Page 76 of Give Me a Chance
So, once again, I act like she doesn’t exist. Pretend I don’t hear her laughter a few desks away, or notice the scent of her perfume when she walks by.
I continue pretending until I leave the office. I get through hockey practice and stay afterwards to shoot pucks until I’m barely able to stand. My biceps twitch by the time I’m done, finally moving my focus to something other than the person I’m pretending not to think about.
The cold shower relaxes my body giving me a sense of calm. There’s nothing I can do right now. Nothing but respect her wishes.
I’d love to convince myself I’ll get over her soon, but there’s no use. This girl leaving my mind is a thought beyond my comprehension at the moment.
Arriving at the gala,I give a short statement to a reporter and pose for a few pictures with the photographer we hired. Some of us spent the morning handling last minute prep of the venue, but Kiara assured me my help isn’t needed. My guess is Natalie wanted me nowhere around.
My stomach flutters with nerves about seeing her. Somehow, I know she will look so beautiful, it will be hard not to touch her.
The venue looks out of this world. Vines and ivy wrap around the fancy chandeliers, flowing down towards the tables. Huge stalks of bamboo serve as centerpieces in tall glass vases, surrounded by colorful potted flowers. Right next to the entrance, there is a moss wall with a full-sized wooden frame—a perfect place for photo ops. The bamboo will be replanted, the ivy is reclaimed, provided by someone who cleared it from theirgarden; all the décor is sustainable. My lips turn up, marveling at the way she took my simple idea and made it a masterpiece.
My breath is knocked out from me when my eyes land on her. She’s breathtaking in a floor length forest green dress. With off the shoulder straps and tiny leaves sewn into the skirt of the dress, she’s a fairy in a forest she created. Her dark red lipstick draws my attention to her lips, her doe eyes crinkling with a smile.
My fists clench inside my tux pockets when I notice who she’s laughing with. A tall, dark, Idris Elba wannabe stands to her right, leaning on the bar, and smiling right back at her.
A fire starts in my stomach as I try to relax my jaw to stop it from breaking. A slap on my back finally releases me from my jealous shock.
“What’s up, man? What you staring at?” Connor asks, but I don’t move my gaze. “Oh...Oh. Guess you haven’t had the chance to meet Danielle’s husband.” The bastard chuckles, but I have no idea what’s funny.
“Come on.” He slaps my shoulder once again, and I follow behind him.
“Natalie, looking as beautiful as ever. Great to see you again, Caleb,” he says, shaking the bastard’s hand. “I don’t think you’ve met Matt yet.”
“The man of the hour.” He puts out his hand for me to shake, and I squeeze it harder than necessary. “Good job with the theme. This looks incredible.” Natalie scoffs.
“Umm, thank you. But I can’t take the credit. It was a team effort.” Danielle approaches us in a dark orange gown, and he circles her arm around her waist.
Ooooh...That’s what Connor meant. Danielle’s husband—as in the guy talking to Natalie. The knot inside of my belly starts to unwrap as my jealousy subsides. The thought of her bringing a date was a kick in the guts.
Nodding my head in a greeting, I remove myself from the situation. A waiter comes to the rescue, so I grab a glass of champagne and down half of it.
“Hey, where are you going?” Rina asks as she makes her way to the bar.
“Going to find Anne. Looking good, Rins.” Her eyes widen at my somber tone, and she gives my arm a gentle pat.
I expected this. I was prepared for this to be hard. But I didn’t expect to feel like my lungs can’t get enough air in them, like my eyes have a hard time traveling anywhere other than to her, and my hands needing to be perpetually clenched so they wouldn’t wrap around her.
“Thank God,” I mutter to myself, seeing Anne and Noah enter. Insisting that inviting Bryce would be too weird, she asked Noah to come with her as a friendly date. I’m grateful to have my buddy here.
“Look at you, Mattie. You clean up nice,” Anne says with a smile, and I do a mocked model turn, eager to turn my mood better.
“You don’t look half bad yourself, Annie. Even this one,” I point my thumb at Noah, “looks appropriate. Where’d you get the tux?”
“Your mom’s closet, in fact.” Noah jokes, making me laugh.
“I’m going to go say hi to everyone. Don’t forget to mingle.” Anne does a fake salute.
Noah and I head to the other side of the bar, me leading the way.
“Is there a reason we aren’t standing with the rest?” he asks.
“No reason at all.”
“Natalie looks nice today.”
“Haven’t noticed.”
