I look up at him, playing with the gold ring on my thumb. “Oh?”
He looks toward the window and then back to me. “Well, uh. I was wondering if you’d be interested in getting dinner with me.”
My brain short-circuits. “Dinner?”
Thiscan’tbe happening.
Nausea creeps up my throat, as my heart starts to pick up, a wave of anxiety threatening to take me under.
“Yeah. With me.”
The only thing I’m able to get out is, “Oh.”
He holds up both hands, taking my hesitation for something other than completely stunned.
“Only if you want to. No pressure. I’d really like to get to know you better.”
“Nate—” I start, even though I have no idea what I’m even going to say.
He’s looking at me with that easy, open expression, like this is simple.
A man asking a woman to dinner. No weight. No risk. Except-
He doesn’t know.
He doesn’t know what I’d be giving him if I said yes. What it would mean if he ever found out.
Eventually, he would. And then what?
The image of his face shifting. Turning into shock, or worse, disgust, hits me like a punch.
I can’t give him that power over me.
The power to destroy my heart and my life.
I know that he could.
If I handed Nate Wesley my heart, he would break it, and I can’t risk that.
I force myself to meet his gaze. “I… I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
The smile falls off his face, turning into a deep frown before he sets it back to normal. “Did I uh… Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” I say quickly, standing so he isn’t looming over me. “No, it’s not you. You’ve been great. I’m really thankful that you talked to your team, but I’m not dating right now.”
It’s not a lie.
“Right. Yeah. Got it.” He nods a few times, like he’s trying to help the words settle in. “I just thought… Never mind. I get it.”
An ache starts to bloom in my chest that feels a lot like guilt.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him sincerely.
“You don’t have to be,” he glances around the room like he’s looking for an escape. “I shouldn’t have asked. You’re new here, the last thing I wanna do is make you uncomfortable.”
I sigh and step forward, wanting to comfort him, but having no idea how.
“Nate—”
