“You, too.”
Despite learning some things about Kate, I am grateful I’m an only child. Even if it would have been fun to have a sibling to play with as a kid.
“Y’all do this every time you have a wedding?” I’m helping Kate and Caroline with the arrangements for the wedding. Well, as much as I can anyway. Mostly, I’m grabbing the flowers they need and setting them on the table. As far as making them pretty, I’m no good at that.
“Yep,” Kate glances at me before fixing another arrangement, “luckily, this isn’t a massive wedding. We’d be preparing for it days before if that was the case.”
“I guess I never realized how many flowers a wedding needs.” I think back to all the romcoms my mom made me watch with her. “I thought it was just the bouquets and those little flower things the guy’s wear.”
“If you want a super simple wedding with little to no decoration,” Caroline grins. “Which is totally fine. I actually prefer making arrangements for those. But these days everyone wants to have a ceremony that photographs well for social media.”
“That’s not really my thing.” Thank God. I’ve scroll through social media, but I don’t post very often.
“I didn’t realize you were thinking about popping the question.” This time Caroline laughs at the wide-eyed expression on Kate’s face.
“Th-that’s not what I meant. For the future, far future. I’m not looking to get hitched right now.” I really hope that eases some of the fear I see across Kate’s face. The last thing I need is her freaking out and thinking those thoughts have entered my mind.
“I know,” Caroline bends over as she tries to contain her almost silent laugh. When she looks up, there are tears running down her face. “I wish the both of you could have seen the looks on your faces. You would have thought y’all were in a horror movie.”
“You’re such an ass.” Kate picks up a fallen flower and throws it at her friend. “Do you like seeing how much you can torture me?”
“I mean,” Caroline shrugs, “it’s definitely fun. If you weren’t so against love and commitment it wouldn’t be this easy.”
“Clearly I’m not that against it,” Kate huffs and points at me, “last time I checked I’m dating Xander. Dating implies a commitment.”
There’s no way I’m jumping into this argument. It won’t lead anywhere good. It’s between two friends. Even though they are talking about me like I’m not standing right here. Caroline does have a point. It felt like pulling teeth for Kate to admit she has any sort of attraction to me. She did not make it easy.
A few minutes pass and all you can hear is music playing softly over the speaker. Both of them are back in their workflow and it’s like nothing happened. Maybe it’s because they both have siblings. They know to let go of the small shit and keep forging ahead. I don’t know, but the dynamic is something I’ve never seen before. At least not with anyone I went to college with, or even my friends in high school.
“What time do I need to be here tomorrow?” The sound of my voice startles both of them, and Kate drops one of the flowers in her hand. There isn’t much for me to do, and while I’m enjoying the time with Kate, I feel kind of dumb just standing here in the background.
“Around eleven?”
“Sounds good,” I point at the door behind me, “I think I’m going to head out.”
“Oh, um, okay.” I move toward her and give her a quick peck on the lips. I’m still not certain how she feels about full blown PDA in front of her friends. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Chapter Seventeen
Kate
Watching Xander leave the shop last night bothered me more than I thought it would. Not because he was leaving, but because I wasn’t leaving with him. It’s something I’ve never felt toward someone before. As much as it scares me, the feeling also leaves me wanting to see him as much as I possibly can. Yeah, we work together, but the actual amount of time we’re in the shop together isn’t that much.
The door to the shop opens, and I know it’s him before I even turn around. “Hey, are you sure you’re up for this?”
“Absolutely,” he wraps his arms around my waist, “as long as it means spending time with you, I’m ready for whatever you have to throw at me.”
Little does he know how much work setup actually is. Kai normally helps out when we need an extra hand, but I’m happy Xander offered to be here today.
“You might regret that once we get there,” I turn to face him, “you don’t have to do this, you know.”
“I do, but you need an extra set of hands, and I’m not doing anything. So, you should stop trying to get rid of me.” He bends down and kisses along my jawline. A shiver rushes through me.
“I’m not,” my voice is breathier than intended, “it’s just this isn’t actually part of your job description.”
“Says who?” his voice is a soft whisper against my ear.
“Me?” I swear, he’s going to be the death of me. All reason, and thought, flies right out the window when he’s around me. It’s not even sexual. Well, not all the time. It’s him in general. How did someone like me attract a guy like him.
