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"You can leave it open. Thanks."
"Sure. Later." He walked away, wondering about this apparently unreciprocated attraction. To be honest, he was a little taken aback. He felt it every time he looked at her. Why didn't she?
Chapter 14
Realizations
"Oh, c'mon. That shit doesn't happen!" Lucinda cried out.
"It's fiction, Luce. You're supposed to suspend your belief. In this reality, it's totally believable that a rich, handsome man could fall in love with a messy-bun, no makeup girl the very second he lays eyes on her."
Claire laughed as her friend mumbled something undecipherable on her end. For tonight's movie night, they'd chosen a popular, though cheesy rom-com.
"You cannot convince me insta-love is real." Her friend continued her rant as the credits rolled. "You can't love someone you don't know. Now, insta-lust? Oh, yeah… I'm all about getting all hot and bothered by a stranger. Mm-hmm." A chomping noise followed Luce's declaration.
"Are you eating?" Claire asked. It was late, and she was already tucked up in bed ready for sleep.
"Yes. Time difference. Don't judge me."
Claire snickered. Lucinda never was one for a regular schedule. "So, speaking of weird chemistry…" Claire trailed off. She hadn't wanted to put a name to it, but the film had gotten her thinking.
She winced when something scratched across Lucinda's mic as her friend moved around to get comfortable. "Yes? Do tell."
"Okay, let me bounce something off you. There's this guy at work?—"
"Ha! About time. Is he cute?"
Claire blew her hair out of her face. "Yes, he's good-looking. But he's also confusing."
"Confusing how?"
Claire twirled her hair around her finger as she contemplated the mystery of Noah Raines. "He's a real pain in the patootie. He's gruff and grouchy. And distant, even when we're working together on something specific. But then he turns around and does something sweet. And today, he said something…" She huffed. "I'm getting mixed signals and it's frustrating."
"Wait. Are you talking about Mr. Grumpy Pants?"
Claire pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes squeezed shut. "Yes."
Ignoring what she was sure was Lucinda's muffled laughter, Claire shared what she learned during today's team meeting and the follow-up with Noah in her office. Heat rose to her face and she was glad this wasn't a video call. Luce would not have let a blush pass by without commenting on it.
"Hmm. He's mean to you, but you like it? I never took you for a masochist, Claire-bear." Lucinda's chuckle came through.
"He's not really mean, though. Mean is saying ugly things, which he doesn't do. He's just straightforward and says the bare minimum needed to make his point."
"Are you attracted to him?"
Claire let out a surprised laugh. "I mean, what is attraction? Other guys I've dated, I've liked. They made me laugh, and we had fun together. And the few times I've—uh, you know—I enjoyed it." She sighed. "But they never tied my stomach in knots."
She clenched her fists, then stretched her fingers wide before plunging ahead. "Okay, here's what I know. The first time I met him, I was stupidly aware of him. Like the world disappeared, and he was all I could see. And now, I catch myself looking for him in the hallways, then disappointed when he's not around. I think I'm crushing pretty hard on someone who doesn't reciprocate those feelings."
She paused. "Then today, he said something that made me question everything."
"The 'I don't date coworkers' thing?"
"Yeah. Why would he say that?"
"Listen, if the man is setting boundaries about what he won't do, it's because he's already imagined doing it. Trust me. The gruffness? That might be him trying to keep his distance so he doesn't sweep you into his arms and kiss you silly."
Claire groaned. "Okay, no. That is not what's happening. Stop putting ideas like that in my head."
