Chapter Two #3
Felicity was a little surprised. “Um ... A few days at least. I was originally going to wear this silver dress I got last year, but I was worried it would be too ... shiny for a dinner date like this. Then I wanted to go for a red dress, but I wasn’t sure about what shoes I would wear with it...
” She rambled on for a few minutes, and her cheeks heated when she realized how long she’d been talking.
“Sorry for carrying on,” she apologized, looking embarrassed.
“It’s okay,” John reassured her. “It’s your night after all.”
Her grin widened. “I guess it is. I just didn’t know I’d be doing so much talking.”
“And do you need someone to tell you when to be quiet and when to speak too?” Nathan asked quietly.
Felicity paused, not sure if the question was meant as a joke. It was obviously not meant to be insulting, judging by the look on his face, and she got the sense he expected a genuine answer.
“Maybe,” she replied. “With the children, they talk so much that I barely need to say anything when I deal with them. I guess that’s why I talk so much around other adults.
So yeah, maybe it won’t be the worst idea in the world to find someone to tell me to shut the fuck up sometimes,” she finished with a chuckle.
“That can be arranged,” Nathan replied, and for a second, she could have sworn he was dead serious. Then she saw his lips twitch and knew he was joking.
“Well, let me know when you find a company that offers that service. I’ll subscribe to something like that pronto.”
Nathan was about to reply, but John shot him a look, and he reconsidered, simply shooting her a smile before returning to his drink.
Their food arrived, and the conversation continued as they enjoyed their meal.
Felicity’s food was delicious, and she was grateful she’d let Nathan order for her.
No way would she have ordered something so good on her own.
As the food on their plates got smaller and smaller, the three of them talked about anything and everything, jumping from topic to topic.
Felicity had a lot of questions for them, and they answered most of them, sharing stories about the podcasts and the early days of their partnership.
As a huge fan of the duo who spent a lot of time online, she already knew most of the story, but hearing it from them was different.
By the time the server came to clear the dinner plates from the table, Felicity had already decided it was the best night of her life.
“So how was that?” John asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“Oh, it was amazing,” Felicity exclaimed immediately. “It’s the best date I’ve been on in a long time...” She caught herself at the last moment and blushed deeply. “I meant dinner ... It’s the best dinner I’ve had in a long time.”
“It’s okay,” John said, humor twinkling in his eyes. He’d gone to great lengths to put her mind at ease throughout the evening, and she still couldn’t believe that he was the softer of the two. “It can be a date if you want. Friends have dinner dates all the time.”
“Friends?”
“Well, after tonight, I’d like to think we’re friends at the very least.”
Felicity’s heart skipped a beat. “I’d like that,” she said. “I’d like that very much.”
“Then it’s settled. You’ve got two new friends. Who knows, maybe we can go on another date sometime soon,” he joked, and she laughed.
“Unless you’ve got someone in your life who would object to you going on a date with two gentlemen,” Nathan asked.
Felicity shook her head immediately. “No, there’s no one.”
“Really?” He leaned forward. “No boyfriend ... partner...?”
“No.” She cleared her throat, not sure why she felt embarrassed about that. “I’m single.”
“That’s ridiculous,” John said in an exaggerated manner that made her chuckle. “You know this country is going to hell when a pretty woman like yourself is still single.”
“And how long have you been single?” Nathan asked, his quiet intensity the opposite of John’s friendly and playful manner. Somehow, they made it work.
“For a while,” she admitted.
“How long?” he asked again, not taking his eyes from her.
“A year ... almost two,” she replied.
“Why?”
She blinked. “Why what?”
“Why did you and your ex break up?”
“I don’t think that’s any of our business.” John shot Nathan a warning glare.
Nathan ignored him. “What happened? Did you break up with him, or did he break up with you?”
Felicity was quiet for a few seconds. She knew she didn’t have to answer, but looking into Nathan’s eyes, she decided to.
“He broke up with me,” she replied quietly.
“We met freshman year in college and were together all through college. About six months after I graduated, he said he was done. To be fair, we’d been heading in that direction for a while, but I was still shocked when it happened.
He said it was because I’m boring, but I think it had more to do with this new girl he met at his job. ”
Nathan was quiet for a few seconds, not taking his eyes away from her. “So you used to date an idiot,” he finally remarked, and she snorted a laugh.
“I guess I used to.”
“Did he really tell you he was leaving you because you were too boring?”
She nodded, still amused by his reaction.
For so long, her last heartbreak had been a source of pain to her.
It was the first time she’d been able to laugh at those memories.
“He has a point, to be fair. My life is pretty boring. I don’t go rock climbing or bungee jumping like the new girl.
I hate going to the clubs, and my idea of a perfect night is sitting under my blanket with a good book. ”
“What’s boring about that?” Nathan asked, looking confused.
Felicity raised a brow. “When books are your only hobby, most people would consider that pretty boring.”
“Most people are idiots,” Nathan said with a scowl, and Felicity burst into laughter.
She was finding his grumpy demeanor charming.
“You read books that tell stories about a million different people, places, and cultures. Your ex could have gone on thousands of adventures with you if he’d not been too blind to see just how amazing you are. ”
Felicity’s breath hitched. When he broke up with her, her friends had told her dozens of things to make her feel better, but nothing had taken the sting out of being called boring.
She’d even tried to change who she was. She went to clubs with her friends, signed up for a yoga class, and even considered joining a scuba diving club.
Then she realized that person was not her and gave it all up, deciding to be herself.
If that meant being boring, she was fine with it, even if it still hurt a little.
Hearing Nathan explain it the way he just did suddenly made it not hurt at all.
He was right. She was not boring. She had just been with an idiot who didn’t see her for the interesting person she was.
“Thank you,” she said to him, meaning it genuinely. “I’ve never thought of it like that.”
He nodded curtly without saying a word, and she found it even more adorable.
“How about dessert?” John interjected, and Felicity nodded excitedly.
This time, she didn’t bother looking at the menu, trusting John to order something for her, which he did. And when it arrived, it was as amazing as she’d expected.
As the night continued with conversation, laughter, and warmth, Felicity realized what made having dinner with these two so exciting.
It was probably the same reason she loved the podcast so much, even though she’d not noticed it until now.
It was like having dinner with two rich older friends.
They had the best stories, were splurging on an expensive dinner for her, and made her feel good in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time.
“So what story are you reading next?” she asked, cutting a slice of her creamy dessert.
They both shared a glance, and she was immediately worried she’d asked a question she wasn’t supposed to.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.
I don’t mind waiting to hear it on your podcast with everyone else. ”
John grinned. “Well, it’s not supposed to be public knowledge, so I need to know if you can keep a secret, Felicity.”
“Yes!” she blurted out immediately and cleared her throat. “I can keep a secret.”
“Let’s just say the book we’re recording for an audiobook right now has not been released yet. It is a sequel to the first book, and fans have been waiting for it for a very long time. Can you guess which book it is?”
“Whispers of Midnight?” Felicity guessed immediately.
“Not that one.”
“It’s romance, all right. Really spicy romance between a gentleman and the woman who used to be married to his brother...”
“Promises of Forever,” she interjected impatiently.
“That’s the one,” John said, grinning at her.
Felicity jerked back. “You have a copy of Promises of Forever? It doesn’t come out for another month.”
“That’s right. We were sent an advanced copy to narrate the audiobook. It is going to be released with the book.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding, right?!”
“No, he’s not,” Nathan said, amused by her reaction.
Felicity didn’t care. “I can’t believe you get to read it already. I’d do anything to get my hands on that book.”
Nathan raised a brow. “Anything?”
She chuckled wryly. “I mean, yeah ... Not that I’m asking you to show me the book or anything. It’s just...” She paused and exhaled, still brimming with excitement. “I loved the first book. I still can’t believe the first book was her first release. She’s so good.”
“You can take it on good authority that the second book is even better,” John teased.
“Oh my God!” Felicity cried. “You’re killing me. Now I wish I hadn’t asked. Waiting for it now is going to be torture.”
“You really liked the first book, didn’t you?” Nathan asked.
“I didn’t like it. I loved it. I’ve read it like three times. Four times if you count the times I only read my favorite scenes.”
He cocked his head to the side. “And what were your favorite scenes?”