by Cleo Jones
“Probably not,” Zoë admitted, turning to look him in the eye for the first time in minutes. “But then again…I don't really like any of the women you tend to gravitate towards, so she shouldn't be too flattered.”
Nate smiled and held Zoë's gaze for just a split second too long to be platonic.
“So, why aren't you out there?” Zoë questioned in an attempt at breaking the awkwardness, nodding at Audrey.
Regardless of her lack of rhythm, Zoë understood why men always seemed to gravitate towards the girl. She was a stunner. There wasn't any denying that.
“Do you really need a reminder?” Nate replied.
Zoë stared at him with faux gullibility, feigning as though she had no idea what he was referring to.
“My parents wedding. A 500-dollar cake. My frosting covered tux. Any of that ringing a bell?”
Zoë laughed as the incident replayed in vivid detail in her head. “Oh I remember,” she told him. “I just didn't realize it had scarred you for life.”
“Haha,” Nate muttered.
“Oh come on,” Zoë chastised, nudging him in the side. “How old were you when that happened? 10? As adorable as it is, I think it's time you get over your embarrassment. Are you really trying to live up to the whole 'white boys can't dance' trope?”
“Some guys dance, and some guys don't,” Nate said with a slight shrug. “I just happen to fall into the latter category.”
“You sure about that?”
Nate nodded.
“Up,” Zoë demanded, standing up and extending her small hand to him. When he didn’t budge, she sighed and crossed her arms.
Nate offered her a slight grin as a sense of nostalgia settled over him. He knew the mischievous look in her eyes well enough to know that it meant trouble.
“Nate,” Zoë said just a little too sweetly, leaning in so that they were eye to eye. “Will you please do me the honor of dancing with me?”
Nate froze when he felt Zoë’s palm make soft contact with his forearm. When he didn't say anything, she fluttered her long lashes at him and gave him a coy pout.
“Really?” Nate stated. “Since when do you beg? Who are you and what have you done with Zoë Powell?”
Zoë sighed dramatically. “Forget it,” she said, sitting back down as her normal demeanor returned in full force. “It works on Evan.”
“Yeah, well, I'm not Evan,” Nate said just a little too forcefully. He clenched his jaw and fidgeted with his Rolex, but the furrow between his brows softened when he looked up and found Zoë staring at him.
Zoë wasn't sure if it was all the liquor in her blood stream or the sudden rush of desire that was making its way through her, but she was feeling unusually brazen even by her standards. Not giving Nate any time to protest, she pulled him upwards and escorted him out onto the crowded dance floor, allowing her small fingers to fit perfectly into his.
When Zoë was sure that Audrey was nowhere within their line of vision, she began to move in time with the music, using Nate's stiff form as a point of reference. “Oh come on,” she said when he remained immobile. “I didn't drag you out here for you to do your best Queen’s Guard impression.”
“Well what did you expect?” Nate countered. “It's not like I claimed to be Bobby Brown or something. You knew what you were getting yourself into.”
Zoë sighed and turned to face him. Before he could react, she grabbed hold of his hands and placed them firmly on her hips. “Just follow my lead,” she instructed.
“What?” Nate balked.
“My movements. Follow them. Come on, Nate, I'm making this as easy as I possibly can for you.”
Zoë began dancing again, only this time Nate's sturdy figure was pressed a lot more firmly behind hers. She could feel how tightly wound he was, but as the song gathered in tempo, he began to loosen up and take the reigns, until the gap between them was so small that she could feel his breath against her neck.
Zoë reached back to snake her arms around Nate’s neck, bringing them closer together as everyone around them seemed to fade into the background. It wasn't until she heard his breath hitch in his throat that she was brought back down to reality.
Zoë sighed when she spotted Audrey standing on the outskirts of the dance floor watching them like a hawk. If looks could kill, she was as good as dead.
Nate straightened up and pulled away from Zoë just as quickly as they'd come together, unlatching his hands from her hips and clearing his throat in an attempt at appearing normal. Not that it mattered. The damage was already done.
“I'm ready to go,” Audrey announced as she approached them. Gone were the sugary-sweet pretenses Zoë had grown accustomed to from her. The pinched up look on her face did a pretty good job of illustrating just how pissed off she was.
Audrey grabbed hold of Nate's arm like a shark going in for a kill and pulled him towards the door without another word.
When they were finally gone, having disappeared into the flock of tourists making their way down Bourbon Street, Zoë made her way back to the booth and swallowed back the last of her drink. She knew the ache that had settled into the pit of her chest all too well, and she also knew that she shouldn't have been feeling it. She had Evan, and she was perfectly happy with him.
Wasn't she?
Zoë sighed and dug through her purse for a stick of gum, hoping the chewing would calm her nerves. Surely this had to be nothing more than all the liquor in her bloodstream playing tricks on her. Yeah. That had to be it. It had nothing to do with Nate and the smoldering way in which he touched her.
Nothing.
Chapter four
Zoë awoke the following morning to the smell of breakfast and wearily opened her eyes. After taking a moment to adjust to the sunlight, she crawled out of bed and rummaged through the blankets for her clothing before making her way into the kitchen in search of Evan.
“Morning,” he said as soon as she entered. “Or should I say afternoon?”
Zoë returned his smile and took a seat behind the island to watch him work. He was going back and forth between the oven and the counter, and hefty plates stacked full of corned beef hash, Pain Perdu doused in powdered sugar, scrambled eggs, and fresh cut bacon surrounded him.
Zoë leaned forward to grab a piece of bacon and bit into it before he could stop her. As with everything else, it was cooked to perfection. This, Zoë decided, had to be one of the biggest perks of dating a chef. Eating well came with the territory.
“I’m guessing I did good?” Evan questioned, eyeing her with slight amusement as she dug in.
Zoë nodded and licked the excess grease from her fingertips. “Sure did,” she replied. “But what else is new?”
Evan smirked and set the pan he was holding back down on the stove before retrieving a piece of sourdough bread from the toaster and biting into it. This was what he always did. He made Zoë amazing breakfasts just to eat like a bird himself. “Hey, so…what was up with that Audrey chick last night?” he questioned as she grabbed a plate and dug in, pulling off his apron and taking a seat beside her.
Zoë tensed at the reminder of what had transpired the previous night. She was actually hoping it was something she’d be able to forget. “What do you mean?” she questioned in a nonchalant tone, attempting to mask her anxiety with her usual air of disinterest.
“I don't know. She just seemed a little pissed off about something.”
“That’s just Audrey,” Zoë lied, focusing on her food. “I wouldn’t read too much into it. She’s like the Dow. You can never really know when she’s going to be up or down.”
Evan laughed at the remark and picked up a fork, stealing a bite of Zoë’s eggs. “Well I’m surprised Nate went for someone like her after he had you. I know she’s a model, but talk about a downgrade. No man wants a woman with less shape than him.”
Zoë froze in mid-bite. She knew Evan was attempting to give her a compliment, but all it did was make her feel awkward. As much as she liked to joke, she wa
sn’t one for men comparing two women for the sake of flattery. Especially not when she was one of them.
“Yeah, well, Nate’s always had a very eclectic taste in women,” she said with a shrug, standing up to pour herself a mug of coffee.
Evan stared at her for a second before speaking again. “You mind if I ask you something?” he questioned, suddenly serious.
“If this is about Nate…you really have nothing to worry about. He’s perfectly happy with Audrey, I assure you.”
“It’s not that,” Evan replied, scratching his jaw. “It’s just…you’ve been spending a lot of time here lately, and we’ve been together almost a year now. I think it’s time we have a talk about the next phase of our relationship. You know, the phase where you move in with me.”
And there they were. Those three dreaded words that never ceased to fill Zoë with fear of the unknown. Those three words that almost always sent her running.
The next phase.
“Wait, what?” Zoë questioned, setting down her coffee to keep from spilling it and shaking her head in disbelief. She was sure she’d heard him wrong. She must have. There was no way he was doing the very thing Aniyah claimed he would. She wasn’t that insightful…was she?
Evan’s expression made it clear to Zoë that her reaction wasn’t the one he’d been hoping for, but he continued speaking anyway. “You heard me,” he said, looking her square in the eye. “I want you to move in. You’re already here all the time as it is. It wouldn’t be that big of a change, would it?”
When almost a full minute passed without Zoë saying anything, Evan swallowed hard and looked away from her. “Forget it,” he said, standing up to clear her plate. “I knew it was too soon.”
Zoë tried her best to convince herself that this was no big deal. It wasn’t like Evan had asked her to marry him or something. It was just living together. Good ol’ fashioned cohabitation. And yet, Zoë couldn’t deny the overwhelming feeling of suffocation that had settled over her. She liked her space, and her cluttered apartment, and the privilege of being able to come and go in Evan’s life as she pleased. She couldn’t imagine how claustrophobic she’d feel if all of that was suddenly taken away from her.
“Look, I’m not saying no,” Zoë finally spoke up, finding her voice. “I just need a couple days to think it over.”
Evan nodded and gave Zoë an optimistic smile before continuing to load the dishwasher. At that moment, her phone vibrated on the counter, saving her from any further awkwardness. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and thanked him for breakfast before making her way into the other room to answer it.
Aniyah began rambling as soon as Zoë picked up.
“Hey boo, look I know this is kind of short notice, but I was wondering if you’d be up for lunch with Audrey and me. This wedding shit is driving me up the wall. I could really use a girls day out.”
Zoë sighed inwardly. It wasn't that she didn’t want to spend time with Aniyah. She was just really hung over, and the prospect of seeing Audrey again so soon after what had transpired the previous night wasn’t one that sat well with her. “Did you have to invite her?” she complained, taking a seat on Evan’s couch and pulling her legs up under herself.
“Zoë, come on,” Aniyah pleaded. “Remember what I said about playing nice?” When Zoë didn’t respond, she spoke up again. “Look, I know she ain’t exactly your favorite person in the world, and yeah she’s a little bit irritating, but she’s Nate’s girl. I think we owe it to him to at least give her a chance, don’t you?”
Zoë sighed in defeat.
“Thatta girl,” Aniyah said in an encouraging tone. “Anyways, I thought we could meet at that little French restaurant down the street from your place. Galatoire’s. Does 2:30 work for you?”
Zoë shrugged and chewed at the pad of her thumb. “Yeah, that’s fine,” she mumbled, failing to state that she’d already eaten.
“Great, and Zoë?”
“Hm?”
“Try to be nice, alright?”
“Alrigghttt.”
Aniyah’s laughter was the last thing Zoë heard before the line went quiet. Wonderful. This was just what she needed. Another perfectly good day wasted on the likes of Audrey Daniau.
Chapter five
Nate awoke with a start and groaned as he came into contact with the harsh sunlight leaking its way through the large bay windows in front of him. Disoriented, he sat up and looked around in an attempt at gauging his surroundings. It wasn't until he noticed a familiar red dress strewn across the floor that it finally clicked.
He was in Audrey's parent's pool house.
Nate sighed and dropped his head back down on his pillow as his stomach rumbled for carbs to soak up all the excess alcohol in his system. He also had a raging headache, no doubt a side effect of the previous nights rocky events.
“Nate?” a feminine voice called out from across the room.
Nate rolled over to find Audrey standing in the doorway in his t-shirt, which was really more of a dress on her.
“You okay?” she questioned, taking a seat on the edge of the bed and grazing her fingers down his back.
“Uh…yeah,” Nate managed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he attempted to push away the very vivid memory of Zoë's body against his. He was almost convinced it had all been a dream. “Just a little hung over.”
Audrey eyed him for a moment before deeming his answer as an acceptable one. “Well I have a question,” she continued. “I was going through your wallet trying to find the card for Galatoire’s so I could make a reservation, and I ended up finding a bunch of receipts from Café du Monde instead. Care to explain?”
Nate sighed and pulled a pillow over his head. He felt shitty enough as it was. The very last thing he needed right now was Audrey hitting him with the third degree over a couple baked goods.
“Nate!” Audrey exclaimed, frowning at his reaction. “I thought we went over this the last time I was here. That place is bad-carb hell. In no time at all, it'll take this sexy body of yours and make it fat. I mean…they're called 'donuts'…as in dough. Why would you ever eat something that implies fat?”
Unbelievable.
Nate zoned Audrey out as she continued with her rambling. Quite frankly, he didn’t care for her opinion on this particular subject. Café du Monde was one of his favorite places in the city. Ever since he'd moved back home after ending a short sports anchor stint in Manhattan, he'd gotten into the habit of starting his mornings with a beignet and Café Au Lait prepared by Zoë's younger sister, Erica, who worked there as a means of putting herself through college.
The sugary treats had become one of Nate’s favorite ways to start a day, but if he was being honest, it was the small chance he had of bumping into Zoe during her morning commute that appealed to him more than anything.
“Nate, this isn't funny,” Audrey said with an elongated sigh, taking notice of the faint smirk on his face. “This is about your health. It's no laughing matter.”
“I know,” Nate said. “I just think you’re being a little dramatic, that’s all.”
Audrey pulled her hand from his back and gave him an offended look, but she bit her tongue and remained quiet when she realized she wouldn’t be winning this battle. There were far more pressing matters on her mind anyway. “So I know this is going to sound totally paranoid,” she began, speaking cautiously. “But I have to ask. There’s nothing going on between you and Zoë anymore, right?”
Nate furrowed his brows at the question. Of course there was nothing going on between him and Zoë. They were done and over with.
Weren't they?
“Because she was all over you last night,” Audrey continued, speaking rapidly. “It didn't seem very platonic to me. It actually made me feel pretty awkward. Like the third wheel in my own relationship or something.”
Nate tensed up at the reminder of the very compromising position Audrey had found him and Zoë in. She was right. There was nothing platonic about the way they w
ere dancing, but that sure as hell didn’t mean he was about to admit it.
“Nate?” Audrey pressed when he didn’t say anything, forcing him to meet her gaze. Her unease was as clear as day.
“Look, that really wasn't what it looked like,” Nate lied, finding his voice. “We're just friends. That whole thing last night was…well…it was just dancing. It didn't mean anything. You're the only woman I have feelings for. I promise.”
Audrey studied his face for a second before giving him a relieved smile and snuggling into the crook of his arm. They laid in silence for a while, but it wasn’t long before she spoke up again. “I can’t believe Aniyah is getting married,” she said with false nonchalance. “It must be so weird for you. You guys have known each other your entire lives, haven’t you?”