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“What about you, Peyton?” he asks, leaning toward me the smallest fraction.
“What about me?” I try to contain the sudden rush of nervous energy that hits me like an ocean wave, knocking me backward from the force.
“Seafood and steak?”
“I love them both.”
“Then get the surf and turf. Trust me, you won’t be sorry.”
“You know what,” I glance down at the menu, locating the item he’s talking about, “I think I might try it.”
“I think that’s what I’ll have, too.” He gives me a soft grin and I swear my heart melts a little further.
Dear lord, what is this man doing to me? I can’t remember a time when discussing a menu has ever felt so overwhelming. It’s like he has some magical spell over me that’s growing stronger by the minute, and try as I may, I can’t seem to shake it.
The four of us make small talk in between our drinks arriving and ordering our food, but I do my best not to look at Abel again. As if keeping my eyes off him will somehow dull this intense energy I feel buzzing between us.
I don’t know how to describe it. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt. And I certainly can’t seem to make sense of it. So instead of trying to understand what this is, I do what I do best. Push it down and hope it goes away.
Various conversations float around the table over the course of dinner. Because I’m on the very end I miss a lot of what is happening on the opposite side of the table, but I catch little pieces of what people are talking about as I eat.
The food is incredible but coupled with my nerves and the three glasses of wine I’ve managed to suck down, I find that I’m not very hungry. As such, I spend most of the time picking at my food and nibbling rather than actually consuming much of it.
“Do you not like it?” Abel asks, watching me shuffle my food around the plate with my fork.
“No, it’s actually really good,” I say, chancing a glance at him. Of course I regret it the moment I do. I can’t remember a time that I’ve ever been so attracted to someone that I wasn’t able to function normally. I feel flustered and off kilter and I’m not quite sure how to fix it.
It’s exhilarating and terrifying all at once.
“I’m just not very hungry,” I continue after a long pause.
“Yeah, I wasn’t either,” he says, my gaze going to his empty plate.
“Oh yeah, you weren’t hungry at all.” I smile, reaching for my wine glass before taking a long gulp. “So, you ready for this tomorrow?” I ask.
“Defineready.” He relaxes back into his chair, crossing his arms in front of his broad chest. “Ready to get it over with maybe.” He speaks softly so only I can hear him.
“You and me both,” I admit. “I’ve got so much going on at work and this wedding has been a massive time drain. Not that I mind. I love Sam and I’m honored to be a part of her wedding, but I’m ready for things to go back to normal.”
“So what do you do?” he asks. “For work, I mean.”
“I work for a video game testing firm.”
“A what?”
“A video game testing firm,” I repeat.
“Like a company that tests video games? Is that really a thing?” He quirks a brow.
“It is,” I confirm, not able to contain the smile that slides across my face.
“So what is it exactly that you do there? You don’t strike me as a gamer?”
“Probably because I’m not. I work with the developers mainly. I handle all the scheduling and managing the deadlines. It’s not the most exciting job in the world, but I love the company and the people I work with.”
“You been there long?”
“About four years. John hired me right out of college after I interned there during my senior year. Back then my job consisted more of fetching coffee and running errands, but I’ve moved up pretty quick. That’s one of the great things about working there. There’s a lot of growth if you’re willing to put in the work.”
