“It’s nothing, just thought we could grab dinner,” Nate said, totally straightforward.
Lena looked a little stunned and didn’t reply right away
Just when I thought she was going to blow it again, probably to be all polite or whatever, she
surprised me with a simple, “Okay.
Yes!
??? ?
She wasn’tpletely clueless. At least she wasn’t about to push away a hot guy like Nate.
I mentally high–fived Lena, already imagining how amazing her night would be with her long–time
crush. But then Retta chimed in, “It’s been ages since we all hung out after graduation. We should
definitely have a proper reunion.”
Wait, what?!
Talk about an overenthusiastic third wheel.
I’d been there before; it was obvious Retta didn’t want Lena and Nate to have any alone time.
Lena was finally being brave, and now this uninvited guest was trying to weasel her way in. Even if
Lena wanted to go along with it, I wasn’t about to let that happen.
I was just about to jump in when Lena beat me to it. “Retta, Nate and I have something else to
discuss.” Boom. Direct and to the point.
Go, Lena! She wasn’t about to let this chance slip away
But Retta didn’t even flinch. Instead, she shed a cool smile. “I know it’s about the surgery for your
friend’s family member. You might not realize it, but I’m also part of this project. I’ll be assisting Nate
in the operation.”
Oh, she was determined to tag along.
And since she was ying the “I’m part of the surgery team” card, it was going to be tough for Lena
to refuse
Lena’s lips parted like she was about to say something, but before she could get a word out, Nate
spoke up. “I’m talking to Lena about personal stuff.”
My eyes widened. One word popped into my head: KO
Nothing could’ve been a better shutdown than what Nate just said.
Retta’s smile froze, and for a second, it looked more like she was in pain than trying to keep her
cool. She shoved her hands into her coat pockets, forcing a wry smile. “If it’s personal, then I won’t
intrude.” Then she turned to Nate. “But we really should get going. It’s not good to keep Dr. Warren
waiting.” Nate nodded at us, but his gaze lingered on Lena as they walked away.
Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.
In that moment, I was absolutely certain Nate had feelings for her.
I mean, leaving aside how he’d just shut down his supposed partner, the way he looked at Lena
wasn’t how any random guy looked at a girl.
I was internally screaming with excitement for her.
As soon as Nate and Retta were out of sight, I grabbed Lena and pulled her into a hug, whispering
in her ear, “Nate made the first move! You two are totally headed for something real.”
“No way,” Lena muttered, still blushing and looking a little unsure.
“He turned down Retta for you, and you’re still not convinced?” I shot back.
Lena bit her lip. “Honestly, I want something serious, like a lifelongmitment with just one
person, you know? And I’m not good at socializing or dealing with drama, so…”
I knew exactly what she meant–she didn’t want to fight Retta for a guy.
“So, you’re just gonna let the guy who’s basically falling into yourp slip away? Lena, if you do that,
I swear, I’ll lose all respect for you.”
She let out a long sigh. “That kind of love, where you’re constantly worried someone’s going to steal
him away, it sounds exhausting. I’m scared I won’t be able to handle it.”
“Dr. Lane,” I said, teasingly tapping her on the head with my finger, “did you forget what you told me
once? “Don’t stress over things that haven’t even happened yet.
“How do you know that if Nate really wants to be with you, he won’t set boundaries with Retta and
keep you from feeling exactly what you’re worried about?”
They say people are totally clueless about their own situations, and wow, was that true right now.
Lena dodged my finger, shaking her head. “Maybe we’re just imagining things too perfectly. What if
Nate asked me out, not because he likes me, but because he overheard us talking and wants to
stop me from having feelings for him?”