Page 7 of Michelle
“She thought you were my girlfriend,” Nate says.
“Eww, gross.” Charlotte pulls a face and then turns to look at me. “Definitely not.”
Suddenly with what I thought I knew being washed away with the truth, the scene in front of me changes. The comments Charlotte made about Nate to the uninhibited looks Nate has given me. They suddenly mean something totally different. A new excitement fills me with this realization.
We spend the rest of the evening drinking and eating like we are all old friends. It's not often that you meet people, and suddenly they feel like an old friend that you haven't seen in a while, and you're catching up with them.
Nate and I each catch the other sneaking glances. Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and heat pools between my legs. The feelings I've tamped down about Nate are suddenly free to do what they want, and I feel like they are consuming me. But I can't know if Nate feels the same way.
"Well, it's getting late." Charlotte pushes back in her chair. "I have my first day at work tomorrow. I should probably get some rest."
She starts to pick up the empty dishes off the table, but Nate stops her.
“Don’t worry about those,” he says. “I will take care of them. You get to bed.”
Charlotte holds her hands up in surrender and doesn't argue with him about it. "Okay, well, you two don't stay up too late."
We say our goodnights to her, and she heads inside, leaving Nate and me alone. We are both quiet for a moment. I don't want to go, but it's too soon for the evening to end in the way my body has been craving.
I reach for the dishes that Charlotte left behind.
“You don’t have to do that,” he says. “I can handle the dishes.”
“Please, it’s the least I can do. You both have gone to all the trouble making a wonderful meal.”
We gather the dishes and take them inside. I start rinsing off the dishes and putting them into the dishwasher as Nate brings in the rest of the items outside. We work quietly together like we've done this a million times before. I finish loading the dishwasher and turn to ask where I can find the soap, and run right into Nate's hard chest.
“Sorry about that,” I say quietly.
He looks down at me. His eyes burning with something I can't be sure I can describe. The butterflies in my stomach start flapping wildly, and my heart starts thumping in my chest.
“Don’t worry about it.” He says.
His gaze dips to mine, and for one glorious moment, I think that he is going to kiss me. His head tilts. His lips part gently. But just before he makes his move, Charlotte walks into the kitchen in her pajamas and a light pink face mask on her face.
“Oops.” She halts in the doorway.
Like two teenagers who were caught about to do something they weren't supposed to do, we step apart quickly. I take a step towards the door in an attempt at a quick escape. Even though I really want that kiss, tonight is not the night to get it. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have the toy I order this morning at home. If I thought my sexual frustration was high before this, it's nothing to how it is now.
I can barely look at Nate as I make my excuses and head out. There will be time to figure out what is going on but not tonight.
