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He blinked, and she chuckled before giving him another quick kiss and walking away.
Drew was still trying to get his bearings as he turned to go back inside. That’s when he noticed that they’d had an audience. A handful of guys, including Baily and Romeo, were standing outside the bay watching his interaction with Beth. Ignoring them, he opened the door he’d exited a few minutes before and headed back to his desk. He knew what was coming, but he was going to try to hide from it for a few minutes more. At least until he could get his body’s reaction to that kiss to go away.
***
“I gave him a key.”
Nicole paused with her fork halfway between her plate and her mouth. Her face was completely blank as she stared across the table. Beth didn’t know what to make of her best friend’s reaction to her declaration.
“Would you say something? Am I being stupid?” Beth asked.
It took Nicole another few moments. She returned her utensil to her plate and placed her hands in her lap. “That depends.”
“On?”
“On why you did it.”
At least Nicole didn’t immediately tell Beth that she’d lost her mind. “We’ve spent pretty much all our free time together since our date last Saturday.”
“I know.”
She glared at her friend. “Are you going to let me finish?”
Nicole waved her hand indicating Beth should continue.
“Anyway . . . I was surprised at how much I missed him Tuesday night when he had to work and that was after he’d only spent one night in my bed.” Beth plucked nonexistent fuzz from her napkin. “He has to work tonight and I know I’m going to miss having him beside me.”
Luckily, Nicole caught on to her train of thought. “And you don’t have to work tomorrow so you were thinking he could come straight from his shift and maybe be there when you wake up?”
It was embarrassing to admit, but there it was. “Something like that.”
“Do you regret giving him the key?” she asked. It was just like Nicole to cut to the chase.
Beth sighed. “No.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Everything is moving so fast with him. I mean, we just started dating and I want to be with him all the time. That’s not normal,” Beth said.
Her friend gave her a knowing smile.
“What?”
“You’re falling in love with him.”
She sat up straight in her chair, defiant. “No, I’m not.”
Nicole picked up her drink and brought it to her lips. “If you say so.”
“I can’t be. It-it’s too soon.” When Nicole didn’t respond, Beth asked, “Isn’t it?”
“Only you can answer that, Beth. But let me remind you that while you’ve only been officially dating for eight days, the courtship has been happening for well over a month.”
Beth didn’t comment right away. “How did you know with Jeff?”
Her friend’s eyes lit up at the mention of her man. “We were sitting in his apartment one evening watching a movie. He looked over at me and asked if I wanted any popcorn.”
That didn’t sound like an aha moment to Beth, but what did she know? With Ben, it had been a gradual thing. There wasn’t a single moment she could pinpoint when she’d fallen in love with him. It just sort of showed up one day. “Him asking if you wanted popcorn doesn’t sound all that romantic.”
