“See, Evy, we’re perfect together,” Coop said, and I didn’t have to turn around to know he was grinning. He was loving this.
“Yes, yes,” I tapped his arm while rolling my eyes at Win. “You’re the best.”
They both laughed.
“Only with you, Evy.” He leaned closer, speaking so softly into my ear that no one else even noticed and I felt myself unravel. Felt the goosebumps spread across my skin and suppressed the shiver desperate to roll through me at the feel of his breath on my ear. Being with him awakened every cell in my body while simultaneously feeling so natural that by the time I stood to say goodbye to Jack and Win, I realised almost with surprise, that I’d been resting in his arms. At some point my hands had settled gently over his, like we weren’t pretending at all.
It was discomforting to end lunch today. To leave the pretence and move back to reality where we were only required to pretend on the odd moment. I was clearly overthinking it and it was with a playful shove on our way back that he broke the ice, teasing me about my improv skills needing work, and I laughed. A belly laugh full of relief and unexpected happiness. His teasing was almost as nice as the warmth of his arms around me,fleeting as it was. And I spent the rest of the afternoon incredibly distracted, finalising about one percent of the work I’d planned as I thought about how dangerously enjoyable that little lunch really was.
CHAPTER 12
Eva
“You ready?” Coop asked, and I stood, stretching through the aches of hours spent on the floor. I’d managed to sort through quite a bit of inventory today though my mind kept drifting back to yesterday’s surprise catch up with Win and Jack which led to a rare mix up where I spent half an hour putting overdue invoices into the tax receipts folders, before having to go back and fix it all.
The office was now more organised, the clutter organised into piles, but there were still weeks of work to do here. With an aching back and neck I could barely feel, I was more than happy it was time to go home.
“I could use a shower and a heat pack,” I said, craning my neck from side to side.
“What about abeveragewith my parents instead?” He asked with clear mockery, and I smiled.
“Oh, shit that’s today!” I sighed, reaching for my headphones and purse and following him out.
“Did you want me to cancel?” He asked, sounding far too excited.
“No,” I lied. “Let’s just get it over and done with.” The longerI put it off, the worse it would be and the more nervous I would become.
“It’s actually nice to have someone else feel my pain.” He smirked. “Think you’ll be able to act better than you did yesterday?”
“Excuse you, I was fantastic,” I teased. “Win said we were perfect, remember?”
“How could I forget,” he grinned.
“You just wait, husband-to-be, I’m going to act the crap out of this.”
“Husband to be, boss, roommate,lover.” He whispered, my cheeks flaming when he shot me a knowing wink over his shoulder, and I halted.
“I’m only joking, Evy, just playing the part,” he said with a laugh, and I did my best to maintain the jovial nonchalance of someone entirely unaffected by his ruggedness. His leather riding jacket swung over his shoulder in a look which again reminded me of a character from The Outsiders. After today, there was no doubt in my mind I needed to thank my Year 9 English teacher because I was a Greaser groupie, and this look was doing it for me. He smelt of leather and masculinity and it was annoyingly satisfying. When he reached for my hand, I locked my fingers in his, leaning into him in a habitual movement which was feeling easier with everyday which passed. Our hands swung as we walked through the aisles of barrels as he gave me a quick run-down on his parents.
“When are you going to tell me about all of this?” I cut him off as I swirled my free hand around, gesturing towards the pallets of aging whiskey.
“I’m surprised you haven’t already hit me with a list of questions,” he said and I inhaled quickly in mock horror.
“Are you implying I love a questionnaire,” I challenged.
“That’s exactly what I’m implying,” he replied, before his laugh echoed around us, making me grin.
“Entirely fair, there is nothing that makes me hotter than a multiple-choice quiz,” I sighed, judging myself for my preferences.
“Noted,” he said with a smirk which I felt below my waist. “My fiancée is such a nerd,” he added playfully, and I grinned.
“You’re just jealous. Nerds are so 2025, you should get on board, biker boy,” I gibed, poking him in the ribs as we stepped out into the sunlight of the afternoon.
“Are your parents going to expect me to be wearing a ring?” I asked, the thought appearing from nowhere.
He shrugged, before passing me my helmet. “Probably.”
“Well, what are we going to say? Maybe we can just tell them we’re having it cleaned like I told Win.” He was far too calm for someone about to meet the firing squad, lacking the same urgency I was feeling.
