“I’m ordering room service. Do you want anything in particular?” Nate yells from somewhere across the hotel room. I yell back with a quick "No," before wrapping myself in a hotel robe.
Within thirty minutes, the room smells of waffles, eggs, and bacon, overpowering the poor fruit that also sits on the white-cloth-dressed table.
“You know, you never told me what that talk of yours is about—or what we’re doing today.”
Nate, who’s midway through cutting a piece of his waffle, stills. “You don’t have to come down with me if you’re not comfortable.”
My brows furrow at the admission.
It was my sole purpose for being here—to sell the engagement as best as I could, but it’s then that it hits me. Nate knowsmy history and my fear of planes, so his reluctance obviously comes from a place of worry.
Yes, my parents died on a plane. And yes, I have no idea how the incident happened. But that shouldn’t paralyze me from living life. I hid in the shadows for too long—avoided people and experiences because of the uncertainty. But no one ever grows by staying in place. We all have to start somewhere.
“I want to know.” I smile in assurance, wiping the tear at the rim of my lashes at the thought of them.
Nate doesn’t look convinced, but with some prodding, he caves, pulls out his laptop, and goes on to present his slide deck.
There’s this light, excitement, and wonder that glows in his eyes as he goes into the details of his invention. I nod along, acting like I understand everything he’s saying when all I’m really doing is admiring how handsome and intelligent Nate Archer is.
———
The notifications come in quick succession, buzzing up a party in the pocket of my trousers. While I usually complain about my friends pressing thenotify anywaybutton when I’m on do not disturb, this interruption is welcomed. I wouldn’t mind a little entertainment while Nate finishes listening to that student’s poster presentation.
Sutton:Make sure to attend Carter Crawford’s talk on my behalf. I want live updates.
I roll my eyes at the command. This girl has not dropped this since we arrived in Chicago. Even in the midst of my yellingand her denying that she had tampered with my suitcase, his name came up.
Evelyn:And don’t forget to take a picture of him for me.
Evelyn:I want to know whether he’s good-looking because they’re picking the best images of him, or if he’s actually photogenic.
Another eye roll. I really don’t know where Evelyn’s fascination comes from. The girl has a long-term boyfriend. She should not be drooling over this man.
Vivienne:Go back to Tom, Evelyn. And Sutton, I’ll have to double-check with Nate. We were thinking of calling it a night.
My text is met with a string of eggplant emojis.
Sutton:Sounds like something went right this weekend. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge. You’ll have to tell me all about it and thank me for my charity workAFTERCarter’s talk.
Vivienne:Whatever you say, Sutton.
I slip the phone away in time to see Nate highly engaged in a conversation with the grad student.
While many industry professionals are presenting at this conference, there are also institutional researchers and graduate students with their own projects. They’re arranged in rows throughout this large room, posters after posters pinned on cork boards by the hundreds.
Though I’ve spent little time here, one thing is clear: bad reputation or not, no one can deny the genius that is Nate Archer.
I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing it with my own eyes. People are seeking his opinion in every room and asking follow-up questions about everything he says. There’s always the occasional dirty look, but the fact still stands: everyone respects his mind.
And that includes Blake, the student he’s currently talking to. The poor guy is as red as a tomato and clearly nervous. It’s only when their technical conversation finishes that Blake seems to regain his ability to breathe properly.
“You ready to go?” Nate walks up to me when he’s finally done, nodding in the direction of the conference exit.
I shake my head, earning me a look of surprise. “I was wondering if we could stay? Maybe watch the next upcoming talk?”
Only one talk remains for the evening, and part of me hoped Nate wouldn’t question it too much.
Though I did tell Sutton that I would watch Carter Crawford’s talk on her behalf, I also wanted to see the guy for myself. It’s the only way I’ll be able to get a good read on him. My instincts about people’s characters are almost always right. And aside from what Nate has already told me, something about Carter rubs me the wrong way.
