my car door and quickly exciting.

           
“Good, see you tonight,” I replied, gently closing the
door.

Who
would have thought anything even remotely Hungarian could sound so romantic?
This guy was killing me. I decided I was actually glad to be going out with
other people tonight. I needed something, anything, to take my mind off of
these random conversations with Griffin.

           
I showered and called Mallory to come over and dress me.
I really needed to buy some new clothes with her guidance on one of our days
off from the bakery. At first I felt bad for always borrowing her clothes, but
she seemed to genuinely love using me as a fashion project, so she insisted.

           
“A red dress?
Are you sure this
isn’t too dressy? What kind of a place is this?” I asked Mallory, looking in
the mirror.

           
“It’s perfect, Addie. You got some good sun today, so it
really shows off your glow,” Mallory said, putting on a black dress. “The place
we’re eating at is some kind of steakhouse I think. Johnny said it is amazing.
There’s some new Irish pub around the corner, I think it’s called O’Donnell’s.
He wants to go check it out after we eat, to see if it’s a decent place to
hang. We’re getting too old for the bar scene, right? So maybe this pub will be
a cooler version of that. I think Meg actually went there on a date a few weeks
back and she said it was a pretty cool place, so Johnny has
been
wanting
to go,” Mallory said, putting on another coat of mascara.

           
We arrived at the restaurant at seven-thirty and the
place was a little upscale, so it felt good to be dressed up. Megan and Johnny
were already there and Steve pulled into the parking lot the same time we did.

           
Johnny was right about the food. It was amazing, and we
laughed and joked and had good conversation. I kept checking my phone in case
Griffin called, but it stayed silent. Megan had mentioned something about him
meeting us at the pub, but I still hoped he would make it earlier.

           
We left the restaurant around nine and walked a block to
O’Donnell’s, a cute building covered in stone with large dark wood doors. The
pub had an enormous bar area wrapped in stools, and a bunch of small tables
throughout. There was a small stage area with some musical instruments. I
imagined they used that for karaoke nights or open mic nights which seemed to
be popular during the week. The crowd tonight, however, seemed light so I
assumed it would be a quiet evening.

           
A few people I recognized from Johnny’s birthday party
showed up, and I said casual hellos to everyone. Finally, my eyes locked on
Griffin as he entered the pub. Looking more handsome than any man should at
nine-thirty on a Wednesday night, Griffin made his way over to the bar where
most of us had planted, although a few of the other acquaintances had taken
seats at the tables. Griffin wore loose jeans and a white and grey striped
button down shirt. As usual, he had the sleeves rolled up a bit on his
forearms.

           
Megan gave Griffin a big hug and whispered something in
his ear. I tried not to let it bother me. I liked
Megan,
I really did, but spending as much time as I had with Griffin the last few days
made me feel a hint of jealousy despite their close friendship.

           
Finally, Griffin made his way to me at the bar. “You look
really beautiful tonight Addie,” Griffin said, giving me a quick kiss on the
cheek. “Are you ready?” he asked innocently.

           
“Ready for what?”
I replied. I
was confused, although I knew my answer to him would be yes anyway, but not
just because it was dared of me.

           
“I promised you a concert, remember,” he said softly. He
made his way over to the piano sitting on the small stage I had noticed
earlier. A few more friends gathered in the pub and sat down at other tables.
Griffin adjusted the microphone and sat down at the piano.

           
“I think most of you know me because Chris is a friend of
mine,” Griffin said pointing to a large man pouring drinks behind the bar. “So
he’s generously allowed me to perform tonight in his pub.” The group cheered.
My cheeks felt hot. I felt surprised, proud, emotional, I wasn’t totally sure.
Why didn’t he tell me about this earlier? How did most of the others seem to
already know this was happening?

           
“But, due to some noise ordinances in the area,” Griffin
continued, “I can only play five or six songs. But, I would like to point out,”
he went on, motioning to Johnny and Steve at the bar, “that this counts as
performing in public, so I’m off the hook after this,” he said, smiling.

           
He played a few piano notes and I couldn’t help but stare
at him as his fingers moved effortlessly across the keys. His eyes closed and
he sounded lost in the music. My body felt frozen, like I couldn’t will my
limbs to move.

           
“I hate to be the one to say it,

           
But I’m about to give up on you

           
I know the time is never right

           
And if it’s love then it’s a fight

           
But I’m about to lose

           
And these words are overdue…”

           
His words were
soft, but passionate. There were moments when I felt like I was blocking out
the sound of the music because I couldn’t stop staring at his handsome face.
Other moments his words penetrated through me, and I wondered how well I really
knew Griffin. The room was mesmerized.

           
Griffin finished his first song and the room erupted. His
eyes found mine in the crowd of people and my cheeks felt flush.

           
“He’s good, isn’t he?” Mallory said, locking her arm in
mine. I nodded my head, still fixated on Griffin. He stood up from the piano
and grabbed a guitar leaning against the wall. He began to play, and the room
fell silent again.

           
“
Takin
’ turns pouring out
our thoughts

           
Competing to show what we have learned

           
Always thinking you’re right, and that I’m mistaken

           
Thinking you can never get burned

           
But that’s just another lesson learned…”

           
Griffin
continued to sing and I continued to feel flustered. He looked completely lost
in what he was doing, and there was nowhere else I would have wanted to be.
Each song lasted only a few minutes, and he moved on to the next one as if he
had done all this before. Well, I guess he had, but still, it all just seemed
so effortless as if this was a normal part of his day to day. His words just
flowed out like poetry, and his guitar playing seemed so relaxed.

           
“
I thought this shame would just sink

           
Somewhere down deep inside me

           
As if the world could not just see

           
It hanging out on my sleeve

           
Can’t we just pass around the blame?
           
Why does it have to end on my
name?”

           
Griffin
continued singing and all of his friends continued to give him their full
attention. I looked at him entirely differently. I mean, he was already sexy,
sure. But to watch him up on that small stage, more vulnerable than I’d ever
seen him before, I was pretty convinced he was the most handsome man I’d ever
laid eyes on. I suddenly felt nervous at the thought of spending time with him
tomorrow. I had no idea what he thought of me. I wondered if he would be able
to see through me, to see how flush and nervous he made me.

           
Griffin switched back to the piano for his final song,
and softly sang an emotional slow piece. I wanted to believe he was singing to
me, but his words were sad and I wondered why he wrote his songs the way he
had. He usually seemed so carefree and fun, so I was surprised to hear such
passionate music from him. Everything I’d heard him play while we were camping
seemed so much more light and airy, although I guessed he was just screwing
around then.

           
Griffin wrapped up his final song and every person in the
room stood to their feet. My eyes felt moist, which I hoped no one noticed.
Griffin stood up and took an exaggerated bow as all his friends clapped and whistled
for his performance.

           
As Griffin approached, Steve wrapped an arm around
Griffin’s neck and smacked his chest. “Damn,
Griff
,
that was so good. For the second year in a row, you’re the first one to
complete your dare and take your name out of the box. I’m impressed.”

           
Griffin shook his head nonchalantly, laughing it off. He
walked towards me. Megan lunged at him and kissed his cheek, congratulating him
on his ‘stellar’ show.

           
“So, Addie, not exactly John Denver,” Griffin said,
winking at me. “But good enough for your first show?”

           
I blushed. I didn’t even know what to say to him anymore.
“Griffin, that was, I mean, wow. Just amazing,” I stammered. A few other people
I didn’t know came up to Griffin, patting him on the back and saying kind
things.

           
“So, you guys want to stay here and drink for a bit, or
should we head out somewhere else?” Johnny chimed in.

           
“I would love to stay, but I have a huge meeting at eight
a.m. with my boss and a big client, so I’m going to head out,” Megan replied,
giving half-hugs to everyone, saying goodnight.

           
“I’d better turn in too, I’m exhausted” Mallory said,
grabbing her bag.
“Unless you want to stay out for a bit
Addie?”
She turned towards me for an answer.

           
“Addie has an early morning tomorrow too,” Griffin spoke for
me, winking. “I have a bit of a work crisis I have to take care of tomorrow
afternoon, so I was hoping we could meet up early, if that works for you. Like
eight-thirty? Is that too early for you?” he asked politely.

           
I looked at Mallory, wondering if she needed me at the
shop tomorrow. I really hoped she didn’t. As if she read my mind, Mallory
chimed in. “We don’t really have much to make until Friday, so I wasn’t
planning on being at the shop at all tomorrow. I was going to visit my parents
in Sacramento actually, so I don’t really need you until Friday morning if that
works for you.”

           
“Sure, then eight-thirty Griffin.
That sounds great,” I replied, shooting a sly smile at Mallory. “Are you going
to give me a hint so I know what to wear?” I asked.

           
“Anything but those ugly rubber shoes,” Griffin responded
with a smirk.

           
“Rubber shoes,” Steve piped in, “is that some weird kinky
joke?”

Mallory
laughed.

           
Griffin shook his head. “Goodnight, Adelaide,” he said,
giving me a swift kiss on the cheek. “Not much of a first concert, I know.
Someday I’ll take you to a real one, a big one.” His eyes lit up.

           
“That was really great, Griffin, you are so talented. I
really enjoyed watching you play the piano, I had no idea you played any other
instruments. That was really good,” I repeated, not sure what else to say
without sounding overly mushy about the whole thing.

           
Steve walked Mallory and me out to her car. Sure enough
as I opened the passenger door, there was a small black box with a white bow
sitting on the seat.

           
“Mallory,” I said inquisitively, “any chance this is
yours?”

           
Mallory chuckled. “Of course it isn’t mine, Addie. I
don’t have anything that mysterious or interesting going on in my life,” she
said, smiling at me. She climbed into the car.

           
As we drove home, I opened the box. Inside was a pair of
pink square shaped goggles.

           
“Wow, so are you guys welding stuff tomorrow?” Mallory
asked, snickering with amusement.

           
I pulled out the note card from the bottom of the box.

           
Day 5: Fly with me, Addie. Please trust me.

           
It’s a good
thing I had a few glasses of wine in me, otherwise I would have likely passed
out from a message like that. Fly? What could that be a metaphor for?

           
I put the goggles and the note card back in the box,
smiling the rest of the way home.