“It’s my pleasure.” He started the cycle on the dishwasher and straightened up, smiling at me. My knees felt weak suddenly, heart pounding in such a way that I feared it would just beat right out of my chest. Korbin took my hand then, leading me out into the living room to find our jackets. He helped me shrug into mine before he put on his own. My mother waved to us over her shoulder, eyes glued to some crime show on the TV.
“Call me if you need anything,” I insisted, but she waved me off, winking at us over the couch.
“Just have a good time,” she said. “The both of you deserve it.”
Taking my hand again in his, Korbin led me outside and towards the big silver truck he owned, the one I hadn’t had the pleasure of riding in since I’d been here.
“Fancy,” I said as he opened the passenger’s door for me. “Much nicer than my little car.”
“I love your car,” said Korbin, shutting the door behind me. He jogged to the other side of the truck and got in, turning on the engine to blast the heat. I placed my hands in front of the heater and moaned with satisfaction, drawing in a sly grin from Korbin. He backed out of the driveway and started in the direction of his condo, reaching across the middle console to take my hand in his and squeeze it. He didn’t let go.
“So, when will you go back to work?” I asked, caressing the back of his hand with my thumb. Korbin cleared his throat and continued to stare out the window, looking unsure suddenly.
“Hopefully Monday,” he said finally. “Just gotta get this weekend over with.”
“You mean the wedding?”
“Yeah, that.”
“Hansen is your best friend, Korbin,” I said. “You should be overjoyed to stand next to him as he marries the love of his life.”
He grinned, meeting my eyes with his own. “Ever the positive thinker, aren’t you?”
“What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic. Besides,” I turned in my seat to face him, taking his one hand between both of my own. “Don’t forget, you have a totally awesome date to take.”
“Oh, I do, do I?” teased Korbin, but it was difficult not to notice that he wouldn’t look at me. Not even for a brief second.
“You’ll survive,” I told him, over the pity party. “Do it for your friend, not for yourself.”
Korbin chuckled like I’d said something funny. I was just about to rip him a new one when he pulled into an indoor parking garage and parked on the main level, shutting the engine off before turning to look at me.
“You’re fancy,” I teased. “I’ve never had my own parking garage before.”
“Don’t get too excited,” he said, then came around the passenger’s door to open it for me. “I have to share it with the other tenants.”
“Oh, the horror.”
“I know.” Taking my hand again, we walked towards the main floor elevator, stopping in front of it as he reached out and pressed the button.
“You said you couldn’t walk up all the stairs with your knee,” I said, calling him out. “But you said nothing about there being an elevator.”
“To be fair, I mainly just wanted my mother’s comfort while I was injured,” Korbin said with a laugh. “Also, the elevator was down for maintenance right around the time I got hurt, so.”
“Excuses, excuses.” With a giggle, I stepped into the elevator, still holding firmly onto Korbin’s hand as he pressed the button for the third floor. It was a short, smooth ride, and briefly I felt like I was on vacation in Vegas, getting ready to enter the fancy master suite of some luxurious hotel.
“Here’s my floor,” Korbin said as the doors opened, and we stepped out into a hallway. The floor beneath our feet was marble, and the hallway seemed to go on forever. It was a modern design, modern and classy, and I stopped a moment outside of the elevator to look around at the immaculate decoration and many doors that lined the hallway.
“Wow,” I said with a small whistle. “This is really nice.”
“I like it,” said Korbin, and I followed him down the marble hallway and to the very end of the building. But the hallway wasn’t deserted, and as we drew closer to the end of the hall, someone came into vision. Someone familiar.
“It’s Amanda,” I breathed, wondering how on earth she was here. Or better yet,why.
“The fuck,” said Korbin, tightening his grip on my hand. “How does she even know where I live?”
As we approached the young woman, she pushed herself up off of the floor and stood to smile at us. Not for the first time, she focused her attention on Korbin instead of me, pretending I wasn’t even there. As if she hadn’t just been in my house mere hours ago.
“Hi, Korbin,” she said softly, and in her hands was a bouquet of flowers. “Are you feeling better?”
