“You could say that,” I snort.
“So you’re buying chocolate...because...”
I shrug again. “Jacob is out of town and I’m bored.”
“You could come and watch Frozen with us, Lena is out of town too and we’re having a movie night.”
“Oh, I don’t think I should go to your house,” I say.
He stares at me, his eyes scanning my face. “We’ll come to yours then.”
I jerk my head up. “To watch movies?”
“Yeah.”
“With me?”
“No, with the dog.”
I laugh nervously. “Okay, sure, I mean...yeah.”
He chuckles softly and turns to Macy. “How would you like that, shorty? You want to go to Avie’s?”
“Oh yeah!” she squeals jumping up and down.
“Let’s go pick some real chocolate then,” he laughs, looking down at the contents in my cart.
“What’s wrong with my chocolate?” I pout, abandoning my cart to follow him.
“It’s awful and cheap.”
“It is not cheap,” I gasp. “Watch your mouth.”
He laughs loudly and we continue walking. We get some chocolate and candy, then turn to head out.
“Oh look,” Nate says as we go past the women’s clothing section. “Granny panties.”
I turn to him, rolling my eyes as he plucks a pair off the shelf. “Are these your size?”
I notice out of the corner of my eye that two older women are staring at him in shock. With a grin, I turn to face him fully and my mouth drops open. I force my bottom lip to quiver. “I’ve been trying,” I wail. “You told me I’d lost enough weight, that you loved me as I was.”
His face pales and his mouth drops open. “What?”
“How could you?” I cry, turning away from him.
The older women pass us and they shoot him some serious glares. I hear the word “Pig” muttered as they disappear. Nate turns to me, a murderous but playful expression on his face. “Oh you’ll pay for that.”
I laugh loudly and take Macy’s hand, rushing off. “Come on honey, let’s go.”
I hear his laughter behind me and I can’t wipe the smile off my face.
~*~*~*~
“Oh god, this movie,” I groan, covering my ears.
Nate leans in closer. “Let it go, let it go!”
“I’ll beat you, Nate,” I snap, glaring at him.
He grins and turns to Macy, who is asleep on the couch. She never made it through.
“Can I put her in your bed for a while?”
“Sure,” I say, standing.
He stands beside me and leans down, scooping her into his arms and carrying her down the hall after me. We lay her in the bed and I get an extra blanket to place over her. She shifts and groans slightly, but drops right off to sleep. We both sneak out.
“Do you want a drink?” I ask, walking into the kitchen.
“Sure,” he says, leaning against the counter.
I pull out a beer and raise my brows, he nods and I hand it to him.
“So dancer,” he says, taking a sip and placing it down beside him. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”
I slide up onto the counter and he quickly joins me.
“There’s not much to tell.”
“There’s always something to tell. What’s your favorite food?”
“Lame question, Nate,” I grin.
“Answer it anyway,” he smirks.
“Fine, I have a major weakness for Taco’s.”
“Hard or soft?”
I stare at him, eyes wide. “Huh?”
“Oh, Avery, you’ve let me down. You say you’re a fan, but you don’t know which one you like. Only a real Taco fan would be able to answer that question.”
“There’s only one way to have them, Nathaniel, and that’s with the crunchy one.”
He rolls his eyes. “Have you tried the soft?”
“No, Taco’s aren’t meant to be soft.”
“But how do you know you won’t like them, if you don’t try them.”
He’s grinning at me, the big asshole.
“Point made, now it’s your turn. What’s your favorite food?”
“Beer.”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “That’s such a man thing to say.”
“There’s a steak in every beer, it’s like the complete diet. Didn’t you know?”
“That’s such a stupid line,” I groan dramatically. “I mean come on, there’s a steak in every beer?”
“It’s true, they’re like a meal in a bottle. A man meal.”
He grunts and thumps his chest. “You’re such a knob.”
He gasps. “You’re so cruel to me.”