Nothing Better (Than You) - English Vers.

¤ Chapter 9

Nate's gaze drifted towards Keith's office, where he was hunched over his desk, completely absorbed in his work. The silence from Keith was deafening—he still hadn't responded to Nate's message, and she was too anxious to broach the subject with him.

"Hey, got the list of PCs arriving next week. Can you keep me in the loop so I can chase up my clients?" Harry asked, passing Nate a few sheets of paper.

Nate murmured a quick "Alright" before casting a surreptitious glance at Keith's office. She stood by the expansive window, her presence visible to Keith, but he appeared utterly nonchalant, his attention consumed by the screen in front of him.

Nate dragged herself back to her office, weighed down by a mix of emotions. She couldn't blame Keith for feeling deceived, yet she hadn't technically lied to him. She had never claimed to be single, nor had she ever revealed her true marital status. The omission of truth had been enough to lead Keith astray.

As Nate worked, music played softly in the background. When lunchtime rolled around, she switched it off and got ready to head out. Reaching into her desk drawer for her lunch, she automatically checked her flip phone—and spotted a message she'd missed.

Fancy lunch together?

Nate cast a glance at the marketing and sales department, wondering if Keith was still around. His message had been sitting there for a while, and she couldn't shake the feeling that he might have given up and left already, assuming she was ignoring him.

Nate dashed out and scanned the parking lot, but Keith's scooter was gone. Had he already taken off? She was about to give up when she spotted him sitting on his scooter, parked at his usual spot a short distance from the office. Nate hurried over to join him.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your message earlier," Nate said.

"It's fine," Keith said, passing Nate the helmet.

The silence between them persisted until they reached the restaurant and were waiting for their food to arrive. Nate was unsure how to break the ice. Should she apologise for letting Keith down? But was he even upset with her in the first place?

"Sorry I didn't get back to you last night," Keith said out of the blue. "I'm just going to be honest with you—I was really surprised to find out you're married. I mean, I figured you might have a boyfriend or something, but a husband? That was not what I was expecting."

Nate's eyes dropped, and she nibbled on her lip. "I'm sorry I never mentioned it. I didn't intentionally keep my marriage a secret from you. Are you mad at me about it?"

"I'm not mad, just a little let down," Keith admitted, exhaling a deep breath. "Honestly, when you first joined the team, the guys in the office couldn't stop talking about you. They were all about how amazing you were, saying you were the most charming female staff member they'd ever met. That sparked my curiosity, and I wanted to get to know you better."

A deep blush spread across Nate's face as Keith's revelation left her feeling both surprised and embarrassed. She had been oblivious to the fact that she had been a topic of conversation among her coworkers.

"Then when I met you, I thought the office legend wouldn't apply to me," Keith said, his voice laced with a hint of sadness. "You see, there's this myth going around that anyone who works at our office will end up a bachelor forever. I was starting to think it was true, since I hadn't had any luck dating since I started working there."

Nate would have burst out laughing if Keith's expression hadn't been so solemn. "Come on, you're a great catch—I'm sure plenty of women would love to date you."

"But the truth is, I didn't click with anyone," Keith said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips as he responded to Nate's compliment. "As I got to know you better, I have to admit, I started to develop feelings for you. But I never expected to find out you're married. You weren't even wearing a wedding ring—that's usually the first thing I notice when I meet someone."