After Linda left my office, the day quickly became busy. Toni fell sick mid-shift, so I stepped in to handle the rest of her bookings. I stayed later to get on top of my paperwork, including booking our hotel in New York for the Sassoon seminar. I couldn't wait to tell Charli and Gail.
By the time I made it home, it was well past eight. I was tired but still looking forward to a relaxing soak in my bath before collapsing into bed. As I stepped off the elevator onto my floor, I immediately skidded to a stop. My fingers tightened on my keys.
Simon and his now fiance, Sofia, were kissing and giggling as she fumbled to open her door. His back was to me, leaning one arm against her door jamb, essentially caging her in. His dark head was buried against her neck as she fought with her door. Although, it didn't appear she was making much effort to try to open it.
It was terrible luck that I had to live practically next door to Sofia. So far, I avoided any awkward run-ins with them since they became engaged, but it looked like my luck had run out. I did look into moving, but there were no open apartments in my complex, and anything else was outside my price range.
They were so engrossed with each other they hadn't noticed me, and I prayed they wouldn't. Thankfully, Sofia managed to tear herself away from Simon long enough to open her door. The two went stumbling in, slamming the door behind them. My tense body relaxed.
If I’d witnessed that scene a year ago, I would have ordered my weight in Chinese takeout and downed a bottle of wine. Now, all I felt was a heavy sadness for the time I lost, not to mention the emotional and physical effort I put to entice Simon into falling in love with me.
Even though I no longer believed myself in love with him, seeing Simon—the eternal fuckboy—so happy and in love was a stab to the heart. Not a sharp blade like it used to feel, more like a dull ache.
Feeling more blue than I already was, I stripped out of my clothes and turned on the taps to my bath, wiggling my fingers under the stream until the temperature felt just right. It wasn't until I poured my bath salts in that I remembered I’d yet to reply to Brian's text. I’d left my phone in my office when I was covering for Toni and then put my phone on silent to avoid distractions as I finished my admin work.
Cursing, I quickly turned off the tapes and swiped my phone up, pausing my playlist so I could concentrate.
Brian:Can't wait for next Sat x
Brian:How's your day going?
Brian:Just got home. Haven't heard from you, so assume you're buried under a mountain of paperwork :P
Brian:Everything OK?
Shit.
Instead of texting, I called him immediately. I sat on the tub's edge, my body tense until I heard Brian's deep, honeyed voice.
"Hey, beautiful. Is everything okay?"
He didn't sound annoyed or pissed off. A calm settled over me, and my dejected mood lifted.
"I'm so sorry," I fretted. Goosebumps tickled my skin even as steam rose from the bath. I quickly explained my busy day.
"That's okay, sweetheart."
Sweetheart.My heart soared.
"Sorry if my texts were incessant," he laughed.
My heavy eyes crinkled at his words."No, you're fine." A growing yawn came over me and I smothered it.
"You're tired." His voice rumbled soothingly in my ear. "You about to head to sleep?" I heard him shift around and wondered if he was lying in his bed. Did he sleep naked?
An image of sweat-soaked limbs tangled in sheets filled my head. My eyes shifted to the bubbles in my bath and then to my naked body. My pink nipples pebbled as I thought of how easily I could lure him in. The scene was set—me naked, about to hop into a warm bath. Him possibly shirtless in bed, maybe with half an erection just from talking to me.
I stared at myself in the fogged-up mirror. My eyes roamed my naked form as I clenched my dampening core.
"Maria?"
My hand tightened on my phone as I reached down and silently swiped at a bubbled foam. "Yes," I murmured. "I'm just about to collapse into bed. I'll text you tomorrow?" I blew the bubble away.
"Yes, sweetheart."
There went those butterflies again.
"Have a good night's rest. I'll text you in the morning."
