“Would you like to come up?” I asked, my voice a little softer than usual. “I don’t think the wine I’ve got is as good as what you had, but it looks like you might be willing to drink it anyway.”
Harrison didn’t say a word, crack a smile, or even offer a joke about my shoddy taste in wine. He just pushed off the counter and followed me across the lobby. My heels clicked too loudly on the marble, my heartbeat even louder in my ears.
The elevator ride was suffocating, his silence filling every inch of the small space, and when we reached my floor, I couldn’t tell if I was relieved or terrified to finally have him alone. My hands trembled faintly as I fumbled with my keys. The brass lock seemed suddenly complicated, the motion of sliding the key in unfamiliar.
All the while, he stood behind me, close enough that I felt the warmth of him and inhaled the faint scent of leather and cedar in the air. When I finally managed the herculean task of unlocking and opening my front door, I stepped aside and waved him in.
“Make yourself at home,” I said, but my voice wasn’t nearly as confident as it should’ve been.
He moved past me, but he wasn’t walking with his usual easy swagger. Rather, his gait had a kind of heaviness about it too, just like his eyes, like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
As he paused by the window, sliding his hands into his pockets and looking out at the twinkling city lights below, I stood in the doorway for a moment, just watching him. My stomach started tangling itself into hundreds of tiny, tight little knots.
Is he about to call this whole thing off? Ask for the ring back?
The chain around my neck suddenly felt unbearably heavy, making me overly aware of how bothered I would be by its absence. I’d grown used to the weight, the warmth, and the secret thrill of having it cradled against my skin.
The idea of losing it made my chest ache in a way I hadn’t expected.Is he going to tell me this was all a mistake?
Logically, I knew that would probably be the smart thing for both of us. We’d jumped into this at reckless speed, following through on a drunken suggestion to get married after we’d barely known each other a week. As it was, kissing him had turned me inside out.
Walking away now, before anyone found out what we’d done and before it got messy, would be the practical choice, but the thought of it ending before it’d even truly begun soured my stomach. It scared me more than I wanted to admit.
Just a couple days ago, I’d been telling myself I hadn’t signed up for romance. That this wasn’t supposed to feel like anything more than strategy, but now, the idea that it might turn out to be nothing at all made me want to reach for him and hold on as tight as I possibly could.
He still hadn’t spoken, though. He hadn’t even looked at me. Squaring my shoulders, I stepped further into the foyer and shut the door behind me, intent on not drawing this out any longer.
“Harrison,” I said softly, my voice refusing to cooperate with my brain’s command to sound like I was confident and in control. “What’s going on? Why are you here? Has something happened?”
CHAPTER 23
HARRISON
I’d come to see her for several reasons. The first of which was the easiest to talk about.
Upon my request, Jameson had rushed Aurelia’s commission. I was completely in the dark about her finances, but ever since that first week, I’d suspected that she’d stuck her neck out on this deal. I wanted to be sure she had money to pay her rent on this apartment. Or her mortgage. Whatever it was.
Aurelia seemed like she was a survivor, someone who would and on her feet, but it couldn’t hurt to make sure she received what she was owed. I’d simply made sure that the payout she was due came earlier.
“Harrison, what’s going on? Why are you here? Has something happened?”
Strangely, she sounded genuinely worried and I frowned, turning to face her and feeling desperately confused when I realized that it looked like she was about to burst into tears.
“I’m fine. We’re all good. Why are you about to start crying?” I stared at her, my head tilting until it suddenly hit me like a wet fish. “Oh, God. The shit wine. Have you even been able to buy groceries while you’ve been waiting for this money?”
Her eyes widened, her lips parted, and for a second, I thought I’d been right, but then she doubled over laughing. “Please don’t tell me that’s what’s got you so worried. Are you seriously stressed about myfinancial situation?”
I blinked hard. And again. My eyebrows rose slowly as I watched her walk deeper into the room, finally shrugging out of her coat and kicking off her sky high heels. She hung her purse on a hook near her door and then padded over to the kitchen.
I followed her, absolutely not checking out her ass in those tight jeans. “Why did it look like you were about to cry, then? Also, why did you buy shit wine?”
“I didn’t buy shit wine.” She was facing the other way as she crossed to the fridge, but I practically heard her rolling her eyes as she spoke. “I never said it was bad. It’s just not the kind of bottle that should bring me my slippers in the morning to make up for how much it cost.” She opened her sleek, stainless steel fridge and brought out a bottle of admittedly decent white wine. “Would you like some?”
“Yeah, sure.” I moved over to her kitchen island and watched her pour us each a glass, reminded of the first time I’d seen her do that and the kiss that had followed. Instantly, my brain threw up a reel of our next kiss, the one that had almost gotten out of control in my apartment, and I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket to distract myself. “I’ve got something for you.”
“What is it?” She pushed my wine glass across the marble counter and swept up the envelope I’d just taken out of my pocket. “It feels thick. Have I been accepted to college again? I don’t remember applying.”
I gave her a blank stare, but it only lasted a moment before I felt my lips curving into a grin. God, it felt like I hadn’t done that in years, but the last couple days hadn’t exactly been a happy, easy time for me.
