Love Beyond Words (City Lights, #1)(13)

Chapter Six


“I met someone,” Natalie said when there was a lull—finally—in the good-natured bickering between Liberty and Marshall. They lowered their cocktails with comic sameness, and swiveled their heads toward her.

“What?” Liberty’s mouth was agape. “You’re joking.”

“Ssh!” Marshall hissed, as if silence were possible in his favorite noisy bar on Market Street. “Did you hear that cracking sound? That was hell freezing over.”

Natalie gave him a dirty look. “Your support is duly noted. And no, I’m not joking.”

“Well?” Liberty rolled her hand. “Who is he? Spill it.”

Natalie shrugged. “Not sure I want to, now.”

“Don’t get in a snit,” Marshall said. “Look at it from our perspective: Halley’s comet only comes every seventy years…”

Liberty jabbed him with her elbow. “Marshall, zip it.” She patted Natalie’s hand. “Don’t mind him; he’s premenstrual. Tell us everything. We’ll behave, I promise.”

Natalie felt the weight of her friends’ attention and wished mightily she had kept her mouth shut. “It’s nothing. He’s just someone…a customer at the café.”

“And? A regular? What’s his name? What’s he look like? What’s he do?”

“Yes, he’s a regular. His name is Julian—”

“Julian, Julian…” Marshall mused. “Professional chess player? Debate team captain?”

Natalie ignored him. “Julian Kova?. He’s very smart, extraordinarily good-looking—”

“Extraordinarily good-looking.” Liberty nodded knowingly at Marshall. “Not just ordinary good-looking.”

“Yes,” Natalie countered. “To be perfectly honest, he’s gorgeous. And I’m not sure what he does. Writes, I guess. We haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“And how far have you gotten?”

Natalie smirked. “Walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

“Sure did.”

“We’ve just been…talking.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Marshall smirked into his martini. “Honey, you aren’t a very good story-teller.”

Natalie was prepared to let the matter drop. Without juicy details, her friends lost interest. But she eyed the pair, snickering between themselves and sharing confident, knowing looks. Natalie crossed her arms over her chest.

“And he practically saved my life.”

This had the desired effect. Again, cocktails were set down with a clatter, and the pair rounded on her again. She told them about the two men who had made advances toward her and how Julian had threatened them until they left.

“Jesus,” Liberty breathed. “Nat, those guys could have been bad news. I mean, like the worst.”

“I know.” Natalie shuddered. “But Julian was so smart about it.”

“My hero!” Marshall exclaimed. “You should have banged his brains out in gratitude.”

Natalie’s face turned scarlet. As a quick diversion, she told them of his nightly writing routine. “And if he hadn’t been there that night, I don’t want to think what might have happened.”

Liberty twirled a swizzle stick around her glass thoughtfully. “So, let me get this straight: he comes in every night for, like months, writes in some little book, and you guys have chatted and whatnot…and that’s it. Have you gone out with him? Outside the café, I mean?”

“No,” Natalie said. “We…”

“He’s weird,” Liberty declared and sat back in her chair with finality.

“He’s not weird…”

“Maybe he’s gay!” Marshall exclaimed. “Can I have him?”

The smug surety in Liberty’s face withered a bit. “You always think everyone is gay until proven otherwise.”

“I’m just using the opposite paradigm you straight people set a million years ago.”

“Which is?”

“Assuming no one is gay until proven otherwise.”

“How regressive of you.”

Natalie retreated into silence as her friends continued their bickering, her static love affair defeated by their own. They didn’t bring up Julian again and neither did she. After an awkward cab ride home, Natalie stepped out and said her goodnights. Marshall walked her to the white iron gate in front of her place.

“Never let it never be said that I am not as gallant as Sir Julian.”

Natalie kissed him on the cheek. “Never.”

“And I’m happy for you,” he said in a rare, quiet tone. “If you’re happy then I’m happy.”

“I am,” Natalie said.

“Good,” Marshall said. “But when you do bang his brains out, I had better be the first to know.” He cocked his head. “Wait. That came out wrong.”

Natalie laughed and gave him a playful shove.

Liberty stuck her head out the taxi window. “The meter is running, not that you care. I’m not spending a dime over ten bucks, Mr. Moneybags.”

“She’s a delicate little flower, isn’t she?” Marshall winked. “Mustn’t keep her waiting.”