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“You should. He’s so into you it’s painful to watch.” She leaned in. “Plus, it’s not like he’ll be your coworker forever,” she whispered.
I shot her a look. “I’mnottalking about this.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, we’re still going.”
Chapter Nine
NATHAN
“A happy hour?”I questioned.
“To welcome us,” Ben said.
“But we’re paying for it.”
“The company is paying for it. Don’t get caught up in specifics. We should go and get to know everyone.”
“Why?”
“Why? Nathan, are you serious? Our company just absorbed this one. Everyone is on edge. They want to make sure we aren’t a couple of tyrants that are about to clean house.”
“And a free drink is the way to convince them we aren’t?”
“No. But a free drinkandshowing that we’re making an effort is a start.”
“I don’t like to socialize with employees.”
Ben eyed me up and down. “Dude, you’ve got to chill out. I swear, you’ve gotten even more uptight in the past few years.”
“I’m fine. I just don’t like to spend my free time with people I already see in the office.”
“If you talk like that, people will think you don’t like them.”
“I don’t,” I said unconcernedly.
“Alright, maybe don’t lead with that Mr. Charming.”
“What? I didn’t say I disliked them. I’m indifferent. I don’t need to like someone, or get to know them, to ensure they’re doing a good job.”
“But where’s your humanity? It’s human nature to want to know about a person’s life.”
“Again, I don’t need to know someone’s whole backstory. I just need to know what they’re capable of at work.”
“Oh my god, I’m not asking you to write a dissertation on everyone’s life. I’m asking you to get a goddamn drink and maybe attempt a smile. I promise it won’t kill you.”
“It might,” I muttered.
Ben let out a frustrated sigh. While I wouldn’t say Ben was my best friend, we were close in our own way. Our relationship started out of convenience rather than any obvious chemistry between the two of us. I had always been a loner, and Ben happened to be blindly assigned as my roommate. Our intelligence manifested in different ways. While I was book smart, Ben had a knack for business. He was always trying to start something when we were in college. Help with moving into the dorms. A speed dating meet-up. Local entertainment. You name it, he tried it. While we weren’t similar on a personal level, we had a mutual appreciation of each other’s drive. I don’t think I could have started this business with anyone else.
Naturally, he had gotten to know me over the years and all of my recluse tendencies. While he usually won a few rounds—dragging me to parties and double dates—he hadn’t managed to alter me in any meaningful way.
“How are you settling in?” Ben asked, likely assessing my far-off gaze.
“Living with Oliver is…interesting.”
“No shit.” He chuckled. “You don’t give up your alone time easily.”
“He’s my brother,” I muttered. “It shouldn’t be this difficult.”
