Mirage - Alice Tribue Page 0,14
and giving it a quick glance. “I’ve been good. You?”
“Fine. Why have you avoided me the last few days?”
And there it is. I’ve only known him for a few days, but already, I can tell that Nathan isn’t the type of person to hold back. If he has something to say, he has no qualms about just saying it.
“I wouldn’t say that I’ve avoided you.”
“Really? What would you say?”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Too busy to answer your phone or respond to a text?”
“Yes.”
“You’re so full of shit.”
“I beg your pardon? You did not just say that to me.”
“I did so say it to you. I’m not the kind of guy to sugarcoat things for you.”
“Fascinating,” I say with a tad more sarcasm than I intended. Our server chooses that moment to interrupt, giving me a slight reprieve from Nathan’s intensity. I can feel his eyes on me as I speak to her, giving her my order with precise detail. Once she’s gone, I reach for my water and take a healthy sip. His gaze never falters. I don’t know if it’s just his natural tendency to give all of his attention or if he’s doing it to unnerve me, but it’s definitely doing the latter.
“So, if you think I’m avoiding you, then why do you keep pursuing me?”
“Because you want me to.”
“Wow. How do you figure that?”
“I can tell by how hard you fight it, but there’s something there, this spark that’s just a little too intriguing for you to completely walk away from so eventually you give in and reply to a text or agree to a dinner you’re not so sure you should be on.”
“You have me all figured out, don’t you?”
“No, but I hope to.”
“What exactly do you envision happening here, Nathan? I think maybe we have two different views on what this is.”
“All right, hit me. What’s your view?”
“I see two people who are worlds apart, two people on very different paths, sharing a one-time meal.”
“Where are those people?”
“They’re you and me.”
“No, that’s not you and me. As far as I see it, you and I are just getting started. We are getting to know each other, and if I have it my way, we’ll get to know each other intimately at some point in the near future.”
“You’re delusional.”
“I’m a realist. You want to hide behind a wall, hide what you really want, because it might make your perfect world a little bit too messy. You’re worried about what my intentions are and about the age difference, which really shouldn’t matter at all.”
“I’m leaving.” I grab my bag, pushing my chair back and coming to a stand.
“Victoria. Sit. Down.”
“No.”
“Sit. Down. We’re just having a conversation. You can’t just walk away from someone because you didn’t like what they had to say.”
“I can do whatever I want.”
“Please, finish dinner with me. I’ll back off for now.”
“For now?”
“Come on, Tori, your food will be out any minute.”
I glare at him while he merely glances at me with what looks like a healthy dose of admiration. No, I’m not going to let you walk all over me, Nathan. “All right, fine,” I say, reclaiming my vacant chair. “But don’t say anything else that could be construed as asinine.”
“That might be hard, but I’ll definitely try.”
“And my name is Victoria, not Tori.”
“Got it.” He takes a drink of his wine just as our dinner is brought out.
“So, how was work today?”
“It was good; busy which is always good in my line of work.”
“Where is this spa of yours located?”
“East twenty-eighth between Madison and Park, but I’m opening another location soon.”
“Madison and Park?” he questions his eyebrows arched in surprise. “That screams money.”
“It’s just like any other day spa,” I smile and let out an involuntary giggle, “although it might be slightly more expensive than your average spa.”
“Was that a joke?” He grins, cocking his head to the side.
“Maybe.”
“I didn’t know you were capable of joking.”
“I’m capable of a lot of things.”
“So, what, you just like to give me a hard time? Is that it?”
“I guess I do.”
“So you like me,” he declares.
“How did you work that out?”
“You know when the kids on the playground push each other around, they usually like each other. Same theory.”
“How’s your steak?” I question, trying to avoid this topic of conversation. He really is relentless in his pursuit, and I quickly realize that I have to stay on my toes around him.
“It’s been murdered and burned to perfection. Your shrimp?”
I smile at him. “You have such a