Chapter 54: A Little Friendly Competition

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: A Little Friendly Competition

Brandon showed up about ten minutes later with a bouquet of white calla lilies and a small gift bag. He wore a dark blue suit over a crisp white shirt, with polished black shoes. The color was close enough to Tessa’s dress that I had to assume it wasn’t a coincidence.

Nicole spotted him first.

"Guess who’s here?" she said, leaning slightly toward Tessa.

Tessa turned to look over her shoulder, and the moment she saw Brandon, her expression changed. She looked back at Rebecca and Nicole, then toward him again, as though waiting for one of them to give her permission to get up and go over.

Rebecca folded her arms. "He did leave you waiting for four hours last night. You could make him wait a little longer."

Tessa gave her a pleading look.

"Don’t listen to her," Nicole said, smiling. "Just go meet him."

Tessa’s face brightened. "Thank you, you guys."

Then she turned to me. "Thank you, Nathan."

I gave her a small nod. "You’re welcome."

She pushed back her chair and headed toward Brandon, who had just finished greeting someone near the entrance. His face lit up when he saw her, and he held out the bouquet and gift bag, saying something I couldn’t hear over the music. Tessa accepted both with a pout, but her response made him smile even wider.

I watched them for a moment, mostly curious to see whether the flowers and whatever was in the bag would be enough to get him out of trouble.

"Okay. My turn to leave."

I turned toward Rebecca, who was already pushing her chair back, and gave her a questioning look.

"I’m the party planner," she explained, standing up. "And it’s almost time to cut the cake, so I should probably make sure everything’s ready before Tessa decides to abandon her own birthday party entirely."

Rebecca grinned at us, then headed off into the crowd, leaving Nicole and me alone at the table.

I reached for my glass of iced tea and glanced at Nicole. She was watching Tessa and Brandon with a satisfied little smile, as though she’d personally arranged the whole thing.

I took a sip. "Your friends seem nice."

She turned to me, her eyes lighting up. "I’m glad you think so."

She held my gaze for a moment before tilting her head slightly, as though she’d just remembered something. "Wait. How did you come up with that advice for Tessa?"

I smirked. "You’re not the only genius in the room."

Nicole leaned a little closer, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "And here I thought you were only good with your hands when it came to cars."

I blinked, then stared at her. "You are a very naughty woman."

Nicole giggled and leaned back a little, looking entirely unrepentant. I shook my head, smiling to myself, and reached for my iced tea. Just then, her phone buzzed on the table.

She read the message and turned the screen toward me.

Come to the front. It’s time to cut the cake.

I looked from the screen to Nicole. She was pouting slightly, holding my gaze with eyes that practically said, Come with me.

I smirked and stood up. That was apparently all Nicole had been waiting for. She slipped her arm through mine with a satisfied smile, and we headed toward the front.

—

The front of the room had been cleared, with a large birthday cake sitting on a decorated table near the middle. A few people were already gathering around it, and Rebecca was standing beside the table, waving us over when she spotted us.

"There you are!" she called to Nicole. "I was about to send a search party."

She ushered us toward the group around the cake, checking that Tessa and Brandon were following. Tessa still held the bouquet, and although she seemed considerably less annoyed with Brandon, her occasional pout suggested he hadn’t been completely forgiven.

"All right, everyone, make some room!" Rebecca called, clapping her hands to get people’s attention. "It’s time for the birthday girl to do her thing."

A few people cheered as Tessa stepped in front of the cake. Brandon took his place beside her, and someone handed them a knife.

"Wait, wait!" Rebecca said, raising a hand before they could cut it. "We’re doing this properly. Everyone ready?"

A chorus of enthusiastic yeses answered her, though a few people were still trying to squeeze into better positions for pictures.

Rebecca grinned at Tessa. "On three. One, two, three!"

"Happy birthday!" everyone shouted.

Tessa laughed as she and Brandon guided the knife through the cake together. Cameras came out almost immediately, and several people started singing the birthday song again, apparently deciding the first round of cheering hadn’t been enough. Tessa covered her face for a second, laughing at the attention.

I glanced at Nicole. She was watching them with the same pleased expression she’d worn at the table.

"You look very proud of yourself," I murmured.

She turned to me, her smile widening. "I’m happy for them."

"Of course you are."

She nudged my arm with hers, looking entirely unbothered by my tone.

Once the obligatory pictures were taken, the cake was sliced and passed around. People gradually drifted back to their conversations with plates in hand, while a few stayed behind to take more pictures with Tessa.

Then the music grew louder.

The change wasn’t dramatic, but it was enough to shift the atmosphere. People who’d spent most of the evening talking in small groups began moving toward the open space in the middle of the room. A couple started dancing almost immediately, and others followed once the song picked up.

Within a few minutes, the area in front of the speakers had filled with people laughing, dancing, and occasionally dragging their friends into the middle despite their protests.

I watched one guy try to convince his friend to join him. His friend looked like he’d rather face a firing squad.

I understood the feeling.

Nicole, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content watching everyone enjoy themselves. She stayed close beside me, our shoulders gently brushing as the party slowly transformed around us.

Alessandro approached us with a drink in his hand, glancing toward the dance floor before looking at Nicole.

"Your friend looks happy," he said, nodding toward Tessa, who was laughing as Brandon attempted to lead her through what looked like a questionable interpretation of the music.

Nicole followed his gaze, then looked back at him with an amused smile. "You say that like she’s not your sister."

"Ah. You’re right." Alessandro took a sip of his drink. "Sometimes I forget she even exists."

Nicole laughed, shaking her head at him.

I watched them for a moment. Alessandro had known Nicole since her sophomore year, and Tessa was his sister. He’d been part of Nicole’s life for years before I’d even met her.

I found myself wondering just how much of her life he’d been around for.

Alessandro glanced at me and gave me a nod. I returned it easily, and he turned back to Nicole.

"I don’t think I’ve ever seen you pass up a chance to dance when there’s music playing," he said.

Nicole laughed. "First time for everything, I guess."

He gave her a skeptical look that practically said he wasn’t buying that excuse.

Nicole laughed again. "Okay, you caught me." She tilted her head and glanced at me, a teasing smile spreading across her face. "I do want to dance."

"Well, then, maybe we could—" Alessandro began.

"Do you want to dance with me?" Nicole cut in, turning to face me fully.

The two questions came out almost at the same time. Nicole didn’t seem to notice that Alessandro had been about to say something, but I did.

I glanced at him, then back at Nicole.

I could’ve been the bigger person and let him finish his sentence. I wasn’t exactly the dancing type, after all.

But where was the fun in that?

"Sure," I said.

Nicole’s face lit up at my answer. She took my hand before I could change my mind and pulled me toward the dance floor, slipping between a couple of guests until we reached a spot where there was enough room to move without getting elbowed by a stranger.

I was beginning to suspect that saying yes had been a mistake when she turned around, putting her back against my front. Before I could ask what she was doing, she took my hands and guided them around her waist, settling them over her tummy.

Then she leaned back against me.

Oh.

She started moving slowly with the music, her body swaying gently against mine.

Her back rested against my chest, and with each gentle sway, her hips brushed against me. Given where she was standing and where I was standing, I wasn’t exactly in a position to miss the contact. I tightened my hands slightly around her waist, mostly because I needed something to do with them that wouldn’t make my thoughts any less obvious.

Nicole kept dancing. She wasn’t doing anything particularly dramatic; she simply let the music guide her hips, taking her time as though she had nowhere else to be. Every so often, she’d settle back against me a little more, and I began to suspect that my almost-girlfriend had a very specific definition of what counted as dancing.

I lowered my head toward hers. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"

She tilted her head just enough to glance at me over her shoulder. "You have no idea."

I had a pretty good idea, actually. The problem was that she seemed determined to give me a better one.

She faced forward again, resting her hands over mine while continuing that maddeningly unhurried sway.

My eyes wandered across the room, eventually landing on Alessandro.

He was watching us. Our eyes met, and his jaw tightened just slightly before he lifted his drink and took a sip. Someone beside him nudged his shoulder and said something, drawing his attention away from us.

I looked down at Nicole. Her eyes were mostly closed, and she was still swaying happily to the music, apparently having the time of her life at my expense.

I looked back toward Alessandro, but he’d already turned his attention to the person beside him.

One thing was clear, though; he definitely felt something for Nicole. I just couldn’t tell if it was a crush or something more.