Chapter Fifty-One

Darcy was glued to her phone the entire ride back to the offices. Natalie kept trying to catch her eye, Darcy could feel it, but she couldn’t stop scrolling through Twitter and Instagram. As the camera guy predicted, there were GIFs of Natalie’s fall. They were hilarious but the thing keeping Darcy scrolling was the GIFs and comments and sheer number of tweets talking about the two of them. The way they stood, the way they held hands for half a second after Darcy hauled Natalie up off the ice. Someone had even zoomed in on the way their hips bumped. Good grief, these people needed a better hobby. One that didn’t involve Darcy and her love life.

She finally looked at Natalie. Could she call it a love life yet? Was it that? Or was it just a one-night thing?

“You all right? You look like you’re freaking out.” Natalie gave Darcy a sweet smile.

Darcy nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She flipped her phone to face Natalie. “This is...”

“Overwhelming?” Natalie chuckled. “I’m sorry to tell you but as someone who has a long history of fans talking about her on the internet—”

“What?” Darcy cut in.

Natalie laughed. “I’m kidding. The only time people GIF’d me before was when I was on the show after the Olympics and clearly still tipsy from the night before. My mom was horrified but it seems like that performance got me here so it wasn’t all bad.”

When they reached the offices, Darcy was silent until they got to the conference room they’d taken over as their own. “Before it was funny, you know? But now it feels...”

“Uncomfortable?” Natalie said.

Darcy shook her head. “It was kind of a game before, you know? Seeing people thinking we were flirting with each other all this time. It was fun.”

“I was flirting with you, for the record.”

Darcy smiled and reached out to squeeze Natalie’s hand. “This feels more exposed or something and I don’t really know what’s going on with us or whatever and oh my god, I’m being such a weirdo. Sorry. It’s fine. I’m totally cool and not at all freaking out.”

Natalie’s smile softened. “You can just say you like me.”

Darcy laughed. Leave it to Natalie to be both adorable and obnoxious at the same time. She hadn’t changed a bit since they first met and Darcy still found her irresistible.

Not that she was ready to tell Natalie that. Instead of saying any of that, she looked at the table covered with their mess from the day before.

When she looked up, Natalie was studying her. An awkward moment passed with neither of them saying anything before Natalie stepped toward the door. “Are you hungry? I’m starving. Why don’t I go see if there’s any food around. I’ll bring you something.”

She was gone before Darcy had a chance to speak. Darcy collected the random papers they’d left behind into a pile and set it in the center of the table. She was embarrassed that they left it so messy that other people probably felt like they couldn’t use the room.

She sank into one of the chairs just as Chip walked by the room. Please don’t stop, please don’t stop.

He stopped and spun on the heel of his stupid shiny shoes. “Darcy, haven’t seen you around for a bit.” He gave her a smile that displayed far too many of his shockingly white teeth. “I guess you’ve been busy with your little friend.” He raised his eyebrows like one of the creepy frat boys she’d dealt with in college.

Ugh. Why must he be so gross? Darcy took a deep breath and gave him a smile she hoped he knew was fake. “Natalie and I have been busy. You know, meeting the top brass, recording our segments...”

He held up his phone. “Oh, don’t pretend like you aren’t having a bit of fun, too. The internet is ablaze with your relationship .”

Ew. How could a person merely saying a word make it sound dirty? Darcy bristled. “You of all people should know better than to believe everything you read online.” It was a vague shot across the bow. She hoped he’d take it as a warning. She knew the rumors about him and even more, she knew how he made every woman on staff feel. The guy was a creep.

The toothy smile returned. “I don’t begrudge you enjoying a little fun with your costar. Who among us hasn’t dabbled in a little fun at work?”

If they’d been on the ice, this is the point where Darcy would earn herself a suspension by throwing the first punch. Instead, she clenched her fists and jaw as tightly as she could to stop herself from ripping this guy’s head off. There was nothing similar about his creepy harassment and whatever she had going on with Natalie. In a few words, he’d catapulted her back to college. She listed the reasons in her head. First of all, they were equals, coworkers. She wasn’t Natalie’s boss and she didn’t cross any lines without consent. And second, fuck this guy forever for thinking he knew anything about her based on a few internet rumors. “Chip, you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about.” Darcy paused to collect herself, to find the words that would make him fuck off but wouldn’t get her fired. “Natalie and I go way back. We were college teammates and we’ve been friends for a long time. That’s it.”

Chip shrugged. “Call it whatever you like.” He waved his phone in the air. “But we both know what’s going on here.” He swept away, revealing Natalie standing behind him, holding two cups of coffee, each with a plate of food balanced on top.

Darcy met her eyes and saw a wave of hurt before Natalie clamped down and stuck one hand out toward Darcy. “Here’s your food, friend .”

Darcy took the plate and cup feeling like she’d broken something priceless. “Nat, that’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Natalie stopped but kept one of the chairs between them.

Darcy put her food on the table and stepped toward Natalie. “Please let me explain.”

Natalie crossed her arms over her chest, saying “fuck you” with her entire body. But she didn’t walk away.

Darcy didn’t waste her chance. “Chip came in here waving Twitter in my face and claiming that he and I are the same because, according to the internet, you and I are a thing.” She paused to calm her nerves and steady her voice. “I am nothing like Chip. He’s a scummy, skeevy, serial sexual harasser. And I am...” She trailed off. She couldn’t tell Natalie that. Not yet. “So no, I didn’t tell him that you and I slept together last night. I didn’t tell him that I might really, really like you. I didn’t tell him that you are the most beautiful, most infuriating, most incredible person I know because he doesn’t deserve to know anything about me. He doesn’t get to know how I feel about this sandwich let alone how I feel about you.” She took a deep breath.

No matter what Natalie said next, at least she’d said everything she wanted to say. Well, not everything, but how on earth could she tell Natalie she loved her after one night together, especially if she was going to fly off the handle because Darcy didn’t tell Chip they were together? Were they even together? Wait, was this a time-limited thing? Did Natalie just want a little bit of fun while they were working together?

Darcy told herself she had to be okay with whatever Natalie wanted. Natalie didn’t owe her more after she’d been clear with her yesterday. But sitting there in that fishbowl of a conference room, Darcy already knew she wanted more.