Chapter 33

Chapter 33: In which she has two days left to Christmas.

Nikki's P.O.V :

"Hey!" I gave her a big hug. "I'm glad that you guys made it."

"Well, we deserve a good time too!" Tina laughed, looking completely different from her usual secretary self. Gone were the prim and proper shirts and pencil skirts. In her place stood a wavy blonde haired woman of 32, dressed in a figure hugging red dress with gold heels and hoop earrings, a tiny gold clutch in hand.

I was dressed up too, in a green shift dress that reached just above my knees and a white pearl necklace. But I looked nowhere near as hot as this dang girl!

"This is my husband, Raymond Moore." She pointed to a man in his mid 30’s, short black hair and brown eyed. He wore a black shirt with red cuffs and black denims. They looked good together.

"Hello, Raymond," I smiled as I felt arms wrap around my waist. "This is Lyric, my fiancé. We saw each other at Savannah’s thanksgiving party but I don’t t think we properly met."

"Hi," they shook hands. "Come on, mate. I'll get you a drink."

"Does he own this bar too?" Tina asked as soon as the men were gone.

"Yes," And it had been hard won. "But I have to say though, that was nicely done."

"Savannah had no clue, did she? When you told her to borrow your dress." We moved to a corner couch to talk in private, our men seemed to be having a good time by the bar. It was still early, the music was slow and the bar hadn't turned suffocating yet.

"Absolutely not! I was surprised we didn't get caught." We accepted the drinks that the men brought for us. "I just hope everything goes well between them. This past month had been depressing. They are miserable without each other!"

"True. Then let's raise a toast to a bright future and hoping that a new couple joins the gang!" Tina raised a toast.

"Cheers!"

Savannah’s P.O.V:

"This is awkward...." I muttered under my breath as I stood in front of Nate's table, not knowing what to do.

"Have a seat." Nate surprised me by pointing to the seat in front of him.

"But...this was a trick....way past Halloween, I admit, but a trick nonetheless,” I laughed nervously. “So I think we should just go home and forget that this even happen-why are you getting up-oh! Of course, to leave, sure, this was a wrong idea-"

"Savannah!" He covered my mouth with his hand. "You're babbling."

"I...I..." I was clearly at a loss for words.

Time felt frozen in that one instant. Him gazing into my eyes and mine meeting his electric blues. For an instant I thought he might kiss me, as he slowly removed his hand from my mouth, one of his fingers brushing my lips gently. I saw the desire in his eyes, knew that it reflected in mine. No matter how much we try to ignore it, this attraction between us never waned. I thought I felt him lean closer or was it me...

The sound of a child’s waling from a table nearby pierced the air and the moment was shattered.

Nate pulled away from me, eyes closed. Deep breaths. It was as if he was trying to compose himself, distance himself from me. But he didn't leave.

Instead, Nate pulled out the chair in front and helped me in. He returned back to his chair, looking as perfect as the day I'd first seen him. Charcoal pants and jacket paired with a steel blue shirt. The only thing that betrayed his tiredness were the dark circles under his eyes.

"You haven't been sleeping well." I said before I could stop myself.

I was ready to hear him say that it was none of my business, but to my surprise, he didn't. "Neither have you. You've lost weight." He pointed out.

I have indeed. Nikki's the one who kept forcing things down my throat. If it weren't for her, I would've starved to death by now. Fortunately, I didn't have to make excuses. The waiter who had escorted me here, showed up with the menu card.

Nate took it and looked over. "I'll have a Spaghetti Carbonara and Chocolate Truffle for desert. Savannah?"

"Anything's fine." I answered. Truthfully, I wasn't looking forward to dinner. I wanted to make a run for the door and get into bed and never get out, come what may.

"A Mushroom Risotto, with butter and cheese as less as possible and please don't overcook the rice. As for desserts....a strawberry shortcake muffin with real strawberries, no jam. That'll be all, thank you."

My jaw hit the floor as Nathan put his hand on his chin artfully, to hide his smirk.

I honestly didn't know if I should be flabbergasted or excited.

"Close your mouth, Savannah." Nathan smirked, moving his hand away from his chin. "Wouldn't want any flies to dampen your taste buds before you even had a chance to taste the meal I took so long to explain. The instructions were quite specific."

I shut my mouth, but laughter bubbled out of my lips anyway. Soon, Nathan joined in.

"How did you... "

"Remember all this?" Nathan asked, laughter in his eyes. "Easy. I know you well enough, Miss. I'm-a-picky-eater."

I laughed. "Hey, you can't blame me for that Mr. I-prefer-hot-chocolate-over-beer!"

Our laughter did attract quite some attention from the nearby tables, but it didn't matter. Right now, sitting next to Nathan, it felt like everything was okay. No barriers, no secrets. Just me and Nate.

But the countdown had begun. There were only two days left for Christmas. With my luck, it won't be long before someone let the dogs out.