Shay's POV
After finishing my dessert, I excused myself to go to the ladies' room to touch up my makeup before we all started leaving for the night.
I opened the door to the restroom, placed my clutch on the counter, and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was a bit messy, my lipstick had faded, and my face looked slightly damp. Not a good look.
Did he see me like this?
Oh god, that would be embarrassing. I ran my fingers through my hair to straighten out the curls and pulled my lipstick from my clutch to apply a fresh coat. The restroom door suddenly swung open, making me jump in surprise, but it was just Sylvia.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," she said before stepping up to my side and checking herself out in the mirror.
I chuckled and continued applying my lipstick.
"Do you want me to give you a ride home?" she asked.
I shook my head and placed my lipstick back inside my clutch.
"No thanks, I'll just take a cab or call an Uber."
She chuckled and leaned toward the mirror to check her eyelashes.
"You've been saying that a lot tonight." I glanced at her, confused.
"Saying what?"
"'No thanks'. Is that the only thing your brain allows you to say when someone offers you something nice?" I frowned when I noticed her change in tone.
"What do you mean? I only said no because I didn't want you to drive me all the way to my place and then back to your apartment. You know how long it takes to get there, and besides, I was thinking of getting a cab to take me home before we even got here."
She stared at me with a blank expression, then looked down at the lip gloss in her hand.
"Okay, but why would you turn him away when he offered to refill your drink or to try the pasta? You could've just said yes for once tonight. It probably would've made things a lot easier for you two."
I stared at her in the mirror as the realization slowly hit me. I finally understood the real reason behind her question. I slowly turned around to face her, and she did the same, giving me a hard look with her jaw visibly clenched.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
She sighed, folded her arms across her chest, and leaned back against the counter, her eyes staring straight ahead at one of the cubicle doors.
"Look, I'm not blind, okay? I saw the way he was looking at you tonight and how he easily cared for you. It's so obvious that I'm sure everyone else noticed, too."
My heart dropped as I listened to her. With everything going on between Jason and me, I hadn't realized I was hurting my best friend too.
She was the one who liked him first, and my feelings had no right to come between what she had felt for Jason.
"Syl, Iâ"
"No. It's fine. I'll learn to accept that he's just not interested in me... but you."
I slowly reached for her hand, and she squeezed it back in return, her mouth curving into a smile.
"You don't have to say that. I still don't know how I feel about him. Maybe his act of friendliness tonight was just thatânothing more and nothing less. He probably doesn't even see me as more than just an employee," I reasoned.
She chuckled, looked away, and shook her head.
"I work with the guy, Shay. I know everything about him, including how he reacts to people he likes and doesn't like. Tonight, he obviously showed a different side of himself because of you. So, you know what? I'm okay with that. If you two start dating, I'll accept it because you're still my best friend and my cousin. I'm not going to let anything like this ruin that and I always want you to be happy. Besides, you'd make a perfect couple."
I couldn't help but smile and hug her. I was so relieved we hadn't made a big deal out of it, and it melted my heart that she was so understanding and caring, considering my feelings for Jason before her own.
She really was the sister I never had.
"Thank you. I love you. I love you. I love you!"
She laughed and pulled away from the embrace.
"I'm heading out first."
I nodded and watched her leave the restroom. When the door closed, I looked back at myself in the mirror and smiled. I grabbed my clutch and made my way out. As I walked down the hallway back to where we had been dining, Jason suddenly walked through, his hand in his pocket and his suit jacket in the other.
He looked up, and our eyes met. My heart jumped when the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. He stopped right in front of me, and I caught the strong, masculine scent of his cologne.
"There you are. Thought something happened to you when you were missing in there for quite a while. What took you so long?" he asked.
I chuckled nervously and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"I was just in the restroom. It was quite crowded in there, you know, women and their moments with the mirror."
He chuckled and glanced down at his feet.
"I can imagine. Well, I'm glad you're okay though. I figured you're not really the type to get an upset stomach that easily."
I did a double take.
"Me? No way... pfft... no... I'm like... yeah, I'm good. Totally one hundred percent okay."
I mentally slapped myself on the back when an awkward laugh followed the weird thing I just said.
Smooth, Shay... way to go!
"We should head the other direction. The others have already left and are probably outside right now."
Wait, what?
I quickly glanced behind him and noticed the closed double doors. I nodded quickly.
"Right." He smirked at me, then we both started walking down the hallway toward the exit.
Everyone was waiting outside at the front entrance, saying their goodbyes while waiting for the parking valet to bring their cars around. Sylvia walked up to us and shot me a knowing look before hooking her arm around mine and standing closer to my side.
"I called an Uber for you. Sure you'll be okay waiting here for a while?" she asked.
I gave her a smile of reassurance and nodded.
"I'll be fine. Just go home already." Her smile faded as she turned to the back and waved goodbye to Amber and Shelley, who were getting into their car to leave.
"You're taking an Uber?" Jason's sudden question brought our attention back to him, and I felt Sylvia squeeze my arm.
"Um, yeah. My car is having some mechanical issues, so I left it at a repair shop this morning."
He quickly glanced around and checked the time on his watch.
"It'll take a while for an Uber to get here at this time. So, why don't I take you home instead?" My eyes widened in surprise.
"Um..."
Sylvia's grip around my arm tightened, and I shot her a look.
"Yes! That's a great idea, sir. Shay won't mind at all," Sylvia added, wiggling her brows at me.
Jason nodded with a satisfied smile on his face, then walked past us toward his Porsche, which had just pulled up beside us. Sylvia stood in front of me and beamed happily.
"I'll see you tomorrow and I hope to hear some good news." I rolled my eyes and pulled her in for a hug.
I waved her off and walked toward Jason. He opened the front passenger door for me, and I nervously smiled at him before getting in. I mumbled my address to him when he got into the driver's seat, and he swerved the car easily onto the road with one hand.
We didn't say much along the way. There was a comfortable silence between us that gave me a moment to recollect myself and ask myself over and over again:
Is this really happening? Is he really taking me home right now?
Those questions burned in my mind the whole time until I snapped out of it when I recognized the familiar driveway to my house. He slowly pulled up outside the big main gates while staring outside at the house. I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned to face him.
"Thank you. I really appreciate you driving me home tonight."
He turned toward me with a surprised look on his face.
"You live here?"
I slowly nodded. I had been thinking of letting him drop me off a few blocks away so he wouldn't see my house, but it was too late. Something told me he wouldn't question anything about it and would just shrug it off.
"Yep, this is me. Thank you again, and I'll see you at work tomorrow." He gave me a half smile and nodded.
"Goodnight, Miss Kellen."
"Goodnight." I opened the door and stepped out of the car.
The guard on duty opened one of the gate doors for me as I walked in.
I glanced back one last time and saw his car still parked in the same spot. Just as I turned away, the car moved, and he drove off.
The tension between us had lessened, and with a different vibe surrounding us, it felt like the start of something new. He knew it, and I knew it too. So, if we both continue to acknowledge that spark between us, then I think I know what this means for me.