Page 32 of Prove You Wrong

‘Nope,’ I shoot back, and then try to focus on what Josie is telling me about South America.

My mind is completely blank. No, not blank. Filled with Nate. There’s no room for anything else. I have no idea what the quiz master is saying. Josie is staring at me expectantly, as if I should know the answer to this one.

‘Vanuatu,’ Nate mutters before adding, ‘We should explore this, don’t you think? Can’t you feel that connection?’

Yes.

‘Definitely not,’ I lie loudly.

‘Nate,’ a voice calls from behind the bar.

Josie takes a sharp intake of breath as I look around.

A guy with brown hair and a blue shirt is holding up an empty glass collector with an unimpressed expression on his face.

With Josie’s vice-like grip clamping down on my thigh, I say to Nate, ‘You know, we’ve probably got this now. If you need to go and help somewhere else … ’

Hands up in mock-surrender, Nate slips off his seat and backs away.

‘Sweet mother of fuck, it’s him,’ Josie squeaks as soon as we’re alone. I glance again at the guy. Quite tall. He’d be attractive in a brooding kind of way if he wasn’t scowling quite so much.

Looking back to Josie, I keep my voice low, the quiz still going on around us. ‘Are you going to go and speak to him?’

‘What am I supposed to say?’ Her eyes are wide. I’ve never seen her appear quite so affected.

‘I don’t know.’ I pretend to wince sympathetically.‘You’re the seize the day kind of person, not me.’

‘Where’s Nate gone?’ She peers around behind us. ‘Maybe he can give me some background information or something?’

‘Or alert his colleague he has a stalker,’ I deadpan.‘We don’t need Nate. Just go and say hi. He wanted you to come and find him, didn’t he?’

‘You’ve been kind of mean to Nate, you know,’ Josie says, changing tack.

‘Well, he’s really annoying,’ I bluster.

Before I can elaborate, Josie sits bolt upright and gives a little wave. ‘Shit, he’s noticed me,’ she says through her plastered-on smile.

‘Go.’

‘No, we’re still doing this.’ Josie slides the answer sheet in towards her, now very interested in the quiz. ‘I’m totally going to play this cool.’ Frowning, she listens to the next question and her eyes flick between me and the answer sheet. ‘When did we move on to sport?’

I shrug, laughing. ‘I don’t think quizzes are our forte.’

‘Nate,’ she calls out and beckons to him.

‘Josie!’ I grind through my teeth.

We’d only just got rid of him.

He comes back over, a cocky grin on his face. ‘Miss me already?’

‘Sorry, your boss isn’t going to miss you, is he?’ Josie looks between Nate and the man in the blue shirt.

‘Boss? I guess you could call him that.’ Nate chuckles. ‘No, I’m just helping out tonight.’ His gaze tracks from Josie to me, and then he smiles. ‘I’m all yours.’

I roll my eyes and then try to nudge the stool outfrom under him as he goes to sit down. He catches the movement and smirks, repositioning the stool closer to me still.

Reclaiming the paper and pencil from Josie, I grip it like it’s a shield that can protect me from Nate’s charms.

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