He reaches across the table, tucking my hair behind my ear before his fingers settle at the base of my neck. “You keep fidgeting in your seat.” His thumb brushes over my pulse, soothing in a way that makes my body instinctively ease into his touch. “You’re tense.”
I swallow, suddenly hyperaware of how attuned he is to me—even in a mundane setting like this. I haven’t even noticed my own restlessness, but of course he has.
“I’m fine,” I reply, offering a small smile.
Nathaniel hums, unconvinced. “You didn’t eat much earlier,” he observes. “I’ll cook for you when we get back.”
He always does this—not just the watching, but the anticipating. He’s already acting on my needs before I can recognize them myself.
Nathaniel smooths out every road before I even realize that there’s a bump in the path. It’s thoughtful, instinctual, yet there’s no denying that it feels a little calculated.
He needs to be the only one who tends to me. As if the rest of the world would mishandle me, fail to recognize the parts of me that he treasures most.
A quiet buzz breaks my focus. I glance at my phone, the glow of the screen illuminating a text message.
CAROLYN
Still good for dinner?
I barely think before responding, thumbs moving swiftly as I type out a quick confirmation.
“Oh,” I say aloud, glancing at Nathaniel. “I told Carolyn and Sophie I’d catch up with them later.” Then, as an afterthought, I add, “I should probably get going soon.”
“Sure,” he says smoothly. “Let’s go.”
I freeze, blinking at him.
Let’s?
I look up just in time to see him shutting his laptop, his motions easy, fluid—as if it’s a given. As if there was never a question of whether or not he’d be coming too.
This is new.
Before, Nathaniel might have asked, a polite “Do you mind if I join you?”Always so careful in the way he inserted himself into my life. But now, there is no hesitation, no space for me to exist separately.
I push back, keeping my tone light. “Actually, we’re having a girls’ night.”
For the briefest moment, his expression flickers. Something sharp. Possessive. Gone as quickly as it appears.
“Girls’ night?” Nathaniel repeats, testing the words on his tongue.
I nod, smiling, already trying to soothe him before the tension in his shoulders can take root. “No boyfriends allowed! Even Tyler is getting kicked out of Sophie’s apartment.”
He hums thoughtfully, eyes on me.
I add quickly, “I haven’t met up with them since we got back from New York. It’ll be good to catch up.”
Nathaniel doesn’t respond right away.
Instead, he leans back in his chair, studying me. I’ve come to know that look. It’s the same one he gives to people who inconvenience him, who get in his way.
And then, just like that, his expression shifts. The tension melts into something softer, more affectionate.
“Of course,” he says, warmth lacing his voice. “You should spend time with your friends.”
I exhale in relief—too soon.
Nathaniel tilts his head with a small smile. “But then you’ll stay over tonight, right?”
