“Tell me what happened, maybe I can help.”
So Tate did, in the middle of a bar while the girl he wanted sat not even fifty feet away. “So tell me, is it worth it? Do I stand here and wait, or do I go on? We have something, something great, but she won’t let go of all the shit this dick did to her.”
“Well, I am the wrong person to ask, I fuck ’em and leave ’em,” Phillip said. “That’s how I roll. But I agree there is something between you guys, and if I can see it, you know it’s real. So I mean, shit, Tate. Do you … What do you want to do?”
“I want her to love me.”
Phillip nodded, a shocked expression on his face. “Okay, what does she want?”
“She wants me to be there for her as a friend. She said she needs a friend.”
“And now you both are acting weird?”
“Yeah.”
“So stop, act like nothing changed. Until she says, ‘Tate, I don’t want you,’ keep on the way you’ve been. Be persistent. Don’t give up.”
Tate glanced across the bar and saw Audrey was sitting by herself now. On the dance floor he saw Piper and Erik dancing close, intimately. He had been so excited about getting her on the floor again, about being close. Phillip was right. Setting his beer down, he cupped Phillip’s shoulder in thanks then made his way across the bar. Audrey looked up just as he reached her.
“Get up, love, let’s go dance,” he said, pulling her up. Once they were on the dance floor, he took her hands and made her dance with him. When she wouldn’t move, he asked, “What’s going on!?”
She shook her head, pointed to the door. “Tate, let’s go talk.”
He smiled, shook his head and pulled her in close with his arms. “I don’t want to talk. I want to dance with the most beautiful girl in the room. So come on, show me these mad moves.”
Audrey moved her hands up his arms and shook her head. “You’re not gonna give up, are you?”
Tate smiled, leaning his head against hers. “Never.”
After that, the night went great. Tate and Audrey danced, and enjoyed the company of their friends. They just did what they did best, and that was being together.
Phillip had decided to go home with some girl, leaving them without a ride. Phillip was good for some things, but when a girl was involved, he was hopeless. Erik and Piper decided to share a taxi, leaving Tate and Audrey to get one of their own.
Standing in the driveway of their condos, Tate paid for the taxi as Audrey stood beside him, his jacket tightly around her. Thanking the driver, Tate turned, wrapping an arm around her.
“It is freezing out!” she declared, snuggling closer to him.
“It is, come on, let’s get you inside,” he said, walking with her to her door.
“So, thanks for a great night,” she said, turning to face him. “You really know how to show a girl a good time.”
Tate smiled. “You are welcome. I am just glad I got to see these mad moves of yours.”
“Told you they were killer,” she joked as she smiled brightly at him.
Silenced stretched between them as they stood staring at each other. Tate pushed his tongue against his teeth before taking her hand in his. “Are you going to let me kiss you good-night?”
Audrey looked long and hard at him.
“Kiss me, Audrey,” he said, pleading with his eyes. “Give me the green light, love.”
She shook her head as she moved away, opening her door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Tate nodded and watched as she gave him one last look before shutting the door. Lacing his fingers behind his head, he let out the breath he was holding. She was going to drive him insane, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He didn’t have anyone to call to help him figure it out. No family, no friends who could help. He was on his own, and what he wanted to do was not necessarily right. In his mind, he would have kissed her and worried about the repercussions later. He needed her, and he could see in her eyes that she needed and wanted him.