Shelby #2
“Really?” he sounded surprised at my announcement and I laughed.
“Absolutely! We’re at a vineyard, surely the wine is calling your name.
” I joked, fluffing my hair one last time in the mirror.
“You did great today by the way, even with all the tears,” I said, before he came around the corner and faltered.
I felt my own jaw open, sure I resembled a goldfish gulping for air.
“Can you warn a girl first?” With an exaggerated throwing back of my head, I drank in the sight of him. A light linen button down, beige cuffed pants, a black leather bracelet on his wrist.
“Warn you of what?” He asked.
“When you’re going to come out looking casual yet deeply put together. You should work less and get out more. You’d be like a chip surrounded by seagulls.”
“I don’t know how to respond when you say things like that,” he mumbled, opening the door to lead us outside and gesturing for me to pass.
“Say things like what?” I shot him a look of complete innocence, in the mood to push him a little. When he frowned, faltering and unsure what to say, I laughed.
“Just kidding,” I said with a wink. “I’ll try not to make comments about how attractive you are,” I added for good measure and bit my lip to prevent the laugh which wanted to spill when he threw me a half-crept grin .
“But you – urgh – you look good too,” he added as if it were an afterthought.
“Ha. Thanks,” I replied, knowing he said that only because I complimented him. “I think I’m going to need to up my game with you looking like you do though,” I linked my arm through his and he softened, becoming more used to my unexpected touch.
It was something I couldn’t help. Tactile was my comfort and it’d been a while since I had someone with me all the time so I was lapping it up while I could.
It helped that Corbin was a lot of what I would usually want when it came to a touch partner.
Calm, aware of boundaries, clean and smelling all things masculine.
Those woodsy remnants mixed with a smell which was uniquely him were difficult to ignore.
I wiped that thought clear, especially when I was feeling a little hungry - and not of the food variety. The last thing I needed was to make him feel uneasy when my mouth refused to take heed at the fact we were friends.
Friends.
Something I needed to keep at the forefront of all thoughts.
I’d gone for casual tonight, in a short black skirt and an amber, off the shoulder top.
It felt natural and seemed to fit the landscape which was perfect as we were planning on staying local as far as I was aware.
Which was probably for the best at this point.
Being around him was making me crave the weight and press of another so much more and I’d even weakened earlier and downloaded a new app I’d read was good for meeting other singles in the area, but by an act of God, there hadn’t been anyone close enough.
It was only fuelled by my buddy next to me, and I didn’t actually want anyone else, but it had been quite a while.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been with someone.
At least a year, or was it two now? The months were well and truly into the double digits at this point, that I knew for sure, which was making him and his damn pheromones harder to ignore .
Alas, I’d gone this long so I could survive another few months until I got home. I wasn’t at an extreme level of desperation, and I couldn’t imagine the awkward conversation with Corbin if I had to tell him to ignore any noises he heard coming from my room.
“Shelbs, you’re beautiful, you know that right?”
I looked over at him, my face flaming only further emphasising the constant pink of my cheeks thanks to my rosacea. “You’re the best,” I answered with a quick squeeze of his arm, ignoring the way my body prickled under his assessment, my skin tingling at the warmth of his skin.
“Now let’s get a drink and you can tell me why your apartment looks as though no one lives there,” I pivoted unexpectedly, causing Corbin to laugh and my chest to flutter. That sound was fast becoming my favourite melody.
“You are so random,” he said between laughter.
“That is not an answer,” I grinned, as we snagged a couple of seats at the full outdoor hotel bar overlooking the vineyard we’d walked earlier.
“What are you drinking?” He handed me the menu before ordering a local beer for himself.
“Definitely not beer,” I scowled. “Like I said, I’m thinking that given the location I will have wine. What do you suggest?” I asked the awaiting barman.
“She’ll have a glass of the Margan White Label Semillon,” Corbin interrupted, and I flicked my gaze up at the slight edge to his voice. With the way he was glaring at our server, there was something I missed.
He scampered away to make our drinks, and I raised an inquisitive brow at my angry pal.
“He was looking at you like you’re ripe for the picking,” he snarled, and I glanced back at the barman before returning my gaze to Corbin.
“Gosh, I’m totally oblivious, I didn’t even notice.
Wouldn’t matter how desperate for touch I was, I’d rather eat chalk than go near him,” I whispered to Corb who was still watching our drinks being poured as if his life depended on it.
He didn’t relax until we each had our glasses and even then, I had to grip his forearm to really garner his attention.
“You good?”
“Yeah, fine,” he answered apologetically with a brief shake of his head. “How’s the wine?”
I spun in my seat to face him, my legs positioned between his before taking a sip.
“Oh, Christ,” I moaned. “It’s delicious,” I cooed, taking another sip. I’d never been a great wine drinker so I could only have a few, but this was sweet with hints of honeyed almonds, and it was divine.
Corb watched as my tongue darted out to lap at the taste of the bubbles lingering on my mouth. Suddenly shy, I rolled my lips together and smiled awkwardly. His gaze was gentle but attentive.
Was he checking me out?
It wasn’t overt or bold, but it was there, the kind of look that starts with curiosity and lingers just a second too long to be innocent.
His eyes found mine again, and he shook his head briefly like he was trying not to stare but couldn’t quite help it.
There was a softness to it, almost curious, like I’d surprised him and the air in my chest thinned, replaced by a sudden, dizzy rush I didn’t know what to do with.
“We should have some oysters.” Corbin cut through my thoughts, and I nodded emphatically, reaching for my wine for something to do with my hands.
“We definitely need oysters,” I replied after a tactical pause to clear my mind of my inappropriate thoughts.
“While we wait, tell me about the abandoned bachelor pad.” I said, hoping he didn’t notice the way my cheeks felt warmer than they did a minute a go.
Rolling his eyes, I grinned against my glass. I enjoyed pushing his buttons and I think he liked it too if his slight smirk was anything to go by .
He ordered our food and took another drink while I used the time to watch him intently, letting him know I would wait as long as it took to get my answer.
I could already feel the tingle of bubbles coursing through me, meaning my lips were going to be looser in approximately thirty-one seconds.
I was a lightweight and this was going down too easily.
“I have everything I need,” he replied finally, and I grinned.
“You have barely anything.”
“Exactly. I spend more time in the office than at home, so I don’t need a lot,” he added with a shrug.
“But surely you need things for your weekend or when you have people over?”
He huffed as if what he was about to confess pained him.
“I don’t really see many people outside of work.
And I spend most weekends working,” his last words were mumbled, causing me to narrow my eyes.
How did someone as great as Corbin not have a group of friends or a partner?
And how did I not know he spent all his spare time working?
I’d been a shitty friend, and I made a mental note to dig a little deeper into this.
“What about dating?” I asked, tongue in cheek. I wiggled my brows as if I wasn’t hanging on his reply. As if I was asking as a friend and not someone with a slightly more selfish interest in his dating history.
“Well, I don’t want children,” he answered matter-of-factly, “and I’ve never met anyone who understood how much I work. Or that I actually enjoy my job.”
I swirled the last of my wine before savouring the final mouthful.
I was tipsy and when Corbin signalled for another round, I only grinned.
I knew he was studying my reaction to that admission, and it made me wonder if he’d received poor responses to that same declaration in the past. It was an odd admission to simply blurt out like that and it felt like a test I was desperate to pass.
I’m sure many women wouldn’t have stuck around with someone who didn’t have children on the cards, so that was no surprise, but we weren’t on a date. And oddly, while it wasn’t something I’d discussed with anyone besides Mum, coincidentally I felt the same.
“Cheers to knowing what you want and asserting that for yourself,” I raised my freshly filled glass and clinked it against his.
“I don’t want kids either,” I admitted, not missing the way his eyebrows lifted just a fraction, a small flicker of surprise crossing his face before smoothing out again.
“But I do want to settle down with someone.” I added.
“Have you dated in the past?” He asked and I noticed the way he leaned in closer, hanging on my response. He wasn’t easy to read but I was already getting better at navigating his subtle gestures.
“I have. But I’m yet to find someone with an attractive brain. Looks are secondary to me. I need intellectual appeal first and foremost. Then it’s about the physicality and if it fills my cup,” I added.