Lex crossed his arms, a knowing smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Maybe when I see you behaving like you used to—full of life and less…broody—I’ll stop asking.”
I wanted to argue, to tell him I was the same old Adam, but the words wouldn’t come out. Probably because I wasn’t the same old Adam. I’d changed, and I didn’t fully understand it yet, so how could I explain it to someone else?
“Is this about Victoria?” Lex’s voice softened, the mention of her name like a knife twisting in my gut.
“No, she hasn’t been in touch. She’s still gone. And since I’m no longer at the apartment, I wouldn’t know if she’s back.”
“How is it living with River again?” It was a seemingly innocent question, but Lex was way too perceptive, especially when it came to me.
“River’s… It’s good,” I began, the words faltering as they escaped. “It’s comfortable, you know? Like old times.” But even as I said it, I could tell Lex knew I was leaving a lot unsaid.
“Are you thinking about looking for your own place soon?”
I walked over to the window and stared at the street outside. “I’ll start looking eventually.” The thought had crossed my mind a few times, but each time, the need to be close to River won out. Even when I didn’t see him, I knew he was there. Waking up before me, coming home after a late shift and joining me in his bed.
This couldn’t be all about the physical aspect. Not when I only ever properly drifted off to sleep when River’s arm pulled me against his chest and his hand sought mine.
“Okay. Well then, I better leave you and your sticky notes alone.”
I sighed. Yeah, I better go back to the sticky notes.
An hour and a lot of frustration later, I’d made some progress, but now my belly was rumbling.
A knock on the door made me look up and put a smile on my face.
“River.”
“Hey,” he said, his lips widening into a grin that reached his beautiful eyes and made the butterflies in my head all fluttery.
“What are you doing here?” I stood and walked to him, stopping short when I realized I’d been about to kiss him right in the middle of my office where everyone could see.
“You’ve never asked that before.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean that quite the way it came out. I just wasn’t expecting you today.”
“I was in the area to see the restaurant accountant and thought you might need a pick-me-up,” he said, handing me the coffee and pastry bag in his hand.
“Thank you.” I took my gifts and sipped the coffee straight away. “Hmm, you have no idea how much I needed this. I was actually about to pop out to buy myself a coffee.”
“I’m glad you didn’t, or I’d have missed you.”
I put the coffee on my desk. “Is that something you do a lot? Miss me?”
His warm gaze washed over me like he wanted to do more than just look. “More and more each day. I curse the distance between the restaurant and your office, my long hours, and having to leave you asleep in my bed when all I want is to kiss you awake.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, muttering, “My office is see-through,” more to remind myself why I couldn’t just push him onto the couch and make out for the rest of the afternoon.
“You look stuck,” he said, pointing at the work on my desk.
“It’s for a fashion brand. I’m supposed to conjure up the next big slogan, but nothing feels right.”
“Let’s hear it then,” River said, easing onto the chair across from me. We’d done this so many times I’d lost count. He had a talent for picking up on a loose thread and giving me exactly what I needed to create the perfect slogan or ad copy.
I rattled off a couple of attempts I’d scribbled down earlier, each falling flat the moment they left my lips.
“Okay, how about this?” he said, leaning forward with a spark of excitement. “What if we infuse the idea with taste? Everyoneloves food, right? When you make that sensory association, it doesn’t matter what you’re selling. People will remember it.”
“Go on,” I urged, sensing we were on the cusp of something brilliant.
