More Than Friends

a romantic short
story

By Beverly Farr

Copyright 2013 Beverly Farr Giroux

Smashwords Edition

This story is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental
.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication can be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical without permission in writing from Beverly Farr
Giroux.

Cover design by James at GoOnWrite.com

Note: A shorter version of this story was
previously published in
Five Minute Romances: 12 Super Short
Stories

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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MORE THAN FRIENDS

Carrie shivered as she walked into the dimly
lit restaurant, grateful to be out of the cold rain. She looked
around for her co-workers from the Accounting department and was
surprised to see only Josh, sitting on a long wooden bench in the
reception area. “Hi. Have you been waiting long?”

“Just a few minutes.”

Carrie nodded. She sat down beside him to
wait for the others. On Friday nights, a group of them usually went
out to eat – sometimes there were as many as eight or as few as
four. They went to different restaurants, trying to keep within a
mile or two radius from the office. “Have you eaten here before?”
she asked.

“No.”

“Neither have I.” From the décor, it looked
like a basic steak and chicken place with overpriced appetizers.
She could hear what sounded like pop dance music in the background,
but at least there weren’t large screens showing sports. It was
irritating to try to talk to a guy and realize that instead of
gazing deeply into your eyes, he was surreptitiously watching a
football game over your shoulder.

She glanced at Josh. She didn’t know him
very well. He was new at work. Tall. Quiet. She said, “I think
Julie’s got family visiting this weekend.”

“And Eric had to pick up his truck at the
shop. I don’t know what happened to Dave.”

“Or Lisa.” Lisa was her closest friend at
work. They usually brought their lunches and chatted in the break
room. She pulled out her phone and gave her a quick text.
Where
R U?

A few minutes later, the reply came.
Home. Feeling sick.

She sighed. It made sense. Lisa had been
coughing all day.

“Something wrong?” Josh asked.

“No,” she said. “But I think it may be just
the two of us tonight.”

Josh smiled. He had a great smile. “Do you
mind?”

“No, of course not,” she said quickly, not
wanting to give offense. It might be a little awkward, but she
didn’t mind. Besides, it was Friday night, she was tired after a
long work week, and she’d been looking forward to spending time
with friends and eating something she didn’t cook.

“Are you ready to be seated?” the front
receptionist asked, looking at both of them.

“Yes,” Carrie said.

They followed a waiter to a table in a dark
corner. Very romantic, Carrie thought wryly, noting the candles
flickering on the table. She glanced at Josh to see his reaction,
but he was already scanning the menu.

Carrie looked at her menu. Just as she
expected: steak, roast chicken or shrimp, salads, sides, soups, and
a dozen high fat appetizers. “Everything looks good,” she said.

He glanced up briefly. “No sushi?”

“Would you prefer that?”

“No, I just noticed that the past two weeks
we’ve eaten at Asian restaurants.”

“That’s Dave’s favorite.” Dave was a big
boisterous guy who always had an amusing story to tell.

Josh nodded but didn’t say anything
more.

Carrie looked back at the menu. She had a
feeling that it was going to be a very long evening unless someone
started talking. They placed their orders – separate checks – and
waited silently.

Suddenly Josh laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“You. Me. Us. Do you want to play twenty
questions or I-Spy?”

Carrie laughed, too, and relaxed, no longer
nervous. “I don’t care what we talk about, as long as it isn’t
work.”

Josh leaned forward. “Okay, tell me about
yourself. What’s your favorite movie?”

“New or old?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“I like romantic movies. Comedies or drama,
but my favorite is
Roman Holiday
.”

“I haven’t seen that.”

“It’s a classic with Gregory Peck and Audrey
Hepburn.”

“She was skinny, right?”

“Yes.”

“What’s it about?”

“A European princess runs away for a few
days and winds up in a journalist’s apartment. He’s trying to get a
story, but falls in love instead.”

“And they live happily ever after.”

“No. At the end, they nobly say good-bye to
each other.”

Josh made a face. “That doesn’t sound
romantic.”

“It is,” she assured him.

“If you say so.”

She laughed. “Someday you should see it. It
really is good. And funny.”

Josh looked at her. “So who are you more
like – the princess or the journalist?”

Carrie had never thought of that. “The
journalist,” she said finally. At one time she might have been
naïve and trusting, eager to explore the world, but life experience
that made her more cynical. But that was a downer topic of
conversation, so she kept it to herself.

Fortunately the first course arrived,
momentarily distracting them.

She took a bite of her chicken salad and he
tasted his potato soup.

“What about you?” she asked. “What’s your
favorite movie?”

“Anything with time travel.”

“Like the girl married to the guy that loops
around in his own life?”

“That was okay,” he said. “But I liked the
one with the guy on the train who kept reliving the same eight
minutes.”

“I saw that,” she said, then remembered who
she’d been with at the time. She didn’t want to think about Brent.
“Do you have a favorite?”

“
Back to the Future
.”

She smiled. “So do you wish you were Marty
McFly?”

“No, I’m more like Dr. Emmett Brown.”

Christopher Lloyd was wonderful in that
role. “You’ll have to change your hair.”

Josh laughed.

As they ate, they talked about many things,
from where they grew up to how they’d chosen to study Accounting.
Carrie sat across the table, wondering why she’d never noticed what
beautiful blue eyes Josh had. He was funny, smart, and a good
listener.

It had been a long time since she’d had such
a good time.

Carrie asked Josh if he had special plans
for the holidays.

“I’ll spend it in Fort Worth with my sister
and her family.”

“That’s nice. I think Christmas is always
better with little kids.”

“What about you? Are you going to Ohio?”

She shook her head. “No. I saw my family in
the summer, and that took up most of my vacation. So I’ll be
boring. I’ll just eat with friends and spend the rest of the time
at the office.”

“It’s a good time to get caught up on
things.”

“Yes, without the phones rin—“” She stopped
abruptly as she saw someone that looked like Brent across the
restaurant. He was with a tall leggy blonde.

“Are you okay?” Josh asked.

Carrie blinked and made herself smile.
“Sorry. Yes. I thought I saw someone I used to know.”

“Friend or foe?”

“Hard to say. A little of both.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to leave?” he asked.

That was nice of him to ask. “No. It’s not
that serious. Just socially awkward. I mean, it’s bound to happen
eventually – running into someone that you broke up with.” Although
technically, he’d broken up with her, and that still stung.

Josh glanced in Brent’s direction. His eyes
narrowed as if he was trying to see him clearly.

Carrie was glad Josh didn’t ask for any more
details.

She picked at her entrée: grilled chicken
with broccoli. She wished she were more gregarious and could think
of something funny to say.

She noticed that there was a video DJ in the
room next to theirs, and some people were dancing. She’d rather
dance than have to have to avoid staring at Brent and his date
while they ate their meal, but she didn’t know what Josh would
think if she mentioned it. She didn’t want him to think she was
making moves on him.

He listened for a moment, then said, “That’s
one of my favorite songs.”

That was all the encouragement she needed.
“Do you want to dance?”

Josh smiled. “Sure.”

The first two songs were fast songs. It was
fun to dance, lip sinking to the song, smiling at Josh. Then the DJ
chose a slow song. Carrie hesitated, wondering if she should
suggest that they go back to their table, but Josh held his arms
open wide. He raised his eyebrows inquiringly.

Why not? Carrie thought. She had a bad habit
of over-analyzing everything. Lisa was always telling her she
should loosen up and enjoy herself more. Carrie stepped forward.
Josh took her right hand and put his other hand at her waist. He
held her close, but not too close, and they started to dance,
moving slowly to the rhythm.

He smelled great.

She took a deep breath.

It felt strange to be back in a man’s arms
again, even if it was just dancing.

She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling.
She felt safe with Josh, comfortable. Maybe it was because he was a
naturally calm person. But eventually the song ended. As the music
faded away, they both smiled at each other and walked back to the
table.

Josh said quietly, “Your Ex is approaching.
What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Do you want him back?”

Carrie frowned. “No.”

“Do you want to make him jealous?”

“Yes. I mean, no.”

Josh smiled and quickly slipped his hand
around her waist, drawing her closer to his side.

Carrie startled and might have said
something or pulled away, but then Brent was standing in front of
her, and it was too late to retreat.

“Carrie,” he said smoothly. “Nice to see you
again.”

“Hello,” she said coolly. She had dreaded
seeing Brent face to face again, but with Josh as moral support by
her side, it wasn’t so terrifying.

She realized with relief that he wasn’t half
as handsome as he used to be. When she looked at him now, all she
could remember was what a jerk he’d been, always putting her
down.

With amusement she watched Josh and Brent
look at each other, sizing each other up like two moose getting
ready to butt heads.

Josh put forth his hand. “I’m Josh,” he said
clearly.

Brent glared at him, and introduced himself
as well.

Carrie smiled. Brent no longer wanted her
himself, but she could tell it bothered him to see her happy with
someone else. She said, “How are you doing? Work going well?”

“Yes. And you?”

“Couldn’t be better.”

“I’m glad.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire
. “Well, see
you around,” she said lightly, and turned to Josh. “Are we ready to
go?”

He smiled broadly. “Sure.”

Brent walked past their table, but he was
probably still watching them. Josh held her coat as she slipped her
arms inside her sleeves. “Thanks.”

She reached to adjust her collar and he
leaned toward her. For a split second Carrie thought he might give
her a kiss. Her breath caught in her throat.

His eyes widened with surprise and he pulled
back.

Carrie’s heart gave a little flip. How much
was pretend for Brent’s benefit and how much was real? Did Josh
want to kiss her?

She didn’t know what to think.

Neither of them said anything as they paid
for dinner and went out to the parking lot. She was parked on one
side of the building; he was parked on the other. They stood for a
moment in the cool night air. Carrie put her hands in her coat
pockets. Part of her didn’t want the evening to end so soon. “That
was fun.”