Page 83 of Give Me a Chance
“Promise not to treat me differently now,” I tell her. She looks at me wide eyed, so I double down. “Promise.”
“I promise,” she says, barely audible.
“You, too.” I turn to Rina.
She sighs. “I promise.”
“Good,” I say before we all head back to the office.
They manage to respect my decision, and I’m glad.
Regardless of our new agreement,things haven’t been different between Matt and me. Every day after work, we meet for a quickie, but he doesn’t push for more. He told me he’ll wait for me to take the first step toward more, and he’s respecting that.
This dating thing isn’t too bad.
He also doesn’t treat me like I’m fragile, though I sometimes get a sense he wants to.
The work week was incredible, so we treat ourselves with some drinks. We, once again, outdid ourselves with the gala, and the week’s been one big celebration.
“I can’t believe we raised all this money.” Anne raises her glass, and we all clink our glasses to hers.
“Me either. I actually think my clinic will be able to move on,” Matt adds with an adorable smile. I have a need to kiss him, but I’m afraid it would be awkward for everyone. Lovey-dovey, touchy-feely Natalie is not something they’re used to.
“Well, it should. It was a great idea.” Rina mentions.
“Damn, I love this job.” Matt smiles once again, and this time, I’m unable to resist. Before I can convince myself otherwise, I pull him to me and land a quick peck on his lips.
The energy around us shifts, but I can’t look away from him. His lips are turned up, his eyes crinkled with the most genuine happiness. He stares at me with a devotion I’m not worth of. He takes my hand and puts it into his lap before looking back to the others. I’m grateful he broke the contact because I’m not sure I’d be able to.
Rina, Anne, and Connor stare at us like they saw a ghost, while Noah raises his glass and smirks at us.
“Move on, everyone. Nothing to see here.” Matt tries to intervene.
“Yeah, yeah. I guess we knew. But it’s still weird to see, you know?” Rina says.
“Like Northern lights. You know they exist, but seeing them leaves you speechless,” Anne adds, making Noah and Connor laugh out loud, and I join them in laughter.
“So, what are you guys now, dating?” Noah asks.
“Ooh, you’re Nat and Matt! How adorable!” Anne claps her hands together.
“More like Nat the Brat, and the guy trying to tame her,” I quip pointing a finger at Matt. Connor huffs a laugh, almost choking on his drink.
“You are kind of a brat,” Matt whispers, making me shrug.
“Nope, Nat and Matt is now officially your couples name,” Rina concludes. They get into other cute nicknames, finally switching their attention from us.
“You know, we’re hardly dating since we haven’t had a proper date yet,” Matt tells me, quietly.
“Too bad I’m not a proper date kind of gal.” He laughs at my joke.
“I guess you’re not. You trust me?” His lips are next to my ear, making my thoughts fuzzy, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind as I answer.
“Yes.”
“Good.” He winks at me and takes a sip of his beer.
“Clear your Wednesday evening.I’ll pick you up at seven,” he tells me on Monday.
