“More wine?” she said.
“Yes, would you like some more?” her date clarified, and Natalie finally unfastened her eyes from East. Watching him flirt like an idiot with the blonde was getting her nowhere. She’d try harder to focus on the man in front of her. The man she felt zero chemistry with. “Um, yes please. Will you excuse me, though, just for a moment?”
He nodded, and she got up. She needed some fresh air. She had to clear her head and take a breath and convince herself that she was blowing things out of proportion.
Stop. Just stop.
She wound around the outskirts of the restaurant, past the bar, making sure she didn’t look at East, and went out the small hall that led to the back of the restaurant. The only people who typically came out that way were her and Chloe because they owned shops there. It wasn’t a main exit or entrance for customers, so she’d have a second to breathe.
As soon as she pushed the back doors open and the cool fall air hit her, she
felt much better. It was quiet. Dark. And exactly what she needed.
“Stop thinking about him. You don’t care about him.” She paced by the brick wall. “You are not a crazy clingy girl that gets all antsy after one night together.”
Granted, she had no idea what kind of girl she was, since this had never happened to her before. She was so great at giving advice to her friends when they were going through their dating drama. Seemed simple: go after what you want.
Except she wanted what she couldn’t have.
“Careful, darlin’,” a familiar voice said as the back door made a scraping sound. “Walking around in the dark and mumbling to yourself will have everyone thinking you’re touched in the head.”
Natalie turned and found East leaning against the now-closed door, grinning at her like he was somehow seeking victory at her demise.
“You’re the one driving me crazy,” she said. She should probably play coy. Or not even acknowledge him. But Natalie had never been good at games, and she’d never really dated, or been this flustered in her life, so honesty was looking like the best route to go.
“I drive you crazy?” He took a step toward her. “You’re the one who’s a pain in my ass.”
“I didn’t even look at you,” she snapped.
“Oh, you looked at me.”
She threw her arms up and slapped them back down to her sides. “Real mature, East. So, what, you followed me out here to tell me to stop looking at you? What are you, twelve?”
“No, as you’re very aware, I’m a grown man. Or should I remind you?”
She took her own bold step toward him. “Grown man, huh? Is that why you parade Blondie around, with the grand plan to get drunk and get laid?”
The low light of the flickering outside bulb was enough for her to see his eyebrow arch and his grin widen.
“You jealous there, baby?”
“I’m…I don’t know,” she said with a weird hitch in her voice. He’d just called her baby again. The only time he’d done that was when they’d been—
“Listen,” he said. “I didn’t come out here to fight.”
“Then why did you come out here?”
“I wanted to let you know I only agreed to helping you out with this list of bridesmaid duties because Matt didn’t leave me any choice.”
“Oh.” She cocked her head. “So you’re saying you don’t want to help me?”
He glared at her. “I’m saying you and I agreed to keep our distance from each other, and I’m not trying to be a dick by making that harder. Jesus. We can both be adults about this.”
“I’m trying to be an adult about this,” she said confidently. “Unlike you, this is new for me.”
“What’s new for you?” he asked. “Sex?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I mean this whole dating, sleeping together, then…”