thirty-five
Liam : What time are we meeting?
L iam’s message was sitting unanswered on Nate’s phone as he finished up with some things for work on his computer before he started getting ready.
Sitting back in his desk chair, Nate cracked his neck, trying to shake off the stiffness. Work had been kicking his ass all week, which to some point was of his own doing.
He still couldn’t believe how drastically things had changed when he stopped to think the before and after events of the day that had tilted his world off its axis.
Before, Nate had been building up his responsibilities at the company he worked for, gearing towards a promotion that would have potentially earned him a higher position but also probably relocated him to their main offices on the other side of the country.
It hadn’t even been a question of money, just a means to focus on something, to work towards a specific goal.
But now. Now he couldn’t see himself taking such a step. He couldn’t stomach the idea of leaving everything that mattered behind. His friends.
Maddy.
God, Maddy.
He couldn’t leave just as he’d found her again.
That afternoon at her place was still seared in his mind. She drove him crazy in the best way possible. His body ached to have her close, his hands almost tingling with the need to touch her.
And that mischievous grin of hers. It would have sent him to his knees if he hadn’t already been there.
They’d worked for a couple more hours after they’d drunk their hot chocolate, finishing up the most difficult parts that were giving her trouble, the bookcase and the shelves.
He had no clue how he’d kept his eyes focused enough to what he was doing instead of nailing his own fingers to the slabs of wood.
He hadn’t seen her all week and he already missed her. They’d texted a lot and had the occasional phone call, but work was kicking her ass, too. After taking a few days off to recover from her cold, she’d returned to a mountain of things to deal with.
Nate’s eyes fell on the last email he’d received from work, a reminder for the opening in the position he’d been aiming at. It didn’t matter how many reminders they sent him. It didn’t matter that his supervisor thought he was being an idiot giving that up.
He would focus on what mattered most.
Shutting down his laptop, he headed to the shower.
He had a girl to meet.
***
The streets were busy when Nate got to the club. He’d parked his car a few blocks away and walked the short distance. Which is where he found the guys already waiting for him. Except they seemed to be locked in a stare-down, tension rolling off both of them.
Were they fighting about something?
Nate frowned, trying to remember if either of them had mentioned anything to him. He was prepared to ask what was going on when he reached them, but their tension seemed to melt away as soon as they saw him.
“That took you long enough,” Cooper’s teasing remark greeted him.
“I’m only five minutes late. There was traffic.”
“And here I thought you would be the first one to sprint through the doors.”
Nate stared at him blankly before he turned to Liam.
“Please control him.”
“If you think he can be controlled, then I have seriously overestimated your cleverness.”
“You both know I’m right here listening to you two, right?”
“Yes,” they both answered in tandem.
“Okay, good. Now are we waiting here for the girls or should we go inside?”
“Madison already texted me, they arrived a few minutes ago.”
“Then let’s go.”
The low lights and the music were the first things to register as they entered the venue. The lighting made the mood almost intimate and the beat made the blood throb in his veins.
Or maybe it had nothing to do with the beat and everything to do with the woman standing at the bar.
There were enough people in the club to make it busy but not enough to make it packed.
And certainly not enough to stop Nate from zeroing in on the one person he was looking for.
It wasn’t such a big place anyway. He could spot her from where he was standing.
It would be impossible not to. Especially the way she looked tonight.
She was leaning on the counter of the bar, a pair of black, form-fitting jeans hugging her body in a way that made his head spin. His gaze ran upwards, taking in the dark top that tied behind her neck but left her shoulders bare, shoulders that her loose hair grazed every time she tilted her head.
Nate still had some presence of mind to check with his friends before he started heading towards her. Friends who were simply standing there next to him with a suspiciously smug-looking smirk on their faces.
“What?” he asked defensively.
“Oh, nothing, we were just waiting to see when you would notice us,” Cooper quipped.
He scowled at them and they chuckled at him but they all made their way towards the bar.
Madison seemed to sense him just as he was sidling up next to her. Up close, she was even more breathtaking. Her dark hair fell in waves away from her face and she’d opted out of her glasses. Her eyes drank in his appearance in a way that he wished they were somewhere they would have no audience.
“Hey,” he finally said in a hoarse voice he didn’t recognize, only then remembering they hadn’t even greeted each other yet. They seemed to do that a lot.
Her gaze finished her lazy perusal before meeting his own and he couldn’t stop himself from catching a glimpse of her pink, wet lips as she uttered an equally breathy, “Hey.”
Nate suddenly felt that there was too much distance between them, and he would have done something about it if it hadn’t been for someone clearing their throat quite loudly right next to his ear. He reluctantly tore his gaze away from Madison to find Coop with a delirious smile on his face.
“So sorry to bother you, we were just wondering if you could do the introductions. And hi, Madison! It’s so good to see you again.”
It was a good thing Madison chuckled or Cooper would have been shoved out of the way quite forcefully for his interruption.
“You’re right, Cooper, I’m so sorry,” she said, ever so kind. “This is my best friend, Stacie, and right over there are Nick and Josh from work. And this is Nate and his friends, Cooper and Liam,” she finished, pointing to each one of them.
It was just then that Nate noticed the rest of her company. He’d only met Stacie, and the circumstances hadn’t been ideal. She smiled at him politely but he couldn’t help but feel that there was an edge to that smile.
Nate could see how protective she was of Madison and he respected that.
Even if it was unnecessary since he’d rather cut his own arm off and give it to Maddy as a present than hurt her.
There was a round of hellos and nods all around him that made him vaguely aware of his surroundings. But his focus never really wavered, his eyes drawn to the woman next to him.
“What are you drinking?” he asked, gesturing to the drink she was nursing.
She grinned in a way that almost made him miss her answer.
“I don’t drink actually so this is just a soda made to look like something else so I’m not asked all the time why I’m not drinking.”
“Okay sounds good, I’ll have the same.”
Her face suddenly fell. “No, no, you can have whatever you want, I’d hate to kill your buzz,” she said in an alarmed voice.
“Trust me, you won’t.” He’d probably be drunk on her before the night was over, so staying off the alcohol was not a bad idea.
He signaled to the bartender and placed his order, just as Cooper and Liam did the same.
They both seemed to be chatting comfortably with the rest of the group so he didn’t feel too bad for not paying much attention to them.
After all, he was pretty sure they came, knowing his attention would be sidetracked.
He should also have felt bad for monopolizing Madison’s company but he was feeling a bit selfish tonight.
She was so close to him and he secretly loved when she had to rise onto her toes to speak to him. The music playing was a mix of electronic dance and hip hop, and it was loud enough to feel it pounding in his head, let alone hear someone talking.
Not that Nate was complaining. He would use all the excuses he could to be near this woman.
“So how was your week?” she basically breathed into his ear, sending a shiver down his neck.
“Extremely busy and I’m glad it’s over.”
Madison laughed, nodding her head in commiseration. “Boy, isn’t that the truth. I thought I was going to die halfway through,” she said as she placed a hand lightly on his upper arm to steady herself as she spoke to him.
It was all his body needed to respond to her, his arm moving before he knew what he was doing, reaching around her waist and pulling her close to his side.
And there it was. Her sweet floral scent, spiked with vanilla.
He couldn’t help but remember the last time they’d been in something resembling an outing, the after-party for his basketball match, how things could be so different now but in a way exactly the same.
Yes, the music was different, their timeline changed, their faces slightly more lined. But everything she was and everything he felt was unaltered. That night he’d promised himself that he wasn’t letting her go.
And it was time he made good on his promise.
“Dance with me, Mads.”