Page 53 of Heartstruck at Dawn
“I couldn’t quite catch that. What?” I smiled.
“Olive.” His face drew near me. “Do you like the sound of that?”
I nodded. His lips were about to meet mine, but I turned away, “Sorry, I—”
“It’s okay. I can slow down.” He took my empty cup from my hands and placed it on the cocktail table beside us. “So why aren’t you allowed to go to the movies?” he asked instead, running a hand across his forehead.
“I don’t know. Because it’s dark and crowded?” I mused. “After my mother died, my father became like,reallyapprehensive about my safety.” It probably wasn’t the best idea to go that deep. I barely knew him, and we were at a Halloween party, but I don’t know why my tongue ran loose around him. It had to be the tequila.
“Oh, Murph, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Hey, it’s okay.” I smiled. The fact that I didn’t feel like my chest was about to collapse when I mentioned my mother to Nathan was proof enough that talking to someone about it had been helpful. That someone being William that day on the rooftop. But I shoved down the memories of that night deep into myNot Nowbinder and said, “Could we talk about this some other time?”
“I’d love to.” He poked my chin. “How about a dance?”
He pulled me into the area where other people were dancing before I could even say yes, not that I would refuse him.
Nathan twirled me and arched me backward. He then pulled me up and against him, stretched his arm, pushing me away, and pulled me back in. He repeated the combination a few times, disregarding the rhythm of the music altogether. He was making me laugh as I allowed him to lead me through his silly dance. It distracted me and helped to change the vibe from the previous conversation.
We slow-danced to a chill-out lounge tune afterward. All the twirling, combined with the tequila, made me feel a bit dizzy and out of breath.
“I wasn’t expecting to find you,” he said in my ear, giving me goosebumps all over.
“I wasn’t either,” I whispered back. I settled my cheek on his chest and kept swaying. My arms rested around his neck.
Being with Nathan felt so easy. Peaceful. Like a breath of fresh air. Sort of how I used to feel with William before I figured out he was a liar and a cheater. What a slap in the face that’d been.
The song ended, and Nathan gave me a quick peck on my cheek. “I’ve got to go to the loo,” he said, his accent crisp and vivid.
“Me too. Let’s go.”
There was a line for the men’s restroom, but the ladies’ room was empty.
“My God, what a sausage fest!” Nathan said with a laugh as he stepped into the long queue. I walked away, laughing and shaking my head at his silliness.
I came back out, and he was still in line. There were only a few guys ahead of him. “I’ll see you in a bit.” I smiled. He reciprocated it with a nod.
Cecile was lighting up a cigarette, standing next to Tobias. “Do you want one? I snatched a few from Caleb. We’ll have to get him a new box tomorrow,” Cecile said. I was surprised there were still cigarettes coming out of that box.
“Sure, thanks.”
Ren approached me and said, “Billie, can I talk to you?”
“Of course. What’s up?” We took a few steps away from them. Sophie joined Tobias and Cecile.
“I don’t really speak French, but I took a few classes back in high school, so I understand a few words,” he started. “We’re friends, right?”
He was trying to tell me he understood what Sophie said to me about finding him cute and probably wanted to double-check if I was okay with the situation. He was so sweet.
“Of course. We’re friends, Ren, and Sophie’s the best. I think it’s great that you agreed to come with us today. And I’m glad you’re having fun with her.” I gripped his shoulder. He grinned, seemingly relieved as I was when he walked back to Sophie.
I spotted Nina in the distance, dressed up as Wonder Woman. She looked stunning and was talking to Caleb. Big whoop. No Juan Pablo on site. They were laughing and seemingly having fun. I guess that’s why Caleb wasn’t circling around me like a famished great white.
I thought he’d be uneasy about this being my first time out with Nathan, but when you’rethatentertained, I guess it’s hard even to remember that you’re working. Ugh.
CJ wouldn’t leave David’s side, either. They both laughed, talked, and flirted. Aaron stood a few steps beside them, looking out like he always did. And he didn’t seem thrilled with the dynamic happening beside him.Yeah,that makes two of us,buddy.
Seeing Caleb with Nina always made me jealous. If he were talking to a random girl I didn’t know, I probably wouldn’t have minded as much. I think. I just didn’t like seeing him flirting with my friends. That had always been an issue for me.
