I think about how I wanted to buy a house big enough for Kendall and her aunt and me. But that’s probably not gonna happen.
“Yeah, I can stop by and look at it. Can you text me the address?”
A half-hour later, I’m walking through a luxury three-story townhouse on the edge of the Gulch.
My realtor grins at me. “Incredible, isn’t it?”
I glance around at the massive open-concept space on the main floor. It’s all white marble, sleek flooring, and stainless steel appliances. It’s a nice place. But it’s not at all what I wanted…
That ache in my chest deepens. I close my eyes for a second and fight through it.
“If you’re interested, we should contact the seller today. The quicker we move, the better. This place is going to sell fast,” my realtor says.
I swallow back the pain. “How much do you think I should offer?”
Chapter 47
Kendall
“Auntie, what are you watching?”
She smiles when she looks up from the TV. “Hockey. Liam’s team is playing tonight.”
“Oh…” I finish clearing the table after dinner. “I didn’t know you liked watching hockey.”
I try to keep my voice normal. She doesn’t know that anything happened between Liam and I.
“I didn’t until I met your special friend Liam.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
I swallow through the ache in my throat. It’s been just over a week since I’ve seen Liam—since I told him that I needed some space to think about things between us.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve picked up my phone and almost called him. But I always stop myself. Because I know he’d only want to hear from me if I can tell him that I feel the same—that I’m ready to take the next step in our relationship: make things official and start planning to move in together. But I’m not ready to do that. I don’t know if I ever will be.
And if I’m not ready to do that, then I should probably end things between us for good. But just thinking about doing that makes me want to throw up.
So I’ve held off on reaching out to him, which means I’m stuck in this agonizing holding pattern.
My eyes burn with tears just thinking about him. I miss him like crazy. I blink quickly until that feeling fades.
“Anak, you don’t think I know what’s happening between you two?” She chuckles. “I see the way you look at each other. There’s something going on. Something romantic.”
I still, my cheeks heating. All those times I told her that we were just friends, I had no idea she could see right through it.
She smiles at me. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to make you talk to me about it. I know how private you are when it comes to your dating life.”
I clear my throat, feeling stupid and guilty all at once. I guess there’s no use in hiding it anymore. “You’re right. We had a bit of a thing going on. But I don’t know if it’s a good idea for us to keep seeing each other.”
The smile fades from her face. She looks so sad and disappointed. “What happened? You seemed so happy together.”
I walk into the living room and sit next to her on the couch. “We want different things.”
When she frowns at me, confused. “What do you mean?”
I hesitate. “He wanted to get serious. He wanted to move in together. I didn’t.”
She laughs like she’s shocked. “Anak, why wouldn’t you want to get serious with a young man like that? He’s handsome, sweet, funny, and he pays for brunch. I bet he makes a good living too playing hockey. He’s certainly not one of those deadbeat guys who wants to make you pay all the time.”
“No, it’s not that, it’s just…I don’t know if I can do it, Auntie. I don’t know if I’m meant to be in a long-term serious relationship with anyone.”
