“Holy shit, holy shit! I haven’t seen this guy in years.” I whisper back.
Mel mutters, “Wait, you know him? You did not tell me this when I brought him up a few days ago. Um, spill the details now.
I say under my breath, “We went to the same college, that’s it. I met him maybe once in passing.”
Why am I so excited? Why do I feel so nervous? I have been with other people since that brief kiss, but the electric feeling I felt with Carter on that hammock was way stronger than anything I've felt.
As I get out of the Uber, I start walking towards Carter, and I can't help but glance at his biceps, and my God, is he jacked. As I get closer, I catch the look in his eyes. There's definitely a surprise there, but I can't quite read the rest. Is he nervous? Shocked? Pissed to see me? I have no idea, but I need to find out.
Before I could say anything to Carter, Mel goes barrelling into Paul and pulls him into a big hug.
After a hug that felt like it lasted forever, she grabs Paul by the arm, pulls him towards me, and says, “Paul, this is my new partner, Nate, he’s literally amazing. You’ll hear him sing in about an hour. And seriously, isn’t he so cute?”
Paul’s eyes travel from my feet to my face, and I can’t help but feel a little objectified. He smirks and says, “Hey, stud…how’s it going? I’ve heard great things about you, even though you’ve only known my girl for, what, three or four days?” He pauses with a playful look, then adds, “I should probably introduce my friend, though I doubt he needs an introduction. This isCarter Elliot.”
He turns to Carter, then back to us. “Carter, meet Mel and Nate. They’ll be doing the singing, and we’ll be doing the spectating. We’ll clap, cheer, maybe even start a wave - whatever it takes to hype them up. And then, obviously, everyone’s leaving with a puppy. Got it?”
I look at Paul with a smile and say, "I don't think this is that type of event, but nice to meet you."
Then I turn to Carter, trying to figure out how to respond and how I should act around him. He looks a little nervous, maybe even scared. So I decide to play it cool as if I don’t remember him at all. I keep it simple, with a simple nod, and say, "Hi, nice to meet you."
As Carter introduces himself to me and Mel, I catch the look on her face; she’s practically drooling. I can’t help but laugh a little in my head. She’s hilarious. Completely unaware that she has absolutely no shot with him. But hey, that’s not my place to say. Clearly.
It seems like Paul and Mel either haven’t seen each other in a while or just really love talking; either way, they wander off into the bar together, and Paul grabs all the bags like it’s no big deal.Honestly, I didn’t mind. It gave me a moment alone with Carter, a chance to feel things out and see where we stand.
Should I pretend I don't know him? Should I say something? Or do we just move forward as if none of it ever happened? I'm not sure yet, but standing there with him, the silence felt heavy with possibility.
Once the other two are out of sight, I turn to Carter and say, "What the fuck, what are the chances? I literally just moved to New York. You just got traded, and now, somehow, we're both here?" I pause and give him a teasing smile. "Is this fate? Are we, like…destined to be together forever?" I joke.
“For real, though," I say, lowering my voice a bit, "I know we've never really hung out and only met once, but...how should we play this? Do we pretend we don't know each other? Act like we're friends? What's the move here?"
Carter hesitates for a moment before replying, “I think…Let's just go with not knowing each other. Feels easier that way.”
I raise an eyebrow, a slight frown tugging at my face, but nod. “Works for me.”
And just like that, we make a silent agreement and head inside the building together.
When we step into this adorable bar, we're immediately surrounded by puppies and dogs of all ages. I instantly obsess over all of them and am ready to take every single one of them home.
Carter, who clearly thinks what I am thinking, looks at me and says, "So, how many of these dogs are we taking with us? I am thinking of three each. We need to take one home at least, promise me that?"
I let out a soft laugh in response, "Um, do we just take all of them? I have a two-bedroom, so the dogs get both rooms, and I get the couch." Carter chuckles, sensing I'm only slightly kidding.
It looks like Paul is helping Mel set up the sound system, so I think I'm free to see if Carter wants a drink.
“So, thoughts on grabbing a drink? Just one. Do it, have one with me,” I say, practically begging. “I need some liquid courage. There are already like fifty people stuffed in this bar.”
Carter smirks. "You think I'd let you down? Obviously, I'm not turning down a drink." He pauses, then adds with a teasing, mischievous flicker in his eye, "I might even have two. Would you be jealous?"
I giggle. “Let’s just get to the bar. I think a vodka cranberry might be exactly what I need. vodka and sugar, what could possibly go wrong?”
As we start making our way through the crowd, I feel Carter’s hand lightly on my back. Maybe he’s just guiding me toward the bar...or maybe it’s something else. Most likely, it’s all in my head.
After about five minutes, each with a drink in hand, we stand off to the side, watching Paul and Mel struggle to set things up.
Carter leans in slightly and says, "I find it so random and hilarious that you know Mel from school. And I just met this Paul guy, like, four days ago, and somehow he's now my best friend. Well, not an actual best friend...but kind of.
I look at Carter, but before I can say anything, he beats me to it.
