Bruce’s head snaps up. “Tristan. What are you doing here?”
“I asked him over,” Nicola says smoothly. “Since I left work early yesterday, and there’s so much to catch up on since Cynthia resigned, I didn’t want to wait until Monday to get a handle on things. We didn’t want to wake you, so we worked in the basement for a bit.”
“Oh,” Valerie says, a slight frown clouding her face. “Okay.”
Unease settles in my stomach. No matter the circumstance in the past, I’ve always been greeted warmly here, and this feels weird. Granted, I surprised them. I do feel bad about the deception, and I make a promise to myself to work this out soon. Even if we’re not as close as we once were, I still consider Bruce to be my best friend. I don’t want to lie to him for long.
But on the other hand, I’m planning on being with Nicola forever. I’m not sure how she feels about that, even though I told her that I was going to marry her. But if I am going to marry her, then my allegiance will have to be to her and not to Bruce. It already is.
“Settling in okay?” Bruce asks.
“Yeah,” I say. “After we’re done at the office, I’m planning on doing some more unpacking. A couple more days and I should have it taken care of.”
“That’s good.” He seems unsettled that I’m here, so I try to look as relaxed as possible. What does he see when he looks at me right now? Is there something I’m giving off that lets him know the truth?
Nicola moves around the kitchen with grace and confidence, not a hint of what just happened on her face or in her movement. She takes the tea that’s been made for her and pours it into a travel mug. “We’re going to go to the office for a bit. I’ll be back later.”
She’s the one that leaves the kitchen first, and I’m left standing there with Bruce and Valerie. I wave a little lamely. “Good to see you guys.”
“You too,” Bruce says. He smiles, but it’s not quite a normal smile. Nothing I can do about that.
I follow Nicola out, and my chest doesn’t ease until we’re out of the house. “That was…awkward.”
She grins. “I think it went fine.”
“They didn’t exactly seem happy to see me.”
“Oh, that’s just them. They have a routine on Saturday morning, and seeing you probably just threw them off a little.”
“That’s good. Do you really want to go to the office?”
“For a couple minutes,” she says. “At the very least I need to pick up my car. If you dropped me off later too that might be a bit much for them.”
“Agreed.”
Despite the awkwardness, it feels good to take her hand as we walk to my car. We’re going to figure this out and make it work.
7
Nicola
The door to my lab opens, and I swear that I can tell that it’s Tristan even before I turn around. And my guess is confirmed when hands wrap around my waist. We’re very careful when we’re at work, but he still manages to find small moments to express his feelings. It’s one of the things that I love about him.
It’s Friday again, and I’ve been dreading the weekend. Because on the weekend, it’s harder to hide. There’s no guarantee that I’ll see him like I do during the work week. And I’ve even been staying later than usual. Partially because this orange and basil flavor still isn’t fucking working, and partially because the experience of being fucked on a lab table is one that I really like.
I like it so much that I think it’s worth the thorough cleaning that I have to do when we’re finished.
“How are you?” he asks, mouth finding that elusive crease at my neck and shoulder that never fails to make me shiver.
“Frustrated,” I admit.
“What’s going on?” He lets me go and circles the lab table so that he’s across from me.
I sigh. “It’s just not working. It’s been a while since I’ve had this much trouble with a flavor, and I need to have something by the end of next week for that focus group. If it’s not finalized by then, I’ll probably have to scrap it.”
“Okay, so what’s not working?”
Shaking my head, I hold out the latest custard sample for him to try. “The balance isn’t right. I keep trying to get it so that the orange hits first and then the basil hits as a second wave. So that aromatic sensation is the aftertaste. But it’s not right.”
Tristan lifts the little cup to his lips, and I take the chance to admire his lips, and the way his throat moves as he swallows. I still can’t believe that we’re together and it’s real. But every day that goes by it feels more solid.