Heart Shaped Spotlight

I loved Nate. I truly did. Last night and this morning had been the most intense, astounding moments of my life.

But he really did piss me off sometimes.

He so rarely had problems in his life that he just expected other people's problems to disappear into thin air as well. It was frustrating, but it was the way he’d always been. Was it possible for him to see life from the other side?

My frustrations melted away s lightly as my body revelled in the incredible aftershocks. I couldn’t believe I’d been that bold, and was thrilled at how much Nate had loved it.

After we had coffee, I went to my hotel room to get ready for lunch, and pack so that I could catch my five pm flight.

I wasn't sure whether I should attempt to impress Nate's manager, but I hadn't packed a lot of clothing. Black jeans, a deep blue long sleeved t-shirt with the shoulders cut out, and a couple of bracelets – that was as fancy as I could get.

Nate came to get me, overreacting as if I was the prettiest girl in the world until I blushed. He rolled my suitcase along the four blocks to the restaurant they had chosen. As soon as we arrived, I could see why Nate had picked it. We had a private booth in the far corner that was completely hidden.

I recognized Dave immediately, his dark suit looking a bit formal for lunch. I suddenly wondered if this meeting was more about him impressing me. If he wanted to stay on Nate's good side, he would have to be friendly with Nate’s girlfriend as well. Or, whatever I was.

As Nate stashed my suitcase and our coats in a corner, I took a breath and marched up to Dave, extending my hand. "Hi, I'm Trisha."

It was sweet that he stood. "Trisha, it's a great honor to meet you," he smiled warmly. "I'm really happy that you two found each other again."

We settled in with menus, and coffee that arrived before we had even ordered it. Dave nodded to me. "I took a chance ordering you a coffee. If you don't want it, you know Nate will drink it."

"I flip back and forth with tea and coffee, but this is perfect for today, thanks. There's no chance of me becoming obscenely addicted like what's his name over here."

Dave laughed, but before Nate could defend himself, his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he muttered, "Sorry – it's Lora. Excuse me for a sec." He took off to the back patio to take the call.

"So, Nate said that you were here for work?" Dave began. "I'm sorry that I didn't even see you at your Toronto station."

"Excellent," I grinned. "I was hiding. I prefer to be behind the scenes."

He nodded. “I get that. The big spotlight is not for everyone. Once the band is settled in Toronto, Nate will be in the limelight a bit less, I think. That might make it easier for both of you."

"Oh. I didn't know that they’d decided yet," I said.

"Shit," he muttered. "Sorry, I heard that they decided yesterday afternoon."

“Why didn’t he tell me that it was definite?” I asked, more to myself than to him.

Dave released a heavy sigh, glancing to the back door to be sure Nate was still out of earshot. “Trisha, I’m only saying this because I think you’re a nice girl, and I want you two to be together. He’s terrified. He doesn’t want to scare you away. He doesn’t want to hurt you, pressure you, or make you uncomfortable. He’s tied up in knots.”

“Over me?” I squeaked. I couldn’t quite believe him.

“He’s been searching for you, dreaming of you, and now that he has you, everything else seems less important.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” I whispered.

Dave reached over and patted my arm, his kind smile lighting up his eyes. He seemed like a concerned big brother.

“Nobody thinks that you’re trouble,” he said gently. “This is a difficult situation. Nate has this big sparkling bubble around his mental picture of you. He’s not going to be disappointed when he realizes that you’re a real person. But he’s going to have to stop tiptoeing around you, isn’t he?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“He’s going to have to figure out that you’re more mature, and likely less jumpy than you were long ago.” Dave smiled. “He probably wanted to be with you for a few days and get comfortable before he told you.”

“Maybe. Yeah.”

Nate returned, and slid into the booth beside me, kissing my cheek. “What did I miss?”