Tate shrugged again. “Me neither, but when it is just us, you act weird.”
“Because I don’t know how to act around you.”
“You just have to be yourself, Audrey. I don’t want anything else.”
She smiled. “I’m not that girl who came home with you after five minutes, Tate. That was hurt, drunk Audrey. I’ve never been like that before.”
He nodded. “I understand that, I’m not asking you to be.”
“Then what are you asking?” she said, her eyes wide and glossy as she looked up at him. He took a step toward her, and luckily, she had nowhere to go. Her head leaned back against the wall as her eyes met his. He watched her for a reaction, and when she didn’t say anything or move, he reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He needed to touch her, and even if it was only for a second, his heart was beating in overdrive.
“I just want to know you, Audrey, I’m not asking you to sleep with me again.” He paused, his lips curving into a grin. “Not that I would mind if you wanted to,” he added with a chuckle. She smiled bashfully. “I just want to know you. I want you to be comfortable around me.”
Audrey started to shake her head before he’d finished. “Tate, nothing can ever happen between us. You are so young and my brother-in-law’s best friend. What if the relationship went south? I’ve already tried dating Lucas’s best friend, and it didn’t work out for me. I just don’t see this”—she moved her hand between them—“working at all.”
Tate’s shoulders fell in defeat. He wanted to shake her, tell her that he was different, that he would never hurt her. She didn’t know him, though, so how could he convince her when she had no proof?
“Then let’s be friends.”
Audrey narrowed her eyes again, her lips perked out. “Be friends?”
“Yeah.”
“Just friends?”
“Sure,” he said with a shrug. He knew that once she got to know him, and when he put on his charm, she would have no chance. She needed to trust him first, though. Turning on a hundred-watt smile, he looked deep into Audrey’s eyes, begging her to say yes. He needed an in, he needed her to agree so he could convince her he was a good, honest man.
Audrey watched him for a moment, then let out a long breath. “Okay, I’ll try.”
“Awesome.”
After saying good-night, Tate went back to his condo. He kicked off his sneakers and tore his shirt off as he made his way through his living room before going upstairs. A grin remained on his lips as he opened the door to the second bedroom and went inside. Moving behind the piano he’d had since he was four, and sitting on the bench, he opened the keyboard lid and ran his fingers along the cool white keys.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone, turning it on before pushing his Facebook app. When he did what he wanted to do, he moved his fingers to the keys and started to play one of his favorite songs.
It had been an emotional day, and he had thought a lot about his parents and sister.
Being so close to Audrey and not being able to either verbalize his feelings or physically touch her the way he wanted to had also taken its toll, but hopefully all that would change. Hopefully, he could convince her that he wasn’t too young and that he was different than that asshole she had dated before. He was a patient man and he had no problem waiting. He knew Audrey was different.
She was the girl who made him want to have a girlfriend.