Page 28 of It's a Brewtiful Day

I shuffled my feet and took in the surroundings, wondering what we could do to pass the time. When I first arrived, I had added a couple of games.

“Why aren't you answering? Has this happened to you before?”

“Well...” I avoided his gaze.

“Wait, I was kidding, but you're not?”

“No.” I walked over to the window while pocketing my hands.

The town was still blanketed in an eerie type of darkness, as were the houses across the street. Did no one live there anymore? However, it was brighter outside than it was inside the Coffee Loft.

“Oh, I have got to hear this.” He dragged the wingback chair more out into the open. “Where? When?”

I grabbed the other chair and pulled it beside his, curling into it and leaning my head against one of the wings. “Were you here when the tram lost power a couple of years back?”

“Yeah. Were you on the tram?” He pitched forward, arms resting on his thighs.

“No, but I was in the building. The trams had just unloaded when the power went out.” I shook my head as the memories flooded back. “What a nightthatended up being. We were given blankets and flashlights and had the run of the place, although it was too cold at night to hang around outside.”

“Oh my gosh, and you were up there?” The tipping of his head and his perked-up posture were endearing.

A smile snuck its way onto my face, even though I didn’t want to. In the moment, it had been super scary because we’d been trapped on the top of a mountain, but now, looking back, it actually wasn’t that bad. Like this situation. We were safe, there was food and shelter, much like what we had here, and the views were amazing. Plus, being so high up, the town was all a glow and the stars… I’d never seen so many in my life.

“Yep. Ended up spending the night there and because the power still hadn't been restored, in the morning we were taken down the mountain in helicopters.”

“You got to ride in a helicopter?” His eyes widened, much like the excitement in his voice.

“It was no big deal.” Except that it was. My one and only helicopter ride, but I could still remember the whirring of the blades and the way my stomach flipped as we descended. It was an incredibly exciting moment.

“Were you all alone?”

“Up there? No, there were something like thirty people, give or take.” I never actually counted, but that’s what the news reports stated.

“I mean, were you with … a friend?”

I held my breath, and then wondered why? That event had been three years ago. Several failed relationships ago. “With my boyfriend at the time. We broke up not long after.”

And why had that been? I thought back, and then it hit me. He was a slob, both at his apartment, doing his job, and just the way he lived in general. If memory served me correctly, he didn’t even discard his garbage at the tram station; I was the one who cleaned up after him. Aside from his soothing voice, there wasn’t much about him to have been attracted to. Turned out, I had trusted my gut. He was also a terrible human being.

“Well, I’m sorry.” The Adam’s apple bobbed. He looked down at his hands, and then slowly back up to me. “Is there a boyfriend waiting for you now?”

“Nope.” I popped the p sound with a little too much enthusiasm. “Thing is, I'm not really good with relationships. I’m more of a serial dater kind of girl. It’s easier that way.” My gaze slowly rose fromhis hands, over his shirt, and up to his face—I was curious about his reaction.

“Is it?” He straightened up and leaned back.

“Oh, yeah.” I rambled on. “No long-term commitments, I can do my own thing. What’s not to want? A couple weeks here and there. Maybe a month and it’s time to cut them loose.” The guys never knew it though, as I wasn’t upfront at the start to let them know it was a limited-time deal.

“Why is that?”

I scoffed. “It’s just easier that way.”

“But why? What is it about us guys that has you ditching so quickly?”

My mouth hung open. There were several reasons but none that I thought he’d understand. Already, he’d put all the guys I’d dated to shame,andElliot and I weren’t even dating. Would he change if we were? Would he find a way to make me need to dump him before he could hurt me?

Rather than give a solid answer, I stalled. Until I knew I shouldn’t. Being that he was a decent guy—and not someone I was dating—I felt I could share a little with him, chancing that he wouldn’t hold it against me. He didn’t seem the type.

“I don’t like being hurt.”