Page 15 of Never With You
I whip my head around to my friends. “Why didn’t you guys stop me from airing my Nate grievances to his face?”
“We tried,” Shelly says. “You couldn’t be stopped.”
“That wasn’t trying.” I scratch the spot where, moments ago, Nate seared my skin with his touch. “That was a polite, non-interrupting effort.”
Taryn stands, putting her lunch into the microwave. “What did you want us to do? Wave our hands back and forth and yell, ‘He’s behind you!’”
“Yes! Especially when I was just repeating everything you two said about him.”
Shelly shrugs. “Nate signaled for us to be quiet and let you talk.”
“And you just listen to everything Nate says?”
“No, but he seemed amused, and so was I. Like I said, you two fighting is my favorite thing.”
“It’s totally my Roman Empire.” Taryn leans against the counter, waiting for her food to heat. “It’s all sparks and chemistry and sexual attraction coming to a head. One of these days, the tension will explode, and the two of you will end up in the supply closet, gettin’ it on.”
Been there, done that with Isaac, and while it was fun, the fun didn’t last.
“Thatwill nothappen andis notwhat’s happening here. Are you two blind?”
“Blind? No.” Shelly smiles. “We see it all.”
“Then how do you not see that Nate and I can’t stand each other? We can barely be in the same room together.”
“It’s a tale as old as time. Enemies who are secretly lovers.” Taryn wags her brows.
“Yes!” Shelly gasps. “You’re Nate’s crush he chases around the playground, and you pretend to hate it. It’s like first grade all over again.”
“No, it’s not.” I avoid their probing stares and head to the refrigerator to grab my lunch. “I legitimately can’t stand him, and I’m positive he feels the same way about me.”
“But why?” Taryn takes her food out of the microwave and stirs it. “Nate is such a great guy. He’s friendly and outgoing, and so are you. Plus, you’re both single and gorgeous. I honestly don’t understand why you two pretend to hate each other.”
Is Nate single?I hadn’t given it much thought before, but I guess with his travel schedule, it would be hard to have a serious relationship.
“You know why I can’t stand him.” I toss my sandwich onto the table before taking a seat. “Bali and now New Zealand. Not to mention all the ways he makes my job harder.”
“Yeah, I get that.” Taryn’s brows cinch as she sits down with her food. “But it just doesn’t seem like enough to outweigh all the good things about him.”
There’s more to the story.
A lot more.
But I’m not telling Shelly and Taryn how I fell for a guy just like Nate at my last job and how that guy did me dirty, and I had to change careers. I also can’t tell them that I have a weakness for charming guys like Nate and that I’m scared that if I focus on his good traits, I’ll end up in another Isaac situation. Nope, all that information goes to the grave with me.
“I don’t know.” I lift my shoulders, showing indifference. “People dislike their coworkers all the time for lots of reasons. We just rub each other the wrong way. I don’t like how lazy and unmotivated he is, and he doesn’t like how organized and focused I am. Haven’t you ever disliked someone because they’re your opposite and annoy you?”
Shelly shakes her head while stabbing at her salad. “I’ve never disliked anyone as good-looking as Nate. I’ll tell you that much.”
“Me neither,” Taryn agrees. “I love when he presents something in a meeting so I can stare at his face for a long, uninterrupted period of time.”
“If you guys are going to spend our entire lunch break talking about Nate, then I’m eating at my desk.” I give them both a warning look.
“No, stay,” Shelly says. “We can talk about my gynecologist appointment yesterday.”
“Much better.” I laugh. “How did it go?”
“The doctor wants me to track my menstrual cycle with one of those apps. But my phone is out of storage, and it just seems like a lot of work to clear enough space to make room for a new app. I’m not deleting Candy Crush Saga.”
