I'd love that.
Her response pinged through immediately.
Girls' night. This Friday. Krystal and I will pick you up at 8.
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. A real one this time. A night out with friends was exactly what I needed. A chance to untangle the mess in my head. To just stop thinking about Nathan for a little while.
Yeah. That sounded perfect. So why did my pulse still flutter at the mere thought of him? Why did some secret, traitorous part of me ache to see him again?
I dropped my fork into my untouched salad and scrubbed a hand over my face. I had to get myself together.
School passed in a blur. I had to make a quick stop after work, and then I could head home and bury myself in a book or something to distract me from my intrusivethoughts.
The automatic doors whooshed open as I stepped into the fluorescent glow of the grocery store. I grabbed a basket, the plastic handle cool, and headed for the produce section. Just a quick stop. In and out. Get what I need and go home.
"Hey, stranger." A familiar voice jolted me out of my reverie. I glanced up to see Jenna waving at me from behind the checkout counter, her blonde ponytail bobbing with the motion.
I mustered a smile as I approached. "Hey! How's it going?"
Jenna leaned forward, her elbows propped on the conveyor belt. "Same old, same old. Although..." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "The pack gossip is wild today."
My brow arched. "Should I be concerned?"
Jenna grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Nope. But you should come to the next pack meeting."
A laugh bubbled up my throat, startling me with its genuineness. "I'll be there."
With a parting wave, I headed toward the back of the store, the basket swinging from my arm. Ifocused on the task at hand, mentally ticking off items on my list. Milk, check. Bread, check. I turned down the next aisle, scanning the shelves for peanut butter.
And then I saw him.
Nathan stood mere feet away, his broad shoulders hunched as he examined a jar like it held the secrets of the universe. My stomach plummeted, a sickening lurch that left me breathless.
Of course he was here. Of all the places, of all the times...
I contemplated turning around, slipping away before he noticed me. But as if sensing my presence, his head snapped up. Our gazes collided, a palpable force that rooted me to the spot.
His expression was unreadable, a mask of careful neutrality. But there was something else lurking beneath the surface. Something heated and intense, a simmering energy that crackled between us like an electrical current.
I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. What was I supposed to say? What could I possibly say after last night?
No. I couldn't go there. Couldn't let myself dwell on the what-ifs and might-have-beens.
I squared my shoulders and strode forward, determined not to let him see how flustered I was. I reached for a jar on the shelf, my fingers brushing against his as he did the same. Heat shot up my arm at the contact, and I snatched my hand back as if burned.
Nathan smirked, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Avoiding me?"
I forced a casual tone, shrugging. "Why would I do that?"
He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low rumble. "You ran."
I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze head-on. "We both did."
Something flickered in his expression, a darkness that made my breath catch. "Doesn't mean I wanted to."
The intensity in his eyes, the way he looked at me like a man starved, made my knees weak. I swallowed hard, ready to fire back a retort, but the words died on my tongue as Elle rounded the corner.
The tension in Nathan's face vanished, replaced by a stiffness in his posture. Elle's gaze flicked between us, her expression unreadable but guarded.
