“On a serious note.” Evelyn emerges from my bedroom, back as her usual self. “How are you feeling about all of this?”
Scared. Nervous. Anxious. It’s all one big concoction of emotions.
A part of me is looking forward to seeing Nate again, but another doesn’t know what to expect when we haven’t talked in over a week. And the looming knowledge that I’ll besurrounded by the one thing I hate the most is also eating at me on the inside.
I barely survived Nate’s first showcase. God knows how this one will go. Will I be convincing as a fake fiancée under pressure? Will I run out of the place and be photographed by paparazzi again? There are so many questions unanswered.
But since these girls don’t know about that part of me yet, I settle on saying, “I’m just not sure what to expect at this conference.”
“I’ll tell you what to expect,” Sutton, the only person who’d know anything about this, proceeds to name everything with a sharp slice of her hand. “Hot men.”Slice. “Cool engineering.”Slice. “Cool planes.”Slice. “And big names in the industry like Carter Crawford.”
My eyes shoot up to hers in curiosity, skimming past everything she’s mentioned and focusing on that name. An eerie chill goes up my spine at the thought of him. From what Nate told me at the gym that day, he’s got bad news written all over him.
“Carter Crawford.” Evelyn quite literally swoons. “He is one good-looking man.”
“And how do you know about him?” I ask, genuinely puzzled.
Evelyn is not one to care for planesorengineering. It makes sense for Sutton to be engrossed in this world, given that it’s her passion, but Evelyn? The medical student who spends the majority of her time pulling all-nighters? Yeah. Not so much.
“He’s the talk of the town! And the girls are invested. He’shot, with a capital H, and his face card goes hard. Naturally, compilations and thirst trap videos about him are being made of him. And suddenly, women are interested in aerospace engineering.”
“Odd,” I voice my thoughts out loud.
“Sure, whatever. Now go!” Sutton shoves me out of the apartment’s front door before poking her head out to look on either side. “Where’s your groom?” she asks at the sight of the empty hallway.
“I told him I’d meet him downstairs.”
Evelyn and Sutton turn to each other with a pointed look.
“That’s not very gentlemanly of him,” the first says.
“Agreed. That is neither husband nor fiancé material,” the second adds.
I ignore their comments, making my way toward the elevator with a final wave of my hand.
The truth is, I’m the one who insisted that Nate not come up.
We didn’t end on great terms following the kiss incident. Our car ride back from New Jersey to the city had been painfully tense, so I assumed our road trip to Chicago would be more of the same. I was just looking to avoid the inevitable for a little longer.
Nate’s brows perk up when he sees me walking out of the building—the trunk of his car open, and his phone sandwiched between his ear and shoulder. He mumbles a few more words before hanging up, grabbing the carry-on from my hand, and securing its place in the back.
A loud bang marks its closure, leaving us on opposite sides of his car, staring at each other.
Tired green eyes and obvious scruff growing on his face. I’ve only ever seen him with facial hair when he’s stressed, and despite our avoidance of each other the past couple of weeks, I still want to know what he’s been up to. What’s keeping him up at night? If he’s been thinking about me just as much as I have about him?
“Hi.” He breaks the silence first, his gaze carrying something I can’t put my finger on.
Longing? Regret?I shake the thought—it’s all in my head.
“Hey,” I reply softly, finding myself focused on his lips for a second too long. He seems to notice when his eyes drop to my own, but doesn’t mention it. “So…should we get going?”
He nods.
We’ve barely opened the doors when a shout stops us in our tracks. “Take care of our girl, okay?” A cascade of amber hair spills out the window as the girl clings to the ledge.
“She’s in good hands with me,” Nate shouts back.
A satisfied smile spreads across Sutton’s lips before she retreats. And the strange thing is, not a single part of me doubts his words.
