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She spotted a small, black, round tin on her desk. It was tattoo balm. From a company she’d used for years. But this wasn’t hers. She opened the lid; it was brand new.
Huh.
She’d have to ask…someone about that later.
Music and male laughter trickled down the hall and she envisioned the lounge being walled off. That helped.
Kind of.
When lunch rolled around, she grabbed Asa and made him eat with her outside. No one else was invited. If Asa thought she was being weird, he didn’t say.
Tuesday and Wednesday were filled to the brim with her favorite kinds of distraction. She helped get Asa acquainted with their process and equipment. She sat in on a few commercial clients before leaving Asa to work his magic.
He really was an audio wizard.
And having him in the studio had alleviated a lot of the stress that had been back-building for God knew how long. It was just one of those instances when she hadn’t realized how heavy something had gotten until she was no longer carrying it.
And she hadn’t seen André.
Or talked to him or talked about him or thought about him at all.
Okay, that last part was a lie. She’d thought about him. But only when she was trying not to. You know? Like, she’d have the thought, “I’m so glad I’m not thinking about André and all his muscles. Crap!”
She and Asa had finally discussed all the things that they needed to.
Mostly.
She still got the impression that he wasn’t being totally forthcoming with her about his more complicated feelings. Especially when it came to his sister. And that was okay.
He was back to making music again and that was his happy place. The rest they could work on later.
By the time Thursday began, she was feeling very confident that whatever had been happening between her and André had been a fluke. Leftover chemistry that just needed to burn itself out.
The lounge would be finished, and he would be gone again. And her heart would not be rebroken. It would stay intact from the last time she’d superglued it back together.
It was her overconfidence that kept her from bracing when someone knocked on her open door.
She glanced up, completely unprepared.
“Hey,” André said with a smile. He braced his hands on the top of the doorframe and leaned into her office. “Are you still coming to the benefit tonight?”
“Mm-hm,” she confirmed, her eyes darting all around him and trying very hard not to notice the tanned sliver of skin showing between the hem of his shirt and his jeans. But his biceps were extra muscly today and his t-shirt sleeves were bunched up near his armpits. As if his biceps had had enough of their nonsense and exiled them to the tops of his shoulders.
Good God damn.
“Do you need a ride?” he asked.
“Asa is dropping me off.”
“Cool.” André dropped his arms and tucked his hands in his pockets. “I’m really looking forward to you meeting my friends tonight.” And then he left.
But Nikki sat there for at least ten minutes going over their small interaction. He didn’t seem fazed the slightest bit that she’d been avoiding him all week. That was good, right?
And also, his friends?
She’d met some of his friends when they were together. None of them had been introduced as close friends. They were more like colleagues or acquaintances. And the one time she’d met his dad, he hadn’t wanted to introduce them.
Therefore, the fact that he wasexcitedabout sharing any part of his life with her was…confusing.
