Chapter 28
An awkward car ride later, back at Gabby and Angus’s place, Rob cursed himself and his lack of filter. Dammit, Zuri, how dare you be correct about everything? he’d thought as he’d held Natalie, awestruck by how kind she’d been with his father, how beautiful she was in the hint of moonlight, how much he wanted every part of her. How much she had failed but how much she had kept trying, and God, how she glowed, how content she seemed with herself now. She’d done the work to be ready for success, so when it finally came around, it fit her perfectly.
But he didn’t just like her now that she was successful, he’d realized as he gripped her even more tightly. He’d liked her all along, this woman bursting with life who made him more alive. Even when he’d hated her, she’d made him feel more than anyone else ever had.
Overwhelmed with hope and joy, he’d gone ahead and ruined everything.
But only for now, right? How much time did Natalie require for him to prove that he was ready? In this moment, his body aching to go back to touching her, he would do whatever she directed him to. Overly expensive psychoanalysis? He’d let an old man interpret his dreams. Hiking the Appalachian Trail alone with his thoughts? He’d brave the bears. (Were you supposed to yell or play dead? He would research.)
Perhaps he could start by being kind to Tyler Yeo, who was currently standing in front of the snack table studying a tortilla chip as if fascinated by its various ridges. In the time Rob and Nat had been gone, many of the guests had cleared out, leaving only the most committed (and drunkest). One of Angus’s finance bro coworkers had sprawled out on the living room couch, snoring, while in the little space he’d left, those two bridesmaids from the wedding were stroking each other’s faces, murmuring how much they loved each other.
Rob cleared his throat, then walked up next to Tyler, forcing himself to engage.
“Excuse me? I’m sorry if I was rude earlier. I had a little too much to drink.”
Tyler looked over in surprise. “Oh, hey! Nah, man, you’re good. It’s kinda nice when people don’t just kiss my ass, you know?”
“Happy to help keep you grounded. But seriously, congratulations on the show. You made Dennis your own.”
Tyler finally made the decision to eat the chip in his hand. As he chewed, he said, “You think that’s all right, yeah? Nat’s book is so good, but TV is a different medium.”
“Right.” Even while doing something as strange as talking with a movie star, Rob couldn’t help looking for Natalie. Scanning the room, he found her standing with Gabby and Angus, nodding intently at some story Angus was telling. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Rob was hit by a wave of remembering what it had felt like to run his fingers through that hair, the soft warmth of Natalie’s bare skin. He wanted to catch her attention, shout, Look over here! I am being civil! Don’t you think I am emotionally mature and therefore ready to recommence taking off your clothes? All this was running through his head as he went on, “I think it’s good that you didn’t just play Angus.”
“Angus?” Tyler asked, pulling him back to their conversation.
“Dennis!” Rob said quickly. “Dennis from the book, I mean. Sorry, slip of the tongue. I’m still sobering up, apparently.”
“Right, right, all good,” Tyler said. But he was squinting, computing something in slow motion in a way that made Rob uneasy.
He seemed like the kind of man who could be easily misdirected, so Rob went on, “How has it been working with Natalie?”
That did the trick. Tyler lit up. “Oh, awesome! We really vibe, you know? Like, she gets me, which means the stuff she writes for the show always makes sense. Sometimes I’ve been on sets, and the script is like, Now your character feels this way or does this thing, and I’m like…What? But Nat, she’s different.” Tyler glanced over at Natalie then, admiringly, so Rob felt it safe to look too.
Natalie had never had a problem capturing people with words. She’d used the power thoughtlessly in her novel. But now she was using it to help Tyler play the part that most perfectly showed what he could do. A generous use of her strengths. Sure, she was keeping her meal ticket happy. But it seemed to fit with this new version of her too, the version who could sit quietly touching his back while he cried, not needing to make a joke or observation out of his weakness.
As if she could feel the force of their gaze, Natalie looked their way, raising a questioning eyebrow. She gave them a little wave, and as Tyler waved back with enthusiasm, Rob identified the same ailment afflicting both him and Tyler. They each wanted it to be him that she was looking at.
When Nat went back to her conversation with Gabby and Angus, Tyler gave Rob a swift pat on the back. “Well, hey, great talking to you.” He sauntered over toward Natalie. Rob would not be jealous. He turned away to the snack table himself, pretending to be fascinated by the bowls of processed foods, willing himself not to watch. (Was Tyler ready for a relationship?) Rob lasted a good minute or two, spooning MM’s onto a paper plate before turning around, steeling himself to see Tyler flashing his gleaming smile at Natalie, casually flexing his biceps.
But Tyler wasn’t talking to Nat at all. He was talking to Angus.