To Love Somebody

06. forelsket

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forelsket - the euphoria you experience when you are first falling in love

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Zander pulled back the chair, sitting down without bothering to ask Natalie if he could even sit there. She was too engrossed in the book she was reading to even notice him.

Besides, the coffee shop was busy that Saturday morning. It wasn't like he had a choice to sit anywhere else anyway.

"What are you reading?" He finally asked as she didn't bother looking up from her book.

Her hazel eyes met his, widening as she finally noticed him.

She looked different, no doubt that. Almost a little more relaxed, a little less confident. With her hair in a high ponytail, black-rimmed glasses, faint pink lips and oversized gray sweatshirt, it would be hard to believe that she was the same newly hired lawyer that had proven to be a pain in the ass for him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked closing the book she was reading but only after folding the page, to bookmark it.

Natalie rubbed her eyes. Early morning and she was still tired.

Chuckling lightly, Zander regarded her. A sly smile dancing on his lips.

"You know, just what normal people do at Starbucks. Order some coffee. Use some free wifi. Or read a book." He eyed the pink-covered book before picking it up.

"Wuthering Heights?" A soft snort escape his lips before he looked back at Natalie. "I thought you would rather spend your weekends reading through fraud cases or watching Judge Judy."

"Stop it." She gritted before yanking the book away from him. "It's a good book."

"Ehh. It's alright." Zander shrugged, pulling out his phone.

"You've read it?" A hint of playful tease filled her voice as she imagined him reading anything but case notes.

"Misha made me read it when we first started dating. Something about it being one of the best books ever." Zander unlocked his phone, scanning through his work emails. "I read the first chapter and then googled the rest of it."

Natalie forced a smile, filling with bitterness instead. Why, she wasn't still sure. Perhaps because he tended to bring his wife into every little conversation.

And also, perhaps because he made her feel something. Things that he shouldn't make her feel.

She didn't know how to describe it. But it was just something. Something that he made her feel.

"Where is your wife? A nice Saturday morning, I heard it's going to be in the low 80's today." She glanced outside, the clear sky and the day already warming up. "No plans for the weekend?"

Zander didn't look up from his phone, rapidly clicking on the first email from Spencer instead. From the title, it was something about being a partner. Something that Zander really wanted.

"She's at work. She has to work every other weekend." Zander replied, half-heartedly paying attention to their conversation.

"Oh." Natalie fumbled with the words. She wanted to know more but she didn't want to sound nosy. "Um, what does she do?"

"Misha? She's a PA." Zander glanced at Natalie before looking back at the email, skimming through it. "Physician's Assistant. She works in cardiology."

Zander sighed, putting his phone back in his pocket. Just another email, the same thing Spencer sent last time. That he was doing well with the case and he had a chance at becoming a partner sometime soon.

When soon was, Zander wasn't sure.

Natalie reached for cup of coffee, taking a small sip of the warm drink. Her hands wrapped around the cup as she stared at him.

As he sat across from her.

It was much better than having to steal glances at him at work.

And truthfully, it had to be the first time that he'd willingly acknowledged her. From when she'd first started her internship to when she'd first gotten hired at the firm, he hadn't once  willingly acknowledged her. Lately, the only reason why he even talked to her was because they were working on the case together.

Biting her lip, without thinking, she spoke again. "I don't think I've ever seen you in anything but a suit before."

It was true. At work, he seemed so serious all the time. And he was intimidating, slightly uptight. And confident, incredibly poised. At work, those were the only glimpses she got of him. Where he wanted everything to be ordered and neat, perfectly arranged.

But right now, he looked like everything but that.

His dark brown hair, wet and messy. Light blue shirt and black jeans.

She smiled, softly as he looked at her. His bright blue eyes, sparkling with mischief.

It was certain. He made her feel things, a certain kind of feel where her stomach filled with butterflies.

"Venti mocha for Zander." Natalie looked up at the barista called for him, placing the white cup on the pick-up counter.

"I gotta go." Zander stood up, pushing his chair in. "I'll see you Monday."

He nodded at her, lips curling into a gentle smile as he bid her good-bye.

Zander turned, facing her again. Teasing her about the work-related texts she'd sent him over the past few days. "By the way, your notes from Thursday. They were fairly decent."

Natalie shook her head, smiling and looking down at her book as he walked away from her. Her hands wrapped around the warm cup as she took another sip of the warm coffee.

A soft blush colored her cheeks as he complimented her for the first time.

And from the way he made her smile, she was certain than ever.

He was married, married to someone else. But still, she was falling for him. 

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June 14, 2018 2:21 PM