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Unfortunately, I realize way too late the mistake that I’ve made.
My breath catches in my throat when those sad, soulful eyes of his stare back at me.
The same eyes I’ve been obsessing over since I first saw them.
“Yes?” he asks, undoubtedly confused about why I’m standing this close to him.
Close enough to smell the peppermint toothpaste he uses.
Oh, boy.
“I know you’re going through a hard time with the team right now,” I finally say after gathering some composure. “And I canonly imagine how difficult it must be for you to give it your all and still feel like it’s not enough.”
His jaw clenches with each word that falls from my lips, but his gaze never wavers from mine.
Those eyes never leave mine, and God, how I wish they would.
“Having said that,” I continue after clearing my parched throat, “I promise I will help you in any way I can. You won’t get any judgment from me. None whatsoever. But I need you to try not to be so judgmental of yourself, either. Life is hard enough as it is without us beating ourselves up about every little thing or what we could have done differently,” I explain, doing my utmost best not to get lost in the blend of warm honey and cool mocha staring back at me. “I’m not sure if Piper has told you, but I’m very good at what I do. With my help, I promise you won’t feel so out of your depth when meeting new people. All I ask is for you to trust me. Can you do that? Can you trust me?”
His Adam’s apple bobs away before he finally nods, his intense gaze making it very hard for me to stand still.
“Good.” I feign nonchalance. “Now, you asked me earlier how this is all going to work out, and my answer is quite simple. You and I are going to get to know each other. And we are going to do it by having fun.”
“Fun?” he mimics the word with a frown as if the very concept were alien to him.
“Yes, Nate, fun.” This time, when I smile, it doesn’t feel forced, even if my heart is thumping madly in my chest for some inexplicable reason. “I know this all might seem very trivial to you right now, but I promise that having fun on a date can be a game changer. You’ll see.”
“Hmm,” he groans skeptically.
“Trust me. By the time the real thing comes along, you won’t feel so self-conscious. You’ll be too busy falling in loveand enjoying the moment to even remember everything that’s happened to you lately.”
“Enjoy the moment, huh?” he parrots, his hazel eyes darkening somewhat as he stares at every inch of my face.
“Yes,” I retort gruffly. “You’ll want to enjoy every minute of falling in love.”
“You really think you’re that good? That you’ll be able to get someone to fall in love with me?” he asks, and I don’t miss how his gaze brushes over my lips for a split second. “To get me to fall in love?”
“That depends on you.” I swallow dryly.
“Just on me?” he repeats huskily, and I could swear he just dipped his head down closer to mine.
Close enough that I can feel his fresh peppermint breath fan my heated cheeks.
And now I’m seeing things.
Great.
“Well, on both of us, of course,” I reply, forcing myself to take a step back to clear my head. “But I can only help you if you’re willing to learn. And I can’t do that if you’re going to spend our dates sulking and feeling bad about yourself.”
“Don’t sugarcoat it, Lottie. Tell me how you really feel, why don’t you?” he counters with playful sarcasm, a ghost of a smile starting to crest his lips.
“Like I told you the first time we met, as long as you’re honest with me, then I’ll endeavor to do the same.”
“Brutal honesty, huh?” He jokes timidly, and then he does the unthinkable.
He smiles.
Damn.
