A laugh burst out of me, hard, spooking my crush. “Ha!” I turned to the other guy and stated, “I said the same thing!” Then I looked back at the security guy who now looked at me like I’d done gone and lost my mind and repeated more mildly through flaming cheeks, “I–I said the same thing.”

But the other guy shook his head. “Sorry ladies, you’re not on here. Back of the line.”

I piped up then and only God knew why. “But he vouched for us. We’re vouched!”

The other guy shrugged. “Maybe you got your wires mixed. Maybe it wasn’t for tonight.”

I placed a hand on my hip. “Of course it was for tonight. He vouched for us. Hell, I’d vouch for us! Look at us!” I waved my hand out to my friends… who looked like a bunch of cowering kittens in a dark alley.

Nice job, guys. Nailed it.

The other guy opened his mouth to speak, and then I suddenly remembered. “Tina Leokov vouches for us too.”

Hot security guy asked through narrowed eyes, “You know the Leokovs?”

I shook my head. “No. Just Tina.” I didn’t know why, but I decided to curtsey. “She helped me find this dress. I shop at her store.”

The security guy’s eyes slid down my body. He rumbled, “It’s a nice dress.” And I felt my heart race.

Whoa. Finding it hard to breathe over here.

I stuttered, “Th- thank you.” I relay what Tina told me. “While I was there, she told me if I needed someone to vouch for me, she’d do it. She also told me she and Nik own part of Frost and that she even helped name it.”

I felt all eyes on me.

My friends looked at me through wide eyes.

“What?” They gaped at me. I blurted out, “I know people!”

Although the other guy looked torn, he held up his ledger. “If you’re not on the list, I can’t let you in. Sorry, ladies. Maybe Tina can vouch for you next weekend.”

My face fell.

I smiled sadly and muttered, “That’s okay. I know you’re just doing your job.” As we turned to walk away, I lifted my hand to the security guy and mouthed, “Bye,” forcing a smile.

A rough, “Wait,” stopped us.

Snatching the ledger from the other guy, the security guy looked over the page. “Wouldn’t you know it? You’re on the list.”

The other guy and all the girls asked a confused, “What?”

Security guy nodded. “Yep. Right here. Welcome to Frost.”

The other guy argued, “I looked. Twice. They’re not on-”

Security guy pinned him with a glare so fierce that he stopped talking mid-sentence. When he looked back up at us, he smiled a thin smile, “I was wrong, apparently. You’re on the list.”

Stacey let out a long breath. “See? I told you! Let’s go.”

But I couldn’t take my eyes off of the security guy, and from the way he looked back at me, I knew something was happening here.

Something big.

While the girls headed inside, I stuck my hand out without a thought. “I’m Emma.”

Security guy looked down at my extended hand a moment before taking it in the giant mitt he called a hand. “Bastien.”

I shook his hand and smiled softly in a daze. “Hi Bastien. I’m Emma.”

At that, his lips twitched. “Hi Emma. I’m Bastien.”

Still shaking his hand, I told him, “Bastien is a badass name. Which makes sense, because you seem like a badass with all your muscles and broodiness and such.”

He didn’t release my hand. Just responded, “I’ll have to tell my parents they did good.”

My smile widened. “Yes. You do that.”

His body shook in silent laughter. “I will.”

A hand pulled at me. Stacey stood there looking at me with an expression that said ‘I’m not sure what the hell you’re doing’. “Come on, Em. Let the nice man go before he changes his mind.”

I barked out another laugh, spooking Bastien once again. I looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I should let go now.”

But as I moved to pull away, he held me firm. “I like you, Emma.”

My heart fluttered. I blinked a moment before I responded quietly, “I like you too Bastien. I think.”

Finally, we parted but it was only as I walked inside that I realised a piece of paper was in my hand.

A piece of paper with a phone number on it.

The very next day, I sent Bastien a message.

Me: Hi Bastien. It’s Emma.

I wasn’t sure what else to write so I left it at that.

Bastien: Hi Emma. It’s Bastien.

I laughed through my response.

Me: Ha! It’s funny because that’s what we did last night.

My phone chimed a second later.

Bastien: I know. I was there.

Oh dear lord, I wanted to see him again. Now. Right now. Before I lost my nerve, I asked him out.

Me: If you’re free, I’d love to meet you for lunch? On me:)

His response was immediate.

Bastien: I can’t do lunch. Sorry.

My heart fell. That sucked.

Maybe I only imagined the chemistry from last night.

My phone chimed once more.

Bastien: Dinner tonight?

I bit my lip and typed as fast as I could.

Me: I’d love that! What time?

He told me he’d pick me up at nine. We exchanged details, he picked me up and took me to a nice little Sushi bar. We ate, talked and laughed. A lot.

Bastien was funny. He had a dry sense of humour I loved, and I was comfortable with him from the second he picked me up. There was no awkwardness. As soon as I opened the door, he smiled down at me, took my hands and tugged me to him, pulling me close and hugging me. While he squeezed me, I kissed him on the cheek and told him how handsome he looked (and he did). He told me I looked exquisite.

He used that word.

Exquisite.

Can you imagine?

Swoon.

As soon as we left my apartment, I took his hand, entwining our fingers together like we had done it a hundred times before. We held hands all night, and if we had to separate for any reason, Bastien made sure he had a hand on me at all times.

It was so sweet, and super hot.

I would imagine Bastien would be a possessive male. And I had no problem with that.

When our date ended, we took ourselves back to my apartment where we talked some more about work, friends and family.

Bastien’s family were originally from France. No wonder. He looked like he had culture.

I told him my family were All-American, and he didn’t cringe. Point for me.

He told me he was thirty-four, that he had two sisters and a brother, both parents still alive and kicking.

I told him I was twenty-nine, an only child with my parents both alive and happily married. I told him about Stacey being my best friend since forever and our other two stooge friends, Laura and Ally.

He told me about ‘the other guy’, Stu, his cousin and more about his close friendship with the Leokovs. Turns out he knows Tina personally.

And wouldn’t you know it? She vouched for me.

Two points for me.

We stayed up way past midnight chatting while subtly touching. Eventually, he stood up to leave. As I walked him through the door, my chest began to ache.

I was starting to feel depressed. And as though he felt the same way, he pulled me into a warm hug, cradling the back of my head in consolation. “I want to see you again.”

As I buried my face into the crook of his neck, I whispered, “Okay.”

He asked, “Tomorrow too soon?”

I sighed. “Heck no.”

As he pulled away, he took my hands in his and explained that because of the late nights he works, he normally sleeps till late afternoon so he’d be free after dark.

I could understand that.

My dad worked shift work so I knew how it could be to deal with someone deprived of sleep.

It was like trying to wake the dead.

His green eyes searched my face. He lowered his face to mine and as if it were the most natural thing in the world, we kissed. Long and slow.

I felt that kiss.

I felt it everywhere.